Finally, The Indiana Pacers will be playing in the postseason. The Pacers recently clinched the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference for the 2011 NBA Finals. This is the first time in five years that the Blue and Gold will be in the postseason. Unfortunately for us fans, the Pacers reward is the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls are the number one seed in the East, and many consider them the best in the League. They have racked up the best record in the League with 62 wins, including two against the Miami Heat, one win against the Lakers, and a 3-1 record vs. the Pacers. Although Derrick Rose, point guard for Chicago, is considered by most to be the front runner of the Leagues’ MVP award, Chicago has many outstanding supporting players, including Joakim Noah and newly added Carlos Boozer.
The Pacers go into the Playoffs with a LOSING record of 37-45. The Pacers have looked mediocre all season, and are in the Playoffs due partly to the fact that other teams in contention have failed to win games. Head coach Frank Vogel took over in late January after Jim O’ Brien was fired. During the month of February Vogel and the Pacers went 8-5, with 2 of those losses coming in overtime. Indiana looked competitive and it seemed as if they were a shoo-in for the Playoffs. This idea soon disappeared when in March the Pacers lost six straight and went 8-10. In April though, the Pacers won enough games to ensure they will play in the postseason, and will
The team went on a winning streak during the first several games under new coach Frank Vogel, but the team started to come unglued when Mike Dunleavy was injured. But the team, including starters and bench players, are starting to mesh back together and have strung together a 4-3 record with wins over Boston and Atlanta (who always seems to have Indiana’s number) since the end of March.
My heart is telling me the Pacers will win this series in seven games, but my brain is telling me no way. The Pacers should win at least one home game, but this seems to be a year of destiny for the Bulls. Their team has come together and has looked unstoppable at times in the regular season, led by Derrick Rose (who I called as the second-coming of Michael Jordon, we’ll wait to see how that plays out) and I think will beat the Pacers in 5 games.
My other predictions for the first round of the Playoffs:
(2)Heat over (7)76ers in 7
(6)Knicks over (3) Celtics in 7
(4)Magic over (5) Hawks in 6
(1) Spurs over (8) Grizzlies in 4
(2) Lakers over (7) Hornets in 6
(3) Dallas over (6) Trailblazers in 7
(4) Thunder over (5) Nuggets in 5
Spurs beat Heat in 6 for NBA Championship
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