European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 21, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 38 stars and stripes saturday april 21 2007 Eastern conference playoff capsules Eastern conference 1 Detroit is 8 Orlando 5329 646 4042 488 pistons Ohgi magic he per game averages Points Fig pet 3pt pet mt35s source Aba a season series pistons won 40 including a Victory last week in Detroit that gave them Home court advantage throughout the East playoffs Chauncey Billups snot 53 percent and averaged 26 Points against the magic storyline to seeded Detroit opens against a Suksoo team for the second straight year welcoming former pistons Grant Hill and Darko Milicic Back to the pal Ace of Auburn Hills Hill returns to the play offs for the first time in seven years a Span covering 589 games the injury riddled pro last made the playoffs As a member of the pistons key matchup i Chris Webber is Dwight Howard Howard has become nearly an Auto Matic double double sort of like Webber was in his prime now Webber who helped i upstart the pistons after signing with his Hometown team will have to use his smarts to slow the magics Allstar Center key matchup ii Tayshaun Prince is Hill Hill has struggled with injuries Ever since leaving Detroit but had a Nice game at the Palace in the most recent meeting scoring 22 Points its up to the versatile Prince to prevent him from doing it again Facton hero Turkoglu had a Strong april and is one of the few magic players with playoff experience from his years in Sacramento a prediction pistons in 4 Eastern conference 2 Cleveland is 7 Washington 5032 610 4141500 Cavaliers wizards per game averages Points 968 1043 rebounds assists 208 202 Fig pet 447 450 it pet source Aba a season series Cavaliers 21 Only one meeting came after the wizards lost Al stars Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler with Cleveland winning 9994 in Washington on april 6 Lebron James shot Only 39 per cent while averaging 237 Points against the wizards storyline Cavaliers clinched no 2 seed on final night of the regular season to earn what Many consider the easiest first round opponent the wizards have stumbled badly since losing Arenas and Butler to injuries key matchup i Jamess Antawn Jamison the Cavaliers ask James to do everything be cause he can the wizards Aye now forced to do the same with Jamison because they have no Choice since Hes the Only member of their big three still playing key matchup in Larry Hughes is Antonio Daniels Washington needs someone else to score and Daniels a playoff Veteran has the quickness to do it Hughes the former wizards Star is a Strong who will try to prevent it Facton Deshawn Stevenson with so much scoring missing the wizards need to make up for it with defense that what Stevenson is in Washington for and will get some turns at stopping James a prediction Cavaliers in 5 Eastern conference 3 Toronto is 6 new Jersey 4735573 41 41 500 raptors 88b nets per game averages Points rebounds my 395 mm4 408 assists 222 h239 Fig pet 463 457 it pet 3pt pet source Aba a season series tied 22 with each team winning twice on its Home floor All four games were decided by double digits storyline the surprising Atlantic division champions against the team that was the preseason pick to we tit the series sends1 former raptors Star Vince Carter Back to Tor onto where he will Lively be booed every time he touches the Bajt key matchup i Chris Bosh is Mikki Moore Bosh a ail Star starter Vjio averaged 226 joints Bounds is capable of scoring on the blocks or from the outside Toore absence of Havet Hebest season of his shooting a league est 6019 percent key matchup ii to Ford is Jason Kidd the acquisition of the speedy Ford in an off season Trade with Milwaukee was one of the catalysts for Toronto improvement Kidd one of the nabs Best Point guards will try to slow him Down Facton Anthony Parker with the rap tors having such Little postseason expert ence the former Star in Europe could be a calming presence especially if ties Knock ing Down his jumpers a prediction raptors in 7 Eastern conference 4 Miami is 5 Chicago 4933 heat bulls per game averages Points rebounds my 437 assists 205 source Aba 598 a season series bulls 3lhighighted by a 10856 rout on opening night in Miami the heats tone Victory was a 10370 Romp in Chi Cag where Miami is just 19 Al time in the postseason storyline loss at new Jersey on final night of the regular season leaves the bulls with rematch of series with heat Miami won in six games last year to Start its Ruo tothe Aba title key matchup i dwyane Wade Skirk Hin and Rumrich defend Sand frustrates his Usa Tearny Teabout As Well As anyone the bulls will surely bump Wade around to see if his shoulder and knee can handle the punish key matchup ii Ben Wallace is Shaquille Oneal no matter what teams they Are play ing for this matchup in the Pivot is becom ing an annual occurrence both players had below average regular seasons for their standards but the bulls didst throw Mil lion at Wallace for that and this is the Only time of year that matters to Shaw Facton James Posey missed the regu la season finale with an injured shoulder heat expect him to be ready hed Likely be called upon to slow Lull Deng or Andres Nocini Chicago aggressive swing men a prediction heat in 7 Western conference playoff capsules Western conference 1 Dallas is 8 Golden state Western conference 2 Phoenix is 7 la lakers Western conference 3 san Antonio is 6 Denver Western conference 4 Utah is 5 Houston 4240 Mavericks Mph warriors per game averages Points rebounds Isufi 414 assists 199 31 238 11000 1065 744 4240 51 2 suns he lakers Ess per game averages Points Fig pet 4537549 spurs he per game averages Points 1102 m ioi3 494 rebounds my 405 412 3pt pet bh381 iss356 i 3pt pet i my 399 i 353i 985 1054 51 622 jazz rockets per game averages Points 970 it pet source Aba a source Aba a source Aba a source Aba a season series warriors 30 though throw out the last one after Dallas rested just about anybody important in the Sec onto last game of the season storyline a familiar face is the Mavericks first obstacle in their quest to return to the Aba finals former Dallas coach Don Nelson has the warriors Back in the playoffs for the first time since 1994 when he was in his pre Vious stint in the Bay area key matchup i Josh Howard is Stephen Jackson or Al Harrington a firs time ail Star there Are some who say Howard is the mavs Best Allaround player part of that is because of his Strong defensive play which hell be called upon to show off against one of the warriors versatile for wards Jackson and Harrington have thrived offensively in Nelsons patented uptempo offence key matchup ii Devin Harris is Baron Davis Davis played superbly this season when healthy and he has the strength to overpower Harris who must take advantage of his quickness Edge Facton Erick Dampier Nellie loves to play Small but May have to alter his plans if the Mavericks leave their Center out on the floor and he controls the area around the rim a prediction Mavericks in 6 season series suns 31 giving them 10 victories in the last 12 regular season meet Ings Kobe Bryant averaged 273 Points More than four below his league est aver age in three games against Phoenix storyline rematch of a first round series from last year which suns won in seven games but circumstances Are different this time suns have Amare Stoudemire and the lakers dont have the momentum they did after a Strong finish a year ago key matchup i Raja Bell is Bryant Bell int afraid to Challenge the leagues leading scorer getting hit with a on game suspension in last years series for taking Bryant Down with a hard foul Bryant shot Only 405 percent against the suns this season key matchup ii Stoudemire is Kwame Brown lakers coach Phil Jackson has said this series will be tougher this time because of Stoudemire who missed the 2006 postseason while recovering from knee surgery Brown played Well on both ends of that series for the lakers who need him to do it again of actin Kurt Thomas if the Lakei Iare successful in slowing it Down and pounding it into the Post Thomas will Likely get a shot to guard one of the opposing big men a prediction suns in 5 season series spurs 21 Denver won easily in the season finale while both teams rested their top players the first meeting came during carmelo Anthonys suspension for fit Tina and the spurs held Anthony and Allen Iverson to a combined 24 Points while winning the second one storyline two teams with plenty of momentum heading to the postseason san an Tonio had the nabs Best record after the ail Star is much healthier than it was at this time last year the Anthony Lver son pairing took some time but it paid off Down the stretch As the nuggets surged to the no 6 seed key matchup i Tony Parker is Iverson perhaps the nabs two fastest players with the Ball Iverson was slowed by an ankle injury in the second matchup so the spurs have Only seen that Speed from him once since he joined the nuggets key matchup 11 Bruce Bowen is Anthony Bowen one of the leagues Best 1onl de fenders tries to shut Down one of its top scorers Anthony averaged 192 Points while being played by Bowen when these teams met in the first round of the 2005 playoffs Facton Marcus Camby when healthy he has been a dominant shot Block Erand defensive rebounded now he needs to make things Tough for Tim Duncan and help negate the penetration Fay Parker and Manu i Nobili a prediction spurs in 6 season series jazz 31 though the Rock ets rested Tracy Mcgrady and Yao Ming in a meaningless season ending game wednes Day Houston has scored 100 Points Only twice in the last 13 meetings storyline a pair of former Western Confer ence Powers return to the postseason with Houston ail Star me Grady trying again to get out of the opening round for the first time key matchup i Mehmet Okur is Yao two a Star International centers who play the game in different ways Okur is a terrific perimeter shooter who came through with a number of clutch baskets this season Yao has been dominant Down on the blocks when healthy key matchup ii Andrei Kirilenko is Shane Battier excellent team defenders who can Block shots get steals and guard players at multiple positions Kirilenko had a disappointing season and missed five games Down the stretch with a thumb injury but this is a Chance to forget about that Facton Chuck Hayes the rockets know get offence from Yao and Mcgrady but need somebody to defend and rebound against jazz Allstar Carlos Boozer Hayes Only 6foot6 might be the Best Hope a prediction rockets i 6 Aba wizards have Tough chore without Arenas Butler Aba from Back Page the heat think the bulls particularly Hinrich Are too aggressive against dwyane Wade and Chica go surely will want to test wades sore shoulder and knee Chicago played Miami As Tough As anybody last postseason split Ting the first four games and going into the fourth Quarter of game 5 toed Miami won that game and the next Lut the bulls crushed the heat in the season opener in South Florida and won three of four this season its the same team we played in the first round last Yea Rand that a team we Hinrich said Hettie debt Lone we have Confidence we can do that they have so Many weapons and they Are so experienced ifs going to be a Tough series the heat Haven lost any Confidence during their Rocky season even though the lower seeded bulls have Home court advantage because of a s were the world iciiampi6hs heat Center atone a maj urging said whoever we play Way from accomplishing oui goal Plain and simple if we Are healthy and whole we Are ready you Guys will wit Ness it come Clevelan Washington was a thriller last year with three on Point games including two in overtime but with the wizards missing injured Al stars Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler few Are giving them a Chance against Leb Ron James and co this cent cars coach Mike Brown the playoffs Are a different season and teams Are capable of stepping up and winning games at any time Brown said i was fortunate to be part of a team in Diana that everybody kind of wrote off we had the same amount of things happen to us with suspensions and All that we somehow found our Way into the playoffs and we won our first round matchup and this was without one of our top Guys Ron attest and some other Guys any thing can happen at that Point we just have to stay focused and do our Job thais Dallas goal too the mavs 6715 record was one of the Best in Aba history but their focus All along has been Only on the finals and getting those two wins they fell Short of last time the 16 teams everybody is trying to win the championship Johnson said we All know that that Why were Here we tried to not put an emphasis on the Reg ular season we talked about win Ning the championship from Day 1 a sports writers Jaime Aron in Dallas Tom Canavan in East Rutherford n j Josh Dubow in Sacramento Calif Tim Reynolds in Miami and Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this report
