Not So “Wild Wild West”
By Jeremy Hall
With three of the first-round matchups in the Western Conference already over and done with, I must say it has been a disappointing NBA playoffs, thus far…at least in the West. The much-anticipated battles in the West never came to fruition with one sweep (Los Angeles Lakers) and two 4-1 series victories (New Orleans Hornets and San Antonio Spurs). The big acquisitions and gambles of “The Big Cactus” Shaquille O’Neal by the Phoenix Suns and Jason Kidd by the Dallas Mavericks did not end paying off. This proves that bringing in a future Hall of Famer isn’t the answer, just as Allen Iverson simply wasn’t “The Answer” when the Denver Nuggets acquired him in last season’s blockbuster trade.
Several NBA analysts were hyping these 2008 Playoffs to be one of, if not, the best playoffs ever in NBA history. I must admit, I was a fool, and believed all the hype, as with many others. It just goes to show that anything can happen in the playoffs, regardless of what happens in the regular season.
On the other side of the NBA, the Eastern Conference, which was supposed to be a two-team race to the Eastern Conference Finals, hasn’t turned out the way everyone was expecting it to. The “beasts from the east” (Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons) are struggling with their first round opponents, the Atlanta Hawks, and Philadelphia 76ers, respectively. In what was supposed to be easy roads before their much-anticipated matchup, both find themselves struggling to win with ease.
The East also started out with a little spark, as DeShawn Stevenson & co. gladly wanted a matchup with LeBron James & co. The Washington Wizards got their wish plus more—they may have woken up the sleeping giant. LBJ is averaging 29.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists in four games so far leading his team to a commanding 3-1 series lead. James was recently asked about an online poll on who would win in a fight between he and Brendan Haywood of the Wizards and James simply responded by saying, “I don’t fight. I stopped fighting. That’s so grade school. I don’t need to fight anymore.” Simply a man who does his talking on the court.
Hopefully, the second round of the playoffs will be more exciting, especially in what was supposed to be the “Wild Wild West.” That’s all for now.
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