Jakob's Look at the NBA Playoffs

The “It’s Time For War” mini-series is still in a bit of an intermission, so bear with me for the next two posts. While I like to write about both serious and humorous topics, I am a man of many interests. The NBA and NHL are two of those interests. With the playoffs kicking off, I thought I’d give a little bit of my perspective concerning them. I do not profess to be an advanced sabermetric expert on either sport, so I will not be providing any power rankings. However, I will rank the teams in order of how much I would like to see them win their respective titles. You might find some of my reasons ridiculous. To that I respond, “You shouldn’t be surprised.” I apologize for getting this so late after the NHL playoff preview, but once it got into the first round, I thought it would be best to wait until the second round. Plus, I only had to do 50% of the writing! With all that said, here are my NBA rankings.

8. Miami Heat: Did you seriously expect any other team to be at the bottom of my list? Though I have met Dwyane Wade, I absolutely can’t stand his running buddies, and they seem to have led to a regression in Mr. Wade’s attitude. For all the hype and hoopla this group heaped upon themselves, they should have focused more on closing out games.

7. Los Angeles Lakers: Before “The Decision” last summer, the Lakers had a stronghold as my 30th favorite team. I think that Phil Jackson values his opinions far too highly and that Kobe Bryant is a (talented) jerk. I’m tired of seeing them at the top.

6. Boston Celtics: It somewhat pains me to have to put them here because I like Ray Allen and Doc Rivers so much, but the three-headed monster of awful (Rondo, Pierce, and Garnett) forces me to hate this team. That said, I’m rooting for them in this series against Miami.

5. Atlanta Hawks: It’s nothing against the organization, the front office, or any of the players. I just don’t like the way they play. They run far too many isolation plays. They seem like a team built to lose in the second round.

4. Dallas Mavericks: They’ve been close enough to the top that it wouldn’t be THAT awful to see them eventually reach the pinnacle. I think this may be their best shot. Mark Cuban needs to tone down his “Cubanness” a bit.

3. Seattle Sonics Oklahoma City Thunder: I can’t stand their owner, but I don’t hold that against the players. Kevin Durant is my favorite player not named Derrick Rose, and I like the amount of young athleticism they have. Barring anything unforeseen, this team should be very good for a very long time.

2. Memphis Grizzlies: There is something absolutely charming about this team. Quite honestly, they don’t seem like they should be as good as they are, but they continue to find ways to win. Plus, everyone likes a good underdog story.

1. Chicago Bulls: If you were expecting any other team at the top of this list, you’re even crazier than me. I love my Bulls. I love the defensive tenacity this team has played with the entire season, the sense of purpose that Tom Thibodeau has instilled in each player, and the play of their (likely) MVP, Derrick Rose. While the play of Carlos Boozer has been maddening at times, the team has done a good job of negating the most troubling components of his play.