LaMarcus Aldridge was one of the few bright points of the 2011-12 season. Credit: Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

Well Blazer fans, the 2011-2012 season is in the history books. Does it sting and leave a bitter taste in your mouth? Or do you feel relieved?

Disappointed is a word that will be thrown around a lot in Portland this summer whenever the season is brought up. Sure it hurts that the Rose Garden won’t be buzzing with playoff action while teams like the Thunder and Nuggets continue to represent the Northwest Division (unless Denver loses to the Lakers). As much as the season was an emotional roller coaster, full both of highs and lows, I am kind of thankful for our summer to start early.

Fear not Rip City, this summer will be a total overhaul and I can’t wait for what’s in store. Anyone from Steve Nash, Deron Williams, Roy Hibbert, Rajon Rondo and other stars could be on the Blazers’ roster by the start of training camp. The NBA Draft is deep with talented young stars. The future is bright.

As we sit and relax, I’ll take a look back into what I liked and didn’t like this season.

MVP: LaMarcus Aldridge

It’s a no brainer that LA most deserves this recognition. The guy is a stud and finally had the breakthrough All-Star year that he needed to reach the next level. After coming alive as a legit offensive threat halfway through last season, his numbers and productivity continued to climb in 11-12. This season LaMarcus posted some of the best numbers of his career: 21.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists in in 36 minutes per game. He also busted the top ten charts in a couple other statistical categories worth noting, ranking 8th in points per game (21.7), 7th in field goals made per 48 minutes (11.62) and 8th in points scored (1191).

LA adjusted well to becoming the number one offensive option for the Blazers. With the dream of the “Big 3″ meeting an untimely death with the retirement of Brandon Roy and the release of Greg Oden, LaMarcus became the Blazers marquee player, and Aldridge used the opportunity to develop into one of the most impressive power forwards in the West.

LA reached double figures in scoring in all of his 55 starts, dropping a season-high 39 on the Oklahoma City Thunder in Portland’s overtime loss on February 6th in the game that started the Blazers’ downward spiral. LaMarcus dueled night in and night out with other notable power forwards such as Kevin Love, Blake Griffin and Pau Gasol, and will continue to be one of the league’s best scoring big men as he continues to develop a number of highly effective low-post moves. LA’s other 11-12 highlights included a new career-high of 23 rebounds against the Toronto Raptors, and his first game-winning jumper to seal an overtime victory in Dallas over the Mavericks.

Portland made a smart move by sitting Aldridge for the last eight games, following the diagnosis of a minor hip injury, giving him extra time to heal to hopefully get into top form for training camp in the fall.

LaMarcus  will need to continue improving his offensive game and become the late game clutch player Portland desperately needs if he wants to build on his first All-Star season in 2012-13. Hopefully Portland will pick up a nice piece at the point to compliment Aldridge down low.

Best Addition: J.J. Hickson

When Portland picked up Hickson off of waivers from the Sacramento Kings for literally nothing, he could have been damned to forever be a bench player and only see garbage time, or worse, become another trade piece in an attempt to grab an additional draft pick. Now the Kings are smacking themselves on the heads asking “What the hell did we do?”

Hickson was a blessing, coming off the bench behind Aldridge, providing much needed scoring ability and hustle. Aldridge has a tendency to linger outside the paint and settle for the jumper. Hickson had no problem ducking his head and driving inside, feasting on offensive rebounds and lobs. Hickson’s offensive versatility makes him a valuable piece for the future, should Portland decide to pursue him in the offseason. Hickson started 11-12 averaging 4.7 points and 5 rebounds in 18.4 minutes of play, and finished averaging 14.8 points and 8.3 rebounds in 31.2 minutes and was at times Portland’s offensive focal point. J.J.’s best Blazer performance came in Portland’s heartbreaking 98-97 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in which he scored a season-high 29 points to go with 13 rebounds.

Most Disappointing Player(s): Raymond Felton, Jamal Crawford & Wesley Matthews

Where do I begin with Raymond Felton? I wasn’t too hot on Portland trading bad ass Andre Miller for Felton. The move didn’t really help our problem at the point position and the Blazers didn’t that much younger. What the team did get was a slightly chunky and slow Raymond Felton who wasn’t ready for the shortened season. He became the butt of jokes around Portland for his constant turnovers, many of them stupid, like dribbling the ball off his foot for throwing an alley-oop to no one around the basket. He made Andre Miller look like a pure genius. Fans got sick and tired of “Felton Time,” that time during the course of a game when Ray would seemingly cost the Blazers a winnable game by turning the ball over, or getting worked by an opposing point guard. It got so bad for Portland that it was well known that Felton was available at the trade deadline along with Jamal Crawford. Neither were picked up.

When I found out that Jamal Crawford would sign a two-year deal with during the off season I was excited. A former Sixth Man of the Year and known for just his scoring abilities, I believe that Crawford would be just the right punch off the bench, giving Portland’s second unit some automatic firepower. What transpired was one of Jamal’s most disappointing seasons. Crawford put up season low numbers in points and shooting percentage. Jamal was not the guy Portland was looking for. It got pretty old watching him over dribble the ball, only to chuck up a long three-point shot that hit nothing but the back iron at the end of the shot clock. A few four-point plays and some fancy dribbling were nice, but due to his lack of productivity and his sliding popularity in Portland, it comes as no surprise that Jamal will be testing the waters of free agency.

I feel bad for including Wesley Matthews here, but this season simply was not a good one for him, and it sure made that five-year, $34 million contract look pretty pricy. Looking lost on offense, Wesley didn’t bring the firepower till very late in the season when nothing really mattered anymore. He constantly looked frustrated, like something was holding him back. His shooting percentage took a nose dive, .449 a year ago down to .416; his three was off as well, .407 to .387. I wouldn’t be surprised that if a good offer were made for Matthews, the Blazers would take it. Who knows what the market will be like for shooting guards, though. Best guess is that Portland hopes for a better season from Wesley in 2012-13

Raymond Felton and Jamal Crawford both had disappointing seasons for the Blazers. Credit: Steve Dykes-US PRESSWIRE

Top Second-Year Player: Luke Babbitt

Luke Babbitt has been an unfortunate inside joke with Blazer fans, known for his time sitting on the bench, appearing in garbage time, and being the only white guy on the team. He got the distinction of being Portland’s designated to-go “Chalupaman” after hitting a three two push the Blazers over 100 points, awarding the Rose Garden crowd free Taco Bell coupons, one memorable evening. After what has become his most famous quote (“It feels good to give the fans free Taco Bell”), Portland fans rooted for Babbitt to shoot from beyond the three-point line every time he touched the ball.

Early in the season Babbitt didn’t see much playing time due to former coach Nate McMillan’s desire to play his veterans and rotation players, and Luke’s production slipped. After McMillan was fired, interim coach Kaleb Canales gave Babbitt a chance to prove himself, and that’s what he did. Babbitt was given plenty of minutes and was welcomed by Portland fans to shoot the ball, and shoot it often. Aside from being deadly downtown, Babbitt grew into more of a skilled player, showing some never-before-seen post moves and floaters, showcasing more of his all-around talents. He has been made fun of plenty, but I am here to announce myself as a Babbitt Believer.

Luke Babbitt showed promise with extended minutes in the second half of 2011-12. Credit: Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

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The Grizzlies and the Clippers capped an outstanding opening weekend of playoff basketball. Credit: Spruce Derden-US PRESSWIRE

The first week of the hectic 2012 NBA Playoffs are in the books and already there are enough story lines and drama to ensure a very entertaining 40 nights to decide a champion. From the match-ups to the injuries and records being broken, every game over the first weekend was worth watching and had plenty of things to discuss: The Magic and Clippers are up 1-0, Derrick Rose is out for good, and the Spurs and Heat look like the best teams in the postseason.

Highlights from Weekend 1 include:

• First off, the biggest news was the ACL injury to Derrick Rose in Chicago‘s Game 1 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.With 1:10 left to play in the fourth and the Bulls up 12, Rose attempted to jump for a shot but his knees buckled under him and he fell straight to the ground, clenching his ankle while the United Center fell silent.  Speculation abounds that Rose’s injury might be a direct cause of having a compacted 66-game season and simply not having enough time to rest the body. Losing Rose is a shame for not only the Bulls but for the league as a whole and NBA fans, hoping to see Rose do some serious work in his quest for an NBA Championship. Although the Bulls have had plenty of time during the season to play without Rose (who missed 39 total games in 2011-12 after missing just three games total in his first few seasons), this certainly dashes any hope that Chicago had for a championship. The Bulls will have to rely on C.J. Watson and John Lucas III at the point guard position for the remainder of this series and any other series going forward. An ACL tear also took another victim. New York‘s rookie Iman Shumpert also went down in the first half of the Knicks’ game one loss to the Miami Heat.
• Nobody expected the New York Knicks to fall so easily. Granted they’re up against the Miami Heat but still, with a team of Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire, a 100-67 blowout is simply embarrassing. The Heat have the muscle, skill, and swagger to advance deep into the Playoffs, and were in total beast mode in game one of the highly anticipated Miami/New York first round series, getting 32 points from LeBron James. The Knicks didn’t put up much of a fight. Anthony finished with 11 points on 3-15 shooting, and Stoudemire got up a total of only seven. I thought New York would be able to take a game in this series but after that display on Saturday, I would not be surprised if they were swept for the third straight time in the postseason.
• The most interesting match-up in the East for me is Indiana/Orlando. Without Dwight Howard to roam under the rim and dominate in the paint, it’s Roy Hibbert’s time to shine and help a pretty stacked Pacers team to the second round. I don’t know if the Magic got lucky with their shooting or if the Pacers fell prey to taking it easy knowing that Howard wasn’t playing, but the Magic’s victory in Indiana was surprising, holding the Pacers to 77 points in game one. Hibbert looked like a machine scoring 8 points, grabbing 13 rebounds, and blocking 9. The Magic got their production from Jason Richardson (17 points), Jameer Nelson (17 points) and Glen Davis (16 points). Big Baby will have to carry the load at center in the absence of Dwight Howard. A costly traveling call on Danny Granger on a possession that would have tied the game in the closing seconds will leave a sting, but I believe the Pacers can come back and take command of this series.
• The best moment on Saturday came with Kevin Durant’s shot that sealed a Thunder victory over the reigning champion Dallas Mavericks in a tightly contested 99-98 win in Dallas. Watch the replay of KD’s game winner. Normally that fading jump shot would have no chance of going in, but a lucky bounce made it happen, concluding what was a very close game throughout with neither team able to gain a sizable lead. The Mavericks got ahead by as much as nine points, but the Thunder found a way to storm back. Durant and Russell Westbrook did what they do best; James Harden came back from being cleared after the infamous hit to the head by Metta World Peace. Dirk Nowitzki took awhile to get heated, but he got deadly as the game went on. This series will be cut throat to the end. While the Mavericks do not have the key pieces on their roster that got them the hardware last June, this series could easily go to seven-games with both teams having a legit chance to advance.
• A sweep could be in the works for the San Antonio Spurs as they were clearly the best team on the court against the Utah Jazz, a team that might be happy just to even see the postseason. The Spurs are looking to get their fifth championship from the veteran core of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobilli. Some say the Spurs are simply getting to that point where they are old, and they sure looked like it when they lost to the 8th seed Memphis Grizzlies last season. But some things have changed. The Spurs managed multiple double-digit winning streaks in 2011-12, and with uber smart Gregg Popovich as the brains of the operation, the Jazz couldn’t keep up with the Spurs in game one. Parker was dynamite both as a scorer and distributor, and the Spurs  great younger players looked pretty comfortable in the lights of the postseason. From Game 1 alone, the Spurs will be the team to beat to advance to the Finals.
• Nothing exciting from the Lakers victory over the Denver Nuggets except that center Andrew Bynum broke some impressive records both in the Lakers organization and for the league. While Kobe Bryant was doing what Kobe does (31 points on 11-24 shooting), Bynum tied the league record for most blocks in a playoff game with 10, yes 10, blocks. The Lakers had 15 total blocks compared to 4 from the Nuggets. Game over. The Lakers also showed that they are more than capable to handle a game without the erratic behavior of Metta World Peace. They were probably thankful MWP was out for this game, they didn’t need him causing any more trouble.
• The most boring game came courtesy of Boston at Atlanta. Both mediocre, one team kind of on the down-slope with an aging group of Boston’s “Big Three”, Ray Allen sitting with an injury leaving Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to lead their younger players on the road against Atlanta, a team with quality players (Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Al Hortford ((who’s out with an injury)) that has never advanced past the second round. With 40 seconds left and the Hawks up by four, Rajon Rondo lost his cool with the referees and was called for a technical foul. Things got worse when Rondo appeared to bump his chest against referee Marc Davis, getting himself ejected. The Hawks went on to claim a 83-74 win. During the TNT Post Game Show, Charles Barkley tried to make the case that the now infamous chest bump came as a direct result of Rondo tripping over his own shoes. Whatever the cause, Rondo will be out for Game 2.
• The West’s most interesting series features the Memphis Grizzlies and the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers are in the postseason for the first time since 2006, and the Griz continue to steadily improve, grabbing home court advantage and the fourth seed after finishing one game shy of the Western Conference Finals one year ago. The Grizzlies got out to a smoking hot start in game one, running circles around a Clippers team that not only had to deal with foul trouble for Chris Paul and Blake Griffin but looked like they were not prepared for the playoffs at all. The Griz built a 27-point lead early in Sunday’s night cap, with Mike Conley draining threes, Zach Randolph was grabbing boards, and Dante Cunningham turning Blake Griffin into a poster with a put-back dunk. Then something happened. As the game closed, the Griz might appeared to slack off and/or fall asleep. Led by Chris Paul, the Clippers came back, shocking the rowdy Memphis crowd and taking game one 99-98, closing out Memphis with an improbable, Brandon Roy-esque, 26-1 run. Memphis clearly let this one slip away, playing so great and shoot the ball very well, something this team doesn’t usually do. No doubt, the Clippers feel pretty big right about now.

Kevin Durant celebrates yet another game winner for OKC. Credit: Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

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Portland’s season officially ended this afternoon, with the Blazers addressing the media for the final time of 2011-12 at the team’s practice facility then departing for locations unknown to rest, rejuvenate, and watch what will probably be the best basketball anybody’s seen all season.

I was unable to attend the exit interview session (detained by a previous engagement: DAY JOB), so I have no first hand information, but there will be plenty forthcoming from those that report with their literal boots on the proverbial ground to further sum up the season and preview what’s up coming. I’ll have a seasonal recap type post coming too at some point.

Instead of talking about today’s pressers, or beginning the long process of breaking down draft order or potential picks/free agent stuff, I’m going to bust out a quick and dirty Playoff preview, in an attempt to handicap each and every first round series.

Last season I developed an abstruse little formula to help pick a team to support following Portland’s first round ouster by the future champion Dallas Mavericks. This Playoff season I’ve decided not to use this formula, and I’ve also decided to not pick an individual team to root for. I’ll probably stick with a Western Conference team, but right now I just want to enjoy some good basketball without having to put too much stock in a single outcome.

Because I’m not going to use my aforementioned formula, I’m also not going to do any research. I’ve watched every team in both conferences play at least once. I think that gives me the authority to predict their Playoff fates.

So without further ado, here is my First Round Playoff Preview, starting with the Eastern Conference.

Bulls vs. Sixers: Philly started the season pretty strong, but slid hard in the second half of the season with a couple of extended losing streaks (OK so I’m doing just a bit of research) after Game 30. Finishing in the eighth spot was probably not what Philly imagined would happen when they started 10-3. Getting a first round date with the Bulls (who tied with San Antonio for the best record in the NBA) also probably wasn’t at the top of Philly’s preseason end-of-the-season goals. Chicago played through injuries to Derrick Rose, and has proven that they’ve bettered themselves in the one area that killed them last year: depth. Rip Hamilton won’t win this team a Championship on his own, but he might take just enough pressure off Loul Deng and the other Bulls that will have to score to win games to push Chicago over the top. Certainly the Bulls have enough going on to win this series. Philly took a game off of Miami in the first round last year, no reason they can’t avoid getting swept out of the first round for a second season in a row. Prediction: Chicago in 5.

Heat vs. Knicks: If New York vs. Miami isn’t the marquee match-up of the whole first round, it is going to be the most watched opening series in the east. At least one “expert” has picked the Knicks to take this one, and plenty has already been written in the 24-hour space we’ve all been given between the end of the regular season at the start of the Playoffs (here‘s a long one, sift through this and you’ll find some other good stuff). The Knicks have been one of the through line narratives of the season, and they’ve survived Linsanity and Linseason ending knee surgery. They also managed to avoid a first round series with the Bulls. Not bad. I certainly think Miami is vulnerable, look at the way they play without the Big Three, but in my mind 48 minutes of in your face defense beats 48 minutes of devil may care offense at least four out of seven times. The Knicks have one thing going for them, they’re a roster full of guys that play to the occasion. These games are going to be appointment television. The MSG fans (Spike Lee included) will put enough heat (no pun intended) behind J.R. Smith to get New York at least one win. That being said, I don’t think the Knicks will be able to steal one in Miami, especially if the one they need ends up being game seven. Sorry Chris Sheridan, and all you other LeBron haters, Miami wins this one, they’re just too good and too determined to get knocked out in the first round. Prediction: Miami in 6.

Pacers vs. Magic: If there is an upset special in this first round (like there was last season with the Blazers/Mavericks series) this is it. Not because Orlando is great or anything. Mostly because nobody really knows what to expect from Indiana. The Pacers finished last season in the eighth spot in East, making the Playoffs with a losing record, and got blown out in game five by the Bulls after playing and losing three very close games and playing and winning one very close game. This season, Indiana has surprised everybody. And when I say everybody (and nobody two sentences before that) I mainly mean me. The Pacers are easily the team I know the least about. I watched them once in 2011-12, and that was during their blowout victory over the Blazers in Nate McMillan’s penultimate game as Portland’s head coach. Danny Granger, David West, and Roy Hibbert are All-Star level players for Indiana. After that, they’ve got guys like George Hill, Paul George, and Tyler Hansbrough that can make things happen. They’ve also got one of the quickest PGs in the league in Darren Collison. The Magic have a bunch of shooters, and are missing the centerpiece of their entire franchise. The reason Indiana could get in trouble in this series is because they haven’t been in this position before, or at least this version of the Indiana Pacers hasn’t been in this position before. Blazer fans know, having home court advantage for the first time is no walk in the park. The Pacers have the benefit of having a Playoff run as an eight seed under their belt, so they’re not as green as the 08-09 Blazers, but they might have first-timer jitters all the same. This series will come down to road games. First team to win on the road wins. If nobody wins on the road, well then Indiana wins. That’s what home court advantage is all about. Prediction: Indiana in 7.

Celtics vs. Hawks: I have to say, I was a little taken by surprise just now when I looked at the Playoff breakdown and saw that Boston was a four seed. I don’t follow the East very closely, and I just assumed they were in the bottom half of the bracket. I was going to say that a four/five with Atlanta as the four and Boston the five would be the only upset in the East. But I can’t say that can I now that I know the Celtics are the lower seed.  If there’s one thing Atlanta has shown in the last few years it’s that they can play like they absolutely don’t care at all, and then turn it on to win a Playoff series. If there’s anything we know about Boston it’s that they seem to get reborn to some degree when the Playoffs roll around. Like Indiana/Orlando, I have a feeling this series will come down to home court advantage. If Boston can steal a game in Atlanta (especially if that game is Game Three with the Celtics leading 2-0) they should have no problem getting into the second round to have the chance to play spoiler against the Chicago Bulls. If Atlanta can grab home court by winning in Boston, then this is their series to lose. Whichever team is more motivated to win on the road wins this one. In my mind the advantage goes to the Hawks. They have two chances to win in Boston before the Celtics have a shot at winning in ATL. My bet is a highly energized Atlanta team storms Boston, catches the Celtics off guard, and takes the opener. Prediction: Atlanta in 6.

OK, I hope you’re still with me. So the East is out of the way for now. On to the West. I can easily say that I’ve watched the West play a lot more in 2011-12 than I have the East. Many of these teams I’ve seen at once in person even. No way anybody would deny my expertise after reading that.

And so…the West.

Spurs vs. Jazz: The San Antonio Spurs should be studied. It’s amazing that a team can consistently be the best (this is the second season in a row that San Antonio has been the number one seed in the West) and not really be the odds on favorite. The Spurs lost for the final time in the 11-12 regular season on April 11th. They won their final 10, many without their three best players. And there’s a good chance that picking San Antonio to even reach the Finals is going to be done only by those national media dudes that have reputations for “going against the grain.” It’s insanity. San Antonio is good. They’re scary deep. And the last time there was a lockout shortened season they finished as the NBA Champs. Utah is no push over, though. Winning in SLC is a challenge, even for the best teams in the league. However, at the end of the day, this series is going to come down to talent. San Antonio out talents Utah every way you spin it. The Jazz get one solely on the strength of their home supporters, but that’s all. I predict that at least one of the games in this series ends as a blowout after the Spurs go a whole quarter without missing a shot. Prediction: San Antonio in 5.

Thunder vs. Mavericks: Let’s be honest, nobody really thought Dallas was going to be able to win back-to-back championships did they? Last season wasn’t a fluke. The Mavs played great basketball down the stretch, peaked at just the right time, and did what a championship team has to do, capitalize on every single opportunity. Dallas has been up and down all season, and I have to believe they’re just happy they avoided the ignominy of falling all the way to the eight seed. Part of the reason San Antonio will be playing the part of Rodney Dangerfield this post season (and getting no respect) is because of the Oklahoma City Thunder. They’re the team that everybody loves to love. The Thunder will have to play well without their concussed sixth man extraordinaire James Harden at full strength, but I imagine that will be little more than a speed bump in the first round. If Harden should get hit in the head again or something like that, then I’ll reconsider, but at this point, broken legs for both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook will be the only thing stopping OKC from rolling over the Mavericks. I want to say that the Thunder sweep, and there’s a possibility they might especially if they win one of the first two by 10 or more, but I think the Mavs get one in Dallas. Prediction: Oklahoma City in 5. (note: last season I picked against Dallas three times and for them once. Obviously they won every time.)

Lakers vs. Nuggets: Here’s your upset special. How the Lakers managed to finish the season in third in the West is still beyond me. I thought this LA team was supposed to be bad. Denver started strong, faded because of injuries, then finished strong. LA is going to be without Metta World Elbow You In The Head Peace for this series so that might hurt their chances. Denver goes deep and plays the opposite of LA’s one-man and four-other-guys offense. This one is up in the air. The Nuggets are going to have to find a way to stop Andrew Bynum. Kobe Bryant is going to shoot a lot, but it’s going to be Bynum’s play in the paint that will define this series. Denver plays mostly small ball, so if Bynum has a couple 20-20 kind of nights the Nuggets are in trouble. Where Denver has an advantage is their bench. Kobe is going to play a lot of minutes, but he can’t play all the minutes. If the Nuggets focus on beating the Lakers when Bryant isn’t on the floor, or at least not letting the Lakers’ second-tier guys go off, they’ll have a real chance of taking this series. Again, this one is going to come down to winning on the road. If the Lakers get one of the first two in Denver, regardless of what the Nuggets do in LA, they win the series. I don’t feel like Denver can win a close-out game at the Staples Center. I just don’t. Like Atlanta/Boston, Game One will be of the utmost importance. That’s Denver’s chance to give themselves a chance. Prediction: Lakers in 7.

Grizzlies vs. Clippers: And so we end with the best match-up in the Western Conference. The Grizzlies were the Cinderellas of last year’s ball (one of the few times that can actually be said about the NBA). This season they’re the sentimental favorite. The Clippers want very badly to be the poster team of the new NBA. This series is an NBA-hipsters worst nightmare. The Clips are young and hip and fun to watch and they’re from LA but they’re not from the establishment LA they’re from the alternative LA. The Grizzlies are the mother f-ing Grizzlies. Tony Allen owns Twitter. Gilbert Arenas is the reason Twitter was invented. Zach Randolph is every NBA snob’s favorite player. Hip NBA-o-philes can tell you that Marc is the better of the Brothers Gasol and they’re not wrong. What are we supposed to do? Watch and enjoy. This series isn’t going to be the best basketball in the first round (that will probably come from the San Antonio/Utah series because neither of those teams is super exciting), but it will probably be the most fun to watch. Blake Griffin is going to get BEAT TO HELL, and he’s going to make it look ten times worse than it actually is. The Staples Center is going to be PACKED with Clippers fans. Randy Foye is going to go nuts. Chris Paul is going to do something amazing. O.J. Mayo will do something just as amazing then people will Twitter fight about whether or not O.J. Mayo > Chris Paul #NBAPLAYOFFSAREAWESOME. Zach Randolph won’t dunk a single time and will finish with much better stats than either Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan. The series will go six or seven games and two or three of them won’t even be close. Somebody will get punched in the face. Memphis/LAC is what the NBA Playoffs is all about, too bad it will be over and done with in the first round. The team that gets serious first wins this series. I don’t think the Clippers are old enough, mature enough, or experienced enough (I know I just used three words to say the same thing but whatever) to get serious before its too late. And who knows whether or not the Clips can be serious at all? Prediction: Memphis in 6. (Bonus Prediction: CP3 stays in Clipper-land and this team wins 50 games in 2012-13 under the watchful eye of Nate McMillan).

It’s straight up crazy that the Playoffs start tomorrow. I hope you enjoy them, because they’re going to be good.

Email me: mike.acker1@gmail.com

Twitter: @mikeacker | @ripcityproject

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