HOOP LOGIC with GOD FORBID’S DOC COYLE: “THESE GUYS HAVE A FOUR-LEAF CLOVER UP THEIR ASS”
Hi ballerz and welcome to your MetalSucks Hoop Logic Round Two Preview! God Forbid guitarist/dashing stud Doc Coyle may have just wrapped a killer US tour with Overkill, Suidakra, and Diamond Plate, but it’s on with his NBA thinking cap and back to NBA work predicting the NBA post-season for you. But first, Doc pauses briefly to reflect on a unpredictable, kinda janky round one of this year’s ball battle for the O’Brien. So hey crank up Doc’s new album with God Forbid and get logicked! BOOM.
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THE SWEEPS
Doc, any NBA fan would’ve predicted a series win for Oklahoma City Thunder. But please tell us how it became a sweep situation?
DOC: It was clear since the off-season that a repeat was unlikely for the Mavericks once they decided not to retain Tyson Chandler, the defensive anchor and emotional leader of their 2011 championship run. Still a very good team, the Mavs could not keep up with the Thunder, who many good NBA minds pick to win the Western Conference.
I didn’t think it would be a sweep, and the win could’ve gone to either team in their first two games. One whistle or bounce of the ball could have swung things in the Dallas’s favor, but it wasn’t meant to be. I think it’s also 
important to note that not every sweep or five-game closeout indicates that the series was not hard fought. OKC is clearly the better team, but I wouldn’t count the Mavs out for long. I expect them to come back re-tooled next season.
The Spurs’ sweep of the Jazz was less surprising. Just too much Tony Parker, right?
Too much everybody. The Spurs run an 11-player rotation, with very little drop off of talent or intensity. I’ve never even heard of that in the playoffs. Ginobili is even coming off the bench. Seems that this team runs the smoothest and most efficient offense in the NBA. Tim Duncan has stepped out of the Hot Tub Time Machine, and his team is actually healthy this year. I also am amazed how quickly new acquisitions Stephen Jackson and Boris Diaw have blended into the rotation. Utah was overwhelmed. This round-two series against the Clippers will be telling about the Spurs’ contention.
Parker sets the tone; he has become dominant in a way I’ve never seen from him. He gets in the lane better than any point guard maybe besides Derrick Rose, and seems to create very easy shots for himself and his teammates. He will have to keep up the high level of output to match Chris Paul, who I think is the best PG in the league.
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THE NEAR-SWEEPS
The Indiana Pacers fumbled away game one to the half-strength Orlando Magic. They didn’t make that mistake in games 2-5. Did David West and crew send a message via this series win?
DOC: I really do like this Indiana team. They are built like the last few good Indiana teams from the mid 90’s and 00’s: Strong defense, fundamentals, and great team balance. Roy Hibbert has proven to be an upper tier center in the traditional mold, Danny Granger holds it down as the team’s best all-around player and wing threat, and I’ve been very impressed by second-year man Paul George’s versatility and tenacity.
Given all that, I’m not sure they sent much of a message by beating an Orlando team that lost Dwight Howard to injury and barely escaped a locker room mutiny of soon-to-be ex-coach Stan Van Gundy. Without Howard, the Magic are probably less talented than even the Milwaukee Bucks (who missed the playoffs). Indiana’s mettle will be tested by the Miami Heat, who ran them over in the regular season. I expect a tough series, but ultimately for Miami to prevail in convincing fashion.
The wounded Knicks’ defeat by the imperfect-but-scary Heat was a certainty. But the Knicks did take Game 4 for their first post-season win in ages. What does that say about the Heat?
DOC: Not much. Everyone knew that Knicks F Carmelo Anthony would have one or two big time games, and Game 4 happened to be just that. Amar’e Stoudemire finally showed up and had a 20-10 game. The Knicks just played their hearts out and finally got one in an otherwise trampling of a series. But when they’re clicking, the Heat look unstoppable. They will be just fine.
The Knicks were stomped, but they never had a shot in hell of beating the Heat: Starting PG Jeremy Lin was out. Their All-Defensive Team candidate, rookie SG Iman Shumpert, went down in Game 1 with a torn ACL. Their center, Defensive Player of Year Tyson Chandler, was half a man for half the series due to a terrible bout of the flu. His back-up, Jarred Jefferies, was limited to 15 minutes a game due to knee problems. Then Stoudemire decided to fight a fire extinguisher harder than he did for rebounds against the Heat, which caused him to miss pivotal Game 3. Oh yeah, back-up PG Baron Davis suffered a potential career-ending knee injury in Game 4. I don’t think any team could have dealt with that, let alone against the Heat team that is expected to win it all. At full strength, this would have been a very competitive series.
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THE HEARTBREAKERS
Coach Doug Collins’ Philadelphia 76ers benefitted more than any playoff team from good fortune: Their opponents, the league-best Chicago Bulls, lost their leader Derrick Rose, their hustler Joakim Noah, and their minds in a horrific series-ending misplay. Where do the 76ers deserve credit anyway?
DOC: These guys must have a four-leaf clover shoved up their ass. Even with Rose and Noah out, the Bulls had to do two of the most bone-headed post-season plays I have ever seen to give away Game 6 to the Sixers. I’m speaking of CJ Watson’s failure to dribble the clock out with 13 seconds left and a one-point lead, and then the Bulls’ sending five guys to crash the boards on a missed free throw that allowed Andre Iguodola a clear path to the rim.
So yes, the Sixers are lucky, but every team that has success in the post-season experiences good luck. It’s what they do with it and which Sixers team will show up: Is it the team that started 20-9? Or the team that almost cropped itself out of the playoff picture in April? I like this team because they play so hard and have great 
athleticism. Their youth and speed makes them a tough match up for Boston, but I expect the Celtics to pull it out in the end because of experience and proven go-to guys in crunch time, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.
The Boston Celtics outfoxed another playoff team, Doc. would you chalk up their win over the sleepy Atlanta Hawks to coach Doc Rivers and to good team ethic?
That’s all part of it, but it’s just hard to keep this Boston team down. They just know how to win playoff basketball. Boston also got plenty of good fortune by Hawks F Josh Smith going down and not having to face athletic F Al Horford for a full series. This team goes as Rondo goes. If he is aggressive, stuffing the stat sheet, the Celtics are tough to beat. I also think Garnett needs to keep playing like a superstar for them to succeed. He has to have a 2011 Dirk Nowitzki type of post season for the Celts to have any chance of a title.
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THE L.A. SEVENS
After the Lakers’ game seven win over the Nuggets, did you wonder why Bynum and Gasol hadn’t just played all awesome like that in Games 5 and 6?
DOC: If you are expecting consistency, than you haven’t been watching this Lakers team all year. Maybe because they already have won championships, there is a tendency for them to get complacent and overconfident. I’ve already expressed that I think Bynum is a total headcase, and Gasol just seems to be emotionally disconnected sometimes. They are great, but they aren’t superstars. Just stars. Shaq was expected to do it everyday, and 
Bynum and Gasol ain’t Shaq. Based on talent, the Lakers are near of the upper echelon in the NBA, but their mental discipline and team cohesion leave something to be desired.
We learned from the Clippers-Grizzlies series that Lakers C Andrew Bynum is only the second-biggest asspain in L.A.: Clippers stud Blake Griffin argues with officials more than he plays defense or executes offense. Are you surprised that the Clippers, despite Griffin’s limitations, toppled the high-energy Grizzlies?
DOC: The criticisms of Blake Griffin are overblown. No one has gotten fouled as hard as Blake since Shaq or, more recently, Dwight Howard. But he’s not nearly as big or strong as those guys. People need to keep in mind that he is a second-year player and shouldn’t be expected to have the refined game of a veteran. He’s still learning how to handle himself, and he has a giant target on his back because he’s the current NBA golden boy that regularly embarrasses grown ass men on SportsCenter every night.
I wouldn’t have been surprised about either team’s victory. This may be the most closely matched series we see for the rest of the playoffs. Memphis had the better top 6 guys with Gay, Conley, Allen, Gasol, Randolph, and Mayo and they were better defensively; the Clippers had two advantages though: Chris Paul, who was always the best player on the floor, and even with Paul, it was the Clipper bench that put them over. It was Nick Young, Eric Bledsoe, Reggie Evans, Kenyon Martin, and Mo Williams that pulled them out of the 24-pt deficit in Game 1, and that was the unit that stretched a slim lead to double digits in the fourth quarter of Game 7. The Clippers are enigmatic because they seem to win tons of tough games against good teams besides having several glaring flaws.
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ROUND TWO
Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs Los Angeles Lakers (3)
Winner Oklahoma City Thunder
Series 4-2
Doc’s orders As of this writing, the Lakers just got destroyed in Game 1, which was somewhat expected because of the lack of rest after a long Denver series. For the Lakers to have any shot, Gasol and Bynum have to play lights out, and they have to figure out some way to contain Westbrook and Harden. Durant will get his 30 regardless. If OKC’s big three average 70+ points, L.A. can order tickets to DisneyLand now.
Doc’s team It’s hard not to root for the Thunder. The Lakers are definitely the villains in this movie.
San Antonio Spurs (1) vs Los Angeles Clippers (5)
Winner Los Angeles Clippers
Series 4-3
Doc’s orders I’m going out on a limb with this one, but my gut tells me that L.A. can match San Antonio’s depth. They proved that they can play defense in the Memphis series, and they still have the best player on the court. The most intriguing second-round match-up.
Doc’s team I became a quiet fan of the this Clippers team when they signed Chauncey Billups, but I wouldn’t mind seeing Tim Duncan and co. get another title to cement their legacy.
Miami Heat (2) vs Indiana Pacers (3)
Winner Miami Heat
Series 4-1
Doc’s orders With Chris Bosh going down in Game 1, the Pacers have a chance. I think Bosh is very underrated. At a long 6’11, he’s their most undervalued defender. Now who will guard KG in the next round if the Celtics and Heat match up? Also, how can they replace the 15-20 points and 8-12 rebounds a night that Bosh provides? Indiana has to pound it inside through HIbbert and Danny Granger has to show up. This team goes as Granger goes.
Doc’s team I usually like the underdog, but it would be nice for LeBron to get a ring and silence the critics. Wanting people to fail is not in my wheelhouse.
Boston Celtics (5) vs Philadelphia 76ers (8)
Winner Boston Celtics
Series 4-3
Doc’s orders Philly matches up well against Boston because of their athleticism. The Celtics have to be true to their identity and execute down the stretch. Through two games, Boston has not played or shot particularly well. Their margin for error is much smaller than in years past. It’s hard to gauge the Sixers, because I don’t really know who they are. But I don’t underestimate them.
Doc’s team Boston all the way. It’s their last chance at a title. I love this team because they seem to play in a very classic way or how I imagine the crisp Celtics dynasties of old carried themselves.
-Doc Coyle, God Forbid
Talk NBA stuff with Doc on the internet @Doc4bid. Get God Forbid’s Equilibrium here and Summer tour dates here!
