NBA – A quick look at the NBA Playoffs (Part 1)

This is it! In two months from now, the NBA will have its National Champion. Would the LA Lakers repeat their title and confirm themselves as the dominant force? Are the aging Boston Celtics still capable of holding off much younger (and certainly less experienced) squads? Is the Miami Heat really as good as LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh make it look like? The Chicago Bulls finished with the best record of the league and the best season since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, but can Derrick Rose and Co. live up to the high expectations?

The NBA Playoffs are finally here. As these teams have proved on previous years, it really doesn’t matter much what a team can (or specific players) can do on the regular season, because it is really the Playoffs where it all comes down to win or go home. The Lakers and the Celtics are really good at this. Both teams can turn on the switch at anytime, and then they are gone. They have what it takes to change the game. Kobe Bryant is there, Pau Gasol is there, and the squad is guided by no other then Phil Jackson, a coach that doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone no more. But can they survive the playoffs on the weakling right knee of Andrew Bynum. Last time Bynum was out, the Celtics defeated them for the 2008 championship. It’ isn’t a good omen.

The Celtics skidded plenty late in the regular season and lost the No.1 and No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Yes, at the end, Doc Rivers decided to rest his starters, so at least giving up the No.2 seed was part of a bigger plan. But can they really get back to top shape by this weekend? Let’s face it: Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are not getting any younger, and they tend to suffer a bit down the stretch. But guided by the multitalented point guard Rajon Rondo, they could once again, upset younger teams in the east. Yes, they’ll miss Kendrick Perkins, especially if you consider they might have to overcome the Knicks, the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls to arrive into the finals.