It took until the last day of the season for the final NBA playoff spots to be settled as three teams in the East were left battling for two spots. After the evening, eight teams from the East and eight from the West had secured their positions.
The surprising Eastern Conference-leading New Jersey Nets, who finished the season with a 52-30 record, open the playoffs at 11:30 a.m. Saturday against the eighth-place Indiana Pacers.
The Pacers made the playoffs with a marginal 42-40 record in the weak Eastern Conference, thanks to the Milwaukee Bucks’ disappointing 2001-2002 campaign.
The Bucks were eliminated from the playoffs on the last day of the season after leading the Central Division in early March.
Joining the Nets as favorites in the wide-open Eastern conference are the Detroit Pistons. Both the Pistons and the Nets went from last year’s lottery securing one of the top seeds in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons are led by a reformed Jerry Stackhouse, who is having the best year of his career by focusing on getting teammates involved rather than scoring. However, if the Pistons make a run deep into the playoffs, the play of forward Ben Wallace will likely be to thank. Wallace is a sure thing for the NBA’s defensive player of the year, as he is leading the league in both rebounding and blocked shots.
The Pistons are taking on the Toronto Raptors, who were considered all but dead before Vince Carter was injured. Since the injury, the team has won 12 of 14 games, albeit against an easy schedule. Detroit has beaten Toronto three times this season and figures to finish the series in a businesslike fashion with Vince Carter out of action.
Rounding out the Eastern Conference series are Philadelphia vs. Boston and Orlando vs. Charlotte.
After reaching the finals last season, the Sixers have fallen into the sixth seed. The Sixers face a rising star in Paul Pierce Much of their struggles have been due to the injuries of last year’s MVP Allen Iverson, and much of the series may depend on his health.
The fourth and fifth seeds are a pair of teams that were expected to contend for the top spot in the Eastern Conference before the season. However, Orlando has been significantly slowed by injuries that first took Grant Hill down for the season and since then have slowed superstar Tracey McGrady. On the other side, the Hornets have played lackadaisically at times under the turmoil that has accompanied the team’s rumored move from Charlotte. This series is a tossup, and the wildcard may be how Charlotte plays in their usually empty home court, where they struggled all season.
In the Western Conference, the Kings are hoping this is the year their phenomenal regular-season record will carry over into a championship. They begin their quest for a title against the aging but veteran Utah Jazz. The Kings, led by Chris Webber, are one of the most talent-laden teams in the entire league and should easily handle the Jazz, creating a potential second-round showdown with the formidable and offensive-minded Dallas Mavericks.
The Mavericks, the fourth seed in the West, will first have to worry about stopping Kevin Garnett and Wally Szczerbiak. This pair of players has the T-Wolves playing their best basketball ever. Meanwhile, Mark Cuban, billionaire owner of the Mavericks, has bought and traded his way to a team that is filled with international players, many of them of all-star caliber. All-Star Dirk Nowitzki leads the front-court attack, while a tremendous backcourt made up of former Badger star Michael Finley, Steve Nash, and Wisconsinite Nick Van Exel have the potential to outscore almost any opposing backcourt.
One of the most intriguing first-round pairings in the entire league is between the Lakers and the Trailblazers. The Lakers are the defending champions and have the best player in the world in Shaquille O’Neal, when he is healthy. However, the Blazers, once presumed dead, re-emerged after the All-Star break and just last Sunday were able to even their season series against the Lakers at 2-2 with a double-overtime victory. The fiery Blazers are talented enough to win this series if they can keep their cool, but the Lakers must be considered the favorite against any opponent.
The second-seeded San Antonio Spurs are often overlooked because of the other more flamboyant teams in the West, but they are one of the most consistent teams in the league. The Spurs will attempt to begin their run at their second championship of the Tim Duncan era Saturday when they take on the upstart Seattle Supersonics. The Sonics do not have the personnel to play with the Spurs over a series, but they may be able to steal a game, just as they have been able to find a way to win all season in the powerful Western Conference with a roster of mostly unheralded players.
