Playoffs predictions and my regular season awards picks!

This is how the 2014 NBA Playoffs bracket looks like. I will breakdown and pick the winners of each of the 1st round matchups.

Western Conference

(1) San Antonio Spurs vs (8) Dallas Mavericks

I wonder whether or not this will be the last time that two of the greatest power forwards of all time will face each other in the Playoffs. The epic duel between Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan lasted for a very long time, but I'm afraid this will be the end of it. One of the matchups of the last games of the regular season was Dallas Mavericks against the Memphis Grizzlies. Both teams had the same record and the winner of that game would end up being the 7th seed and the loser the 8th seed. I think the goal for each team was to not face the Spurs in the 1st round, avoid them at any cost, as matching up against San Antonio is definately not an easy task. Mavs have the opportunity to pull off an upset, but I don't think it will take place, Popovich's troops will battle with Carlisle men but ultimately the Spurs will win the war. The trio of Manu, Tony and Tim will easily beat the lonely deutschman, he may recieve some help from Monta or the rejuvinated Vince Carter and steal away one game, but that is it. Sorry Dirk, you tried your best.

Prediction: San Antonio wins 4-1

(2) Oklahoma City Thunder vs (7) Memphis Grizzlies

Hmm who will win this series? The team that has KD on it. Nobody in the league can guard this guy, maybe except for LeBron. The Grizzlies don't have a legit scorer on their team but OKC still had a problem with this team in the previous years. 

Prediction: Oklahoma City Thunder wins 4-2

(3) Los Angeles Clippers vs (6) Golden State Warriors

This is the best 1st round matchup of these Playoff games. Two rival teams will face off each other and fight to the death. This is going to be a tough series for both teams, especially for the Warriors, since Andrew Bogut is out at least till the end of April with an injury. David Lee and Jermaine O'Neal are going to have a bad time trying to contain Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, both improved drastically on offense. I wonder if Mark Jackson will go small and put Harrison Barnes at PF, like last year, when Barnes really blossomed and shined the whole Playoffs. In that case, the Clippers are going to have a problem. But honestly I think this is the year Chris Paul takes over. This guy wants to win, he is tired of losing, he wants that ring. With the help of the improve Blake Griffin he might actually get into the finals. The splash brothers will still fight and win 2 games, but that won't matter as CP3 and Blake close out the series with an even bigger splash.

Prediction: LA Clippers win 4:2

(4) Houston Rockets vs (5) Portland Trailblazers

This is the series which could go either way, both teams have one of the highest scoring offenses in the league, so don't expect to see good defense when watching these games. The key will be Damian Lillard and whether or not he will stand up to the task. This is just his second year in the league so the Playoff pressure may take a toll on him. Plus most of the Portland team will taste the Playoffs for the first time, so if they lose, don't be surprised. If think this will be a tough matchup for both teams and it could end up with a game 7.

Prediction: Houston Rockets win 4:3

Eastern Conference

(1) Indiana Pacers vs (8) Atlanta Hawks

The Indiana Pacers are struggling, Roy Hibbert can't get his head together, Paul George has been off lately, the balance of the whole team is shaken. It seems as if Andrew Bynum is a team cancer, that destroys team chemistry even if he's not playing, he can affect a team only with his presence. Still, despite their struggles, I don't see Atlanta Hawks winning a 4 game series against the Pacers, but I do pick them first as my potential Playoff upset.

Prediction: Indiana Pacers win 4-2

(2) Miami Heat vs (7) Charlotte Bobcats

The team with the best player in the world wins. Nothing more needs to be added. The Bobcats will win one game, probably behind Al Jefferson's monster game, every big man plays well against Miami.

Prediction: Miami Heat win 4:1

(3) Toronto Raptors vs (6) Brooklyn Nets

This is interesting. Both team are new to the Playoffs and both have coaches which never expierienced the Playoffs, so it is important how will they manage their lineups in different situations. We are still to see if KG and Paul Pierce have anything left of them, this series raises a lot of questions. But I pick the Raptors to win. The highflying duo of DeMar DeRozan and Terrence Ross (the remix of Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter) will outduel Pierce and Johnson, and they have a near all star on their team in Kyle Lowry, who is a great playmaker, and in my opinion a better player than Deron Williams who doesn't seem to get back to his glory days in Utah. But my opinion may be compromised by my hatred aimed at the Brooklyn Nets, no offense Nets fans, I just don't like your players, sorry.

Prediction: Toronto Raptors win 4:3

(4) Chicago Bulls vs (5) Washington Wizards

I'm a big Bulls fan so you already know who I have winning this series. The main problem for the Bulls is their scoring, they just can't score. Without DRose or Deng they have to rely on Augustin and Dunleavy, since Noah isn't exactly a scorer and Boozer is out of form. I would like to get something out of Jimmer Fredette, but I doubt that Thibbs will put an inexpierienced player out on the court in the Playoffs. The Wizards have everything they need to beat the Bulls, but their still young and new, they may lack the heart and intensity that Joakim Noah brings every night out on the court. Remember, he is capable of winning whole series by himself, just like he did last year against the Nets.

Prediction: Chicago Bulls win 4:2

Regular season awards:

Coach Of The Year- Jeff Hornacek

Even though the Suns haven't made the playoffs (which is a damn shame) Jeff stil did an amazing job with the team, that was supposed to win no more than 20 games this season and ended up winning over 45. Phoenix future is bright with Hornacek.

Rookie Of The Year- Micheal Carter-Williams

Despite losing 26 straight games, Carter-Williams still should win Rookie Of The Year honors. This guy put up Magic Johnson-type numbers,that's amazing. The reason he shot so purely outside the arc (26% lowest in league history) is because he was the focal point of the Sixers offense.

Defensive Player Of The Year- Joakim Noah

Beast on defense, just watch a Bulls game and see for yourself. I refuse to give that award to Roy (aka Mr. Overrated) Hibbert because of his rebounding numbers. I know that doesn't really have much to do with defense, but that is just unacceptable for a 7 footer to rebound jus 7 boards a game.

Sixth Man Of The Year Award- Jamal Crawford

I'd give this award to Nick Young, but his Lakers' record is too low. 

Most Improved Player- Gerald Green/ Goran Dragic

I just have to award the Phoenix Suns in any way I can, espacially since they didn't make the Playoffs. Both of these guys made a huge leap and were a big reason why the Suns came that far. 

Most Valuable Player- Kevin Durant

KD is this season's best player, no doubt about it. Broke MJ's record with most consecutive games with 25+ points, won another scoring title and kept OKC alive without Russell Westbrook.

The struggling Pacers and more

A lot has happened since I last posted; the dethronization of the Miami Heat failed by the Pacers, as the Heat are looking to lock up the number 1 seed in the East; the UConn Huskies won the NCAA championship, beating the Kentucky powerhouse, they even made Drake change sides. 

The first thing I want to focus on are the struggling Indiana Pacers. This team has collapsed and if they continue to play this way I see a team like Charlotte or Washington winning the 1st round series, eliminating the Pacers. I think their biggest problem is the chemistry. For example when you look at teams like Miami, San Antonio, Chicago, LA (Clippers) these teams look like a band of brothers, they share a bond with each over. You don't see that with the Pacers, they are a very strong team but they don't seem to click. Maybe the Evan Turner trade and the signing of Andrew Bynum took a bad turn on the team. After that trade, NBA fans believed it was other for the Heat, as the Pacers were already strong and the acquisition of a young, good all around player like Turner to lead the 2nd unit would eliminate any chance Miami had to win the title. Well they were wrong, as Evan became just another role player averaging around 7 points I think. 

Another issue with them is Paul George, a player I like and respect very much. I just think all the fame made him believe he's an NBA superstar, but he is not. He is still a young, developing, FUTURE NBA superstar. Analysts believed he was the league's 2nd best player, only behind LeBron James. I disagree, in my mind he still has a long way to go. 

I have to admit I'm not the biggest fan of Roy Hibbert. A guy over 7 feet grabbing only around 7 rebounds? And shooting 45% from the field? Please, this guy is the definition of overrated. At the start of the season Hibbert claimed he will win the Defensive Player of the Year award, and Paul George will be the league's MVP. Now it's ok to be confident, but this is a bit cocky in my opinion, because if you say stuff like this you HAVE to back it up with your play and Hibbert simply doesn't. Below there is a stat comparison between Kwame Brown and Roy, provided by @NBATalkJoe. Is this guy really an All Star?

Kwame Brown 2003-04: "Bust" 10.9 - 7.4 - 1.5 - 48.9% FG Roy Hibbert 2013-14: "All-Star" 11.1 - 6.9 - 1.2 - 45.5% FG

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2013998-kwame-browns-bust-year-and-roy-hibberts-all-star-season-are-quite-comparable

Jerry West and Danny Ainge believes this draft class doesn't have any game changing players and they are mostly right, except for Andrew Wiggins and Dante Exum from Australia,  I believe both of them will become stars. Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid will probably stay in school for the next season and they are making a good choice. Parker can become one of the greatest college players in the history and could use a little more work on defense, whereas Embiid is still raw offensively, they both need time. I'm assuming Wiggins, Exum and Marcus Smart will be picked in the top 3 (doesn't matter in what order). This draft class is exciting as it is filled with players with potential (but not superstar level potential) but probably not all of them will fullfill it. Beside Wiggins and Exum I am also fond of a Kentucky Wildcat named James Young, who is a very athletic player and a more than good shooter, I hope once he gets on a good team he will become an all star one day. Here's a picture of his monster dunk on UConn: