Group E: “Come On!”
Members: Charlotte Bobcats, Chicago Bulls.
How they could win: They won’t.
Why they won’t win: They’re not any good.
Group D: “Oh No! What Do We Do Now?”
Members: Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers, Oklahoma City Thunder.
Why they’re in this group: All three teams have a glaring issue that will be extremely difficult to overcome. For the Bucks and Trail Blazers, it’s the injuries to Andrew Bogut and Brandon Roy (only their best players) right before the playoffs. For the Thunder, it’s their youthful inexperience that has hurt them in trying to close out victories.
How they could win: Andrew Bogut and Brandon Roy miraculously heal, and Scotty Brooks, head coach of the Thunder, hypnotizes Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook into thinking this is their fifth playoff appearance instead of their first.
Why they won’t: Those glaring issues are really important. Milwaukee and Portland can’t score enough without their stars, and the Thunder can’t beat the Lakers unless they make far fewer mistakes than they have been making lately.
Group C: “Man, We’re Pretty Old.”
Members: Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs.
Why they’re in the group: All these teams rely on an old corps of stars who have been here before but are starting to reach the wrong side of the hill.
How they could win: If the over-30 stars — Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Tim Duncan, the list goes on and on — play with consistent ability and energy throughout the playoffs, these teams are as good as almost any others.
Why they won’t: The Celtics are completely reeling and look like they’ll have major issues just getting out of the first round. The Spurs can only get so far on experience alone; they’re just not athletic enough to match up favorably with top teams. The Mavericks have the best chance out of these three teams, but their aging defenders will have their hands full with prolific scorers in the later rounds.
Group D-Wade: D-Wade
Members: Dwyane Wade — I mean, the Miami Heat.
How they could win: Dick Bavetta believes he’s taken a Hot Tub Time Machine back to 2006 and officiates accordingly.
Why they won’t: Eventually, someone else besides D-Wade will have to play well and come up big in some important moments. Any takers? Anyone?
Group Zeta: Teams With A Guy Named Zaza
Member: Atlanta Hawks.
How they could win: They have played very well this year against teams that aren’t the Cavs and Magic.
Why they won’t: Barring ridiculous upsets by the teams in the “Come On!” section, they will have to defeat the Cavs and Magic in the playoffs.
Group B: “Let’s Just Score A Ton And Hope That Works”
Members: Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets.
Why they’re in this group: Uncanny statistical similarities. These three are the highest scoring teams in the playoffs, have records within one game of each other and have single-digit home losses with pedestrian road records.
How they could win: If you score more points than the other team, congratulations! You’ve won the game (thanks, John Madden). These teams are particularly good at scoring lots of points. Plus, the Suns have one of the most prolifically efficient offenses in league history, the Nuggets have Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, and the Jazz is probably the team that everyone in the Western Conference wants to avoid right now.
Why they won’t: They say defense wins championships for a reason, and the Suns have proven how difficult it is to overcome that maxim. I don’t trust any of these teams to stop LeBron James or Kobe Bryant from lighting them up.
Group A: The Contenders
Members: Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic.
Why they’re in this group: Last year’s champions are commonly viewed as the only teams with a realistic chance of beating the LeBrons.
How they could win: The Lakers still have Kobe Bryant and the supporting cast that won the title last year, and the Magic took a conference champion and fixed its biggest weakness (perimeter creation). On paper, both of these teams might actually be better than they were last year.
Why they won’t: The Lakers have been faltering lately, and the Magic don’t have someone who can take over and match baskets with LeBron at the end of a close game. Dwight Howard is not that guy, and Vince Carter might convince himself he is. This would not be a good thing.
Group L for LeBron: The Favorite
Member: Cleveland Cavaliers.
How they could lose: The Lakers and Magic have better second- and third-best players than the Cavaliers. The Cavs have only beaten the Jazz once, back in November, and they have yet to beat either the Nuggets or Jazz in 2010, going 0-3 against both teams. No prediction can be truly certain.
Why they will win: Have you seen LeBron James? I mean, whoa. In the NBA, unless the qualities of the supporting casts are vastly different, the team with the best player should win. This is LeBron’s best supporting cast yet, so no excuses remain. It’s time for the King to get it done.
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No. 7 women’s lacrosse season ends in NCAA quarterfinals against No. 1 UNC
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Hayk YengibaryanShould the Tigers beat the Orange, they will advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2022 as they look to win their first national championship since 2001.
Should the Tigers beat the Orange, they will advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2022 as they look to win their first national championship since 2001.