So Sports Illustrated recently ran a feature article on Portland Trail Blazer Damian Lillard and, as is their ever-politically correct way, praised him and the team to the heavens. "Dame Time" and the Blazers just might be this year's sleeper in the playoffs, quoth the mag.
WHAM. Out they go, swept in 4 straight by the New Orleans Pelicans in the very first round. The SI jinx is alive and well.
Nobody seems to know what to make of the Cleveland Cavaliers this year. They didn't come anywhere close to their usual dominant selves during the regular season. True, they got into the playoffs, but only as a #4 seed in the Eastern Conference.
What is curious is the influence of Tyronn Lue, their head coach. A while back, dear Ty took a leave of absence for "health reasons". While gone, the Cavs went on a 9-1 tear.
Upon his return to the bench, they went 1-2, and are now the same 1-2 against the Indiana Pacers in the first round of their playoff series. The #5 seed Pacers have stolen home court advantage from Lebron and Co., and it appears they have a fair to midland shot of knocking them off early -- see Portland above -- as well.
That would seem to beg the question -----
Why is Cleveland paying Lue big bucks to coach them, when they appear to play better when he's gone?
Surprisingly, the Toronto Raptors wound up the #1 seed in the East. But they're doomed. How do I know this?
Because the same SI did a feature article on their head coach Dwane Casey a while back as well. That, and Toronto always chokes in the playoffs.
The East is certainly wide open this year. The Boston Celtics were likely toast when Gordon Hayward suffered a tragic foot injury just as the season was starting. Now Kyrie Irving is on the shelf, duration unknown. With them, the Celts had a decent shot at going far. Without them -- fuhgettaboutit. Ain't gonna happen. Not this year. Maybe next.
Still flying under the radar are the Philadelphia 76ers. If both of their big men -- Joel Embid and Ben Simmons -- can stay healthy -- never a given -- they could well find themselves in the Finals. They're as good as anybody in the semi-watered down East.
Out west, the Golden State Warriors have had their problems. Steph Curry remains on the DL. It always seems to be something with SC. Hand, ankle, knee, thigh. Something. And Draymond Green, probably the dirtiest player to come along in recent memory, is a double-tech, ejection/suspension waiting to happen.
Even if the Warriors are fully healthy, it's beginning to appear like this is the Houston Rockets' year. Though sporting the regular season's best record in the league is never any guarantee of playoff success, much less a championship, it's pretty tough to bet against them. Barring key injuries themselves, what other team out there, including the Warriors, is likely to knock them off in a seven game series? Especially when Houston has home court throughout?
But ya never know. Wouldn't it be something if the young Sixers were to stun the hoops world and roll to a championship?
On the heels of the Philadelphia Eagles zapping the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII just a few months ago, and Villanova capturing the NCAA hoops crown, the "City of Brotherly Love" would have much to be proud of indeed. Yeah, the baseball Phillies are going to suck but, all in all, pretty impressive stuff for one town in the world of sports.
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