NBA Playoffs Update: Is 2010 the year a #8 seed beats a #1 seed? Oklahoma City Thunder eyes the Los Angeles Lakers…
Posted on April 15, 2010 by admin
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The 2010 NBA Playoffs are around the corner and this year is playing out to be a very exciting one. As the surprise team of the 2010 season, the Oklahoma City Thunder have taken the “bull by the horns” and won crucial games in the second half of the 82 game NBA season to lock down the #8 seed. With NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant on their side, it’s possible the Thunder can smack the Lakers in the 1st round. It’s possible. Is it probable?
Let’s look at 2 key factors in this match up:
#1 - Youth vs. Experience. 2 of the most successful players in the NBA are going head to head in this match up. One is a 21 year old phenom. The other is a 31 year old 4-time champion.
Kobe Bryant:
In the 2009-2010 season, Kobe Bryant had 391 rebounds, 365 assists and 1970 points. Statistically speaking, that puts Kobe at the top of the NBA spectrum for being a well-rounded leader and gifted athlete.
Kevin Durant:
In the 2009-2010 season, Kevin Durant had 623 rebounds, 231 assists and 2472 points. Statistically speaking, Kevin Durant had a MUCH more dominant season as he poured in more than 500 points than Kobe and won the NBA scoring champion title.
So there’s the objective analysis. Numbers don’t lie.
What about the subjective analysis?
Kevin Durant’s youth will ultimately break the Lakers in this series and Durant’s Thunder teammates are playing with HUGE chips on their shoulders. It doesn’t help when Phil Jackson recently called Kevin Durant to the mat with this comment, “”Yeah, by the calls he gets, he really gets to the line a lot, I’ll tell ya,” Jackson said, according to The Oklahoman’s Web site.
Durant’s response? “If you say that I get superstar calls or I get babied by the refs, that’s just taking away from how I play. That’s disrespectful to me.”
Can you sense the TNT getting ready to blow up? This is THEE series to watch on the NBA playoff schedule.
#2 Factor - Home Court Advantage
The Lakers were the “best in the West” with a 57-25 overall record. The Lakers finished 23-18 on the road. The Thunder got to the 50-win mark and finished at 50-32. They also finished 23-18 on the raod. Lakers went 34-7 at home. The Thunder finished just 27-14 at home. So where does the advantage lie?
I like the THUNDER in this factor as well. They have NEVER had a playoff game in their franchise history. If Oklahoma natives get behind their NBA team as they do their college football team, the emotions and euphoria will be sky high!
Call me crazy. Call me a “Laker hater”. Call me whatever you want. This is just one of those “gut feelings” that come along every now and then. Playoff predictions for the Snort Report are that Kevin Durant and the Thunder will defeat the Lakers and cause one of the biggest 1st round upsets in NBA history. The NBA playoffs Lakers vs. Thunder. It’s going to be a phenomenal series!
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