Preferred ECF opponent: Cleveland or Boston?

[WTFchris]

Honestly, after what happened last year, I bet the NBA would prefer us over Cleveland. A Detroit-LA series has history written all over it. Kobe-LeBron doesn't have very much emotional resonance. They don't hate each other, or kiss each other before every game.

Yeah, they know the Cavs would get swept or close to it. If they want a real series than Detroit or Boston has to be in the finals.

[Higherwarrior]

i think whoever wins the east out of boston/detroit wins the title. probably in 7 games though. true the west is the stronger conference overall, but IMO both boston and detroit will beat the winner of the west.

however if the cavs get there.......i think they'll at least make a series of it and avoid a sweep.

[MoTown]

Unless of course, the Jazz make the Finals. Then they would destroy the Pistons, probably in 4 games.

[15buckshort]

The Jazz wont make it out of this series, better yet past the hornets or the spurs if they do get past kobe and pao. As far as the east, if the cavs-celtics series goes 7 games, they are going to be wore out. Lebron has never been so beat up in this kind of stretch of games and his team is no help against the pistons. Sam Cassell was supposed to be the answer for the celtics but as seen in game 5, his place is on the bench. I dont care who we play, but in the end I want to play the celtics to answer all the hype that have been put into them. There isnt anyone on the celtics team will go off for 48 points or score the last 30 points for their team in the 4th quarter like lebron did to us last year. Either way, look for the pistons to be in the Finals and im thinking against the Hornets, I feel like CP3 is going to pull a cinderella story in the west with how dominant hes playing right now.

[Higherwarrior]

i love paul. IMO he should've been MVP. but we own the hornets. i'd love to play them in the finals as we match up really well with them.

[Wilfredo Ledezma]

The way I see it, if Cleveland gets to the ECF, that means they (LBJ) must've done something special in those last 2 games...

Thus making Cleveland pretty scary.

At least if we play Boston, it'd be expected. Plus I think we can steal one of those first 2 games at the Garden.

[Wilfredo Ledezma]

Got this bit off of SI.

No one benefits more from the freedom allotted by referees in the postseason than Detroit. For the second consecutive series the Pistons bullied their opponent. Dwight Howard -- arguably the most imposing inside presence in the league -- was banged, bumped and bruised by a wave of Pistons that include Rasheed Wallace, Jason Maxiell, Antonio McDyess and Theo Ratliff. If Detroit is allowed to continue to play an "overly" physical style, it doesn't matter who it plays in the next round: the Pistons will breeze to the Finals.

Now, maybe I'm being bias, but to say we were "overly" physical is a bit laughable. Todays definition of "physical" in the NBA has become a total joke.

[Black Dynamite]

washington played physical and though it helped them, the nba stepped in and hurt them with sognalia getting suspended. The celtics are clobbering lebron even more and not one suspension has been handed out. I would have to think that we'll be allowed to be extra physical with the celtics because they'll be that way with us to keep the refs from protecting them. But I have a feeling that they may still penalize us hard if we manhandle lebron like the celts have.

[DrRay11]

Yeah, haha at "overly physical." If the game was overly physical, a mammoth beast like Dwight Howard should have that to his advantage.

[Wilfredo Ledezma]

well, we're not the team thats going to get a flagrant foul or anything, but i sure hope we don't allow a little fag like rajon rondo to attack the basket for a layup...

make him pay if he's going to drive inside, he's way too little to be doing that without earning it