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2005 NBA Playoffs - An in-depth look
The NBA's 2004-05 regular season flew by but it was certainly entertaining. Overall the league saw a lot of changes this season, more scoring, different teams stepping to the forefront, others finding themselves in and/or out of playoff contention unlike years' past, and key players making themselves at home in new surroundings. Now, with the NBA's second season upon us and the first round matchups set, it's time to take a look at what might lie ahead for the next two months.
A pair of exciting and unfamiliar teams grabbed the top seeds in their respective conferences. Miami is the #1 in the East, led by the potent duo of Shaq and Flash. The Heat won 59 games, eclipsing anyone else in the conference by at least 5 games. In the West, Phoenix captured the NBA's best record by going 62-20 behind a solid mix of youth and veteran leadership. Point guard Steve Nash had an MVP-caliber season leading the potent Suns' attack. The biggest challengers to each of the top squads, not surprisingly, figure to be the #2 seeds, Detroit and San Antonio. The styles of each of those two teams directly contradict that of the top seeds. It could make things very interesting if those are the matchups in the conference finals.
Also lurking in the background are some teams that come into the playoffs on incredible rolls, count Houston, Denver, Indiana, and New Jersey among those. None of them were able to rally enough to secure home court advantage in the first round, but each still figures to be a tough out for its opponent. Conversely, Chicago, Washington, and Seattle seem to be limping into the playoffs much due to late season injuries. Ironically, the Bulls and the team formerly the Bullets meet each other in the first round. That, along with every other series, is intriguing in one form or another. Boston and Indiana is a rematch of recent years' play, Philadelphia and Detroit are familiar postseason participants, and New Jersey is a solid, playoff experienced group that could give Miami trouble. In the West, Phoenix and Memphis play completely contradicting styles, San Antonio, with Tim Duncan just getting back in the fold, must hold off a hard charging Denver team, and finally, Sacramento and Seattle, as well as Dallas and Houston are both series' bringing together regional rivals. Here's a closer look at the matchups, and some key trends to consider when handicapping this year's NBA playoffs.
NBA Playoff Matchups Quick Reference Chart
Here is a quick reference chart to look at analyzing each of the series from a head to head standpoint. The figures represented are each team's NBA ranking in that statistical category. Keep in mind that recent history has shown that 3pt shooting, defense, and turnovers have been the most successful statistical angles to look at in terms of NBA playoff handicapping
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Click here to view the 2005 NBA Schedule
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Click here to view the 2005 NBA Matchup Chart
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Top Trends
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Hottest Teams |
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DALLAS is on a run of 17-2 SU & 11-8 ATS in its L19 games |
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HOUSTON won its last seven games of the season, both SU & ATS |
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DENVER closed the regular season on a 22-4 SU & 19-7 ATS run |
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NEW JERSEY rallied to secure the East's 8th seed with a 15-4 SU & ATS run |
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DETROIT won 10 of its 11 games in April and was 7-4 ATS during that stretch |
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CHICAGO was 15-4 SU & 14-3-2 ATS in its L19 games |
| Coldest Teams |
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MEMPHIS closed the regular season by winning just once in its L6 games, both SU & ATS |
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SEATTLE comes into the playoffs having gone just 4-10 SU & ATS in its L14 games |
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SACRAMENTO was 6-5 SU in March, but just 2-8-1 ATS |
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Top seeded MIAMI closed the regular season by going just 5-7 SU & 4-8 ATS |
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WASHINGTON stumbles into the playoffs on a 4-7 SU & 2-9 ATS stretch |
| Best Teams in Recent Playoff Action |
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DETROIT was 16-7 SU & 16-6-1 ATS in the playoffs during its championship run last season |
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NEW JERSEY with Jason Kidd is 32-19 SU & 27-19-5 ATS in the playoffs |
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SACRAMENTO is .500 or better ATS in every playoff season since '99, combined 33-24-1 ATS |
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SAN ANTONIO is 26-18 SU & ATS in the playoffs over the last three years |
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WASHINGTON, though swept in its last playoff appearance in '97, was 3-0 ATS |
| Worst Teams in Recent Playoff Action |
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BOSTON was swept LY by Indiana in the first round & failed to cover any of the four games |
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HOUSTON is 4-10 SU & 6-8 ATS in its L3 playoff appearances |
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MEMPHIS was 0-4 SU & 1-3 ATS in its only franchise playoff appearance a year ago |
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MIAMI is on a 6-10 SU & 5-10-1 ATS run in playoff games |
Miscellaneous Playoff Trends
The Good |
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SAN ANTONIO is 12-6 SU ATS in the 1st game of a playoff series since '97 |
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SAN ANTONIO is 10-3 SU & 9-4 ATS when tied in a playoff series since '97 |
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NEW JERSEY is 10-3 SU & 9-4 ATS when leading in a playoff series over the L2 years |
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NEW JERSEY is 6-2 SU & ATS when attempting to close out a playoff series since '97 |
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DALLAS is 4-1 SU & ATS when tied in a playoff series over the L2 years |
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CHICAGO is 6-0 SU & 5-1 ATS when tied in a playoff series since '97 |
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DETROIT is 6-0 SU & 5-1 ATS when attempting to close out a playoff series since '97 |
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HOUSTON is 6-0 SU & 5-1 ATS in the 3rd game of a playoff series since '97 |
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DETROIT is 4-3 SU & 5-1 ATS in the 1st game of a playoff series over the L2 years |
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SACRAMENTO is 8-3 SU & 10-1 ATS in the 4th game of a playoff series since '97 |
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SACRAMENTO is 5-0 SU & ATS when trailing in a playoff series over the L2 years |
| The Bad |
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BOSTON is 0-6 SU & ATS when trailing in a playoff series over the L2 years |
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DALLAS is 2-6 SU & 1-7 ATS when leading in a playoff series over the L2 years |
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CHICAGO is 6-0 SU but 1-5 ATS in the first round of the playoffs since '97 |
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SACRAMENTO is 0-6 SU & 1-5 ATS when tied in a playoff series over the L2 years |
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DETROIT is 3-8 SU ATS in the 4th game of a playoff series since '97 |
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HOUSTON is 4-7 SU & 3-8 ATS when trailing in a playoff series since '97 |
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SEATTLE is 4-8 SU & 3-8 ATS in the second round of the playoffs since '97 |
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MIAMI is 4-10 SU & ATS when leading in a playoff series since '97 |
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MIAMI is 4-10 SU & ATS when leading in a playoff series since '97 |
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DETROIT is 9-11 SU & 7-12 ATS when leading in a playoff series since '97 |
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PHILADELPHIA is 8-15 SU & 9-14 ATS in the second round of the playoffs since '97 |
