The 2006 NBA playoffs are off and running this year with many potential
surprises on the way. The regular season is over, with the number one Detroit
Pistons facing the number eight Milwaukee Bucks in the eastern conference. Other
match-ups in the eastern conference are the Chicago Bulls against the Miami
Heat, the Indiana Pacers versus the New Jersey Nets and the Cleveland Cavaliers
squaring off against the Washington Wizards. The eastern conference is having
some tough series. So far nobody is going to be swept in a series with the Bucks
grabbing a win against the Pistons after being down a few games. The rest of the
teams have been tied up and time will tell who will advance into the semi-finals
for the conference.
Last years champions, the San Antonio Spurs, were number one in the western
conference this year and are squaring off with the Sacramento Kings. Other
series match-ups include the Phoenix Suns versus the Los Angeles Lakers, Denver
Nuggets against the surprising Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzles playing
the Dallas Mavericks. The San Antonio Spurs are not looking nearly as sharp as
they were looking in last years playoffs. With Dallas Mavericks looking better
than ever so far, they might become troublesome for the Spurs if they can beat
the Kings. The Kings are not pushovers and proved that by coming off two
straight losses and winning two straight games to even up the series.
Many of the seasonal awards have been announced with coach of the year being
Avery Johnson of the Dallas Mavericks. Other awards announced were the sixth man
of the year, which was taken by Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Miller, who scored
nearly fourteen points a game off the bench this year. Boris Diaw won the honors
of most improved player this year with his much-improved season with the Phoenix
Suns. Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets is going to be taking rookie of the
year honors this year, no question. Los Angeles Clippers forward Elton Brand
received the Sportsmanship award and Minnesota Timberwolves star player Kevin
Garnett took the Kennedy Citizenship award.
Most people believe the Detroit Pistons will undoubtedly make it to the NBA
finals this year once again. They are the number one choice for winning the
trophy after having a record-breaking season, winning 64 games and only losing
18. This would be the Pistons third time in a row making it to the NBA playoff
finals. Their bench players seem to be better than the line-up of players last
year. They have newcomers Maurice Evans and veteran Tony Delk on their roster
now. Tony Delk has been a big spark off the bench for the Pistons since he was
signed as a free agent on March 1st. A large quantity of games is being aired on
TNT and ESPN, so check you local listings to for the dates and times of the
playoff games. You can get complete coverage of the playoffs on NBA TV as well
as NBA.com.
Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Sports.
