elindholm
edited for content
Handicapping the Eastern Conference Final
BIRDSVILLE (45-18, S_Marion) vs. HANNOVER (40-23, slinslin)
Season series: 2-2
Birdsville Brawlers
Led by:
Jason Kidd (Gd-NJN, 89.0 fppg, 36 mpg x 2.41 fppm)
Jamal Mashburn (GF-NOR, 82.0, 40 x 2.02)
Shareef Abdur-Rahim (F-ATL, 80.4, 38 x 2.11)
Greatest strength: Quality depth, especially at forward and guard.
Greatest weakness: Lack of explosiveness.
Birdsville has solid players throughout the roster. Bench minutes are usually filled out by the likes of Jamaal Magloire and Wally Sczcerbiak, who would be starters on a lot of teams. Furthermore, everyone is playing well right now. The Brawlers posted the only sweep in the first round of the playoffs, and they averaged better than 530 points over the last ten games of the regular season. The scoring is steady, but with that consistency comes a price, which is that huge games come rarely. Birdsville had only two game scores in the league’s top 20 this year, and they didn’t top 530 in any of their three playoff games. Also, one wonders whether any team led by Jason Kidd shouldn’t immediately be disqualified…
Hannover Amares
Led by:
Chris Webber (F-SAC, 105.8, 39 x 2.69)
Pau Gasol (CF-MEM, 80.8, 35 x 2.27)
Michael Jordan (GF-WAS, 75.7, 36 x 2.08)
Greatest strength: Front-court explosiveness.
Greatest weaknesses: Youth, lack of depth.
Hannover has been “talking the talk” all season long, a stance that almost led to embarrassment when The Love Machine stretched the Amares to the final quarter of Game 5. Still, the confidence is justified. Webber and Gasol are joined by Donyell Marshall and Amare Stoudemire to form a fearsome front line; together with Jordan, they give Hannover five players who are regular threats to score 100 or more. The Amares posted five of the league’s top 20 game scores, and they reached 600 or better three times, while no other team got there more than once. Hannover’s concern has to be whether all of their young players will continue to produce as the long NBA season draws to a close. They also have to cross their fingers for continued health – if either Webber or Jordan goes down, even for a single game, the roster starts looking very thin.
Summary
The series will be decided not by who posts the higher average, but by who wins the most games. If Hannover is firing on all cylinders, Birdsville can’t compete. Birdsville has too many players who are willing to embrace the team concept, which is fine for NBA wins, but a weakness in fantasy play. The key to this series is Jordan, and the guess here is that he will continue to get his own while running the Wizards into the ground.
Hannover in six.
BIRDSVILLE (45-18, S_Marion) vs. HANNOVER (40-23, slinslin)
Season series: 2-2
Birdsville Brawlers
Led by:
Jason Kidd (Gd-NJN, 89.0 fppg, 36 mpg x 2.41 fppm)
Jamal Mashburn (GF-NOR, 82.0, 40 x 2.02)
Shareef Abdur-Rahim (F-ATL, 80.4, 38 x 2.11)
Greatest strength: Quality depth, especially at forward and guard.
Greatest weakness: Lack of explosiveness.
Birdsville has solid players throughout the roster. Bench minutes are usually filled out by the likes of Jamaal Magloire and Wally Sczcerbiak, who would be starters on a lot of teams. Furthermore, everyone is playing well right now. The Brawlers posted the only sweep in the first round of the playoffs, and they averaged better than 530 points over the last ten games of the regular season. The scoring is steady, but with that consistency comes a price, which is that huge games come rarely. Birdsville had only two game scores in the league’s top 20 this year, and they didn’t top 530 in any of their three playoff games. Also, one wonders whether any team led by Jason Kidd shouldn’t immediately be disqualified…
Hannover Amares
Led by:
Chris Webber (F-SAC, 105.8, 39 x 2.69)
Pau Gasol (CF-MEM, 80.8, 35 x 2.27)
Michael Jordan (GF-WAS, 75.7, 36 x 2.08)
Greatest strength: Front-court explosiveness.
Greatest weaknesses: Youth, lack of depth.
Hannover has been “talking the talk” all season long, a stance that almost led to embarrassment when The Love Machine stretched the Amares to the final quarter of Game 5. Still, the confidence is justified. Webber and Gasol are joined by Donyell Marshall and Amare Stoudemire to form a fearsome front line; together with Jordan, they give Hannover five players who are regular threats to score 100 or more. The Amares posted five of the league’s top 20 game scores, and they reached 600 or better three times, while no other team got there more than once. Hannover’s concern has to be whether all of their young players will continue to produce as the long NBA season draws to a close. They also have to cross their fingers for continued health – if either Webber or Jordan goes down, even for a single game, the roster starts looking very thin.
Summary
The series will be decided not by who posts the higher average, but by who wins the most games. If Hannover is firing on all cylinders, Birdsville can’t compete. Birdsville has too many players who are willing to embrace the team concept, which is fine for NBA wins, but a weakness in fantasy play. The key to this series is Jordan, and the guess here is that he will continue to get his own while running the Wizards into the ground.
Hannover in six.
