EAST
#1) Cleveland vs #8) Detroit
#4) Atlanta vs #5) Miami
#2) Boston vs #7) Chicago
#3) Orlando vs #6) Philadelphia


WEST
#1) LA Lakers vs #8) Utah
#4) San Antonio vs #5) Dallas
#2) Denver vs #7) New Orleans
#3) Portland vs #6) Houston

Some intriguing matchups include familiar faceoffs....The Lone Star rivalry between Dallas and San Antonio will be meeting for the fourth time this decade (2001, 2003, and 2006 were the other three). Coincidentally, San Antonio has had home-court advantage in all four playoff meetings; look for some road victories if history is any indication. Cleveland and Detroit will meet for third time in four seasons. LA and Utah meet in a rematch of last year's second round meeting.

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ThrillNetwork Lead Moderator (Originally known as Hurricane)

It's time to play some DEFENSE!

That San Antonio-Dallas game was good, and now as they say, we need to get greedy and take Monday's game too.

Go DALLAS!

The Best quote of the day...from ESPN Radio in Dallas:
Host 1: Utah hasn't beaten LA in their playoff series.
Host 2: LA hasn't beaten Utah yet either!

Goooooo Magic

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"For each path you walk down, there are several others you have to bypass. Maybe walking those paths would have made you happy, maybe they wouldn't have. You'll never know. Choose your path, walk it, and make the best of it."

The Sixers were greatly looked down upon entering this series. They took Game 1 Tonight!

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Thrillnetwork Moderator - Sophomore Original sn: CHILLERLC1
2008 & 2009 TN Coaster Draft Champion
You knew I wanted the other repeat too

Based off of the Bulls win over the Celtics and the Cavs win over the Pistons, Jay Mariotti has handed the NBA Championship to Cleveland. Wow, that was quick, and now these playoffs won't last into July.

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They never last that long anyway, do they?


Anyway, I sure hope this is the year my Houston Rockets finally make it past the first round....they looked great last night on the road in hostile environment.

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ThrillNetwork Lead Moderator (Originally known as Hurricane)

It's time to play some DEFENSE!

haha, wow, what a choke job.

I hate my favorite teams.

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"For each path you walk down, there are several others you have to bypass. Maybe walking those paths would have made you happy, maybe they wouldn't have. You'll never know. Choose your path, walk it, and make the best of it."

What a series between the Bulls and Celtics! The first game went to OT, rookie Derrick Rose scored 36 points (part of his double-double) in his playoff debut. And in game 2, Rondo registered a triple-double, Ben Gordon scored 42 points, and Ray Allen had 28 points just in the second half, including a game-winning three-pointer to even the series.

It was a classic shootout between Gordon and Allen as they traded baskets in the final minute of game 2, making very hard shots. I think games 3 and 4 continue to keep everyone on the edge of their seats.

What a thriller of a series so far, I think coasterlove has to be ecstatic about how this series is unfolding.

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ThrillNetwork Lead Moderator (Originally known as Hurricane)

It's time to play some DEFENSE!

I'm feeling good about the Bulls against an undermanned Celtic team. Without KG, I didn't think the Celts would have a chance at repeating. In fact, I didn't expect them to make it out the East and did think the Bulls had a chance of upsetting them in the first round.

This wouldn't be the first time that the Bulls upset a defending champion in the first round. Just two years ago, the last time the Bulls were in the playoffs, they swept the Miami Heat with Shaq and Dwayne Wade. Would be exciting to see it happen again. Especially with how much of an ass Kevin Garnett makes out of himself. The looks on his face when the game is close. The expressions are just ridiculous.

I'm glad the Bulls turned the season around after starting so poorly. With a new coach and a rookie as one of their main players, it's good to see it working for them.

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YOUR HATRED AMUSES ME

That trade for John Salmons and the return of Brad Miller is what seemed to have turned the Bulls season around; Miller gives them the big man the need, albeit a slow big man but still helps them with playoff experience.

Cleveland is looking great in their championship quest....up 2-0 over the stumbling Detroit Pistons and Mike Brown was awarded Coach of the Year. They did have a bit of a scare in game two when the let a 26-point lead slip down to seven points, but held on to win.

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ThrillNetwork Lead Moderator (Originally known as Hurricane)

It's time to play some DEFENSE!

The Magic tied it up with the Sixers last night by winning.

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Thrillnetwork Moderator - Sophomore Original sn: CHILLERLC1
2008 & 2009 TN Coaster Draft Champion
You knew I wanted the other repeat too

Sixers won 96-94. It was exciting to watch. They could have been way more ahead if they made their foul shots. Sammy Dalumbert sucks. Sixers are up 2-1.

Jimmy got to me and reminded me of last year when the Sixers went up 2-1 to Detroit. Thanks.

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Thrillnetwork Moderator - Sophomore Original sn: CHILLERLC1
2008 & 2009 TN Coaster Draft Champion
You knew I wanted the other repeat too

The end of the Pistons run has arrived in resounding fashion....Cavs become the only team in the NBA to sweep the first round this season. Pistons actually offered the Cavs fans thousands of seats at their Palace to watch game four in Detroit and Cavs fans made the short trip to see the sweep happen.

For Detroit, their run of seven consecutive Eastern Conference Championships appearance has come to an abrupt halt, two of those runs got them in the Finals and one of them ended up a championship. Now, just about everyone agrees it's time to tear down what is left of the once mighty the house and rebuild a new core. Rasheed Wallace and Allen Iverson are officially gone, and they're also looking to move their remaining pieces (Hamilton and Prince) and start all over again. They have some good young players in Jason Maxiell, Will Bynum, and Rodney Stuckey to build around for the future. But for now, this will be a very long (literall) and busy summer for Detroit.

Meanwhile, Bulls and Celtics continue to amaze us....game four, double OT, also went down to the wire and featured another classic shootout between Ray Allen and Ben Gordon, each forcing OT and 2OT, respectively.

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ThrillNetwork Lead Moderator (Originally known as Hurricane)

It's time to play some DEFENSE!

Wow, the Magic and the Sixers were tied up most of the game. The Magic did get ahead by 9 at one point though. The Sixers came roaring back and tied with 24 seconds left. Turk had some Magic of his own and made a 3 with hardly any seconds left. The Magic won to tie the series 2-2.

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Thrillnetwork Moderator - Sophomore Original sn: CHILLERLC1
2008 & 2009 TN Coaster Draft Champion
You knew I wanted the other repeat too

Overtime...again? Here we go. 5:00 to go...unless we go double OT again.

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YOUR HATRED AMUSES ME

Orlando's 3 point shooting turned back on. Orlando won, now lead it 3 games to 2. Back to Philly we go!

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Thrillnetwork Moderator - Sophomore Original sn: CHILLERLC1
2008 & 2009 TN Coaster Draft Champion
You knew I wanted the other repeat too

Nice to see the dirty team won against the Bulls

Those refs have their heads up their asses not to see that was a flagrant where Miller was hit in the face by Rondo. Total BS. Hope those in Boston are having a dirty team. Doesn't matter, they're not going anywhere and I'd rather have a team with some pride and respect like the Bulls unlike the Celtics who are just a bunch of whiney ass ----------

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YOUR HATRED AMUSES ME

Glad the Magic aren't making me sweat quite as much as the Caps did yet.

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"For each path you walk down, there are several others you have to bypass. Maybe walking those paths would have made you happy, maybe they wouldn't have. You'll never know. Choose your path, walk it, and make the best of it."

For the first time since 1997 -- first time in the Greg Popovich and Tim Duncan era, the San Antonio Spurs do not make it past the first round. Similarly, the Detroit Pistons fail to reach the second round for the first time since 2001. Both streaks have been broken this week.

For his career, Tim Duncan has at least came within ten games of a championship (at least winning two games in the second round) every year of his NBA playing career. And another chapter in the Dallas/San Antonio rivalry is in the books.

Looking back at the this Lone Star rivalry:
2001: San Antonio defeated Dallas 4-1 -- second round
2003: San Antonio defeated Dallas 4-2 -- Western Conference Championship
2006: Dallas defeated San Antonio 4-3 -- second round
2009: Dallas defeated San Antonio 4-1 -- first round

All in all, both teams won two of the four series. Of the combined 23 playoff games in the four series, the game count is 12-11 in favor of Dallas, and also 12 road games won and 11 home games won.

Note: In another Texas matchup, Dallas defeated Houston in the 2005 first round 4-3 -- four road games were won and three home games were won.

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ThrillNetwork Lead Moderator (Originally known as Hurricane)

It's time to play some DEFENSE!

Dwight Howard got suspended a game for elbowing Sammy Dalumbert. I'll take any advantage for the Sixers for this Game Six at home.

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Thrillnetwork Moderator - Sophomore Original sn: CHILLERLC1
2008 & 2009 TN Coaster Draft Champion
You knew I wanted the other repeat too

Jimmy turned out to be right. He gave the Sixers at best 2 games. They lost Game 6 and were eliminated from the Playoffs by the Magic. The being behind the last few games began to tick me off. With out Courtney Lee and Dwight Howard the Magic still turned it on and beat the Sixers with 3's.

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Thrillnetwork Moderator - Sophomore Original sn: CHILLERLC1
2008 & 2009 TN Coaster Draft Champion
You knew I wanted the other repeat too

I just have to stand up and applaud the Bulls and Celtics for -- nothing short of -- a spectacular series, and we still have a Game Seven left to play!

With four OT games, two games in 2OT and a 3OT, this could very well be the greatest first round series in NBA History. I think Game Seven promises to be the ultimate finish the way neither team is backing down.

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ThrillNetwork Lead Moderator (Originally known as Hurricane)

It's time to play some DEFENSE!

Who are you kidding Jimmy? I really think the Bulls-Celtics series might be the best playoff series of any round played in NBA playoff history. Only one game was a blowout with the other five all being decided by three or less points and with endless last second shots to either win games or tie them to go into overtime. And speaking of the overtimes, we've seen four of those games go into double overtimes and now a triple overtime. The series has also seen numerous lead changes and very rarely does one team pull far ahead of the other.

Obviously I'm biased but I can't ever remember a series like this or even close.

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YOUR HATRED AMUSES ME

My Houston Rockets advance to the next round for the first time in over a decade....their last playoff series win was back in 1997. Ron Artest has been key to our team.

But our task just got tougher as we're now up against Kobe and the Los Angeles Lakers, which now we're much more so an underdog than we were against Portland, but there's no pressure and we have the best defensive duo of the remaining teams in the Playoffs.

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ThrillNetwork Lead Moderator (Originally known as Hurricane)

It's time to play some DEFENSE!

Wow it was that long for Houston? That team won when they were in the last building.

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Thrillnetwork Moderator - Sophomore Original sn: CHILLERLC1
2008 & 2009 TN Coaster Draft Champion
You knew I wanted the other repeat too

Good to see the Magic finish off their series.


The Bulls and Celtics series has been ridiculous!

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"For each path you walk down, there are several others you have to bypass. Maybe walking those paths would have made you happy, maybe they wouldn't have. You'll never know. Choose your path, walk it, and make the best of it."

The Bulls/Celtics series was a hell of a first-round with four games going beyond regulation. In my opinion this is the second best series I've ever seen in my life, behind only the 2002 Western Conference Finals Los Angeles vs Sacramento. The Lakers/Kings series was just as heated and contested, but the stakes were a lot higher being the de facto Finals in 2002 and that was a true bitter rivalry. I will however put this Bulls/Celtics series just ahead of the New York vs Miami series in the second round 2000 Playoffs (all seven games decided by less than seven points, and three of those games, inlcuding Game Seven, were one-point games and that was another extremely bitter rivalry).

But we're still not done with the first round yet....we still have another game seven to be decided Sunday afternoon....Miami at Atlanta. In complete contrast, this one pales....all six games were blowouts.

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ThrillNetwork Lead Moderator (Originally known as Hurricane)

It's time to play some DEFENSE!

Game Six Blowout - Word I watched a few minutes of this Celtics Game 7.

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Thrillnetwork Moderator - Sophomore Original sn: CHILLERLC1
2008 & 2009 TN Coaster Draft Champion
You knew I wanted the other repeat too

The second round is set!

EAST

#1 Cleveland vs #4 Atlanta
#2 Boston vs #3 Orlando


WEST

#1 Los Angeles vs #5 Houston
#2 Denver vs #6 Dallas

Italics denote team with home-court advantage.


This will be the 9th playoff meeting between my Houston Rockets and the LA Lakers. In the previous eight series, both teams won four apiece and are 4-4.

This year's playoffs have seen the end of three long droughts of playoff wins: The Atlanta Hawks haven't been in the second round of the playoff since 1999, the Houston Rockets haven't been in the second round since 1997, and the Denver Nuggets are in the second round for the first time since 1994.

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ThrillNetwork Lead Moderator (Originally known as Hurricane)

It's time to play some DEFENSE!

This is not really an annoucement of the MVP, we've already known who was going to win it for a very long time, they're just announcing when he will actually receive the trophy.

LeBron "The King" James Rules Supreme in the NBA (and is MVP to boot)

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ThrillNetwork Lead Moderator (Originally known as Hurricane)

It's time to play some DEFENSE!