Your Weekly Spartans in the NBA Report

  Well what turned out to be a very non eventful regular season is now in the history books. The 2011 NBA playoffs have started and hopefully we all get

 

 

Well what turned out to be a very non eventful regular season is now in the history books. The 2011 NBA playoffs have started and hopefully we all get our fill of drama and excitement. This year’s playoff picture features three former Michigan State Spartans, that look to contribute heavily to their teams success. We here at “Spartan Nation” are extremely proud.

 

The Los Angeles Lakers are seeking their third straight NBA championship. The Lakers ended the season on five game losing streak, which has once again caused experts to question whether or not the Lakers have what it takes to be champions. The Lakers secured the 2 seed, and the west and opened their playoff series against the New Orleans Hornets. Shannon Brown gave quality minutes off the bench. He scored 8 points on 4-6 shooting, however struggled defensively when asked to guard Chris Paul. Paul torched the Lakers to the tune of 33 points and 14 assists. The Lakers lost the game 109-100, and their regular season losing streak has carried over into the post season for the first time in recent memory. There is no doubt the Lakers will rebound, however it will be interesting to see how far the Hornets can extend the series.

 

The Orlando Magic continue to disappoint. The Magic clinched the 4ths seed in the Eastern Conference, and faced off against the Atlanta Hawks. I stated earlier that Orlando’s ability to hit the 3-point shot would determine how far they would go in the playoffs. This prediction was extremely accurate especially in game one. The Magic shot poorly from the 3-point line and were beaten at home in the first game of the series. Richardson shot 0-4 from the 3-point line and 2-8 for the game. He scored four points, and was largely ineffective. The Magic will be in a dog fight this series. I seriously doubt if they can win it. The Hawks employed a very good defensive strategy in order to win the game. The Hawks didn’t double team Dwight Howard, and effectively shut everyone else down. This caused the Magic to shoot poorly from the 3-point line. Coach Larry Drew should be given a lot of credit

 

The Memphis Grizzlies should be voted as the most improved team in the NBA. They made good on their owner’s guarantee that they would make the playoffs. They secured an 8 seed and faced off against the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs. Prior to this postseason, the Grizzlies had never won a post season game in franchise history. Zach Randolph led the way with 25 points and 14 rebounds. They upset the Spurs at home, which leads many to believe that this will be a difficult test for the Spurs. Its good to see Zach putting up big numbers, and representing the green and white. He has had the best season, out of all the Spartan alums.

 

Drew Naymick ended the season with the Bakersfield Jam. The Jam lost in the playoffs to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, who eventually won the NBA D-Leagues championship. Naymick averaged 8.6 points per game, and 7.6 rebounds per game.