The Magic beat the Pacers. We officially have home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
I expect Doc to rest some guys with home court in the bag. Raef, Payton and Toine will probably play reduced minutes the last couple games of the year (good news for Nets fans). Now the question is who we'll be welcoming to the Fleet. If Indiana loses their next game and Philly wins, it'll be Philly. That could be one very nasty series.
This should be exciting for a guy like Tony Allen or Marcus Banks who probably would benefit from the coach resting his star/key players. I think Boston's got a lot more talent than the other Atlantic Division teams on the outside and the inside, but probably point guard depth is going to be testing Boston's mettle the most in the playoffs. Payton's the playmaker on the team, but he's no spring chicken anymore and the other guards don't really crank out assists. I do like the fact Bostons got some inside game with a couple of players that can score with their back to the basket and also look to pass. The team definitely looks better with an all around player (despite his obvious faults) like Antoine Walker spreading the floor, rebounding, handing out assists and not taking so many shots every single game. And then one of the best go to guys in the game is Paul Pierce. Good luck Celts.
I would love to see Sixers vs. Boston but Stern would never let Pacers play Pistons in the first round.The refs will do anything to get Pacers the W or Sixers the L. If Pacers lose and Sixers win,it would make playoffs in the East so much more interesting.
To wax the philosophical: "The road to a Championship goes through whoever is put in front of you" I care not who comes to Boston. Bring on all challengers.
