| Show T The Playoffs are In Left Field Reid r J. J v By Corey bullock S. S Sports Editor Hip Hip Hooray Hip Hip Hooray H Hip p Hip Hooray ray Three cheers for the end of the regular season The cheers aren arent aren't t beca because of a great season The cheers are because the season is over finally I thought the movie Ghandi was long It is nothing com com- compared compared pared to the 82 games of the regular season which by the way are way too many No wonder everyone is complaining about the Utah Jazz players being tired Now that I have said my two bits about the length of the regular season season season sea sea- son lets let's get down to business Lets Let's talk about the Play Ill I'll start with the easy one Chicago will come out of the Eastern Conference to play in the Championship They may be a surprise to a lot of people However the road to the finals isn't going tobe tobe to tobe be easy It should go something like this The Bulls will breeze by Miami in three games After New York emerges from a five game series with Cleveland the Bulls should beat the in five to end up in inthe inthe inthe the Eastern Conference finals On the other side of the Eastern Conference bracket Detroit returns to the play-offs play after a short hiatus only to run into the Diesel Orlando in three The Indiana Pacers will ha have e to have players step up in the absence of Hoots Miller in order for them to slide past a struggling Atlanta Hawks team The big Dutchman should step up for Indiana and they will squeak into the second round Orlando should have little to no trouble dispatching the Pacers in five games Therefore Orlando and Chicago meet up in the Eastern Conference Final Chicago wins this series in six games but it will be a battle It was thought that Chicago had no answer for but Luc Longley and Bill Wennington have done more than a fair job in guarding him They key to this series is the Penny Hardaway and Michael Jordan match Jordan was embarrassed a year ago in this series by the younger Hardaway therefore I am calling caIling this series Michaels Michael's revenge Dont Don't be surprised to sec Jordan go for 50 points in a game The Western Conference is a little little little lit lit- tle more interesting than the East The whole key to the west is match ups In the first round Seattle will blow by Sacramento and erase the first round ghosts that have haunted them the past two years San Antonio wi will sn sneak ak by Phoenix in five games However this is the series where we could see our first major upset of the play Mr Barkley is on a mission In the other two series you have havethe havethe havethe the Utah Jazz matching up against the Portland Trailblazers and they dont don't match up very well The key positions are the two guard positions and the center position has become almost unstoppable unstoppable unstoppable unstop unstop- pable and the Jazz dont don't have a particularly particularly par par- good defensive or offensive center The Trailblazers may slide over to guard Karl Malone on the offensive end which means Antoine Carr would come off the bench and need to produce points Something he has done lately The guards are arc a different story The Jazz arc are going to be in trouble at atthe atthe atthe the two guard spot because of the match up problems At the point Rod Strickland of the Portland Trailblazers has played the best basketball basketball basketball bas bas- of his career career- since he was brought back over after a little dispute dispute dispute dis dis- dis- dis with Head Coach P PJ J Carlisimo Interesting one to call Jazz in five games The Lakers are the surprise team With Magic and Van Excel back the Lakers will beat Houston in five games and move on to face Seattle in the second round The Seattle Los Angeles Lakers match up will wiIl be a knock down drag out fight Seattle wants revenge on the Lakers for knocking them out in inthe inthe inthe the first round a year ago The are also on a mission to prove they are for real and that they are in seven The Jazz will face San Antonio in the second round Three key players play play- ers for the Spurs that will all allow ow them to win the series in six games Sean Elliott Chuck Person and Charles Smith if he is healthy All three of these players can play the small forward position Its It's no secret that the Utah Jazz have always struggled in the small forward tion Like I said before Seattle is for real and they will prove that when the take on the Spurs in hi the Western Conference Final Seattle will prove the have a go to guy in Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton They will also prove that they have the supporting supporting supporting sup sup- porting cast to carry them back to the finals Chicago and Seattle in the finals Bulls in five |
