ALACS NBA Playoff Pool: By the Numbers

The first week of the 2008 NBA Playoffs has been a fantastic experience. Among other highlights:

- The Suns/Spurs series, unquestionably the most important first round series in terms of the ALACS Pool, has featured one of the best first round games in NBA history and has maintained in intense aura that’s usually reserved for the later rounds. Between Shaq’s quest for a fifth ring with a third team, the high probability that this is Steve Nash’s last chance at a title, and the Spurs continual ability to coast through the regular season before turning it on in the playoffs…well, there’s a lot happening with this one.

- CP3 is a legend (where’s Sebastian Telfair these days?). Last night Chris Paul became the 8th player in NBA history to post consecutive games of 30 points and 10 assists in the playoffs – a list that features the likes of Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, John Havlicek, and Kevin Johnson. By the way, CP3 did this in the first two playoff games he’s ever played.

- Dwight Howard threw up consecutive 20-point, 20-board games – the first player to do so since KG did it back in ’04. On a related note, the Magic lead the Raptors 2-0.

It’s hard to compare the NBA Playoffs to March Madness, but I’d like to if only because far too often (at least where I live) I hear ranting about how the NBA sucks and college basketball is so much more ‘pure.’ What struck me watching these games yesterday, among other things, was a simple fact: this is better basketball. These guys don’t miss open shots; they’re always in the right spots on the floor; they thread the ball through passing lanes that may not even exist when the ball leaves the passer’s hand. Say all you want about the ‘passion’ that college players have – which NBA players supposedly ‘lack’ (as you might be able to tell by the quotemarks, this assertion is total bullshit in my opinion) – but if anyone tells me the college game is a better basketball product than the pro one, they deserve to be slapped in the face.

Without further ado, the ALACS Pool: By The Numbers…

27: Total number of brackets in the pool

18: Brackets picking the Boston Celtics as NBA Champion
5: Brackets picking the LA Lakers as NBA Champion
2: Brackets picking the Phoenix Suns as NBA Champion
1: Brackets picking the Detroit Pistons as NBA Champion
1: Brackets picking the San Antonio Spurs as NBA Champion

3:2 : Current Vegas odds of the Boston Celtics winning the NBA Championship, the best of any team (followed by the Lakers at 2:1, the Spurs at 5:1, and the Jazz at 8:1)

19: Brackets picking the Suns to upset the Spurs in Round 1 (Spurs currently lead 2-0)

0: Brackets picking the Lakers, Pistons, or Celtics to lose their first round series

3: Brackets picking Tracy McGrady to finally get out of the first round

7: Brackets picking the Magic to reach the Eastern Conference Finals

1: Brackets picking LeBron James to return to the NBA Finals

6: ALACS newcomers in the NBA Playoff Pool

1: Person who has paid their NBA Playoff Pool entry fee (thank you, Hot Karl)

Until next time...