Who will claim the ultimate prize and win the 2007 NBA Championship?
First Round
Out East, both the Raptors and Magic won in sweeps in the first round, setting up the fifth playoff match-up between both teams in The New Millennium. The defending champion Pacers pushed the Wizards hard, but Washington's defense stepped up, holding Indiana to just 70 to win the decisive Game 5. The Bulls playoff struggles continued, as Jason Richardson was excellent and Chicago went out in 4 games to New Jersey. In the West, the Warriors got one stellar performance after another from Carmelo Anthony, and were able to oust the top seeded Lakers in 5. In a rematch of last year's Western Conference Finals, the Suns got their revenge, taking out the Kings in 5 hard fought games. The Clippers swept the Grizzlies, and the Spurs got 50 combined points from Dwight Howard and Tim Duncan in Game 5 to survive Utah's upset bid.
Second Round
The Warriors' surprise run would end here, as the Suns would advance back to the Conference Finals thanks to Amar'e Stoudemire's 27 points in the decisive Game 6. The Clippers would also win in 6, as Pau Gasol hit the winner to take out the Spurs. In the East, Tracy McGrady was fantastic for the Magic, but the top seeded Raptors survived to also win in 6. 6 was also the magic number for the Nets, who got an unlikely 24 points from young Calbert Walton to punch their ticket.
Conference Finals
A Suns team with gold in their sights got some incredible performances from shooting guard Daryl Berry all series long against the Clippers, including 47 point in a Game 3 win. The Clippers did steal one win, but Phoenix closed it out in 5. Meanwhile, the Nets would go up 3-2 on the Raptors, heading home to New Jersey to punch their ticket to the Finals. But Vince Carter was having none of it, dropping 27 to win Game 6, then scoring a ridiculous 42 points to win Game 7 at home.
NBA Finals
Game 1 was a tight battle throughout, but Toronto got a boost from big man Anton Kozlov's 30 points to win by only 3. Game 2 was even closer, as the Suns would hold a late lead, only to watch Vince drill another game winner.
Now in Phoenix, Vince did not miss a beat. He added 34 more points, and the Raptors cruised to a 20 point win to put them one more win away from their first championship. In Game 4, Shawn Marion stepped up to save the Suns' season, scoring 20 big points and the series shifted back to Toronto.
Game 5, however, was all Vince Carter. He scored 16 points in the 1st quarter, and would finish with 36 for the game. And when Vince needed a break, Darius Miles came off the bench to lead a 4th quarter demolition, as a close game was turned into a 18 point blowout. For the first time, the Toronto Raptors are NBA Champions, and Vinsanity reigns supreme.
NBA Finals MVP: Vince Carter(27.8 ppg, 4,2 apg)
Congratulations to the Raptors, who had a phenomenal season wire to wire. From beating out the Bulls for the best record on the final day to taking out the Magic in the playoffs again, surviving in New Jersey and crushing the Suns, this was a more than deserving champion. Join us next time on The New Millennium for the 2007 offseason.
No comments:
Post a Comment