Last week, Dr. Trade looked at the moves that successful and struggling teams can make during their upcoming offseasons. (You can find these wide-ranging articles here: http://bleacherreport.com/users/130480-dr-trade)
This week, let's look more into the short term by investigating which current NBA lineups are primed to put on the Cinderella shoe when their playoffs begin in late April.
Yes, this is a shameless tie-in with a popular facet of March Madness. However, the NBA version of a "Cinderella" playoff team is actually much harder to come by, and therefore is a more amazing occurrence.
Before you banish me as a basketball heretic, let me explain myself:
Oftentimes during the NCAA Tournament, a higher seed will run into a lower-ranked team in the early rounds, only to discover that they have entered their own personal nightmare.
Unfavorable matchups, mixed with an underestimated and ultra-hungry opponent, suddenly put too much pressure to bear on the favored seed.
They crack under pressure, dial up their intensity too late, and ultimately come up short.
Sometimes, the "Cinderella" team gains so much confidence and begins playing at so high a level that they not only mak ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Dr. Trade
Trying on the Shoe: The NBA’s Most Likely Cinderellas
March 21st, 2010 by Dr. Trade Leave a reply »
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