Utah Jazz Trying To Return To Elite Level

The Utah Jazz have not won a playoff series since 2000. After the departure of Karl Malone and John Stockton after the 2002-03 season, this is the first time that the Jazz have made it to the playoffs. However, the Jazz players do not have much experience in playing in the playoffs. Just five players in the current Jazz team have won a series. Jazz guard Derek Fisher won three championships between 2000-02 while he was with the Lakers. Fisher does not think that playoff experience is a big issue. He thinks that his experience will come in use just in the first game and after that the team should be okay. Utah is all set to open their playoff with Houston Rockets.

Portland Trail Blazers Have High Hopes For The Future

Last season the Portland Trail Blazers finished with the worst record in the NBA and the mood in the Blazers camp was down. However, this season though the Blazers did not make it to the playoffs, they are excited. The reason for the excitement are the three rookies -- Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and Sergio Rodriguez. They have given Portland high hopes for the future. This season the Blazers finished 32-50, 11 more wins than the previous season. Coach Nate McMillian said that he likes the current team and is excited about summer with the draft, free agency and summer league. He hopes to get a player or two to help the team over the final hurdle. Roy was named the rookie of the month in West three times.

Utah Jazz Players Gearing For Playoffs

Since the last time Utah Jazz appeared for a play, they have had a turnover of players. Only six Jazz players have been to the playoffs and just two have played beyond the first round of playoffs. The Utah Jazz had a run of 20 straight postseason appearances one upon a time and that meant a lot of playoff experience. But the present Jazz team lack playoff experience when they take on the Houston Rockets in the first round series. Utah forward Matt Harpring said that the atmosphere is different now with the fans going crazy and the team gearing up for the first round. The fans are all set to cheer the team to the very last minute of the game. When the Jazz take on the Rockets, seven Jazz players will be making their playoff debut and they are bound to get some surprises.

Washington Wizards Are The Weakest Team In The Playoffs Ever

The Washington Wizards are one of the weakest teams in the playoffs that the league has ever seen. Forget about winning, if the Wizards can avoid a clean sweep by Cleveland when they take them on for the first round series, it will be a major achievement for them. Guard Antonio Daniels said that the Wizards have been written off by everyone except the players themselves and a few fans. He further added that the team was motivated because they have been written off completely. In December and January when the team was performing so well, it seemed that a 50 win season would be quite possible for the Wizards to achieve. They also boasting of have the best "Big Three" in the league.

After 12 years Golden State Warriors Make It To The Playoffs Again

When the Golden State Warriors made it to the playoffs the last time, Chris Mullin was on the team. After missing the post season for 12 years, Mullin returned to sculpt the entry of the current club"s return to the postseason. It was in 1994 that the Warriors with Mullin played the first round series against the Phoenix Suns and from then on it has been a series of losses and embarrassment until Baron Davis, Jason Richardson, Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington took it upon themselves to lead the Warriors back to the post season after nearly 13 years. Mullin is now an executive vice president of basketball operations with the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors at 42-40 beat Portland to clinch the eighth spot in the Western Conference and they will be playing the Dallas Mavericks in the first round.

Boston Celtics Looking Forward To The Draft

The Boston Celtics has the second worst season in their history and now they have something to look forward to. They will get the chance for the first pick in the NBA draft. Fifty years after winning their first championship, the Celtics had a miserable season with injuries and inconsistent play from young players that saw them lose 18 games on a trot, the longest in their franchise history. The Celtics finished the season with 24-58. In their last 11 games, they went 2-9, with the two wins coming by just 2 points. Celtics executive director of basketball operations, Danny Ainge, said that the team did not come together and never played to its full potential.

Optimistic Phoenix Suns Eye The NBA Championship

The Phoenix Suns genuinely believe that they can win the championship title. Amare Stoudemire said that the Suns had worked hard the entire season managed a 61 win record and now they are ready for the postseason. In their first round playoff series, the Suns will be taking on the Los Angeles Lakers. This will be a rematch of last year"s opening round series when the Lakers had a 3-1 lead and the Suns managed to regroup to win the next three games and take the series away from the Lakers. However, Stoudemire was not part of that team as he was still recovering from the knee surgery. He is positive that this time round the series will not go on for seven games.

Denver Nuggets Raring To Play Away From Home

For the fourth consecutive season, the Denver Nuggets are opening the playoffs on the road. However, this time they believe that things would be different. Carmelo Anthony said that no one thinks that the Nuggets will go beyond the first round and that has motivated him and his team mates. In the last three seasons, the Nuggets lost in the playoffs in five games to San Antonio, Minnesota and the Clippers. They have not won a playoff series since 1994. This time when they face San Antonio, the Nuggets will be having Allen Iverson. The main reason why the Nuggets acquired Iverson from Philadelphia was for his postseason intensity. They believe that Iverson can help them win their first playoff series since 1994.

Seattle SuperSonics Future Uncertain

The Seattle SuperSonics had their worst season in 21 years and now owner Clay Bennett is contemplating whether he should fire coach Bob Hill or general manager Rick Sund. To top it up, Bennett failed in his attempt to get approval to build a new $500 million arena in the Seattle area. In all probability he will move the team after the next season. Then there is Ray Allen who had surgery in both his ankles and this cost the Sonics 26 points per game in the last month of the season and they went for 31-51. The season was marked with injuries and erratic play. Then the team"s second leading scorer, Rashard Lewis, is due for free agency in July 2007. Other than all these problems, everything is fine with the Sonics.

Knicks Do Not Make It To The Playoffs But Are Getting Better

The New York Knicks were having an embarrassing season before they bounced back to the eighth place in the Eastern Conference. This climb ensure that Isiah Thomas received a contract extension. However, when the extension happened there were still 19 games to go and those games turned out to be a real nightmare for the Knicks. They went for 4-15. In the season finale, the Knicks beat Charlotte and thereby avoiding their second consecutive 50 loss season. Though the record was not much better but the atmosphere around Madison Square Garden was. The Knicks players liked Thomas and were willing to work hard for him. However, in 2005-06, the players and the team had no use for Larry Brown and the feeling was reciprocated.