Chapter 133: The Memphis Fairy Tale.
With the playoffs about to start, Stan naturally wouldn't miss the chance to make his predictions. Before the season began, he released his playoff forecast, which quickly gained attention due to his rising popularity.
Typically, teams from the upper bracket have a better chance of winning over lower-seeded teams, so upsets are where the intrigue lies.
Stan predicted two such upsets, one from each conference, both involving the fourth and fifth-seeded matchups. He forecasted that the Hawks would eliminate the Magic and the Grizzlies would take down the Thunder.
He accompanied these predictions with his analysis, focusing on the key factor: the interior play.
He argued that the Magic's frontcourt depth would suffer after losing Lewis and Gortat this season. While Howard was still dominant, he couldn't play all 48 minutes, and the Magic would have to rely on the 6'9" Bass to fill in at center when Howard rested.
On the other hand, the Hawks had the formidable starting duo of Horford and Josh Smith, with Pachulia and Jason Collins providing depth off the bench—an apparent advantage.
Similarly, Stan believed the Thunder's frontcourt couldn't handle Marc Gasol and Randolph. Though Ibaka was excellent at help defense, he couldn't singlehandedly stop either Gasol or Randolph in the post.
Moreover, Perkins, after tearing both his ACL and PCL, had clearly lost his explosiveness.
Stan's predictions were met with ridicule from fans. The Magic and Thunder, backed by stars like Howard and Durant, were fan favorites, and predicting their early exits brought out strong reactions.
"Why do you think Superman can't play 48 minutes? He's a beast!"
"We got Turkoglu back. Our car now has a driver again. We're aiming for the championship, not a first-round exit!"