NBA Playoffs 1st Round Preview: Western Conference

The Western Conference has clearly been the better, more compact conference all season, and so look for the best first round action to come out of the West this season.

#1 Los Angeles Lakers (57-25) vs. #8 Oklahoma City Thunder (50-32):

The Los Angeles Lakers are at it again, once again ready to defend their NBA title. Kobe Bryant is having a stellar season again as he usually does, and their depth when at full strength is second to none. The only concern for this team can be health since Kobe has a Broken Finger, Bynum is out, and Sasha "The Woman" Vujacic has a sprained ankle. Having won 4 of their last 10 games, they are not exactly coming in hot, and if they aren't careful, they could find themselves in world of trouble early in the post-season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are this years darlings in the NBA. Kevin Durant has the scoring title, and is ready to make his mark in the post season. Remember that Golden State Warriors team that shocked the Dallas Mavericks 3 years ago? This Thunder team reminds me of them only better. They are young with little post season experience, and yet they have the talent to knock heads with anybody in the NBA. Not only do they have Durant, but they have Russell Westbrook, a talented Point Guard that can scrape on anybody in the NBA and Jeff Green who also does serious damage as well.

My Prediction: The Oklahoma City Thunder will shock the Lakers and take game one. Upsets in the post season half to start with a game 1 upset. The Thunder will catch the Lakers asleep at the wheel in game one, and proceed to defend their home court, where they will finish off the Lakers in 6 games in front of the home crowd. The Ron Artest experiment will blow up in the faces of the Lakers.

# 2. Dallas Mavericks (55-27) vs. #7 San Antonio Spurs (50-32)

The Mavericks are coming in having made some nice trades for Caron Butler, Gordon Hayward, and Deshawn "He should be in Jail, but he got off because he was going to the NBA" Stevenson. Dirk Nowitzki is playing out of his mind right now and is captaining this team with strength. Jason Terry needs to get that silly mask off his face, but he's still playing well, and Jason Kidd is playing remarkably well.
The Spurs have got fire as of late, thanks to Manu Ginobili who has turned up the crank. Duncan and Parker are playing well, and the Rookie DeJuan Blair out of Pittsburgh has been playing very well for a rookie despite getting overshadowed by Stephen Curry, Tyreke Evans, and Brandon Jennings. The Spurs are definitely a dark horse in the Western Conference. Another player to look at on this team is Matt Bonner who could come to be the teams Robert Horry if you will. He shoots 3's exceptionally well, and due to his 6 foot 10 240 lb body frame really helps spread the court.

My Prediction: The Mavs win, to the despair of Spurs fans. The Spurs have Boston Celtic syndrome, too old and too banged up to win the series, but they'll scare the Mavs by taking them to 7 games.

#3. Phoenix Suns (54-28) vs. #6 Portland Trail Blazers (50-32):

The Phoenix Suns are coming into the NBA Playoffs loaded and ready to kill off their opponent. Impressive wins against the Nuggets and Jazz showed me that they are serious contenders that could take the West this year. Steve Nash is playing great and Amar'e Stoudemire is playing like a BEAST. Grant Hill is healthy, Jason Richardson is healthy, and they've been playing great down the stretch. The only injured player they got is Robin Lopez, and he won't be missed much in the first round anyways.

The Portland Trail Blazers have survived a load of injuries this season, and just got dealt another one with Brandon Roy. This will be the straw that breaks the Camels back. They have no shot of advancing without him healthy. Marcus Camby has a good defensive presence in the middle and will create some issues there, and Rudy Fernandez is one that can be a 3 point threat. Also LeMarcus Aldridge can do some serious damage as well, and so they still have some pieces to be dangerous.
My Prediction is the Phoenix Suns win the Series in 5 games. The Trail Blazers will steal a game at home, and then lose the series after that. If Greg Oden is healthy next year, then maybe we can talk about them as a real danger.

#4. Denver Nuggets (53-29) vs. #5 Utah Jazz (53-29):

The Denver Nuggets are playing without George Karl, and that clearly has affected this team. They need him on the court in order to win close games. Carmello Anthony is playing great and so is Chauncey Billups. They just got Kenyon Martin back, and seem ready to scare the Jazz in this series. Not a very good road team with only 19 wins on the road all season.
The Utah Jazz have on the other hand a winning record on the road this season, which means they are getting mentally tougher. Deron Williams is the commander of this Utah Squad, who plays through pain for the good of the Team. Carlos Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko if healthy should make things tough for Denver. Utah has a lot of weapons like CJ Miles, Wes Matthews, Kyle Korver, Ronnie Price, Mehmet Okur, and Paul Millsap that can do work. Not to mention a 7 foot one 300 lb Ukrainian named Kyrylo Fesenko. This team is locked and loaded.

My Prediction, the Jazz take the series in 6 games, and move on to face the Thunder in the next round because they have Jerry Sloan coaching them, and not Adrian Dantley. Not only that, but Deron Williams will take over this series, and Boozer will show up and have a good series to ensure that he gets more money next season. AK-47 will play well and come out of nowhere, with his Calf "injury" mysteriously disappearing.

NBA Playoffs 1st Round Preview: Eastern Conference

The NBA Playoffs are upon us again, and there are many interesting stories, matchups, and teams to analyze and breakdown, so, I'll start off with the Eastern Conference, and proceeded by the Western Conference.

#1 Cleveland Cavaliers (61-21) vs. #8 Chicago Bulls (41-41):

The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming into the Playoffs as the team to take the Eastern Conference. It has never looked better for them then it does now. However, this team was top seeded last season and didn't take the Eastern Conference Crown, and so it isn't like they are a lock to take the East, but if they don't do it this year, then they should blow the whole team up, except for Lebron of course. The only weakness this team has is that they seem to be too Lebron Reliant sometimes when things get tough, and so Lebron is gonna have to carry this team on his back, if he wants them to win the championship.
The Chicago Bulls on the other hand, are a team that finds themselves lucky to be in the post season. They made things tough for Boston last season, and with Derrick Rose, they are a team that can do some damage. Losing John Salmons and Ben Gordon hurt this team for this year, and they are clearly looking to next year, where hopefully they can land a big-name free agent. That all being said, things with Noah, Deng, and obviously Rose are looking good, and so they could scare the Cavs a little bit.
My Prediction for this series is Cavs win the Series in 5 Games. The Bulls will avoid the sweep by taking game 3 or game 4 in Chicago.

# 2. Orlando Magic (59-23) vs. #7 Charlotte Bobcats (44-38):

The Orlando Magic are set to make another push deep into the playoffs having won 6 straight games. They will not go down without a fight, if they go down at all. Dwight Howard led this team to the NBA finals sooner than I thought he would, and so don't be surprised if you find them playing in June. Losing Hedo Turkoglu wasn't a plus, but if Vince Carter starts going mad in the playoffs, the trade will look good. The X-Factor is gonna be Vince, if he plays well, then the team will fair very well in the post season and also in this series. Plus, J.J. Reddick is getting more minutes, and his shooting could surprise some teams. Of course Dwight Howard is having a Monster Season, and he should carry the load for this team once again.
The Charlotte Bobcats led by Gerald Wallace and "Captain" Stephen Jackson. This wreckless duo can do a lot of damage in a hurry, and may pose some problems for the Orlando Magic, particularly in their first playoff game at home. They lack experience, but they should still be able to be a threat to knock off the Magic since Jackson has been involved in knocking out Defending Conference Champions in the first round like he did in Golden State.
My Prediction for the Series is that the Orlando Magic win the series in 5 games. Their experience, and matchup problems that they pose for Charlotte will send the Bobcats into the Off-Season in hurry. Better luck next year for Charlotte. They'll be back, and ready to make a more serious run next year.

# 3. Atlanta Hawks (53-29) vs. #6 Milwaukee Bucks (46-36):
The Atlanta Hawks have paid their dues in the playoffs the past couple of seasons, taking Boston to 7 the year the Celtics took the whole title as an 8 seed was a clear sign that they would be around for a while. They are a very dangerous team that can take the Eastern Conference if people aren't careful since they are so explosive with Josh Smith, Joe Johnson, and Al Hortford. Not to mention Mike Bibby, who's played in big games of his own accord in Sacramento. They're definitely ready to make a serious push in the playoffs.
The Milwaukee Bucks have had a great season, and greatly improved thanks to Andrew Bogut and rookie Brandon Jennings, who has had a remarkable Rookie Campaign. If Andrew Bogut were healthy, I'd give them a chance to give some teams a scare, but without him they aren't deep enough to last long in the playoffs, even though they recently got John Salmons who has been a huge part of their recent surge.
My Prediction is that the Atlanta Hawks take the series in 6 games. The Bucks have beaten the Hawks this year in Atlanta, and will be a threat to them, but Ultimately, the Hawks will prevail and move on to face Orlando.


#4 Boston Celtics (50-32) vs. #5 Miami Heat (47-35)

The Boston Celtics are still getting it done in the Atlantic Division, but in the Eastern Conference, they are sliding. This team hasn't played all that tough a schedule since their division is the weakest in the league, and their overall record doesn't indicate that they've had an easy schedule, which is a concern. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen anchor this team along with Rajon Rondo as you probably know. 2 years ago they produced a title, last year, they produced a second round exit. In each of the last 2 years, they have needed 7 games to get out of the first round, and that leads them to get beat up.

The Miami Heat captained by Dywane Wade are on the rise at the right time, going from a bubble team in the East to a solid #5 spot. They are looking good, and confident right now, and seem not afraid to put the Hurt on a Celtic team that has shown vulnerability in years past. Michael Beasley will have to step up his game if they want to make a run, and I think he's up to the task.

My prediction is the Miami Heat send the Boston Celtics packing early in 6 games. The Celtics won't survive the first round this year, and it will also lead the franchise to look to the future to re-tool and rebuild because that team that won the championship is too old and too banged up to go deep in the playoffs.