WESTERN CONFERENCE
San Antonio (1) vs. Sacramento (8)
The Kings are a much better team now with Artest in the fold, but still not quite in the Spurs’ league. The Spurs are ripe for the taking this year, and the Kings do have potential, but Artest finished the year shooting 9 for 35 because of a debilitating thumb injury. It’s something that figures to make this series even less competitive than it could’ve been. Plus, the Popovich over Adelman coaching advantage is rather drastic. The Kings may be able to take two in Arco, where they resumed dominant play as of late, but ultimately the Spurs will move on.
Spurs 4-2
Phoenix (2) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (7)
The buzz is a Lakers upset here, but remember, besides the Lakers blowout in which Nash and Bell didn’t even suit up, the Suns took the season series 3-0. Additionally, the Lakers lost all of those games by at least 10 points. The loss of Kurt Thomas, however, should not be taken lightly. The Suns have a poor defense to begin with and now none on the interior whatsoever. They stumbled a bit down the stretch while the Lakers are coming in on a 5-game win streak. Kobe is good enough to win this series by himself, and Phil Jackson has never lost in the first round, so it should come down to the very end.
Suns 4-3
Denver (3) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (6)
The Nuggets come in losers of four straight and don’t even have home court advantage despite the higher seed. Of course the Clippers should have tanked the last few games; not only do they now have home court and a much easier opponent, but they will also have an easier second round opponent. It’s a flawed system and the Clips simply took advantage of it. Although Melo is as clutch as they come, Cassell is money come playoff time, and the Clippers, who are in their first playoff series in nine years, will advance to the second round.
Clippers 4-2
Dallas (4) vs. Memphis (5)
Again because of the poor seeding system, we have a very lopsided four and five matchup. The Mavs have the third best record in basketball, and the fourth best record is six full games behind them, yet are stuck with a four seed. At least they don’t have to play the Clippers, as justice was served in the form of a Memphis matchup. It’s one that heavily favors the Mavericks. Look for the Grizzlies to get their first ever playoff victory, but that will be all they get.
Mavericks 4-1
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Detroit (1) vs. Milwaukee (8)
While very good teams miss the playoffs yearly in both baseball and football, an under .500 Bucks squad heads to the postseason this year in the NBA. At 40-42, the Bucks were disappointing after a hot start to the year. The Pistons, meanwhile, are poised to take home the title. Round one will be a rout. Side note: Larry Brown deserves to be in the overrated Hall of Fame, while it’s good to see Flip Saunders get retribution for last year’s travesty. Get out the brooms.
Pistons 4-0
Miami (2) vs. Chicago (8)
The Bulls led the league for the second year in a row in opponents’ field goal percentage. Chandler, who has chosen to play rather than be present for the birth of his child, is a big reason for that strong defense. Still, this looks like a pretty big mismatch on paper. The road team actually won all three games in this season’s series. Wade, for whatever reason, really struggles versus Chicago, averaging only 12.3 PPG while shooting an abysmal 24.3 percent. Another consideration is how the Heat will respond to Riley losing his mother on Friday. Maybe the Baby Bulls will squeak one game out of the series.
Heat 4-1
New Jersey (3) vs. Indiana (6)
Indiana may have taken the season series 2-1, but it will be the Nets who win when it counts the most. O’Neal is nicely rounding into form in his return from the groin injury, and although it was a trade they probably had to make, the Pacers are a worse team sans Artest. The Nets, on the other hand, are a team no one wants to face. The big-three are tough to combat, and they are even getting solid interior production out of Kristic now. The Nets are vulnerable on the road though, and this series could easily be one where the home team wins every game.
Nets 4-3
Cleveland (4) vs. Washington (5)
It’s probably the toughest series to call, as either team could easily win it. The Wizards won the season series 3-1, but the Cavs are extremely tough at home. The Wizards won a playoff series as recent as last year, while it will be a new experience for most of the Cavs, including King James. I think home court will once again prove the difference.
Cavaliers 4-3
Leave a Reply