NBA Playoffs....Finally

Well folks, the playoffs are finally here and I'll tell you - I can get used to this shortened season. 66 games seems like a nice amount. Things were actually interesting in early March. It was nice....

Regardless, here we are at what I consider to be one of the best sporting seasons of the year. Yes, I know, the drawn out format is ridiculous and maddening, but I can live with that. We actually have a pretty nice slate of match ups this year. At the end of the day I think there are 4-5 teams who have a real shot at the title, but none of them are immune from upset potential if the dominoes fall right. Let's have a peeksy...

(Editor's Note: I'm writing this on Wednesday evening so match ups may tweak from what I've got, but I'm pretty sure it's a done deal.)


Western Conference:
Spurs vs Jazz - Although I think the Jazz are underrated the Spurs should make quick work of this team. San Antonio is playing at the top of their game right now and honestly couldn't be playing much better. The only question would be is how will they sustain it. The good news is even with drop off and sluggish play, they should still have enough to get by Utah. Don't forget, the Spurs were a 1 seed that were knocked off by an 8 seed Memphis team a few short years ago...they won't forget.
Spurs in a sweep.

Thunder vs Mavs - I'm very interested in this series in that we'll see how far this Thunder team has really come. Remember, Dallas dismantled the fast-paced the Thunder last year (4-1) with veteran savvy - slowing the game down and attacking holes. Well, the Thunder are certainly better while the Mavs have are redefining title hangover. Nevertheless, veteran, experienced teams know how to turn that switch when the playoffs role around and the Mavs are full of playoff-tested players. But you can't deny Durant is better, Westbrook is better, Harden is MUCH better, and that whole team is buying in - I expect OKC to run them out of the gym, but don't be shocked if we look up in a week and a half and this series is 2-2 heading back to OKC...I'm not saying it's GOING to happen, but I'm just saying....
Thunder in 5.


Lakers vs Nuggets - Going to be honest, the loss of Artest (yes, I'm going to keep calling him that) is a little scary. The Lakers should be able to handle them with their bigs, but Denver ranks first in the league in points scored and first in assists - so it's not just one guy killing you. They have a roster full of some really nice, but young players. The flip side of the above-mentioned stats is they are almost last in points allowed and with next to zero inside presence to speak of in Denver, the Lakers twin towers should control this game. Inside-out all series long. I'm giving Denver a victory here because Lakers have lost one of their top 2 perimeter defenders.
Lakers in 5.

Clippers vs Grizz - Easily the series of the first round. Should be wildly entertaining. Yes, I know, Blake Griffin can dunk like a mad man. Great, but he still has some growing to do in other areas to be a more complete player. He's got all the tools/potential, but he's not there yet. Chris Paul alone is worth a win or two, but I think Memphis is just too physical and a little more experienced. And Del Negro is certainly not going to get it done.
Grizzlies in 6.


Eastern Conference:
Bulls vs 76ers - The Sixers are a nice story and a young and fun team, but Chicago is dialed in right now and they are all bought into the whole system. Rose's inconsistency in the lineup could potentially cause some minor hiccups, but the team has handled it quite well thus far. Bottom line, they should use this series as a means to ease him back into playing shape/grooving with the team. Confidence has to be high in Chi-Town - this could be their year.
Bulls in a sweep.

Heat vs Knicks - Blah, blah, blah - this will not be close. Say what you will about Bosh being ready or not - Lebron and Wade will be and that's that.
Heat in a sweep.

Pacers vs Magic - Thankfully someone will now be able to put the Orlando Magic out of their misery. What a complete mess down there - this team needs a new everything. But I digress....In all honesty, Indiana could easily put a significant scare in, or even beat any team in these playoffs. They are well balanced in all aspects of the game - with one key flaw being they rely A LOT on Granger for their scoring - they'll need to find a way to get more guys in the mix. Either way, they oust the Howard-less Magic pretty easily.
Pacers in 5.

Celtics vs Hawks - The Hawks are weird. They're a good team, but it seems as if they're just a couple of pieces (or replacement pieces) from really taking a big step and competing in the east. On paper they match up well with Boston, but this ain't paper and you know you're going to get a big step up in production from the Big 3, if only for the first round (they aren't young anymore). What determines how far Boston goes are the players around the Big 3 - if they can maintain consistency in stepping up they'll make some noise. I'm taking Boston fairly easily here.
Celtics in 5.

Finals Matchup:
I'm taking Miami this year to beat out the Spurs in the finals. I don't like it either folks....

Enjoy the weekend. I'll dive into this more in our podcast later this week - along with the NFL Draft action.