NBA PLAYOFF PREVIEW

the nba playoffs are, i believe, the least interesting of the 4 major team pro sports. the favorites usually win and there are only a handful of teams that realistically can compete for the championship. that being said, there are certainly a few intriguing questions going into this 2 1/2 month marathon 2nd season.

the western conference:
the lakers are the favorites because they are the #2 seed and have a ton of recent experience to rely on. the spurs and mavs both have had great seasons but both have a lot of skeptics. the thunder, nuggets and blazers have found renewed energy after big trades this season. the hornets and grizz will be simply hoping to make their first rounds competitive.

the best two first round matchups are between the thunder/nuggets and mavs/blazers. the thunder are the young, up-and-coming team that might be the best bet outside the lakers to reach the finals (esp since they would not have to play them until the conf finals). they run into a hot nuggets team that has played better since trading away melo at the deadline. the mavs have struggled since losing butler for the season while the blazers have seemingly come together with gerald wallace.

i think that the western conference is much more wide open than most people expect. i can see any of the top six teams betting any of the other teams in a series. but, at the end of the day, i think this western conference season will come down to two storylines and that is the continued dominance of the lakers and the arrival of the thunder as contenders. the thunder have the defense, the scorers and now a veteran presence in the middle that can go against the size of the lakers' gasol/bynum/odom trio.

the eastern conference:

the eastern conference as usual is much more top heavy than the west. the bulls are the best and most complete team as the heat still are trying to find themselves and the celtics have seemingly lost themselves. the magic have just struggled to stay in the conversation. honestly, no other team is worth discussing except as potential upset contenders (i.e. the knicks and hawks).

each of the top 3 teams has to answer a huge question before we truly believe they can be crowned champion. the bulls are solid, have size, strength, dynamic players on both end of the court, but have not played a long time together and their best player is still a playoff baby. the heat have arguably the two best players in the nba but the rest of the team is either average or terrible. will their up tempo game lead to playoff success? can they execute consistently in the half court? the celtics seem to have lost their heart and soul after the perkins trade, but i can't believe that their toughness or pride is completely gone. they still have 4 high quality players and the experience that no one else in the east has.

PREDICTIONS:

in the east, i'm a believer in the bulls. between the heat and celtics, they will end up playing a long, intense series with conflicting styles. whichever one ends up going against the bulls in the conf finals will meet a team that is young, hungry and has the defense to test your will. the heat will lose in the middle and at hte pg spots while the bulls will be able to contain their perimeter enough to win. if it's the celtics, they will see a younger, hungrier version of themselves... a team that will have the legs and desire to fight for every possession and loose ball.

in the west, the lakers will go against the thunder in the conference finals and although today, the thunder probably can not match the lakers in talent and experience, i believe that the thunder will gain enough experience and teamwork in the next month to overcome the aging lakers and an aging kobe. kobe will fail to take over the last stages of the game resulting in either a turnover or a foul and we will all be left wondering if he will ever be the same again.

THE FINALS will be the first matchup of a the new breed. the bulls and thunder showcase the perfect combination of youth and experience, both able to play on both sides of the court and win in many different ways. at the end of the day, derrick rose will take home the reg season mvp and nba finals mvp showing us all that arrogance and success don't necessarily go hand-in-hand.