NBA Playoffs...First Round

After a wild end to the season, the NBA playoffs are upon us. The Eastern Conference has heavyweights and lightweights while the Western Conference is deep from the top seed to the 8 seed as only 7 games separate the field. The Los Angeles Lakers enter as defending champions and the talk of Kobe Bryant v Lebron James NBA Finals has started again. The Orlando Magic look to get back to the Finals and you can't dismiss veteran teams like the Boston Celtics or San Antonio Spurs as well as several hot teams entering the postseason. Now to tip the ball up and see which teams continue their quest for a title.

Eastern Conference First Round
1) Cleveland Cavaliers v 8) Chicago Bulls: The Bulls edged out the Toronto Raptors for the last playoff spot. It is almost fitting these two teams are playing as the Cavs have had multiple playoff heartbreaks at the hands of the Bulls. This year it looks like the Bulls will be the team that is mismatched. Lebron James has one of his best supporting casts around him and they were a much better team than the Bulls this year; they were the best in the whole league at that. The Bulls have a few young players like Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. They split their season series. PICK: CAVALIERS (in 4 or 5)

2) Orlando Magic v 7) Charlotte Bobcats: This one seems to lead one to favor the Magic based on some matchup problems. It will be tough for them to bang the boards with Dwight Howard and could be tough to slow down PG Jameer Nelson. The Bobcats have made strides this season and earned their first playoff birth. The Magic won the season series 3-1, but the Bobcats did win the last one and might be a bit of confidence boost for them. Playing at home in two games will possibly set up the opportunity to steal one. However, the Magic will tough to slow down as they are certainly focused on getting back to the Finals. PICK: MAGIC (in 5)

3) Atlanta Hawks v 6) Milwaukee Bucks: The Hawks has increased win totals the last few years and have themselves in position to possibly go deep in the playoffs. The Bucks were playing especially well until C Andrew Bogut went down for the season. But you still can't write off this team. The Hawks won the season series 2-1, but something tells me this one isn't exactly an automatic advance for the Hawks. They are still a young team and might let their foot off the gas if they get a chance to put games and the series away. PICK: HAWKS (in 6)

4) Boston Celtics v 5) Miami Heat: To me this isn't a typical 4 v 5 matchup. It has the potential to be the best series in the East 1st Round. The Celtics got banged up as the season went on and basically limped towards the postseason. Dwayne Wade is still very much the 1st and 2nd scoring options. The Celtics swept the season series. It looks like Boston is about back to 100% and that could be bad for the Heat and the rest of the East as they are starting to look a little more like the contender they were at the start of the year. PICK: CELTICS (in 6)


Western Conference First Round
1) Los Angeles Lakers v 8) Oklahoma City Thunder: The Lakers open their title defense against a young up and coming team that could challenge them. Los Angeles has showed a few signs of slowing down and Kobe Bryant is not at 100% entering the postseason. I still think that Kevin Durant and the rest of his cast are not quite ready to win a series like this. The Lakers won the season series 3-1 with the Thunder winning the last matchup. They have a chance to steal one at home and avoid a sweep. Pick: LAKERS (in 5)

2) Dallas Mavericks v 7) San Antonio Spurs: These two have a rivalry the size of the state of Texas. The Mavericks won the season series 3-1 and made some nice moves acquiring Caron Butler. Jason Kidd is also playing about as well as he has in the last 3 or 4 years. The Spurs still have their core players, but age is starting to slow Tim Duncan slightly and Tony Parker has been banged up. Manu Ginobli will have to be at his best to facilitate the rest of the team's success. This series should involve a lot of close ones and thus the series could be a long one. PICK: MAVERICKS (in 6 or 7)

3) Phoenix Suns v 6) Portland Trailblazers: The Suns might be the hottest team in the second half and the Trailblazers have made a nice run at the end of the season despite injuries. Portland can certainly play enough defense to slow down the high power Suns' offense. Portland won the season series 2-1, but the Phoenix won the last matchup. Brandon Roy and Andre Miller will be hard pressed to win 4 games in this series. PICK: SUNS (in 5 or 6)

4) Denver Nuggets v 5) Utah Jazz: The Nuggets and Jazz enter with similar records and are pretty even. Denver won the season series 3-1 with Utah winning the last matchup. George Karl is home battling cancer and it is hard to tell how much of a distraction that might be for the Nuggets. The Jazz have a nice mix of talent that could trump Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups. PICK: JAZZ (in 6)

It looks like we will have a few really good opening round series while we might see a couple quicker series finishes. Time to see who moves closer to reigning supreme.