By Sam Odeyemi
The NBA Playoffs just kicked off and this is where all the hard work in the offseason and regular season pay off. This year’s playoffs are going to excite with teams like: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, San Antonio, Boston, Orlando, Oklahoma City, Denver and Dallas. These and other teams are more than capable of winning it all.
Eastern Conference
#1 Chicago Bulls vs. #8 Indiana Pacers
- Chicago is the #1 overall seed with a 62-20 record; they have the league’s best ranked defense and arguably, the MVP in Derrick Rose. The bench has played well and that should not change in the playoffs. Indiana is a young team with a lot talent, but it’s not their time.
Chicago wins the series 4-1
#2 Miami Heat vs. #7 Philadelphia 76ers
- Miami and Philly are similar in their up-tempo style of play. The glaring difference is Miami has two of the top five players in Dwayne Wade and Lebron James. Just the two of them alone is too much for Philly to handle.
Miami wins the series 4-1
#3 Boston Celtics vs. #6 New York Knicks
- The most exciting series in the Eastern Conference, the number of star players could light up the Milky Way galaxy. Carmelo Anthony, amare Stoudemire, Chauncey Billups going up against the Boston four party. This has seven games written all over it.
Boston wins the series 4-3
#4 Orlando Magic vs. #5 Atlanta Hawks
- This Orlando team is not as good as they have been in the past, but they still have Dwight Howard and he is the best center in the league. Atlanta has no answer for Dwight and that will really make it hard to advance any further.
Orlando wins the series 4-2
Western Conference
#1 San Antonio Spurs vs. #8 Memphis Grizzlies
- If the spurs stay healthy they should be able to handle this dangerous Memphis team. This series has upset all over it, the veteran spurs going against the young grizzlies. In this situation I think that experience determines everything.
San Antonio wins the series 4-2
#2 Los Angeles Lakers vs. #7 New Orleans Hornets
- The hornets haven’t beaten the Lakers all year and their star forward is out with a torn ACL. The Lakers ended the season losing five out of their last seven games so they are most vulnerable but you need more than luck to beat the two time defending champs in a playoff series.
Los Angeles wins the series 4-1
#3 Dallas Mavericks vs. #6 Portland Trail Blazers
- This is a tough first round matchup for the Mavericks; Portland is not a true #6 seed. Home court advantage definitely comes into play in this series. Ultimately I think that Dirk Nowitzki will be too much for Portland.
Dallas wins the series 4-2
#4 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. #5 Denver Nuggets
- Oklahoma City is a great team, but the Denver Nuggets have a lot of depth. Denver can go ten deep and that can wear any team down. The Thunder have home court advantage, but the Nuggets are more than capable of stealing one on the road.
Denver wins the series 4-3