the nba playoffs start tonight ... here are my predictions for the first round ... i'm only going to pick winners ... i'm not going to try and guess how many games each series will last because the numbers i give will be purely arbitrary ...
WESTERN CONFERENCE
nuggets - lakers
although the lakers are the #1 seed in the west, i can see them losing to denver ... denver has a lot of talent and might be able to win a few games in the series ... however, i'm going to say the lakers are going to win the series in the end ... the combination of phil jackson and kobe bryant is just too much.
hornets - mavericks
this is going to be a great series ... chris paul versus jason kidd ... the mavericks are on a mission after being upset last year in the first round ... the hornets are good but unlike the mavericks they lack playoff experience ... based on that, i'm going to say the mavericks even though they are the underdogs.
suns - spurs
a rematch of last year's intense rivalry ... it was said that whoever won the series last year would go on to be champs ... and true enough the spurs went on to win it ... the suns have shaq now ... and while he may not be superman anymore, he is still shaq ... however, he is a relatively new addition so chemistry might be an issue ... the spurs however are like family ... this is a tough one ... it could go either way but i'm going to say spurs because they are the defending champs.
jazz - rockets
will tracy mcgrady finally get past the first round ... does the 22 win streak that the rockets had during the regular season mean anything ... i'm going to say no ... i'm picking the jazz due to the fact that the rockets are without yao ... in fact even if they did have yao, i'm not sure that i would change my answer.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
wizards - cavs
this is the third time in a row that these two teams match up in the first round ... can cleveland beat them for a third straight time ... there is a lot of trash-talking going on back and forth between the two teams so this should be fun ... who will prevail ... lebron or gilbert ... i'm tempted to say wizards because they have more depth as opposed to cleveland which relies solely on lebron ... note that lebron has a bad back right now ... well the cavs did bring in some additional players this year like ben wallace and a couple of other role players ... like i said i'm tempted to say wizards ... hmmm ... on the other hand the cavs are the defending eastern conference champs ... you know what ... wizards it is.
raptors - magic
this series is insignificant because neither team has any hope in my opinion ... my guess is that the magic will win it.
sixers - pistons
i'm rooting for the sixers ... but the pistons will win it easily.
hawks - celtics
the hawks don't stand a chance ... they are lucky if they don't get swept ... the real question is will boston go all the way?
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