Wild Wild West: NBA Western Conference Preview

The West was officially set on Wednesday night, and now it's time to unleash the fury that these eight teams have been playing with all season. For those expecting teams to step up and upset the "powerhouses," look no further than the 2008 Western Conference Playoffs.

#1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. #8 Denver Nuggets

If anyone has been under a microscope this season, it's Kobe Bryant.

Dubbed "the greatest basketball player in the world today" by none other than Charles Barkley, Bryant has done everything in his power to show that he is worthy of the hype.

He is also looking to prove himself worthy of another elusive prize in his 11th season: The NBA MVP Award. But like the duo he's facing this weekend, he has a long way to go to recapture glory.

Denver has been up and down this season, so it's not much of a surprise that they enter the playoffs once again as the eighth seed. What is a surprise, though, is the fact that they almost were the seventh seed.

Despite entering the postseason on a simple game of chance with Golden State and Dallas, the Nuggets have the firepower to take on the resurgent Lakers. But like always, it's easier said than done.

Kobe and Co. look to stop at nothing short of an NBA Title. Denver is just hoping to rekindle some of that fire that made them the ultimate underdog in the '90s. This time around, though, there is no Mutombo to block the closing shot, but there is Melo and AI. They should be enough to make things interesting.

The Lakers won all three match-ups against Denver in the regular season, but this is the postseason. Expect seven games to come out of this one.

A match-up between Kobe and AI should be interesting, and if Kobe does win MVP, that may be enough motivation for him to take it up to that unknown level.

Series Result: Lakers in 7

#2 New Orleans Hornets vs. #7 Dallas Mavericks

The Mavs beat the Hornets in the season ender on Wednesday night, sealing their position as the seventh seed. One season ago, Dallas was shocked by Golden State. Now, Mark Cuban's "Million Dollar Project" is hoping history doesn't repeat itself.

New Orleans is back in the Big Easy...and they couldn't be happier about it. Posting their best record in recent memory, the Hornets are out to prove that LA isn't the only powerhouse in the West. But they do have a tough task in the form of Jason Kidd, Jason Terry and "Dirt" Nowitzki.

Dallas showed they can handle almost everything "Nawlins" has to offer. The problem is, this is Chris Paul's time to shine. With the crew he brings to the court for this postseason run, expect New Orleans to make up for that season-ending defeat.

New Orleans wins this one...but Dallas will give them a fight to the finish.

Series Result: Hornets in 6

#3 San Antonio Spurs vs. #6 Phoenix Suns

This is the game many have been waiting to see. It's an old rivalry with some new-school flavor.

The roles of David Robinson and Sean Elliott will now be played by Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. Add in Manu Ginobili and Bruce Bowen, and you got yourself a Spurs team that is looking to go all the way once again.

The Spurs may not be the top seed, but that won't stop them from making an immediate impact at the Suns' expense. 

The roles of Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson will now be played by Amare Stoudamire and Steve Nash. Factor in a slimmer, healthier Shaquille O'Neal, and the Suns will look to repeat past fantastic finishes against San Antonio.

It will be a long road, one that Shaq and Nash know all too well. But this time, Phoenix is ready.

These teams fought tooth and nail to get into the postseason, and now they are looking to go into the Western Conference semifinals with even more to prove. The Spurs look unstoppable, but as Kobe and the Boys proved last Sunday, they can be beaten.

Expect the Suns to do whatever it takes to advance, and expect a dogfight between Shaq and T-Dunc.

Series Result: Suns in 7

#4 Utah Jazz vs. #5 Houston Rockets

Call me crazy, but doesn't this series seem like a broken record to you? Thought so, but there's a difference between the last couple of showdowns and this one. The difference is that Houston will win this one...finally.

After several close calls, the Rockets have found the key to reach the conference semifinals. After winning 22 straight games, Houston looks to pick up where that streak left off. But they only need 16 wins to rise to the NBA Championship.

As for the Jazz, they're just happy to be there. The Jazz got demolished by San Antonio in the season-ender, and if they play like that against the Rockets, expect them to be done after the first game.

Simply put, this will be the shortest series in this year's playoffs, with Houston taking it in five games. As much as Stephen A. Smith wants to be right, he'll be wrong about at least one thing this postseason. 

Series Result: Rockets in 5

If you don't buy these picks, consider this. We haven't seen all four top seeds make it out of the first round for a while. This year will be no different.

If the Suns contain the triple threat of San Antonio, and Houston does what they did during that 22-game stretch, and by some miracle, AI and Melo outplay Kobe Bryant, there will be plenty of upsets coming up this season. 

See ya this weekend.