Lakers-Celtics Would Be a Blast from the Past

Okay, so I know it's officially baseball season and not too many sports fans enjoy professional basketball, but this year's NBA basketball season has been a wild ride and unlike years past, I will actually sit down and watch a full game instead of just catching SportsCenter for the highlights.

The 82-game season wrapped up on Wednesday and the 2008 playoffs begin today. This is where the fun begins.

A consistent knock on the NBA is that it's not the same as the NCAA and that it doesn't compare to the madness we witness in March for college hoops.

Well, unlike some of the boring years in the past, the NBA has had it's own version of March Madness, as well as some April and soon-to-come May/June madness.

A crazy Western Conference has provided hoop fans with many dramatic regular season games and probably the most competitive playoff race in the league's history.

In my opinion, the association has fallen since MJ left the game and this craziness might be just what the doctor ordered, a medicine to aid the NBA back to where it once was.

But this year, for the first time in awhile, there were a bunch of deals that highlighted the season. I don't think there have been this many significant moves in a long time.

While the Lakers jumped out to a surprisingly good start, they received a Christmas present in Pau Gasol, who was basically gift-wrapped with a bow on his head when he was traded to the Lakers.

The Memphis Grizzlies were obviously looking for cap space instead of competing on a night-in-night-out basis.

So what happened after the big trade? The answer was chaos. The league really had a domino effect for the next month. The Dallas Mavericks went out and snagged future Hall-of-Famer Jason Kidd in a deal with the Nets.

And then the Suns went out on a limb and traded Shawn Marion for the one and only "Big Aristotle." Yes, I'm talking about the Diesel. Shaquille O'Neal joined the Suns and declared that "the sun will rise in Phoenix". Both these moves saw two teams giving up youth for veterans with stellar resumes.

The crazy thing is that the West is stacked with some of the best teams in the league while the East was well, the Celtics.

LeBron and Dwight Howard had dominating individual seasons, and the Pistons have had a fine season. But when playing an Eastern-dominated schedule, I give the upper hand to the top five west teams.

Last year's Cinderella team, the Golden State Warriors, who would be a contender in the East, didn't even make the playoffs. So while every team in the west won 50-plus games, the Atlanta Hawks made the playoffs six games under .500. David Stern might have to form two leagues after this season.

The Lakers are suddenly the best squad in the West for the first time since their dynasty with Shaq. And although some might forget, they still have Phil Jackson coaching them.

The Lakers will square off against the Denver Nuggets, a team with loads of talent unable to be fully utilized. I never thought that AI and Carmello would gel together, but 168 points in one game is enough to get past any defense.

Teams wanted to avoid getting stuck in the Hornets' nest this year as Chris Paul and New Orleans have been one of the year's biggest surprises. Paul is playing like Isiah Thomas in his prime and putting up better numbers than Steve Nash when he won back-to-back MVP's.

The Hornets will play a shaky Dallas Mavericks team in the first round. Despite the disappointment, J-Kidd is still one of the best floor generals in the league and isn't exactly "washed up" just yet. It might seem like a dumb move, but Kidd is a master of intangibles and he was the spark for Team USA last summer.

Remember that the Mavericks were in the finals in 2006 and won 67 games last year. I'm picking the Mavs to pull the upset on New Orleans in 6.

Let's not forget about the defending champion Spurs, who might be aging, but managed to finish third in the West. The Spurs will play Steve Nash and the Suns.

If Shaq and Grant Hill met up with Amare Stoudemire and Nash in their prime, this would be no contest, but since they aren't what they used to be, this will be an interesting series. I'm picking San Antonio in 7.

While Paul is one of the best point guards, Deron Williams isn't far behind. The Utah Jazz aren't so bad either, so don't count Utah out of any playoff series. The Rockets went streaking like Will Ferrell in Old School this season with 21 straight wins.

T-Mac is due for a playoff series win, and Houston will be looking for revenge against the Jazz from last year, when they lost in the first round.

With the craziness this season has brought, don't have the NBA playoffs off the radar this spring. My prediction is a forecast of raining three-pointers and thunderous dunks.

While the league may never be what it used to be when Larry Legend and Magic were lacing up against each other, the NBA might see something it hasn't seen in a long time: A rivalry that defined the 1980's.

Yes, Lakers vs. Celtics is back and ready for a new chapter. The Celtics could have trouble with some teams in the East, but the Lakers should get five rings if they can come out of the wild West. So, my prediction might seem a little crazy, but that seems to be the theme for this year.

And how fitting would it be and what better way to bring back the NBA than the Lakers vs. Celtics in the NBA Finals.

Prediction: Lakers in 7.