2010 NBA Playoffs: 25 Bold Playoff Predictions

The 2010 NBA Playoffs are finally here. The seedings is official and the match ups are set.

Everyone who has a team that is in the playoffs will be looking to read every article about their team's chances to win the whole thing or to at least create an upset.

We have all waited a long 82-game regular season for this point. There have been shockers, let-downs, and awesome surprises all year. None of that really matters now.

Yes, the Oklahoma City Thunder reached the playoffs. No, not one person reading this article could have guessed they would win 50 games. Yes, it was one of the best surprises of the year. Yes, the same type of reaction could have been said about the Blazers' amazing year after all they went through.

No, nobody was surprised that Cleveland is the No. 1 overall team in the NBA. No, nobody expects anybody other than LeBron to win the MVP. No, there isn't any doubt that the Cavs will at least reach the Eastern Conference Finals.

Those are all things we all know. And if you didn't know one of the two big stories mentioned, then you probably shouldn't be reading this article, let's just be honest.

Now it's time for some playoff predictions. Not just any predictions, I'm talking about predictions that a lot of people will have a problem with. But, that's a-okay with me.

What better time to debate about basketball other than playoff time? Let's get it started.

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25. LeBron James Will Have Another Media Fit

The Cleveland Cavaliers will have at least one tough series getting to the Finals, and LeBron will let his frustration get the better of him.

He's been pretty arrogant this year and won't surprise me when he finally has an obstacle in his way that he's not used to.

24. Derrick Rose Will Look Like an MVP against Cleveland

I don't know what it is, but Derrick Rose always seems to look like a star in the postseason.

He is one of the best players in the league at getting to the rim and will embarrass Mo Williams and any Cavalier who tries to guard him and will make it a long series for LeBron and company.

23. Kobe Bryant Will Still Be in a Slump Against OKC

Thabo Sefolosha completely shut down Kobe Bryant the last time both of these teams played each other.

Kobe will not be 100 percent against the Thunder and will struggle to be his dominant self against Sefolosha and Russell Westbrook.

22. The Playoffs Will Be James Harden's Coming Out Party

James Harden hasn't had a chance to put on a show in front of a national audience hardly at all this season.

He has one of the best looking shots in all of basketball and will score 25 one game against the Lakers.

James Harden should be extremely motivated to play in a postseason game in his hometown.

21. Coach Gundy Will Be Accused of Choking, Again

After the Magic/Bobcats series goes to six games, people will again accuse Coach Gundy of buckling under pressure.

The guy can't escape from it. It is already destined to happen to him and he should accept it. People love to call him a choker and this year against the Bobcats will be no different.

20. The Bobcats Will Take the Magic to Seven Games

Coach Gundy isn't going to be accused of choking for no reason. The Bobcats will challenge the Magic to seven games.

Dwight Howard will eventually take over and dominate Game 7 and his amazing playoff run will start.

19. Dallas Will Have An Early Exit

Poor guys. They got stuck playing the hottest team in the league and they're the No. 2 seed.

How does that happen?

It will be a very close series in Texas, however Manu will destroy the Mavs and they'll be sent home packing.

18. Atlanta Will Dominate the Bucks

I will admit I'm a huge Bucks fan, I've really grown to like them and they're my third favorite team.

But that's not going to help them against the Hawks. Brandon Jennings isn't going to play like himself and will struggle not turning the ball over all series.

17. Portland Will Take Phoenix to Seven Games

Despite injuries and all, Portland will give every ounce of effort they have to overcome the stacked Suns.

With basically every player on the team hurt, they still somehow find a way to get back into every game and win. For example, the Oklahoma City game earlier this week.

16. Boston Will Get Beat By Miami and Collapse Afterwards

I really don't like Boston, so I don't feel sorry for writing this. They will be sent home early and the team will fall apart afterward.

Ray Allen will leave the team, Coach Rivers will be gone, and KG already isn't the same player anymore.

I'm sorry Celtics fans, it's just bound to happen.

15. Denver/Utah Matchup Will Be One of the Best Series of All Time

Both teams are having a mediocre season by their standards and both are suffering from injuries.

However, both of these teams match up extremely well and will go down to the wire in every game.

Deron Williams and Chauncey Billups will be a blast to watch and 'Melo will average 30 in the series.

14. Gerald Wallace Will Gain a Million Fans

Not a lot of people have had the chance to watch Gerald Wallace all season. I know I haven't had many opportunities. I've had to watch online.

He's one of the funnest players to watch because he's such a well rounded player and is a huge matchup problem for anyone.

13. Phil Jackson and KD Will Be Biggest Story of the First Round

With KD firing back at Coach Jackson, and deservedly so, it will be the biggest drama story in all of the first round and will be followed closely, trust me.

Coach Jackson for some crazy reason had the nerve to question my favorite player's ability to get to the line. How could he do that? He should be suspended and heavily fined immediately...kidding.

12. Dwight Howard Will Finally Look Like What Dwight Could Be

Dwight Howard will finally stop playing the "nice" game as he's accused of and will focus in and play like what Shaq used to play like.

Everyone knows he has the talent, but he seems like he hasn't cared enough to want to be on that level. This postseason, he'll get to that level.

11. Manu Ginobli Will Beat the Mavericks By Himself

Ginobli is the hottest player in the league right now and will not cool off.

He's on fire from trey ball land and will abuse the Mavericks' perimeter defense. I will bet anybody a Big Mac from McDonald's that believes differently.

He's playing extremely well in space and having great shot selections as of late.

10. Steve Nash Will Have a 20 Assist Night

Nash will get a 20 assist game. It's just bound to happen. He's on fire right now and has a beast of a teammate in Stoudemire to pass to.

My guess is that it will happen in the first round against the Blazers since they're banged up and will have a tough time running up and down the court all game like the Suns can do.

9. LeBron Will Get Mad and Score 60

After the media tears him up for a day or two (after his media fit, see slide one), it will only fire LeBron up for a huge performance and will quickly get the media to give him as much credit as LeBron wants.

He will score 60-plus and it will cause the world to explode.

8. Brandon Jennings Will Look Like a Rookie

He has been pretty inconsistent with his shot selection and will struggle against the Hawks.

Atlanta is pretty stingy on defense and has a lot of weapons to slow Jennings down if he ever does get hot. However, he can use this postseason experience to try and bring his game to the next level for next season.

7. Amar'e Stoudemire Will Be Unstoppable

Amar'e is playing like an elite player and I don't expect him to cool off during the postseason.

After the season is over, people will put him in the same category as D-Wade and LeBron after he puts up a stellar postseason performance.

6. Coach Karl Will Coach Despite Doctor's Advice

Coach Karl will come back and coach the Nuggets in the playoffs earlier than what the doctor wants him to.

Everyone can guess he's missed his guys a lot and doesn't want to ruin the chances of what his team has by missing out.

Obviously, everyone will completely understand if he has to stick to his medication and is forced to miss a couple games. However, I'm praying that he can made a quicker comeback than expected and can help his Nuggets out.

5. Kevin Durant Will Make Ron Artest Look Old

Kevin Durant is on fire right now and has had four chances to find out what he can do to exploit any weakness that Artest might have on defense.

He's extremely smooth with his shot and has the ball-handling to get by Artest, which has been an Achilles' heel in Artest's defense as of late.

4. Kevin Garnett Will Get Ejected from At Least One Game

His passion plus the fact that the Celtics are struggling pretty bad right now will result in KG losing his cool and getting ejected.

He's already extremely frustrated with their season and how they have let their frustration get the better of them a few times (calling KD out) and that frustration will only escalate in the postseason.

3. No Series in the West Will Be a Sweep

Every team in the West is an extremely solid team. Every team has won at least 50 games.

You really can't pick out one series and make an easy guess that it will end in a sweep.

Sure, you can guess the Thunder/Lakers series, but the Thunder have come close to beating the Lakers twice and blew them out once.

The playoffs in the Western Conference are going to be extremely fun to watch.

2. D-Wade Will Have Have Another Buzzer-Beater at Home

Big games in Miami always seem to end in a D-Wade buzzer beater.

Why? I have no clue. Maybe it's staged? Maybe they pay off the refs? Kidding aside, Wade is extremely clutch in the playoffs and will look to remain his old self since the second half of the season.

1. The Winner of the Championship Will Be from the East

The West has too many good teams. It'll be like a long marathon trying to fight through every team for five to six games to win a series.

Somebody like the Cavs can win the majority of their series in five or less games and will be able to rest their star players more than any team in the West can.