A Quick First-Round NBA Playoff Analysis

It's two days before tipoff, and teams are putting up their "A" game going to the playoffs. Two expansion teams will have a baptism of fire the Charlotte Bobcats and the Oklahoma City Thunder as they tackle the Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers respectively. Let’s examine each conference and evaluate teams on their respective first-round playoff series.

EASTERN CONFERENCE
No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers (61-21) vs. No. 8 Chicago Bulls (41-41)
The Bulls are happy to pull this out grabbing, the No. 8 spot ahead of Toronto with a three-game winning streak, but they will face a bigger problem against the talented and deep Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs are the much hungrier and loaded with superb talent compared to the Bulls. With Shaq back in the lineup, the question would be how many minutes will coach Brown give to Shaq? I think the Bulls' magical season will end in the first round. Good thing the Del Negro-Paxson matchup will keep people interested.
Cleveland 4-1

No. 2 Orlando Magic (59-23) vs. No. 7 Charlotte Bobcats (44-38)
Captain Jack and the Bobcats will be on for a thrilling series. Going to the franchise's first playoff series, the Bobcats can easily match up with any of Orlando’s guards. Vince Carter will have a hard time with Gerard Wallace and Stephen Jackson, but the Bobcats will have to find a bigger solution to Dwight Howard. Tyson Chandler might slow down Howard, but he definitely needs help down low.
Orlando 4-2

No. 3 Atlanta Hawks (53-29) vs. No. 6 Milwaukee Bucks (46-36)
If Andrew Bogut was still in the Bucks' lineup, this could've been a competitive series, but unfortunately the Bucks will have to rely mostly on Brandon Jennings and John Salmons for offense. The Hawks are just too talented and have numerous weapons in their arsenal but nevertheless, the Bucks took a giant step this season.
Atlanta 4-2

No. 4 Boston Celtics (50-32) vs. No. 5 Miami Heat (47-35)
The Celtics have their lineup intact, but Boston's luster is slowly fading. Still, I think they could move on to the next round. Wade can score at will for Miami, but he needs his teammates to contribute. This will be a close battle, but I give this round to the Celtics.
Boston 4-3

WESTERN CONFERENCE

No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers (57-25) vs. No. 8 Oklahoma City Thunder (50-32)
The Thunder are a legit spoiler for the champion Lakers. They have the length and versatility to match up with the Lakers, but with a rested Kobe and Andrew Bynum back in the L.A. lineup, the Thunder will be in for an early exit. This series would be Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook’s coming-out party, but like they say, the playoffs are the time to separate the men from the boys. Inexperience will prove to be the biggest factor for Oklahoma City.
Los Angeles 4-1

No. 2 Dallas Mavericks (55-27) vs. No. 7 San Antonio Spurs (50-32)
The Dallas Mavericks have learned their lesson well after being the No. 1 seed in 2007 and losing to the No. 8 seed Golden State Warriors. They are just too deep to falter against an aging Spurs team. Tony Parker is still nursing an injury, and backup point guard George Hill is not 100 percent after re-aggravating his sprained right ankle. Dirk Nowitzki will be too much for San Antonio, but this might be competitive than we think.
Dallas 4-2

No. 3 Phoenix Suns (54-28) vs. No. 6 Portland Trail Blazers (50-32)
I could have given Portland a bigger chance to defeat Phoenix if Brandon Roy wasn’t injured. He is the heart of the team, and losing him was a big blow to the Blazers. The Suns are playing inspired basketball with Amare Stoudemire playing superbly well and Steve Nash orchestrating the offense. Winning 50 games is already a feat for the Blazers, so at least they go out with their heads held high.
Phoenix 4-1

No. 4 Denver Nuggets (53-29) vs. No. 5 Utah Jazz (53-29)
This is the most anticipated matchup of the first round. Either team could win it and go on to the second round. The Jazz could have cruised their way to the next level if they could have won against Phoenix, putting them against Portland in the first round, but instead they will have to face the hungrier Nuggets. It seems like the Jazz haven’t found the answer for Carmelo Anthony, and even without Anthony and Billups the Nuggets managed a win against the Jazz in their meeting last Jan. 2. Not having George Karl on the bench could be critical for the Nuggets. This is a coin toss, but I like the Nuggets' chances
Denver 4-3