NBA Playoffs 2012 Predictions: Identifying Winners from West's 1st Round

There is no need to actually watch the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. I have all the answers right here. 

I am so confident in these predictions, that I am offering you a money-back guarantee if just one of them does not pan out. Now, you might be saying that you didn't pay anything, and that money-back guarantee means very little. 

This is true—just like these predictions will prove to be. 

San Antonio Spurs vs. Utah Jazz

Until now, it didn't seem possible that a team could enter the NBA playoffs as a No. 1 seed and still be under-the-radar. Well, leave it to the seldom thought about Spurs to prove that was possible. 

But they earned that No. 1 seed by closing the season in absolutely dominant fashion. Over their last 20 games, the Spurs have outscored their opponents by over 15 points per 100 possessions. 

The Spurs won three of four against the Jazz this year, and the only loss was a late-season one where Gregg Popovich decided to rest his stars. This series is not going to be competitive. 

Prediction: Spurs 4-0

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks easily dispatched of the Thunder in five games in last year's playoffs. However, the defending champions largely mailed in this season. They have their sights set on clearing cap space and re-loading for next season. 

Still, they are the defending champions and they feature Dirk Nowitizki, who can be impossible to stop. They are not just going to roll over. 

This will be enough for Dallas to steal a couple of games, but ultimately they will be undone by their lack of speed against the fast-paced Thunder. That much was evident when the Thunder took three of four the Mavericks in the regular season.

Prediction: Thunder 4-2

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets

This is going to be a fun series, where any win by the away team will be hard to overcome. That is largely due to the Lakers' dominance at home and woes on the road. 

Los Angeles had a losing road record this year. That didn't stop them from winning three of four from Denver in the regular season, but those three wins were by a combined 13 points. 

The Lakers will also be plagued by their lack of depth due to the suspension of Metta World Peace. Ultimately, they will be able to withstand that due to their length in the frontcourt and a certain player named Kobe Bryant. 

The Lakers will hold serve at home and steal one on the road. 

Prediction: Lakers 4-2

Memphis Grizzlies vs. Los Angeles Clippers

If you are into entertaining basketball, this will be the first-round series to watch. The fast-paced and high-flying Clippers will bring their dynamic offensive attack against the hard-nosed and annoying defense of the Grizzlies. 

Whichever team does a better job of dictating their style of play will win this series, and according to the axiom of "defense wins championships" that will be the Grizzlies. 

That said, this will be close because the Clippers defense will be aided by the fact that the Grizzlies struggle in the half court. 

This series is going the distance, and the Grizzlies will take that on their home court. 

Prediction: Grizzlies 4-3