Why the Top Seeds in Each Conference Won't Even Sniff the Finals

Both No. 1 seeds in this year's NBA playoffs may be up 1-0 in their respective series, but mark my words: It's going to be an uphill battle for both the Chicago Bulls and the San Antonio Spurs. Given the past 24 hours, I will personally guarantee that neither squad will get close to the NBA Finals.

Sure, both teams have a great deal of talent. They finished the regular season as the top seed in their respective conference for a reason, and as a result, it's only natural that fans have the highest expectations when it comes to each team's performance.

Unfortunately, the NBA playoffs is a temptress so evil that it makes the boss-lady in The Devil Wears Prada look like Glinda the Good Witch of the North. As a result, both the Spurs and the Bulls are in jeopardy of hitting the golf course early, and here's why.

Derrick Rose's Injury Spells Doom for Chicago

The Bulls owe their success of the past two seasons to one man: reigning MVP Derrick Rose. Unfortunately, they'll have to do without him the rest of the playoffs, as he tore his ACL in Game 1 against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Chicago certainly is talented enough to make short work of the Sixers in Rose's absence, but it's just going to be a lot harder than usual. Sure, they managed without him for a good chunk of the regular season, but now it's playoff time. 

With a championship run in the balance, and Rose's 21.8 points and 7.9 assists instantly out of the lineup, it becomes a far bigger loss up against the best of the best.

Carlos Boozer Can't Carry a Team by Himself

Carlos Boozer has talent, but he's had help every step of his career.

He had LeBron James in Cleveland, Deron Williams in Utah and now, in Chicago, he has Derrick Rose. With the guy who gets him the ball out for the playoffs, Chicago fans are going to expect him to be the one to step up.

I don't doubt that Boozer will be able to shoulder the load in Rose's absence, at least to some degree, but it's going to make every Bulls game from now until the start of next season a nail-biter.

As I said, the man has had a talented point guard or star feeding him the ball throughout his entire career. Now that he and Luol Deng are the big men on campus, however, I just don't think that Chicago will fare as well.

Chicago's Depth Is Questionable

Earlier, I mentioned how Rose was the reason for the Bulls' recent success. His being out now means that the team's bench will have to step up, and in Chicago's case, I just don't trust the reserves to bring a title home.

Sure, Taj Gibson is great and some quality bench shooting comes from Kyle Korver and C.J. Watson, but championships aren't won by teams dependent on a bench. The only one of that trio who is even capable of being a starter is Gibson, and he's stuck on the pine with Boozer and Joakim Noah occupying the frontcourt.

In the end, this will come back to bite Chicago, as they'll suffer yet another early playoff exit.

The Spurs Are Just Plain Old

Before the hate mail comes, let me first say that I understand why it comes. The Spurs had another great season and are currently riding an 11-game winning streak. Still, they have a distinct disadvantage over most other teams in the playoff picture: Their core group is as old as dirt!

Yes, Tim Duncan and his teammates have a ton of championship experience. Yes, they've been playing together for a long time. However, last year's first-round loss to the Memphis Grizzlies was very telling. Overwhelm the team with youthful offense, and the wall will crumble.

Don't get me wrong, there's no doubt in my mind that the Spurs will eliminate the Utah Jazz, but Devin Harris and his teammates certainly have what it takes to go toe to toe with the veterans of the Lone Star State. 

Speaking of...

Utah Has a Lot of Momentum

As last year's Grizzlies and this year's NHL playoffs have shown, No. 8 seeds are not teams to be taken lightly. Thus, though the Spurs handily took Game 1 by a margin of 106-91, don't expect the Jazz to roll over and die that easily.

Let's not forget that toward the end of the season, Devin Harris finally found his scoring touch and his team closed out the year on a five-game winning streak, coming from behind to clinch the final playoff spot. That's the type of momentum that some teams carry to an NBA Finals appearance.

That all being said, we shouldn't be so quick to write off the Jazz. Their scoring threats, combined with their two solid big men in the middle, could possibly become a problem for San Antonio once the series moves to Salt Lake City.

San Antonio's Frontcourt Is Shaky

San Antonio has Tim Duncan and DeJuan Blair at power forward and center, but Utah has two stronger players in Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson. Nothing against San Antonio, but this is a positional matchup that could soon become a problem for them.

You see, Blair and Duncan combined for 12.4 points and 7.2 rebounds on the season and, while those numbers aren't bad by any means, they look pretty puny compared to the Jazz's big men. 

Millsap and Jefferson posted 17.9 points 9.2 boards on the regular season, and while the 7'0" Duncan may have the experience to deal with them, Blair is just too small at 6'7" to go toe to toe with them in a playoff series.

Millsap is just 6'8" and Jefferson 6'10", but both dominate the paint to the point where should Utah go on an offensive run, their intensity could just overmatch the veteran Spurs. Even if San Antonio does make it past the first round, their frontcourt's legs are way too wobbly to make a serious Finals run.