NBA Playoff Preview: The Lake Show to Come Through in the Clutch

Finally, the NBA Playoffs are here! The first tip-off is slated for Saturday, April 18, at 12:30 pm ET pitting the seventh-seeded Chicago Bulls against the second-seeded Boston Celtics.

This series looks to be lopsided in favor of the Celtics, but I would not be surprised to see the Bulls push it to six games, but I still take the defending champs in this one.

The following matchup is another Eastern Conference clash with the disappointing eighth-seeded Detroit Pistons going to Cleveland to face the top-seeded Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers have dominated the Eastern Conference and I don’t expect the Pistons to put up much of a fight, this once-proud franchise is four losses away from a rebuilding year.

The day’s next game will take place in San Antonio, with the third-seeded Spurs against the sixth-seeded Dallas Mavericks. With Ginobili out for the playoffs, I just don’t think an aging Spurs team can overcome the up-tempo style and surging play of Jason Kidd and the Mavericks; I take the Mavericks in seven games.

To wrap up Saturday’s action, the fifth-seeded Houston Rockets will travel to Portland to take on the fourth-seeded Blazers at the Rose Garden.

This series comes down to how the stars of each team perform. If Brandon Roy gets hot, I expect the Blazers to bounce the Rockets in the first round yet again, but if Yao Ming can hold his own in the paint against the litany of low post options for the Blazers, it could be trouble for Portland.

At the end of the day, I am taking the Blazers in seven games over the Rockets, who are in need of some off-season moves to get a scorer who can stay healthy alongside Yao.

The following day will tip-off at 3 p.m. ET with the eighth-seeded Utah Jazz visiting Los Angeles to face the top-seeded Lakers. This series should be short and sweet; I take the Lakers in four games, maybe five if the Jazz get lucky.

The next game will feature the sixth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers going to Orlando to square off against the third-seeded Magic, led by Dwight Howard.

As tempting as it is to call an upset in this scenario, with the young Sixers facing an injured Magic squad, I am going to stick to the statistics and pick the Magic in six games. The Sixers, however, will fare much better next season with a healthy Elton Brand.

Following that match, the Miami Heat will play the Hawks in Atlanta; the fifth-seeded Heat will overpower the fourth-seeded Hawks in six games.

The Hawks have a seemingly endless fountain of youth but I just think Dwyane Wade will take over the series along with consistent minutes from Jermaine O’Neal and Mario Chalmers.

To finish off the second day of the NBA playoffs, the Denver Nuggets will host the New Orleans Hornets. The second-seeded Nuggets will have their hands full with the seventh-seeded Hornets.,

New Orleans has a top point guard in Chris Paul and an extremely athletic and versatile big man in Tyson Chandler, which could cause matchup problems.

However, I still think the Nuggets will overpower the Hornets with a battle tested Chauncey Billups at the point and the often forgotten Carmelo Anthony at forward.

For the second round of the playoffs in the West, I think the Lakers will defeat the Blazers, along with the Nuggets beating the Mavericks. For the Western Conference Final, the Lakers will prevail in five games over the Denver Nuggets.

In the East, I see the Cavaliers beating the Heat and the Celtics winning a long series with the Magic. The Cavaliers will go on to defeat the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals in a brief four games.

The finals will go six or seven games, but I see the Lakers coming out on top. Since Kobe Bryant has fared well against LeBron James in their head-to-head matchups, Bryant’s defense will keep James in check, and bring the title back to Los Angeles.