the real season begins

nba playoffs start tomorrow and it’s time to make some unsolicited predictions. 😉

let’s start with the east.

celtics (#1) vs hawks (#8 )
i’ve always been a ray allen fan. so wherever he goes, that’s my team. at the start of the season, the experts knew the celtics will be good but they didn’t expect that they would be this good immediately. now they’re picking the celtics to go all the way starting with a first round sweep of the hawks. i’d like to agree with the experts except i don’t think the hawks will go down quite easily as they have predicted. the hawks have a young athletic team and with the late season acquisition of mike bibby, they have quietly become a formidable team. but nonetheless, the celtics have looked determined all season long and i don’t think the 3 hungry superstars kg, pierce and ray allen will allow an upset.
celtics in five games.

pistons (#2) vs 76ers (#7)
i don’t like the pistons. i just don’t. but they’re experienced and they’re really good. the 76ers are really good too (the new ai (iguodala) has blossomed into a star) but inexperienced (with the exception of andre miller). if the 76ers can force turnovers with their defense, they have chance. but i don’t see it.
pistons in five games.

magic (#3) vs raptors (#6)
i love dwight howard… even before the superman slam dunk. 🙂 i want him to be successful. but the raptors are a real threat. that team is loaded with a bunch of shooters. the question is, can the raptors contain turkoglu and howard? if they can, they have a real good chance of an upset. and i think they can (but i hope they won’t 😀)
raptors in six games.

cavs (#4) vs wizards (#5)
again this 2 teams meet at the first round of the playoffs. the question for the cavs is, can they rely solely on lebron james to carry them in each and every game throughout the playoffs. tha cavs are banged up meanwhile the trio of wizards all-stars are ready to go. this is a real tough one but probably is the most enjoyable of all first round matchups. agent zero has been out a long time, i say he makes some noise this playoffs.
wizards in seven games.

now to the west.

lakers (#1) vs nuggets (#8 )
ever since that highway robbery of a trade for paul gasol, the lakers have turned into one of the real contenders in the west. note, not because of kobe (yah, i don’t like him. 😀) but because of gasol. meanwhile, the nuggets are a team full of potential but somehow have not lived up to it… until this past couple of weeks. the nuggets are hot and are full of offensive weapons. logically speaking, i think the lakers will go through but since i don’t want them to succeed 😆, i hope ai and melo explode in this series.
nuggets in seven games.

hornets (#2) vs mavs (#7)
the hornets are this year’s cinderella team. led by superstar point guard chris paul and quiet but effective all star david west, this team is loaded. the mavs on the other hand are picking their stride at the right time after that jason kidd trade. as much a i love jason kidd, i don’t think the mavs have enough to keep up with the hornets.
hornets in six games.

spurs (#3) vs suns (#4)
this is the most pivotal matchup for the whole western conference. i think the winner of this series will go straight into the western finals and, most probably, the nba finals. like the pistons, i do not like the spurs. they’re boring… but they’re effective especially come playoff time. but i can recall last season wherein a cheap shot foul by horry is what made them go past the suns. i think the suns have their number. i think shaq will be a factor. i think amare will have a monster series.
suns in six games.

jazz (#4) vs rockets (#5)
the jazz are a really good offensive team. can they contain t-mac? they should because he’s the only one that could prevent them from moving on.
jazz in five games.

how will the rest of the playoffs go? in the east, i think the critical series there is the 2nd round matchup of the celtics vs the winner of the cavs-wizards series. i think that would be the toughest obstacle for the celtics. in the west, i see a jazz vs suns finals and that is a toss up.

the nba champions for this year will be the celtics. 😀

this year’s mvp should be chris paul. please do not let it be kobe. 🙂

of course i can be absolutely wrong but these are predictions and i’m just basing it on gut feel. 😀

what do you think? discuss. 😉