NBA Playoffs Round 1

Western Conference

(1) LA Lakers
(8) Denver Nuggets
Denver is dangerous, but I can't see them winning more than 1 game in LA, and I know they won't hold home court. When Melo and AI are hot they'll steal a couple games, and when they're cold they'll get blown out.

LA Lakers 4-2

(4) Utah Jazz
(5) Houston Rockets
T-Mac's notorious for not getting the job done come playoff time. Will things be different this time around without Yao? Call me crazy, but I'm going with Houston. I expect this to be the most closely contested first round series.

Houston Rockets 4-3

(3) San Antonio Spurs
(6) Phoenix Suns
Phoenix took a huge gamble when dealing for Shaquille. The team has slowly started to mesh and build chemistry. Shaq will neutralize Tim Duncan just enough, and Nash will out play Tony Parker.

Phoenix Suns 4-3

(2) N.O. Hornets
(7) Dallas Mavericks
I've never felt so uneasy about a 2 seed. I'd love to see New Orleans move on because they play an exciting style of basketball, and CP3 is always fun to watch . . . But, Dallas has too many weapons. These teams held home court during the regular season, but Dallas will steal one of the first 2 and go on to win the series.

Dallas Mavericks 4-2

Eastern Conference

(1) Boston Celtics
(8) Atlanta Hawks
Boston's a legit team and Atlanta stinks. It's an embarrassment that a team this bad is actually in the playoffs. Boston could get lazy and blow one game, but I doubt it.

Boston Celtics 4-0

(4) Cleveland Cavaliers
(5) Washington Wizards
Cleveland, specifically LeBron, seems motivated for this series. As much as the Wiz don't want to believe it, they'll be ousted for the 3rd straight year by the Cavs.

Cleveland 4-1

(3) Orlando Magic
(6) Toronto Raptors
This will be a highly competitive series. Look for plenty of offense, with the winning team scoring over 100 in each game. Home court will be served, with Orlando winning game 7 at the Amway Arena.

Orlando Magic 4-3

(2) Detroit Pistons
(7) Philadelphia 76ers
Just like Atlanta, Philly should not be in the post season. Detroit will end this quick, and be the 2nd Eastern Conference team to sweep in the 1st round.

Detroit 4-0