East:
1. Cavs over 8. Pistons in 6 games
-The Pistons are actually matched up well versus Cleveland,
but Lebron is still Lebron. KCP can show how good he is defensively in this
series.
2. Raptors over 7. Pacers in 7 games
-Bad matchup for the Drakes here, but they will be okay
eventually.
3. Heat over 6. Hornets in 6 games
-Too much experience for Miami.
4. Hawks over 5. Celtics in 6 games
-I really like the Celtics core, but the advantage at the two
big spots is too big to ignore. Plus, Jae Crowder really doesn’t have a role in
this series and that sort of wastes him.
West:
1. Warriors over 8.
Rockets in 4 games
-The Dubs are going to kill this team. Houston is a mess,
especially on things like defensive switches and team communication. I mean,
Josh Smith and Michael Beasley are prominently involved.
2. Spurs over 7. Grizzlies in 4 games
-Sweep. Too many injuries for the Grizzlies. They will give
good effort but ultimately this will be a crazy boring series.
3. Thunder over 6. Mavericks in 5 games
-In some ways, this is very similar to the 2-7 series. The
Mavericks get a win based strictly on Carlisle, but they can’t stand up to OKC
athletically.
5. Blazers over 4. Clippers in 7 games
-Just a feeling. Chris Paul has to slow down at some point,
hack a Jordan is in play, and the Blazers have a crew of 3-5 games to throw at
an aging Pierce/Crawford backup unit.
Title Picture:
-Golden State should be the prohibitive favorite. It’s either
them, San Antonio or Cleveland. And honestly, I can’t see Cleveland winning the
title.
