2008 NBA Playoff Predictions

Yeah, I know, it's a little late, but here's Crossover Hoops 2008 NBA Playoff Predictions:

Western Conference:

First Round:

1. LA Lakers vs 8. Denver Nuggets-LA Lakers in 5: On paper, this series looks even all around, but I give the Lakers the edge because I believe Phil Jackson's coaching, and the fact the Lakers have Kobe, will overpower the dynamic duo of Carmelo "DUI" Anthony and Allen Iverson. George Karl has shown in the past that he fails to win when given great talent(see late 90s-early 00s Milwaukee Bucks, and the Olympic team from 2004).

4. Utah Jazz vs 5. Houston Rockets-Utah Jazz in 5: If Houston had Yao, this would be one of those 7 game series that go down as an NBA classic, but the absence of Yao, and the success T-Mac has had in past first round series(0-6) is too much for Houston to overcome and beat this great all-around Utah team.

2. New Orleans Hornets vs 7. Dallas Mavericks-Dallas in 7: If I made these picks after game one of the first round, I would pick the Hornets in 7, but I still think Dallas has a legit chance of beating CP3s Hornet's team, due to sheer playoff experience. This series, no matter who wins, will go to 7 games, and will most likely finish on crunch time plays. Dallas is looking to make up for last years playoff collapse against Golden State, while New Orleans is looking to establish themselves as a finals contender, despite being full of inexperience.

3. San Antonio Spurs vs 6. Phoenix Suns-Phoenix in 6: Like the Dallas-New Orleans series, my prediction would be different if I based it off of game 1. Anyways, this will easily be the best first round series in the West, and the playoff experience of both teams will be very important in this series. However, San Antonio's age hurt them down the stretch of the series, but it should be a great series all around.


Semi-Finals:

1. LA Lakers vs 4. Utah Jazz-LA Lakers in 6: The Lakers took 3 out of 4 against Utah this season, including a win that ended Utah's home winning streak on March 20, despite the absence of Bynum and Gasol. This will be a much tougher series for the Lakers compared to their current first round match up with Denver. Utah could push the game to 7, but the way the Lakers fared against Utah during the regular season, shows that the game will most likely be a 5 or 6 game series in LA's favor.

6. Phoenix Suns vs 7. Dallas Mavericks-Phoenix in 7: Another great series this playoffs could offer. With tons of playoff experience coming from both teams, and each team carrying an MVP from the previous 2 seasons, Dallas and Phoenix will have a great offensive battle, with every game being very high scoring. However, I highly doubt Dirk and Dampier will be able to contain the explosiveness of Amare and Shaq, so I give the edge to the Phoenix Suns.

Conference Finals:

1. LA Lakers vs 6. Phoenix Suns-LA Lakers in 7: Hopefully, for the Lakers, Andrew Bynum will return from injury for this series, and help Gasol inside against Phoenix's bolstered front court of Shaq and Amare. Even if Bynum doesn't come back, LA will most likely still win the series. Kobe and Lamar aren't forgetting what happened the last 2 years, and will be even more fired up now that Phoenix has Shaq. Overall, it will be a series to remember for years to come, but in the end, Kobe and Co. will be heading to the finals to play...

Eastern Conference playoff predictions coming soon!