Man it’s good to be right. When everyone panned my Lakers, I had the guts to go on record saying they would win “48-50 games” and garner the 5 seed in the playoffs. At the time, they had gone over .500 for the first time all season and all the dumb**** analysts were saying they would miss the playoffs. So what happens next? Glad you asked, push read more to find out. WEST PLAYOFFS ROUND 1

#8 Phoenix (44-37) @ #1 San Antonio (60-22)

Okay look, the Spurs are the perennial studs in the regular season, but needless to say their playoff history is not great unless you count their strike title. I don’t, that’s for sure. Plus, it was the post-Jordan effect and the league was in shock. As for the Suns, they’re a mediocre team that struggled to make the playoffs. Unlike years past, now it is a full best of seven so forget the flukes. The trouble is that the lightweights had the number of Duncan’s Donuts by taking 3 of the 4 meetings. Ironically, all the wins were by precisely 7 points. They are hoping to hit the jackpot with a big playoff upset, but I don’t see it.

Game 1 goes to the Spurs just on experience and the guys are 33-8 at home. I figure that since my cousin lives in Phoenix I have to pick them to raise a fuss, so I’ll pick them to steal a game in the Alamodome Monday night. After a few days of rest, Phoenix will grab a 2-1 lead and send San Antonio to the ropes. It won’t last because the Spurs will even it up and then claim a 3-2 lead on their home floor. Those pesky Suns will fight to the finish, but ultimately lose the series in front of their fans. I can’t see David Robinson bowing out in round 1 this late in his career, or a Phoenix team that is 14-27 on the road being able to win a series where they don’t have the home court advantage: San Antonio 4, Phoenix 2

#7 Utah (47-35) @ #2 Sacramento (59-23)

Will the Jazz just die already? I’m so sick of watching Stockton and Malone, but they somehow muster enough to make the playoffs every year so they must be doing something right still. In the good old days they would go like 37-4 at home and still only win 55 games. Now they are a mere 29-12 in the comfy confines of their home floor, while they’ll be figuring out how to break cow bell Sac-town with their gaudy 35-6 home mark. It is very obvious that this is old and tired against young and hungry.

If the Kings are smart, they won’t let the Jazz sniff confidence in the first two games. Start strong, finish strong and leave California up 2-0. The short plane ride won’t bother them, but certainly the officiating will. Some strange things happen at the Delta, meaning it goes to 2-1 before the Kings overcome the refs to return home up 3-1. At that point, I think the tired Jazz will roll over. Nice run for Malone and Stockton, but they really don’t stack up in this series: Sacramento 4, Utah 1

#6 Portland (50-32) @ #3 Dallas (60-22)

Bar none I think this will be the most fan friendly series of the first round. The Blazers are thugs and the Mavs have a rebel for an owner plus an international roster of cool guys. Plus, while Dallas took the home and home in 2002, recent games both went to Portland by 7 points each. The real question is just how many technical fouls will be called in this series. Is Mill Lanes available to fill in? He might be needed before it is all over.

The format is funky because after the opener there is a break and only one travel day. So I’m banking on Portland to be too worn out to take game 1, but well rested for their second shot in Dallas. I say they even it at 1-1, and take game 3 as well. However, with 3 game in 5 days I like Dallas to have worn them down at that point for a 2-2 split when it heads back to Dallas. Mavs take it, and after another trip back to Portland but this time Dallas puts them away. The Blazers are their own worst enemy, and while they can give any team problems, their own problems are really the reason they won’t win this series: Dallas 4, Portland 2

#5 Los Angeles (50-32) @ #4 Minnesota (51-31)

While the Mavs and Blazers are kissing their lucky stars to have avoided the Lakers, the T’Wolves have to be shaking their heads after winding up with the three time defending champs. Unless you’ve been glued to CNN watching us blow up Iraq, you know that LA is hotter than a three dollar pistol lately and they are set to being their run. Yes, Minnesota has Kevin Garnett, but is he going to stop Kobe and Shaq all by himself? Get real.

Sure, the Lakers have struggled on the road a bit at 19-22 and they lost a pair in December to these guys. Throw it out. They won both meetings in March, and they get an extra day of rest to prepare for the opening round. That’s key because they expended a lot of energy to rise into the 5 seed. I like them to win game 1, and want to pick a sweep but I suppose Minnesota has enough juice to win game 2. The rest is history because the Lakers want to be well rested for San Antonio. They will be: Los Angeles 4, Minnesota 1

EAST PLAYOFFS ROUND 1

#8 Orlando (42-40) @ #1 Detroit (50-32)

The East is a joke, and everyone knows it. The Magic tumbled in the standings, but the Pistons are also in a corner because their star rebound man is coming off an injury. I just get this sinking feeling that Orlando is going to come out of nowhere and cause problems. Playoffs are weird, a team can be taken lightly and suddenly play like their rear ends are on fire. I’m taking the Magic to win games 2 and 3 to take a 2-1 lead, but Detroit will figure them out and reel off 3 wins in a row: Detroit 4, Orlando 2

#7 Milwaukee (42-40) @ #2 New Jersey (49-33)

The big story here is the Oakland point guards facing up with new Buck Gary Payton taking on Jason Kidd of the Nets. Great for the fans to see, and you wonder if “the glove” has enough left in the tank to make another run. I think what this boils down to is whether or not New Jersey takes them seriously in game 1. If they blow the first game they are in serious trouble. I like their experience to lead them to a 2-0 start, and even when Milwaukee wins game 3 that will be the only win they get. Kidd has a better cast around him, and is a far better leader at this point: New Jersey 4, Milwaukee 1

#6 Boston (44-38) @ #3 Indiana (48-34)

For crying out loud, only 8 games separate the top seed from the worst team in the East, so there isn’t much difference between these clubs. In 4 games the home team won every time, so if the Celts are going to take it they will have to beat a team that was 32-9 on their home floor. Should be a classic series, and to be honest I see the home team winning every game. That is, until game 7 when Boston pulls one out of their hats. Heck, I’ll take a chance on them because no one really cares who wins the East: Boston 4, Indiana 3

#5 New Orleans (47-35) @ #4 Philadelphia (48-34)

Did the world end and no one called me? Who’s the idiot who gave basketball to New Orleans? Okay, whatever, the advantage here is that the Sixers need to hold the home court with an iron fist. For a team that won only twice more at home than on the road that might be tough. I can appreciate that the fans in Louisiana will be going crazy, so when Philly gets down there up 2-0 I fully expect them to return home square at 2-2. At that point they take control and close it out on Bourbon Street. I just can’t bet against Iverson: Philadelphia 4, New Orleans 2

ROUND 2

Lakers @ Spurs

David, meet Goliath. Yeah, the Spurs can beat the Lakers a couple of times. Too bad they have to beat them 4 times to advance. They can’t do it. Kobe is not going to have more than one bad outing, and he has to be off for them to lose: Los Angeles 4, San Antonio 2

Kings @ Mavs

Something weird happened on the way to the Western Conference Finals. Sacramento isn’t going to make it that far. I love Dallas in this series because they don’t feel the same kind of pressure. Clearly I’m out on a limb, but I wouldn’t have it any other way because I feel like Sacramento is too overconfident at this point and Dallas has a ton of weapons: Dallas 4, Sacramento 2

Sixers @ Detroit

I think I’m just throwing darts at the wall while I’m making my East picks. Something tells me the Sixers are hungry enough to get this done. Am I crazy? Yes, I am, but I’m taking them anyway: Philadelphia 4, Detroit 2

Celtics @ Nets

Another good series that is really quite pointless. No team has a chance in the NBA finals, so why not bow out gracefully before you even reach the conference finals, right? I truly believe Boston can win this series, but I’ve already gambled too much so I’m taking the safe bet here: New Jersey 4, Boston 3

CONFERENCE FINALS

Lakers @ Mavs

The danger is that LA takes them too lightly after killing them all season. They will, so the series lasts longer than it should, but they are going to win: Los Angeles 4, Dallas 2

Sixers @ Nets

Maybe I’m just partial to Jason Kidd, who is a local guy from my neck of the woods, but I think New Jersey stands out as the class of the Eastern Conference. Yeah, Philly is going to make some noise, but I like the Nets to return for another NBA finals beating: New Jersey 4, Philadelphia 2

NBA FINALS

Nets @ Lakers

Do you really need a crystal ball to figure this out? How on earth can any team from the east contend? They can’t. Four in a row, and Michael Jordan never did that: Los Angeles 4, New Jersey 1