Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (Reg. season: LAL 3-1)
Defending champs vs. the new kids on the block. Injuries have hampered the Lakers, who limped into the playoffs, finishing the regular season on a poor stretch losing 7 of their last 11 games. Andrew Bynum has not been ruled out of the first round series with the Thunder, but his Achilles injury will more than likely limit his minutes. With or without Bynum, the interior advantage of the Lakers will prove to be the deciding factor. As much young talent as the Thunder have, Serge Ibaka, Nenad Krstic and Nick Collison cannot match-up with Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom for the Lakers. That being said, do not expect the Sonics to go down easily. Kevin Durant is all who he is hyped to be, a prolific scorer who can carry a team in the final minutes of a game. KD35, or the Durantula, was the youngest scoring leader ever at just 21 years of age, averaging 30.1 points per game. But the Sonics (oops, I meant Thunder) are more than just Durant. Russell Westbrook, a scoring point guard, leads the team with 8.0 assists per game, also scoring 16.1 points per game. Their third leading scorer, Jeff Green (15.1 ppg, 45% field goal percentage) keeps defenses honest at the other wing position. With their top 4 scorers all under the age of 24 (James Harden at 9.9 ppg is the fourth), the OKC Thunder are extremely young. This is the first playoff experience for many of these guys. Without a proper big man, the Thunder cannot put away Kobe and the experienced Lakers. Lakers win in seven games.
Denver Nuggets vs. Utah Jazz (Reg. season: DEN 3-1)
Both teams finished the regular season at 53-29, but Denver will have home-court advantage in this 4 vs. 5 matchup. Again, injuries will play a crucial role in this playoff series, as Utah will not have Andrei Kirilenko who strained his left calf. Kirilenko’s injury comes at the worst possible time for the Jazz as Carlos Boozer (oblique) and Mehmet Okur (Achilles) are already playing hurt. For Denver, Kenyon Martin has been playing with a knee injury which has limited his minutes, but the more important storyline is the absence of head coach George Karl. Karl is battling throat cancer and will most likely miss the first round series against the Jazz. Both teams have tremendous records in their home arenas, but Denver is not playing its best basketball (losing 7 of 12 to finish the season). Deron Williams will finally show everyone he is the best point guard in the West not named Steve Nash (Yes, he’s better than Chris Paul). Expect Williams to dominate Chauncey Billups in the head-to-head matchup. Boozer will play enough to get the job done for the Jazz. Jazz win in six games.
Phoenix Suns vs. Portland Trailblazers (Reg. season: POR 2-1)
Another exciting series in the West hurt by injuries. The Portland Trailblazers took a huge hit to their chances in the playoffs with news that Brandon Roy will have arthroscopic knee surgery. Roy will miss one to two weeks, leaving him out of the first round entirely. The Trailblazers were a potential first-round upset pick, but losing their leading scorer paves the way for the Suns. The Suns have been without their center Robin Lopez for some time with a back injury, but they have looked sharp in recent weeks. Phoenix won 14 for their last 16 to close the season, including wins over Portland, San Antonio, Denver and Utah (twice). Steve Nash is 36 years old, but still playing his best basketball averaging 16.5 points per game and an astonishing 11 assists per game. And this year, Amare Stoudemire has finally shown up, leading the Suns with 23.1 points per game, 8.9 rebounds per game and 55.7% field goal percentage. The Suns run-and-gun their way to an easy series victory against the injury-riddled Blazers. Suns win in five games.
Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs (Reg. season: DAL 3-1)
The 3 vs. 6 matchup in the West is perhaps the most intriguing of the entire playoffs with a surging San Antonio Spurs taking on the powerful Mavs. In the last 3 weeks, the Spurs have defeated Cleveland, Boston, Orlando, Los Angeles Lakers, and Denver. This is a team with championship experience, but many people criticize them for being “too old.” Well it’s true that their two best players are 33 (Duncan) and 32 (Ginobili). Tim Duncan hasn’t exactly looked like the All-NBA player we’ve grown accustomed to watching the last 12 years; however, Manu Ginobili has been unreal as of late, averaging over 21 points per game in March and April, well above his season average of 16.5 ppg. This includes terrific performances against Atlanta, Orlando and Los Angeles in which he scored 38, 43, and 32 points respectively. But, Tony Parker has played limited minutes since his return after breaking a bone in his right hand causing him to miss 16 games. Unfortunately, for the Spurs, Dallas is the better team this year. Dirk Nowitzki is playing well as always (25 ppg, 7.7 rebounds per game, 48% FG) and Jason Kidd still gets the job done as the distributor averaging just over 9 assists per game. Deadline acquisitions Brendan Haywood and Caron Butler may be the last piece of the puzzle for Mark Cuban’s Mavs, as Haywood is playing well on interior defense leading the team with over 2 blocks per game. Meanwhile, Caron Butler at 16.3 ppg gives the Mavericks another perimeter scoring threat to complement Jason Terry (16.6 ppg) and Shawn Marion (12 ppg). Mavs win in six games.