Western Conference:
No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 8 Oklahoma City Thunder: The end of the regular season in the West was a horse race to not face the Lakers in the first round. The Thunder ended up losing and earning that dubious honor, and now has the improbable task of stopping the defending world champions. The Thunder may have the youngest team in the NBA, but they also have the youngest NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant. The team improved by 27 wins from last season and host the highest-scoring trio in the NBA. All of this will keep the series relatively close, but the Lakers are too damn talented. Gasol and Bynum are too big in the paint and will overwhelm Oklahoma’s front line. Even if Kobe has an awful series, the Lakers will prevail. Lakers win series in 6.
No. 2 Dallas Mavericks vs. No. 7 San Antonio Spurs: What a great first-round matchup. This is probably the most fun series to watch in the entire first round. Dallas is talented from top to bottom: Led by Dirk Nowitzki, the star-studded lineup features Jason Kidd, Caron Butler, Jason Terry and Shawn Marion. The team is a legitimate title contender, which makes it hard to pick against in this series versus the Spurs. San Antonio has the experience and talent to be competitive in any playoff series. Tim Duncan and recovering Tony Parker have multiple NBA rings and no shortage of confidence, and Manu Ginobili will provide a go-to scoring outlet, but the Spurs have a mountain to climb if they expect to win four games in this series. I just think the Mavs are too talented. Dallas wins series in 7.
No. 3 Phoenix Suns vs. No. 6 Portland Trail Blazers: This would have been a very competitive series if Brandon Roy hadn’t gotten hurt, but without him, the Blazers have some serious offense issues. They will need a huge series from Andre Miller and LaMarcus Aldridge to make up for the void left by Roy. The Suns have been the hottest team in the league since the All-Star break and are really clicking on all cylinders. Amare Stoudemire is a force to be reckoned with, and the rest of the lineup has played very well. Steve Nash plays like he’s 25, making flashy passes and running the offense smoothly. If Nash is dictating the offense, the Suns will be able to handle the Blazers more than comfortably. Suns win series in 5.
No. 4 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 5 Utah Jazz: Carmelo Anthony has been inconsistent in the playoffs these last couple of years. If the Nuggets are to make another deep run, they will need superstar quality from their leader night-in and night-out. The Nuggets have plenty of other weapons: Nene and Chauncey Billups provide for a scary scoring duo while sharpshooter J.R. Smith and the Birdman Chris Anderson come off the bench. The Jazz will rely heavily on Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer. Williams needs to use his high basketball IQ to get around Denver’s bigs. The series should be riveting, but expect Denver’s depth to wear down the Jazz. Denver wins series in 6.