Who Got you in the NBA finals? any surprises?
The Ex:
I think with Doc Rivers’ announcement today that Kevin Garnett may miss the entire 2009 playoffs, I think the balance of power has shifted toward the Cleveland Cavaliers (if it hadn’t already before that). In the West, I do like the Lakers obviously. Kobe, Gasol, and the addition of Bynum back in the lineup to an already dominant team should get them to the Finals as well, despite the West probably being harder to go through than the East. Surprises? Based on this, I don’t see too many, but I’ll give you two for thought. It’s hard to think of them as a surprise team but they often are overlooked by Boston and Cleveland: the Orlando Magic in the East. And I’m sorry-despite Manu Ginobli being done for the year, Gregg Popovich and the Spurs live for this time in the playoffs. There are few guarantees in this world except death, taxes, and the Spurs making an impact in the Western Conference Playoffs.
The Guru:
Obviously with a lot of questions in the injury department, I have to count out the Celtics. Of course, if watching years of sports has taught me anything, it’s to not count out the returning champion. I am going to go with Lebron and the Cavs from the east, mainly due to the fact they just soil opponents with ease on any given night. Their pre-game shenanigans- irrelevant. They understand the severity of the playoffs. And with home court advantage they might have gone all the way last season. I like Kobe and his supporting cast out of the west this season, with the addition of Morrison. Hopefully Phil Jackson won’t have to administer the Heimlich to Lamar Odom in the playoffs and he can dump considerable help deep into the series. Surprise team? Depending on the seeding, the Bulls have enough talent to make a small run.