The College Basketball season ended just over a week ago with an extremely intense March Madness tournament. I hope that the 2010 NBA Playoffs are just as exciting. Tomorrow, the road to the NBA Finals begins. It's been a great NBA season so far. I think that it is fair to say that Lebron James will be the MVP, and he led the Cavs to their second straight year with the best record in the league. Although on a small cold streak, the Lakers were the best of the West once again. Chicago won it's way in with a win against the Bobcats on the final night of the regular season. This year is headlined with two new playoff teams in each conference. The West will be very competitive, with every team winning 50 or more games. Unfortunately, I don't have any upsets in the first round, but I would not be surprised if there was one in the West. Here are the two most intriguing matchups that I will definitely be watching when I can.
Utah Jazz vs. Denver Nuggets
I think this is the best matchup in the first round. The Jazz and the Nuggets are both great teams in a stacked Western Conference. Both teams finished 53-29, went 6-4 in their last 10 games and lost their last games of the season. The one difference I see in this series is Carmelo Anthony. I think the Deron Williams-Chauncey Billups matchup and the battle of the frontcourts will be pretty even, but Andrei Kirilenko is going to miss this series, and I think that his absence will allow Melo to take control. I think this series goes to seven games and I would not be surprised if the Jazz come away with a road win, which is what they would need to do to advance. Nonetheless, I think that the combination of Carmelo and Chauncey with J.R. Smith coming off the bench gives the edge to Denver.
San Antonio Spurs vs. Dallas Mavericks
Dallas is my pick to win it all this year. I know this is a pretty bold prediction, but I really like their move for Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood. While the Lakers are 4-6 in their last 10, the Mavs are 8-2. Still, they will have a tough first round series against the Spurs. I think it will take them six games to beat San Antonio because of how well the Spurs have played recently. Manu Ginobli has averaged 23.25 PPG in his last 16 games, and San Antonio has subtly played much better basketball recently, going 19-9 in their last 28 games. But the Mavs may be the hottest team in the league, going 20-7 since their trade with Washington. They have perennial MVP candidate Dirk Nowitzki leading the way, and they have a fantastic bench led by 2008 Sixth Man of the Year Jason Terry. I think Dallas has what it takes to win an NBA Championship, but I think they may have some difficulty in the first round.
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