NBA Playoffs: Western Conference Series-by-Series Breakdown

The 2010 NBA Playoffs commence tomorrow afternoon, and this year's slate of postseason action promises to be mindblowingly scintillating, especially out West, where the pack is loaded with true contenders. With no further ado, here is my series-by-series breakdown:



WEST



1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. 8 Oklahoma City Thunder



The defending champs have played sluggish, complacent basketball for much of the last month. In order to persevere through the challenging Western conference and make a return to the NBA Finals, the Lakers are going to have to play with the type of inspired energy and fearless swagger that defined their 2009 playoff run. L.A. better start playing solid basketball A.S.A.P., because the eighth-seeded Thunder will give them everything they can handle. One could argue that the Thunder are the most fun team to watch in the NBA. Led by the amazing Kevin Durant, with assistance from superb young players Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green, and James Harden, Oklahoma City is intimidated by no team. Of course, I'm picking the Lakers to win the series, especially if guys like Lamar Odom and Ron Artest can be productive and support big guns Kobe, Gasol, and Bynum. But nothing would make me happier than to see the Thunder pull off the shocking upset. Those of you calling for a Lakers sweep are sorely misguided; this series will be far more competitive than people think.



PREDICTION: Lakers in 6



2 Dallas Mavericks vs. 7 San Antonio Spurs



A couple of months ago, I would have said the Mavs in an easy walk. There would have been no way that the seemingly decaying Spurs, led by the seemingly past-their prime players Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli, and Tony Parker, would be able to stop Dirk Nowitzki, Caron Butler, Jason Kidd, and the Mavs. Ah, but that was two months ago. The Spurs have had a late-season resurgence, thanks in large part to the dominating play of Manu Ginobli. I think San Antonio will push Dallas to the brink in what will be a wildly entertaining series. Watch out, Dallas.

PREDICTION: Spurs in 7

3 Phoenix Suns vs. 6 Portland Trail Blazers

I don't know if there is a more unlucky franchise in all of sports than the Portland Trail Blazers. A couple of years ago, the city of Portland was ecstatic in celebration when they picked Greg Oden, the dominant center from Ohio State, as the top pick in the NBA Draft. Oden was surely going to bring a championship to the Rose City. No doubt about it. Three years later, Oden is an incessantly injury-plagued flop. This season, even without Oden, the Blazers were poised to make a deep run into the playoffs. Last week, however, it was revealed that Brandon Roy would miss the entire playoffs due to a knee injury. You can't help but feel bad for the Blazers. They will still be competitive in this series----they have major talent even without Roy, and Nate McMillan is a superb coach----but it is hard to imagine them beating the Suns four times in the span of two weeks. Phoenix is rolling right now. Steve Nash is an ageless magician out there on the floor, conjuring memories of Pete Maravich. And for the first time in a long time, Amare Stoudamire is playing with boundless energy, unburdened by any distracting trade rumors.

PREDICTION: Suns in 6

4 Denver Nuggets vs. 5 Utah Jazz

And I save the best for last. Oh my, what an unbelievable series this will be, so good in fact, that I think the winner of this series will go on to reach the NBA Finals. Ladies and gentleman, I would be surprised if this series does not go the full seven. Both teams are evenly matched. One hand, you have Chauncey Billups, Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith, and the Nuggets. On the other, you have Deron Williams, Andrei Kirilenko, Carlos Boozer, and the Jazz. The only advantage that I can pinpoint is the coaching. No disrespect to Adrian Dantley, who is a more-than-capable replacement for the recovering George Karl (Best wishes to Karl and his family, by the way), but Jerry Sloan is one of the all-time greats. Other than that, this series is a total toss-up. I'll go with Denver, simply because they have home court, something that is worth noting to due to Utah's proclivity to struggle away from Salt Lake City.

PREDICTION: Nuggets in 7

And before we leave, here is my quick take on the East side of things:

Cavs over Bulls in 4......Easy call.

Magic over Bobcats in 6......I'm excited for this series; Charlotte better than people realize.

Hawks over Bucks in 5......Bright lights too overwhelming for young Bucks.

Heat over Celtics in 6......Halftime is now called Nap Time for the Celtics.