NBA Conference Finals Preview

Two dominant performances and two game sevens later round two of the NBA playoffs is in the books. LeBron and Co. continued their romp on the their helpless opposition. The Nuggets showed they were real title contenders with an impressive performance over the Mavs. The Lakers struggles against the Yaoless Rockets and the C's finally bowed out after Stan Van Gundy almost gave them the series. Can the Nuggets continue their great play against the Lakers, who suddenly don't look invincible. The Cavs should handle the Magic, but can they complete yet another sweep? All I know is that this is the NBA Playoffs: Where Amazing Happens.

Western Conference Finals

Lakers vs. Nuggets

Point Guard: Derek Fisher vs. Chauncey Billips- I think most sane people who know anything about basketball would agree that the Nuggets have a HUGE advantage here. Billups is the best point guard left in the playoffs, that is a good sign for the Nuggets, although the Cavs have the other decent point guard. It will be interesting to see if Fisher guards Billups a little bit better since he is not lightning quick like Williams and Brooks. This is the series where the Lakers point guard issues will really hurt them. Chauncey is going to have a big series; these are the situations where he thrives. If Chauncey is hitting the threes I don't see how the Lakers will win this series. EDGE: Nuggets

Shooting Guard: Kobe Bryant vs. Dahntay Jones- This is again a complete mismatch. Offensively and defensively Bryant is much better that Jones, but Jones isn't expected to be a scorer so he can put all of his focus into stopping number 24. However, the Nuggets are going to play J.R. Smith a lot for offensive purposes; this is when Kobe is going to score his points. I fully expect Kobe to come up huge in this series. He has been good so far in the playoffs, but has not been great. Kobe better take it to that extra level against this super- confident Nuggets or the Lakers are in for an unpleasant surprise. EDGE: Lakers

Small Forward: Trevor Ariza vs. Carmelo Anthony- Lakers fans, I hope you have realized by now that Ariza will never be a great player; Nuggets fans on the other hand should be beaming on what Melo has done so far.  Very quietly Anthony had a giant series against the Mavs with 30 points per contest. Also, he hit probably the most under-appreciated game winner of the playoffs because it was overshadowed by controversy, but he hit a game winning three with one second left none the less. Ariza has disappeared in the Lakers losses this postseason. They need him to be consistent on both ends for them to cool off this Nuggets team. Especially going against a great scorer like Carmelo. EDGE: Nuggets

Power Forward: Pau Gasol vs. Kenyon Martin: Gasol has been very consistent for the Lakers and needs to continue his steady play in this series. Gasol has been criticized as soft and it will be interesting how he plays against a brawler like Martin. You know Martin is going to try to mess with him, but Gasol is mentally tough. He may not be the leader of this Lakers team but he's definitely been a leader before so he has that mental strength some do not have. Martin on the other hand has not been as consistent and has disappeared in the Nuggets two losses. If the Nuggets are to beat the Lakers in a seven game series they need him to play like he has in Denver's wins. Could he be the key for a victory against the L.A.? EDGE: Lakers

Center: Andrew Bynum vs. Nene Hilario- Bynum has largely been a non- factor in the playoffs for the Lakers. On the other hand, if Bynum comes to play this series he could be the deciding factor. He isn't getting major minutes though and doesn't match up with Nene very well anyways. The Nuggets should bruise up the Lakers in the post. Physical play is not the strong suit of this Lakers team. If Nene can play like he played in games 1 and 2 of the Mavs series then it gives the Nuggets a big advantage down low. EDGE: Nuggets

Bench: The Lakers definitely have the best player one either bench. Lamar Odom is their third best player and is a bench player in name only. He is injured however. Will he be able to play major minutes and still be effective? It is going to be really hard on his body. Besides Odom the Lakers don't have a whole lot coming off the bench. Guys like Farmar and Vujacic can be effective but they will not likely chancge the series. Denver's bench has that ability. J.R. Smith is one of the most dangerous three point shooters in the entire NBA and if he gets hot, look out. Chris "The Birdman" Anderson is one of the best role players on the league. He is a master shot blocker and never runs out of energy.  Linas Kleiza has ability too, but he has yet to find his groove. Smith and Anderson will need to play well for the Nuggets to advance.

Prediction: I have underestimated this Nuggets team for long enough. I've picked against them in both rounds so I think its time to jump on the bandwagon. I really thing the Nuggets should be favored in this series. They have been the best team in the West by any standard so far. The Jazz and Rockets both put up better fights than expected and this gritty Nuggets team is going to put the Lakers in their place. Nuggets in 6

Game by Game:

Game 1: Nuggets by 12

Game 2: Nuggets by 1

Game 3: Lakers by 5

Game 4: Nuggets by 4

Game 5: Lakers by 17

Game 6: Nuggets by 2

Eastern Conference Finals

Cavaliers vs. Magic

Point Guard: Mo Williams vs. Rafer Alston- Williams has been very good for the Cavs this whole year and has finally given LeBron the number two guy he needs to win a title. He is no Scottie Pippen by any stretch, but he is a valuable scorer who can take some of the burden of of King James. Alston on the other hand has not been asked to score for the Magic. Orlando wants him to be a good leader of their offensive and score if he he gets some open looks. They don't expect him to do the same same things Jameer did and Rafer knows his role isn't to be the second best guy on the court.  However, this is where having Alston instead of Nelson will hurt the Magic. Add Jameer to this Magic team and maybe (thats a big maybe) they could knock off the Cavs.  EDGE: Cavs

Shooting Guard: Delonte West vs. J.J. Redick- West has been dynamite for the Cavs so far in the playoffs. HE has performed better than expected and is one of the main reasons (besides the obvious) that they are blowing away opponents. When you get 17 or 18 points from a guy like West that really improves your chances over seven games and over the entire playoffs.  Redick has not been a factor for the Magic at all so far. He has had a few nice games but hasn't come up big in most of them. Basically if his three shot isn't falling, he will not be a factor. 

EDGE: Cavs

Small Forward: LeBron James vs. Hedo Turkoglu- Does anybody think Turkoglu will stand any chance against the King? LeBron is in full out beast mode right now. Nobody wants to be the unfortunate soul going against him. Turkoglu stands no chance, he's a soft perimeter player. James is going to annihilate him. EDGE: Cavs

Power Forward: Anderson Varejao vs. Rashard Lewis- Varejao might be the second most important guy on this Cavs team. He isn't asked to score 20 points per game, and doesn't. He is asked to go out and play solid defense and bang the boards and he is one of the most effective players in the league at it. He knows his role and does his job well. That said, he struggled a little bit on Josh Smith, who plays on the perimeter like Lewis. Lewis loves the three ball and he shoots it well. If he makes half of his threes in this series the Magic will be moving in the right direction. EDGE: Magic

Center: Zydrunas Ilgauskas vs. Dwight Howard- Ilgauskas has been a fixture in Cleveland for a while and continues his strong play each season. He is as consistent as they come and can post up and hit the 15 footer. If he looks on the other side of the court he will see arguably the best center in the league. Howard has been stellar so far, but he really need to work on his shooting this offseason. If he learns how to be great on offense, he will be unstoppable.  Howard has a few big games in him if the series goes seven, but if the Cavs win the first two Howard might not be able to muster up mental strength to outdo Lebron. EDGE: Magic

Bench: The Cavs boast the deepest bench in the postseason. Nobody off that bench will kill you, but Smith, Wallace, Szczerbiak, and Gibson can all do some damage though. They allow LeBron and the rest of the starters to take some time off. The Magic don't have a great bench but do have Lee and Pietrus who can roll off some points. Their bench will not decide the series.

Predictions: The Cavs have dominated all season long and I do not see that changing. I don't see LeBron being stopped by anybody this year;who in the world will be able to stop him in three years? The Magic should have polished off the C's before they did and stand no chance against the power of LeBron. Cavs in 4

Game 1: Cavs by 20

Game 2:  Cavs by 6

Game 3: Cavs by 1

Game 4: Cavs by 14

Looking ahead: If the Cavs and Nuggets do hook up I like the Cavs in 5.

Cardiac Canes at it again

These NHL playoffs have been pure amazing this year. This round has had its share of moments with the Blackhawks revival in Chicago, the feisty Ducks giving Detroit all that they could handle, the epic Crosby (and Malkin) vs. Ovechkin matchup, and the Hurricanes continuing their underdog run. While Ovechkin and Crosby got most of the face time in round two a great series was going on in Boston and Raleigh.

 Both teams seemed like they had gained advantages in the series and both lost them. First it was Boston, who dominated the Canes in game 1 , looked like they would cruise through this series just like they cruised through the regular season. However, Cam Ward and the Canes shutout the Bruins in Game 2 and won both games in Raleigh and seemed like they would roll in to Boston and take the series. Game 5 saw the Bruins do what they did all year long and they dominated the Hurricanes. Also, Game 5 brought Scott Walker's sucker punch to Aaron Ward , providing hatred of Walker in all of of Boston. The series turned in Boston's favor with  a spectacular Game 6 by Tim Thomas on Carolina's home ice. The Bruins were now in the driver's seat as the series headed back to Beantown for Game 7. Unlike the Washington-Pittsburgh series the Bruins- Hurricanes game was a thriller; and guess who came up with the game winner in overtime- none other than the hated Scott Walker. Man, if I was him I'd skip celebrating and get the heck out of there. He was already hated enough before he eliminated the best Bruins team in a long time. Cam Ward improved to 4-0 in playoff game 7's and 6-0 in playoff series. Hopefully the Canes will continue their spectacular hockey against Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference Finals. 

The Carolina Hurricanes have a knack for making a good a hockey game. In these playoffs they've played to seven games series, both games won on the road. Against the Devils they scored twice in the final one and a half minutes of regulation to shock Marty Brodeur and Co. In that same series, perhaps the most spectacular ending I've ever seen took place as Jussi Jokinen scored with 0.2 seconds left. That just doesn't happen in hockey, especially not against a living legend like Brodeur. Then there's game 7 up in Boston and of coarse it goes into overtime. How funny it was that Scott Walker landed the final blow to the Bruins (by the way, Aaron Ward is the man he was on the Cup winning Canes team and showed the same kind of toughness he did in this series).

It brings back memories for any Hurricanes fan. How could we forget the Eric Staal's goal with three seconds left against that same legendary goaltender in 2006 when Jussi Jokinen lit the lamp as time expired? (Maybe Brodeur's legacy shoud be questioned a bit, the Canes in two playoff series scored goals with 0.2 and 3 seconds left and 2 goals in the final 1 and a half minutes. A great goaltender doesn't allow those things to happen.) How could we forget Eric Staal and Cory Stillman's overtime heroics when Scottie Walker scored in OT? The Canes are at it again, playing the most exciting hockey in the playoffs. There is no doubt they will show some of their magic against the Pens too.

As for my prediction, I think this series will be very entertaining. Eric Staal will face is little brother Jordan, Cam Ward faces another young goalie in Fluery, and maybe Scott Walker can do something to make the Penguins hate him (How 'bout punching Crosby?). In the end,  I think the Canes will end up victorious. In seven games yet again. The Hurricanes have proved playing in hostile environments has not been a problem so far so I don't think they will have a problem in the Igloo either. Staal starts to play like a star again after not playing as well at the end of the Boston series. Hopefully Crosby and Malkin will put up some spectacular goals as well. 

Nothing is more exciting than playoff hockey. Both of these teams are very exciting and have dynamite scorers. Will the underdog take down yet another giant or will Sid the Kid be triumphant and take his quest for the Cup one step further? Either way, this series should get some major attention.

Give Him a Break: Why Greg Oden was doomed to be called a bust and why he will be good in the future.

Nowadays, when you hear the name of Greg Oden the words bust and Sam Bowie often come up. Yes, Sam Bowie is a word, not a name.  This just simply should not be. I am not saying his NBA career has not been a disappointment so far, because it has been. Especially as a Blazers fan, it was very hard to see Kevin Durant tearing it up while Oden was sitting on the bench his whole first year recovering from  the dreaded microfracture surgery. He has been injured a lot and that is not promising. However, when Oden plays he has been pretty effective, not extremely effective, but fairly effective. He has many things to work on, but if he gets those things down, Oden can yet be a star.

Rewind to June 28th, 2007. The Portland Trailblazers are sitting on the number one pick in the draft. There are two candidates for the top spot- Greg Oden and Kevin Durant. Many people don't seem to remember that Greg Oden was WIDELY thought to be the best choice for Portland. He was the best high schooler since LeBron James, winning back to back  national high school POY's. Then at Ohio State, after playing much of the season without a right arm (dominant hand, in a cast) he led the Buckeyes to the National Championship game against Florida, which the did lose. Oden did not disappoint though, dominating number 3 pick Al Horford and putting up 25 points, 12 boards, and swatting 4 shots. Not too shabby. This basically cemented Oden in that top spot in the draft. There was nothing to indicate that his knee was messed up at all. Oden was now being hyped as the next great NBA big man, with the likes of Bill Russell and Tim Duncan. Expectations be as good as those guys were completely unfair to Greg, I mean maybe five to ten other guys in NBA history measure up to Russell and Duncan. Kevin Durant meanwhile was sitting pretty, he didn't have the pressure to live up to enormous expectations that Oden had. He was going to a horrible Sonics team, while Oden was going to a Blazers team with lots of young talent which much was expected out of. Things were out of hand far before Oden slipped that Blazers jersey over his designer suit on draft day.

Once Oden is drafted by Portland, immediately the Blazers fans begin to talk dynasty. With Oden, budding superstar Brandon Roy, and emerging force Lamarcus Aldridge the Blazer "big three" would certainly rack up the championships in spectacular fashion. Even Oden himself said he could picture winning a half-dozen titles in Portland. He had a great personality; nobody could dislike the guy. He was a goofy, down to earth 20 year old kid who had the same interests as many other 20 year olds. The fans loved him, the media loved him, everybody LOVED him. Again, just setting the table for getting ripped mercilessly on what would transpire just weeks later.

Microfracture surgery. The term is associated with players like Penny Hardaway, Chris Webber, and Allen Houston, who were never the same after having the dreaded surgery. Now, the "next great center" was going under the knife for the exact same surgery. The barrage had begun. Now many of the same people who had been saying Oden was the next big thing were now saying he was injury prone and saying Durant was should have been the first choice instead. The Blazers would have picked Durant first if they had known he would miss his entire first season, but there was no way of knowing that. The Blazers were on their way to building a winning machine and the dominant center was the key piece missing. But the Blazers who lucked out by getting the number one pick, had their fortunes turned for the worse as Oden has been defined by his injuries so far in his very short NBA career. 

Oden entered the 2008-2009 out of shape. He had added a lot of muscle, yes, but also alot of extra fat as well. He could not work out very well after the surgery and he was busting his tail everyday to get back to full health before the season. It was painfully and immediately  obvious that Oden was not 100% when he went down just minutes into his first NBA game. Although it was unrelated to his knee (it was his foot), Oden was still overweight and hadn't played a real game of basketball (besides preseason) for over a year. Somebody can train all they want, but until they get out there they're not going to know how their body will feel. Oden hadn't experienced this before, when he missed the start of the season at Ohio State, he had an arm injury. So he could still work out and get all of his body in basketball shape. With the knee, he had to concentrate on the knee so much and never take it too hard so he was not in full basketball shape. Really, I don't think Oden was in basketball shape all year. Maybe right before the knee collision with Corey Maggette he was at his best shape and was playing well too, but he got injured again and was stripped of his health. This is a very large reason for Oden's poor performance this year. Most rookies come in fresh because of the long break between the end of the college season and the draft. Oden had a long break, but had a year of painstaking recovery from surgery instead of working out at full strength everyday. Once Oden gets in shape, which he will this offseason, he will have one of the biggest physical advantages in the game and will start to show why he was the number one pick.

Imagine being a professional athlete and not playing your sport for a entire year and being expected to go and dominate at a level that you have never played. This is what was asked of one Gregory Oden. Not even Michael Jordan, in his physical prime, came back at his full level after being out of basketball for one and a half years. He did not have the same success that one year as he did with the championship years that surrounded it. That said, could Greg Oden possibly play his best in his first NBA season after not playing a basketball game for over a year? That is pretty insane. If MJ couldn't do it in his prime, how is Oden supposed to do it after surgery? This explains how Oden has been a fouling machine so far. He's always been THE man wherever he's played. He has always gotten many of the calls he is getting called against him now. Oden just hasn't found the right balance on being physical and fouling at this point. Oden is smart dude and I'm sure he will be studying to see what he was doing wrong this year as far as fouling. I think the foul numbers will go down considerably and he will start getting major minutes, putting up pretty good stats in those minutes.

Because of fouls and injury precaution this season Oden only played just over 20 minutes per game this season. He averaged about 9 points and 7 rebounds. However, in his per 36 minute totals he averaged about 15 points and 12 rebounds. So if Greg didn't get so many fouls and was on the court for that long you're talking about one of the top 10 centers in basketball. Lakers fans might find it surprising that Oden's per minute stats are much better than their young, injury-prone center Andrew Bynum, especially in rebounding.  Oden's per minute numbers were actually better than fellow number one pick Dwight Howard's rookie stats.  So now say Oden fixes his fouling problem, which I believe he will, and gets in shape. He would probably be on the court 30-35 minutes per game. So that 15-12 line is a very reasonable expectation for next season.

Mr. Greg Oden has been unfairly scrutinized over the past two years. Next year is the year he proves all the haters wrong. You can bet Oden is going to work himself hard this offseason and improve on a self- admitted bad season. I think Oden will be one of the biggest stories next season. Sure KD will probably put up 27-28 points but I really think a 20-14 season is not out of the question next year if the Blazers start running plays for Oden. A lot of Oden's points came off putbacks this season. In all seriousness I think Oden will put up a similar statline next year: 16-17 points, 12-13 rebounds, and 2-2.5 blocks. Greg Oden will not be a bust come next season, he will be a beast!

NBA Playoffs- Round 2 preview: Western Conference

Round one is now in the books. It has given us one of the best playoffs series, perhaps ever and one of the largest blowouts in playoff history.  There were many great story lines in round one. The Lakers dominated as expected. The Mavericks proved that they were not done quite yet, while the Spurs look like their run is finished. The Blazers proved that experienced is necessary in the playoffs. The Hornets are in shambles. Chauncey and 'Melo looked as good as any tandem in the league. And those are just in the Western conference. 

In the East, LeBron's Cavs dominated the downward spiraling Pistons. Dwyane Wade can't win by himself. When the Hawks are playing well, you better watch out. Orlando is good even without Dwight Howard. The Sixers can't play under pressure. Of coarse Boston and Chicago put on one of the greatest performances of all-time. Derrick Rose looked like a bona fide superstar. Ben Gordon has ice water in his veins. As does Ray Allen. Rajon Rondo?Whew! He played one of the greatest series I've ever seen, almost averaging a triple double.

While the first round of these playoffs has been amazing as a basketball fan I can only hope that the second round will match the greatness of the first round.  My Blazers are finished so my rooting interests are gone, except for my hatred against the Kobes. What will this next round bring? LeBron looks super hungry and they are looking very, very good right now. I would be shocked if anybody beats them four times out of seven games.

The Matchups

Western Conference

Houston @ Los Angeles

Point Guard: Aaron Brooks vs. Derek Fisher- Aaron Brooks really impressed me with his first round performance. Remember, this was against Steve Blake most of the time. Derek Fisher isn't exactly a great defender though. In fact he might not even be as good as Blake. Brooks did fade down the stretch of this series which worries me. Fisher has a major experience advantage and maybe can get into Brooks head a little bit. Will Brooks athleticism or Fishers experience weigh out. Edge: PUSH

Shooting Guard: Ron Artest vs. Kobe Bryant- We all know how Kobe is the best or second best player in the league (he IS the second best, by the way) . We also all know that Ron Artest is one of the best defenders in the league (and the guy who went into the stands). In the regular season Artest was talkin' some trash to Kobe and Kobe torched him. So Ron Ron's comments about how Brandon Roy is better than Kobe aren't exactly the wisest. Kobe didn't really bring out his full game in round one because he is saving his strength for the rest of the playoffs. He wasn't dominating games like usual. Expect him start putting up 30 or 40 point totals now. I really don't think Ron can hang with the Mamba. Edge: LAKERS

Small Forward: Shane Battier vs. Trevor Ariza- Both of these guys are very underrated.  Battier is one of the best defensive players in the game and just a class act all around. Ariza is explosive and very athletic and could pose some problems with less athletic Battier. Battier has the experience factor here and is a great leader on the floor. This matchup is very underrated and could decide the series. Edge: ROCKETS

Power Forward: Lamar Odom vs. Luis Scola- The more and more I see of Scola the more I think he can be a top forward in the NBA. He's very gritty, makes all of his open shots, and comes through when his team needs him. When I saw him dominate the Olympics this summer I didn't understand why more people weren't talking about him. I still don't see why many articles have not been written about him. He is the most important player to the Rockets hopes of winning this series. If he plays as well as he did against Portland this series will be a very good one. Lamar Odom is one of those underrated players too. He does so may things for the Lakers. Goes inside, steps outsides, bangs the boards- he is the Lakers Scola. This matchup is intriguing because Lamar is a better defender than Aldridge, who Scola faced in the previous round. These guys will have some very tough battles throughout this series. Edge: ROCKETS

Center: Pau Gasol vs. Yao Ming- I am not a fan of Yao at all. For his size and skill he should be putting up much better numbers than he is. The dude is 7'5"! How can he not be averaging 25-12? Just give hime the ball and tell him to go up strong, either he will get fouled or get a ten foot shot off, and he's a great foul shooter ( well all he has to do is reach his arm out over the basket). On the other I am a "fan" of Pau. I hate him, but he is a very good player. He will do whatever Phil Jackson needs him to do. He's one of the best big men in the league but doesn't get much recognition because he plays second fiddle to Kobe. He got more publicity in Memphis for goodness sake! Edge: LAKERS

Bench:  The Rockets have a lot of athleticism coming off there bench with explosive players such as Von Wafer, Kyle Lowry, and reverse Plaxico- Carl Landry. The Lakers don't have as much athleticism coming off the bench, but they have very talented young big man Andrew Bynum coming off of it. Bynum is seen as the future of the Lakers. I don't see it. Without Kobe and Pau teams will actually make it a priority to guard Bynum. He seems like the beneficiary of a great supporting cast to me. The rest of Lakers bench is fairly mediocre but the Rockets loss of Mutombo hurts the overall production of their bench. Edge: LAKERS

Prediction: The Lakers have been the favorite in the West all year long and this series is no different. They worry me with losing big leads but I don't think Houston is a great with coming back because of their inability to shoot the three. That said Houston handled Portland pretty handily, a team L.A. really struggled with in the regular season. I think if Aaron Brooks played like he did the first two games of the Rockets- Blazers series the Rockets have a good chance in this one. 

Game 1- Lakers by 10

Game 2- Lakers by 6

Game 3- Rockets by 2

Game 4- Rockets by 12

Game 5- Lakers by 22

Game 6- Lakers by 4

Lakers in 6

Dallas @ Denver

Point Guard: Jason Kidd vs. Chauncey Billups- Kidd is no kid anymore and the great point guard is still looking for that ever elusive championship. He played well in the first round against the Spurs on offense, defensively Tony Parker absolutely destroyed him, but Chauncey is very different from Parker. Although Billups burned CP3 in round one, Kidd is more of a bigger, physical defender opposed to the small, quick Paul. Could this spell trouble for Chauncey or just more trouble for the J-Kidd and the Mavs? Edge: NUGGETS

Shooting Guard: Antoine Wright vs. Dahntay Jones- Wright isn't too big of a part of Dallas's game plan. Sure he starts, but he probably won't have single game this series playing more than 20 minutes. Jones on the other hand is a key role player in the Nuggets game plan. They don't expect a whole lot out of him but too just be steady freddy or steady dahntay. Terry and Smith will both get more minuted for each team in the end. Edge: NUGGETS

Small Forward: Josh Howard vs. Carmelo Anthony- I've never been a big ' Melo fan, but I've got to give him some props. Since he arrived the team has gone from perennial cellar dweller to playoff contender. I know he is not the only reason or even the main reason for their emergence but he has been the constant factor and he is one of the best pure scorers on the NBA today. Howard on the other hand is  a very good player in his own right. He does a little bit of everything and really provides matchup problems with his length.  He has been playing great and so has Carmelo so expect these two to have some good battles. Edge: NUGGETS

Power Forward: Dirk Nowitzki vs. Kenyon Martin-  Dirk has looked back to being his normal self. He quietly had a very good season. Maybe there was no buzz because his team wasn't doing as well, but none the less here they are bidding for a birth in the conference finals yet again. Kenyon Martin is no stranger to the post season either. He's been to two NBA finals with the Nets, losing both. He hasn't been the same since coming to Denver but has looked like the old K- Mart in spurts and maybe he can pull some of that old New Jersey magic back from six or seven years ago. Edge: MAVS

Center: Erick Dampier vs. Nene Hilario- Since when has Nene had a last name. This will be my only mention of his last name ever because the whole one name thing is really hard to pull off and Nene really works. I mean it looks cool, sounds cool, why would you want two names. Especially for signing autographs; it has to be much easier to sign a four letter first name. Doesn't make sense. Nuggets also get the best name draft award by drafting Nene and Nikolaz Tsiktishvili in the '02 draft. Both had been bust pretty much until this year when Nene really broke out. He has had a very good year, and in my opinion should recieve more consideration for most improved player of the year award. Dampier has never impresses me. He's slow, not particularly good on either end, and is grossly over-payed. Not a good combination. Edge: NUGGETS

Bench: These two bench feature the two best sixth men, as voted, in the league in J.R. Smith and Jason Terry. Terry won the "coveted" sixth man over Smith so look for Smith to look like he has something to prove. Seriously, I think these two will be the keys of the series. Denver tends to do well when Smith plays well. He tends to take a lot of bad shots though. Terry is probably the second scoring option late in the game for Dallas because of his experience and shooting ability. Jose Juan Berea has become a sensation as of late for his streaky clutch shooting (Spain's chief export). If he is on this series, Denver might have a problem. The Nuggets also have the gritty and flashy Chris Anderson AKA the "Birdman."He is great down on the defensive end, a master of swatting shots away, while also being able to finish what he started down on the offensive end. Edge: PUSH

Game 1: Nuggets by 8

Game 2: Mavs by 1

Game 3: Mavs by 9

Game 4: Nuggets by 7

Game 5: Nuggets by 12

Game 6: Mavs by 2

Game 7: Mavs by 3

Mavs in 7

A look ahead: Yeah so my predictions for round one were way off in the West (1-3). I didn't realize New Orleans was such a wreck. I did go 4-0 in the East though, I even had three of the games totals right. Anyway if my two perdictions in the West pan out the Lakers will beat the Mavs in 6 games.

Peace out!