2008 NBA PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS TAKE 3

 

OK, well I've tried this twice before, once before the first round, once before the conference semis. And so it comes down to this. The best teams in the East and the best teams in the West facing each other. Let's rumble

EAST

Celtics vs Pistons: The Celtics haven't gotten this far since '02. Paul Pierce is still around from that team but with Kevin Garnett now alongside him, he'll be feeling more confident of going one step further n this occasion. For the Pistons this is very familiar territory. The Celtics haven't gotten this far in six years, the Pistons are here for the sixth year in a row! It's also a rematch of the 1988 Eastern Conference finals and if you read Larry Bird for Kevin Garnett and the original Bad Boys for the current brand of "Deeetroit basketballlll", the omens aren't good if green is your colour.

This Celtics side is an interesting one though, awesome in the regular season, they've made the conference finals the hard way. When they scrapped by the Hawks, I didn't expect them to get past the Cavs. Well they got past the Cavs but again by the skin of their teeth. The Pistons made heavier than expected weather of the Sixers but cruised past the Magic. Can they shut down the Celtics? Well the Celts are invincible at home in the playoffs this season but can't buy a win on the road and the Pistons aren't going to do them any favours here. Pistons in 6.

WEST

Lakers vs Spurs: Well the Lakers did make the Conference Finals back in '04 though that was a very different Lakers side that was destroyed when Shaq got traded to the Heat. The Spurs have a more well oiled unit, this is their second trip to the Conference Finals in a row and you don't argue with three titles in five years. Phil Jackson's ability to win titles doesn't need any further investigation but his latest Lakers side are still facing their toughest test yet, how far will this ressurection go?

Answer is, it could go a very long way! Kobe + Gasol + Odom looks suspiciously like it = Duncan + Parker + Ginobli. Add that Duncan hasn't been on best form recently. Then let's look at how they got hear, the Lakers are the only side in the 2008 playoffs to have pulled off a sweep. The Spurs barely got out of New Orleans alive! If both playing units are equal in terms of class then the Lakers have a definate edge in two areas. Home court advantage and hunger. The Spurs won't make it easy, I'm going Lakers in seven though.

So if that's how it went down, what then?

NBA FINALS

Lakers vs Pistons: Well the Lakers ressurection would seemingly be complete. Not only would they have retraced their '04 steps but looks who'd be here to face them, their nemisis from '04(as well as previous eras). The Pistons went on to win that title and held on to it till Game 7 of the '05 Finals before finally succumbing to the Spurs. They haven't made it back to the Finals since then though so both sides will be hungry to an extent for this clash of basketball styles.

The Lakers would have home court advantage. Which is a good thing, not that it helped much in '04! In terms of their routes to the Finals well maybe the Pistons would have the edge here. However this Lakers team is on the rise, in some ways comparable to the Spurs side that saw off the Pistons in '05. Kobe for one is a veteran of the '04 series. He'd be looking for payback after that embarrassment. With this matchup in the Finals Phil Jackson would do it again. In 6.

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