By Nick Bond

The NBA Playoffs are a time when boys become men, men become Men, and the West beats the East.  Though highly unlikely, this could be the year when the balance of power shifts back to this side of the Mississippi, with KG and Ray Allen in Boston, LeBron in Cleveland, and Kobe possibly on his way to Chicago. None of this matters however, as the real NBA finals will take place in whichever round the San Antonio Spurs play the Phoenix Suns. The rivalry between the two Western Conference powerhouses has turned into a rivalry on the same level as that of the Patriots and Colts in the NFL, but whether or not this is the year that the Suns finally get over the hump that is San Antonio’s Big Three is a question that needs to be answered. Also, what will happen if the SA/PHX series decimates both teams, leaving even the victor a shell of itself former self? Does LeBron rise to the throne? Will the Beantown Trifecta be too much for the East to handle? Read on, curious reader, and all will be revealed.

Round 1
The Western Conference has been the dominant conference for a number of years, really since the second departure of Michael Jordan in 1998. The match-ups for this year’s playoffs in the West should test the resolve of all who are involved.

No. 1 San Antonio vs. No. 8 Sacramento
San Antonio’s Big Three will prove too strong for Sac-Town’s Medium Two to handle.
4-0 SA

No. 2 Dallas vs. No. 7 Golden State Warriors
Lightning will strike twice in the heart of Dallas as the Mavs will be unable to overcome B. Diddy and Company in consecutive postseasons.
4-3 GSW

No. 3 Phoenix vs. No. 6 Houston
There’s no way that Ming Yao will be able to play for more than 6.5 minutes a game against the best fastbreak team since the Showtime Lakers.
4-1 PHX

No. 4 Denver vs. No. 5 Utah
Utah’s inside-out combination is better suited for a playoff series than Denver’s slashing style. It should be a close series though, and will go the distance.
4-3 JAZZ

The Eastern conference, much like the National League and Conference in baseball and football respectively, has been playing the role of the JV league, winning two of the last nine, which includes the Miami Heat championship, which never really happened. With that said, Boston, Cleveland and Washington look good, and should be able to win at least one game in the finals this year.

No. 1 Cleveland vs. No. 8 Milwaukee
Wow, you almost feel bad for the Bucks, because the smart money is on the Bucks getting absolutely spanked if this series happens. As is often the case, the smart money is well, smart. If not for the fact that this is a seven-game series, this would not even make it to a fourth game.
4-0 CLE

No. 2 Chicago vs. No. 7 Miami
This Chicago team is going to be good, whether or not they get Kobe. A nice mix of youth and experience will serve them well in both the regular and post-seasons. Miami, on the other hand, is a not-so-nice mix of old and fat with D-Wade being the only true bright spot for a team that will squeak into the playoffs.
4-0 CHI

No. 3 Washington vs. No. 6 Orlando
The Washington Wizards were bounced early in last year’s playoffs because of an injury to their best player, Gilbert Arenas. That will not happen this year, as Hibachi and the rest of the solid Wizard team will show they mean business, rolling over a spry Orlando team in five.
4-1 WSH

No. 4 Boston vs. No. 5 Detroit
Boston’s three-man team is too good to be felled by this highly overrated Pistons team. The only reason this won’t be a sweep is because ‘Sheed will kill someone before he allows his team to be swept.
4-1 BOS

Round 2

Western Conference

No. 1 San Antonio vs. No. 5 Utah
Carlos Boozer is about two years away from belonging on the same floor as T-Dunc, and Williams is no Tony Parker. Although they should fare better against the Spurs this postseason, San Antonio is too good of a team for the Jazz to overcome.
SA 4-2

No. 3 Phoenix vs. No. 7 Golden State
Considering that the Dubs are the poor man’s Suns, there is no way that Phoenix doesn’t win this series handily. Although Davis may slow down Steve Nash, Amare and Marion will be too much for Biedrins and Harrington to deal with.
PHX 4-2

Eastern Conference

No. 1 Cleveland vs. No. 4 Boston
Is a team of 1 very good player, 2 pretty good players, and 6 scrubs coming off the bench better than a team of 1 unbelievably good player and 7 mediocre players? This series will answer that question, as KG, Pierce and Ray-Ray will challenge LeBron in a battle of attrition. Although all three Celtics will perform very well, LeBron and his team of actual NBA-quality players will triumph, proving once again that you cannot win a championship with two to three good players and nothing else.
4-3 CLE

No. 2 Chicago vs. No. 3 Washington
“Hibachi” will be the buzzword of the playoffs. The man to which it refers, Gilbert Arenas, will be the breakout star as he leads his team, the Wizards, to the Eastern conference finals. He will do so by eliminating a Bulls team that has no one to keep up with the high-scoring Wizards, unless of course, they get Kobe, but this prediction is predicated on the notion that they will not. 4-2 WSH

Conference Finals

Western Conference

No. 1 San Antonio vs. No. 3 Phoenix
Despite the highly likely situation that this series will receive almost unprecedented hype, the war between two former two-time MVPs leading the best two teams in the league into war should actually live up the expectations. A seven-game series is very probable, and at least one broken nose or bench-clearing brawl will also happen. The Suns must pray that they are finally mature enough to reached the promised land, but the Spurs already have history and quality on their side, so it will probably be San Antonio’s favorite basketball team once again making it through to the NBA Finals.
SA 4-3

Eastern Conference
No. 1 Cleveland vs. No. 3 Washington
Although the Wizards will go into this series as tremendous underdogs, there is perhaps no better player in the league at overachieving than Agent Zero, and it will be in this series that he finally reaches the level of International Superstar, as he leads the Wiz to a surprising Eastern Conference Finals victory.
WSH 4-2

The 2008 NBA Finals

Western Conference Champion San Antonio Spurs vs. Eastern Conference Champion Washington Wizards

Although Gilbert will lead his team to the a surprising Finals berth, he, along with Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler, will be crushed by what will be a scorching-hot Spurs team coming off a hard-fought victory against the Suns. Much like the 76ers in 2001 NBA Finals, the Wizards will win the first game against a lackadaisical Spurs team, who will then become aware that they now actually have professional basketball teams in the Eastern conference, and blow them off the court in the next four games. Tim Duncan will win the Finals MVP, further solidifying his already unequivocal position  as the greatest power forward in the history of basketball.