Much like we did with the NHL Playoffs, we are going to run a prediction contest with the NBA postseason. The rules are simple, pick the winner of each series in the first round and how many games the series will go. You'll get 5 points for each correct series winner and a bonus 5 points for every series in which you correctly pick the number of games. Email either myself or Devin your picks by 12 Noon, tomorrow (Saturday), or you can leave your picks in the comment box below this article. We will keep tabs on the results as each round passes, and the person with the most points at the end of the playoffs is our winner. Devin was unable to make his picks yesterday, so if he gets a chance to do so today, we will post those as well.

Eastern Conference:

1. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 8. Detroit Pistons

Cleveland has been the best team in the NBA all year and are almost unstoppable at home, an advantage which they will hold for the duration of their run through the playoffs. LeBron is obviously the main reason for this (see, I told you he was the best player in the NBA!), but he has gotten some help this year. When the Cavs brought in Mo Williams before the season, I stated that I didn't think he was going to make much of a difference and push the Cavs over the hump, but I was quite wrong about that. Williams has eased some of the scoring pressure from James and has proven himself capable of running the offense as well. Detroit on the other hand is merely a shell of their former selves at this point. The Iverson move blew up in their face, much as I expected it to, and the rest of the core from the dominant Pistons team of the last several years has simply gotten too old. They rely on younger role players much more now and they just aren't capable
of making the Pistons an elite team at this point. To put this simply, Detroit just doesn't have what it takes to hang with Cleveland at all right now, and this one isn't going to last long.

Cleveland in 5 games

2. Boston Celtics vs. 7. Chicago Bulls

Boston is not as good as last year's team, which seemed destined to win the title from the outset. The injury to Garnett has certainly slowed them down and it's unclear if he will be able to play at 100% in the postseason now. (edit: After originally writing this article on Thursday morning, it's not become known that Garnett could very well be out for the entire post season) Paul Pierce has stepped up his game and Rajon Rando has proven himself as the point guard of this team, and while they may not be as good as last year, they are still one of the best 3 teams in the league without much doubt. The Bulls could have avoided this matchup by simply winning their last regular season game, but they couldn't manage it. Derrick Rose has played very solidly at the point for a rookie, but I would only put him about even with Rando. After that, it's no contest, the Bulls don't have the fire power to keep up with the Celtics and will have no answer for the combination of Pierce and Allen.

Boston in 5 games

3. Orlando Magic vs. 6. Philadelphia 76ers

Orlando looked like they would keep pace with Boston and even Cleveland to some extent for most of the year, but faltered down the stretch a bit. Dwight Howard is a beast and a walking double double, but his scoring just doesn't show up the way it could on some nights. Rafer Alston has been a good fit since coming over from Houston to fill in for injured point guard Jameer Nelson, and the Magic are a good 3 point shooting team lead by Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu. Turkoglu has an ankle injury that's been hampering him however, and that could be an issue as we head into the playoffs. As for Philly, the Elton Brand experiment didn't exactly go as planned, but they lucked out at the end and despite losing 6 games in a row, they beat a Cleveland team resting all it's main guys in their last game and got the 6 seed over Chicago, and Orlando is a much better matchup for them than Boston would have been. Andre Iguodala is the leading force for this team and will probably have a good series, going up against a combination of Courtney Lee and Mickael Pietrus. The Sixers will test an Orlando team that looked shaky late in the year, but I think the Magic can pull out this series.

Orlando in 6 games

4. Atlanta Hawks vs. 5. Miami Heat

Atlanta has been a bit of a surprise, getting better and better the past 2 years, en route to finishing 12 games over .500 this season and coasting to the 4th spot in the East. They are a very long and athletic team with guys like Joe Johnson, Al Horford, and Josh Smith. Mike Bibby brings the veteran experience and leadership at the point guard spot and will be a great thing for them to have in the postseason. As for Miami, what a difference a year makes. Dwyane Wade is back to his usual self again and has made himself a serious contender for MVP with an outstanding season that saw him lead the NBA in scoring with just over 30ppg. Jermaine O'Neal and Udonis Haslem bring additional leadership and experience to the team, while youngsters Mario Chalmers and Michael Beasley hope to add enough spark to advance the Heat. From my point of view, Miami is not the team I'd want to be playing in the first round with Wade being out of his mind right now. He can and will single handedly advance this team to the next round.

Miami in 7 games

Western Conference:

1. LA Lakers vs. 8. Utah Jazz

The Lakers battled with Cleveland throughout the late part of the season for the top team in the league and came up just short. They also did this without Andrew Bynum who is now back in the mix just in time for the playoffs. Kobe Bryant obviously leads this team, and while he may end up taking a back seat to James and Wade for MVP talks, he still had a hell of a season. Add in Pau Gasol who has been nothing but solid in his time in LA and Derek Fisher who has been there, done that more times than I can count, and the Lakers are the clear cut best team in the West. Utah finished 14 games over .500 and it was only good enough to grab the 8 seed and this unlucky matchup. Much has been made about how good Utah is at home, but they aren't going to get the home court advantage at all, so it doesn't much matter. Deron Williams is an outstanding player and Mehmet Okur and Carlos Boozer can contest Bynum and Gasol up front, but that still leaves that Bryant guy. Nobody is stopping him. Utah makes it interesting, but they don't have enough.

Los Angeles in 6 games

2. Denver Nuggets vs. 7. New Orleans Hornets

While Denver had a nice season, they still ended up in 2nd by 11 games to the Lakers. As badly as the Iverson trade went for Detroit, the Nuggets have been loving every minute of it as Chauncey Billups has been exactly the force they needed. This team lacked defense in years past, but the same can not be said this year as they are amongst the league leaders in both steals and blocked shots. Carmelo Anthony leads the team in scoring, but they get contributions from just about everybody in one way or another. New Orleans fell off a bit this year from last, and injuries to starting center Tyson Chandler have been a concern, but everybody is aware of the skills that Chris Paul possesses, and even though Billups is a very good defender, he's going to have his hands full in this series. The Hornets are going to need to get some scoring out of their forwards, David West and Peja Stojakovic if they want to have a chance in this one. I think Paul, much like D. Wade can propel his team to victory in this one and I'm predicting the upset with a big Denver collapse.

New Orleans in 7 games

3. San Antonio Spurs vs. 6. Dallas Mavericks

Year after year in San Antonio seems to be pretty much the same, the Big 3 (Duncan, Parker, Ginobli) take turns being injured and the Spurs play well enough to get by, then all 3 come back healthy and they prove to be one of the toughest teams in the West. Well, the problem this year is that Ginobli is done and won't be available for the playoffs, which is a huge blow to this team. Duncan and Parker are going to have to make up the difference and Tim is certainly not getting any younger at this point. Dallas has adjusted it's style of play from a few years ago and are no longer completely about running up and down the court nonstop. Now with Jason Kidd at the helm and Dirk Nowitzki leading the way in scoring, the Mavericks have a more controlled offense and are perhaps better suited to last longer in the postseason. If we consider the Kidd/Nowitzki vs. Parker/Duncan battle a wash, the question arises as to who else can be the difference maker.
Dallas has Josh Howard who has been hampered by a nagging ankle injury and San Antonio has Michael Finley who is mostly hampered by age. Howard is decidedly the better scorer of the two and his younger legs will prevail. It's hard to pick against the Spurs in the postseason, but that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Dallas in 7 games

4. Portland Trailblazers vs. 5. Houston Rockets

Portland is a young and hungry team that just keeps getting better under coach Nate McMillan. Brandon Roy has quietly become one of the most entertaining players to watch in the NBA and leads the way for the team. The Blazers have good depth and all of their role players contribute nicely, which is why they find themselves as the 4 seed in the West and enjoying home court advantage in the first round. It seems like every year, experts predict that this will be the year Houston rises to the top of the West, and every year, they seem to find a way to disappoint. Usually injury is the cause, and some things never change. Tracy McGrady is done for the year and won't have a chance to finally make his way out of the first round of the playoffs this season. Come to think of it, that might be an advantage for Houston. Yao Ming has stepped up his game and is leading the way for the Rockets in both scoring and rebounding. Ron Artest has been a nice addition, bringing great defense as always, but also providing a secondary scoring punch when needed. Two things concern me when it comes to the Rockets however. They have a real lack of depth when compared to Portland and they also have Aaron Brooks running the point. He's played well in his 2nd season since taking over for Rafer Alston who was traded to Orlando, but he's quite inexperienced and I'm not sure he's ready to handle the playoff stage just yet. This should be another good series, as I think all those in the West will be, but I see Portland walking away as the winners.

Portland in 6 games