The defending champions are a fifth seed. The MVP candidates play for the first seeds and an eighth seed. The playoffs stars have new names, new faces, and new teams. The time has come for the NBA playoff excitement.
The Western Conference looks to have a huge advantage with six legitimate potential champions vying for one spot in the finals.
The Phoenix Suns look to up-end the top-seeded Spurs in the first round. The Spurs are led by potential MVP Tim Duncan, but are saddled by an injury to fellow big man David Robinson. The Suns will rely on stellar play by Rookie-of-the-Year candidate Amare Stoudemire. The Suns took four of five games from the Spurs in the season, and hope to continue their success in the playoffs.
The Sacramento Kings will be taking on John Stockton, Karl Malone, and the Utah Jazz. The Jazz, seeded seventh, hope to take out the powerhouse Kings, but will need to stop Chris Webber and Mike Bibby.
The Dallas Mavericks look to show doubters that they can win in the playoffs. They will be taking on the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. The Blazers were the streakiest team in the NBA, pulling off long winning streaks, but falling out of home court advantage late in the season. Dallas will look to center Dirk Nowitzki and Canadian Steve Nash to carry them into the second round.
The four versus five game features the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lakers will need Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant to keep up the pressure, and the Timberwolves will need stars Kevin Garnett and Wally Szczerbiak to pour it on in this imminently high-scoring, offensively oriented series.
The Eastern Conference road to the finals features several teams who need big performances from stars to advance. Names like Tracy McGrady, Gary Payton, Paul Pierce, and Allen Iverson will lead their teams towards a conference championship.
The top-seeded Detroit Pistons look to overcome an injury to Ben Wallace and put away the Orlando Magic. McGrady, who is receiving MVP consideration, looks to carry the Magic deep into the playoffs.
The New Jersey Nets look to quickly put away the Milwaukee Bucks. The Nets made it to the conference finals last year and hope to repeat their success. The Bucks, led by deadline acquisition Payton, will need to hold the powerful Nets at bay if they want to see the light of the second round.
The perennial playoff participant Indiana Pacers are the third seed, and will take on the up-start Boston Celtics. The Celtics, led by Pierce and Antoine Walker, look to take out the Pacers.
The newly relocated New Orleans Hornets took the fifth seed in the east and earned the right to take on the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers are led by Iverson, and the Hornets are led by a strong defense. The clash will be a battle of two styles, with the better team coming out on top.
Down and dirty time: Let’s make some predictions. The Spurs will have a hard time but will eventually triumph over the Suns in seven games. The Jazz will use their experience to run with the Kings, but the Kings’ depth will take the series. The Trail Blazers don’t have the talent or the team cohesion to take out the powerful Mavericks. The Lakers and Timberwolves will be the tightest series, but the Lakers will use the power of O’Neal and Bryant to blow past Garnett, Szczerbiak, and the Timberwolves.
In the east, the top-seeded Pistons will fall to the McGrady-powered Magic, likely in six or seven games. The Bucks and Nets will play a close series, with the higher-seeded Nets prevailing. The Celtics, led by strong performances by Pierce and Walker, will upset the third-seeded Pacers, and Iverson will carry the 76ers’ offense over the Hornets’ defense.
The first round will conclude on May 3. The advancing teams will be re-seeded, with the higher seed receiving home court advantage in the second round.
