A quick preview of who I think will advance through the first round of the playoffs. Assuming I am correct on all counts (highly unlikely) I've made a few quick choices all the way through to the NBA finals. I'll have more details playoff previews as each round begins. Note that the format for the first round of the playoffs is 2-2-1-1-1.
Cleveland 4 - Detroit 1
I don't see any way Cleveland loses to Detroit at home given their regular season record, also given that Detroit is quite a shambles since the AI trade. Since then AI is done for the season and Stuckey has done little to convince he can be a leading PG anytime soon. Best case scenario sees Detroit somehow winning a home game, but they could also lose 4-0 quite easily, 4-1 is the conservative pick.
Boston 4 - Chicago 3
Without KG, I don't see how Boston wins this series convincingly. They've been doing well enough without him until now, but Chicago has a pretty good squad and some depth on the bench. I'm not sure they win a game at Boston though, but this might be a repeat of last year for Boston where they don't win away games either.
Orlando 4 - Philadelphia 2
I really dislike picking the 4-2 result, but I'll go with it here only because of some concerns over the health of Hedo and Rashard Lewis. Even with less than 100% from those guys, I don't see the 76ers having enough to beat the Magic four times if Howard is close to his best, but having Thaddeus Young just back from injury certainly improves their chances, if only they had Elton Brand...
Atlanta 4 - Miami 3
Obviously the closest matchup should always be 4v5, but this is clearly the best matchup in the east in the first round. Atlanta apparently have a strong home court advantage -- they took Boston to 7 games last year -- and they rested up their starters in the last two games of the season while Marvin Williams made his comeback from injury at the same time.
I've heard too many times (more than zero) that "Wade can win a game by himself", which besides making no sense, doesn't mean Miami can win the series. That being said, if they can get good numbers out of Beasley and O'Neal for just one away game, that might be all it takes to steal this one.
LA Lakers 4 - Utah 1
Not quite the blowout I expect from the Cleveland series, but with Bynum back I don't see how the Lakers struggle in this one. Utah has also been just terrible in away games this whole season.
Denver 4 - New Orleans 3
Hard to predict what Denver will do in the finals, Carmelo doesn't have much experience (or wins) there but Billups should stabilise things. The Paul and West combination should make this a series, but the Hornets don't seem to be getting enough regular contributions from their other players -- and Posey hasn't added much -- to win a seven game series.
San Antonio 4 - Dallas 3
Another 4-3 result simply because I don't see one team having a distinct advantage over the other here. The Spurs are banged up and probably aren't getting past the second round, but they might just have the experience and determination in them to get past the Mavericks, who have been a little down for much of this season. The home court advantage probably means very little in this series. This is the one pick I might be most wrong about, the Spurs might very well fold at home and lose 4-1 or 4-2.
Portland 4 - Houston 3
Houston always seem to disappoint in the finals -- T-Mac hasn't won a first round if I'm not mistaken -- but Portland are so young and inexperienced, that this should be a very entertaining series. Portland have a good combination (Pryzbilla and Oden) to take on Ming while Houston have Artest and Battier to watch Roy. Portland have the capability to win this, but whether they can produce in their first finals appearance is tough to pick.
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