Conference Finals predictions

What up kiddies, I'm back. Sorry for the hiatus there, I was busy trying to not fail out of school and the whatnot w/ finals. I'm now done with my 2L year, kicking it in the ATX and doing some lawyering this summer. I know I missed a round, but I blame it on equal parts being holed up in the SMU library and sad sad depression after watching my Spurs just get rolled. So let's recap and do some new picks. I guess I'll start with my new picks.

Eastern Conference Finals:
#3 Orlando Magic vs #1 Cleveland Cavaliers
Pick: CLE in 5.
I wont lie, I kind of want to pick a sweep here but I think Dwight is good for at least one 28 and 26 game while either Hedo or Rafer or Lewis feels like dropping 25 to 30 mainly from way back. The problem is A) you cant stop LeBron right now. 23 is playing some of the most impressive ball I've seen in awhile. Not only that, but his supporting cast has stepped up big time so far. That and the Cavs have been an absolute juggernaut, 8-0 so far. I just dont see Orlando putting up enough of a fight here.

#2 Denver Nuggets vs #1 LA Lakers
Pick: LAL in 6
Yes, I was way way way wayyyyyy off with the Nuggets in round one. After a quick beat down of the Mavs people seem convinced that they are going to crush the Lakers. Sure the Lakers struggled with the Rockets, but it was a strange series. The 1st game without Yao hurt the Lakers as much as the Rockets because the Lakers had to switch to the much faster pace the Rockets were forced to play, and frankly were not ready for it. I think the game 7 performance is what should be focused on. Maybe I just want to try and redeem myself, maybe it's because I want to deny Bilas and Stephen A and all the ESPN folk at the draft who predicted that Melo v James would be the next Bird v Magic, which is just wrong. I think Kobe will play his team into the finals and that the Nuggets run finally comes to an end. This should be a fun one tho, and I expect very physical. I can't wait until the first time the Machine goes against Birdman (*bird hand sign* BRRRRRRRRR) as they will likely cause techs on the opposing side throughout the contest. Expect LA to establish their dominance in game 1 with a convincing victory

As always feel free to leave your predictions or thoughts down in the comments. Now, how did my 1st round predictions go?...umm..not great

Lakers v Jazz:
My pick: LAL in 4
Actual: LAL in 5
Not too shabby, this really wasnt a series like most people figured. A good start.

Nuggets v Hornets:
My pick: NO in 7
Actual: DEN in 5
And it begins to fall apart for me...yikes was I wrong about this Denver team. Right now they are probably playing the 2nd best ball behind the Cavs of the remaining team. They didn't just beat the Hornets, they absolutely stomped them. Who knew...not me.

Spurs v Mavs:
My pick: SAS in 6
Actual: Dallas in 5
I'm still not ready to talk about it. Maybe once the season is done, maybe after I see the draft, but not yet. In short: The Spurs are dead, long live the Spurs. It's been a hell of a decade...

Blazers v Rockets:
My pick: Blazers in 5
Actual: HOU in 6
Umm...yah, about that. Houston came out ready to play. I guess the Blazers really are still just the team of the future, the young bucks will have to wait.

Total games off in the West: 12. I'm terrible, I know. How about the East:

Cavs v Pistons:
My pick: Cavs in 4
Actual: Cavs in 4
YAYYYYYY I DID IT YAYYYYYYYY. Finally got a series on the button, if you can even call this a series. Talk about a team who got the proverbial nail in the coffin, the Pistons are going the way of their town. It's starting to look like Robocop's prediction of future Detroit may not have been too far off.

Celtics v Bulls:
My pick: Celts in 6
Actual: Celts in 7
There is nothing that I can say about this series that hasn't already been said. These games were some of the most fun I've had watching basketball in a long time. I'm not ready to proclaim it GREATEST SERIES EVAHHHH like some people, but it was definitely a barnburner. The lasting things I took away from this: 1) Ben Gordon is still infuriatingly inconsistent, 2) Joakim Noah is evil and should be destroyed before he and his undead brethren try to end us all, 3) Derrick Rose is a freak and will be a joy to watch in the next decade or so, 4) Ray Allen IS Jesus Shuttlesworth, 5) Nobody anywhere would be surprised if it ends up KG has killed a guy.

Magic v 76ers
My pick: Magic in 5
Actual: Magic in 6

Hawks v Heat
My pick: Hawks in 7
Actual: Hawks in 7
Another money pick by your boy. Both of these series had some fun moments but my inconsistent posting has left me with nothing to really say at this point.

Total games off in the East: 2
Now that is some delicious prognosticating right there kids. The WCF kicks off tomorrow with the ECF on Wednesday. Thoughts, cheers, boos, and predictions all welcome below. Enjoy the ball kids, I know I will.