NBA Playoff Predictions -- Part I

By Rick Morris

Predictions will be updated in this space as future playoff rounds progress.

EASTERN CONFERENCE
FIRST ROUND
Boston over Atlanta in 4
Detroit over Philadelphia in 6
Orlando over Toronto in 6
Cleveland over Washington in 6

SECOND ROUND
Boston over Cleveland in 5
Detroit over Orlando in 6

CONFERENCE FINALS
Boston over Detroit in 5

WESTERN CONFERENCE
FIRST ROUND
L.A. Lakers over Denver in 5
New Orleans over Dallas in 7
San Antonio over Phoenix in 7
Utah over Houston in 6

SECOND ROUND
Utah over L.A. Lakers in 7
San Antonio over New Orleans in 6

CONFERENCE FINALS
Utah over San Antonio in 6

NBA FINALS
Boston over Utah in 5

NOTES: In my preseason predictions, I anticipated Phoenix defeating Boston to win the NBA title, and they could make a run if they make it out of the first round (pretty much the same thing you could say about any Western team except Denver), but I still see them going down to San Antonio. Utah has been red-hot the second half of the year and Boston has just been flat-out dominant, getting the necessary contributions (especially defensively) from players outside of the Big Three. They will steamroll overmatched teams in the East and be fresh for the team limping out of the Western meatgrinder. The Cavs will make the second round of the playoffs in a down year for the franchise as an insanely motivated Lebron James demonstrates just how much difference one megastar player can still make in this league.