NBA Playoff Predictions: Part II

By Rick Morris

EASTERN CONFERENCE
ROUND TWO
Cleveland over Atlanta in 6
OR
Boston over Cleveland in 7
Detroit over Orlando in 7

CONFERENCE FINALS
Cleveland over Detroit in 6
OR
Boston over Detroit in 6

WESTERN CONFERENCE
ROUND TWO
Utah over L.A. Lakers in 7
San Antonio over New Orleans in 6

CONFERENCE FINALS
San Antonio over Utah in 7

NBA FINALS
Boston over San Antonio in 6
OR
San Antonio over Cleveland in 6


My first-round predictions will be 8-0 if Boston can survive against Atlanta tomorrow. Having picked all chalk, there's only a certain amount of bragging I can do, but inasmuch as many in the national media picked Washington and Phoenix for some stupid reason, I guess I should get some credit for not overanalyzing! I will stand my previous prediction that Boston will win it all if they can beat the upstart Hawks, but it's going to be wide-open if they cannot. I am revising my prediction about the Western Conference champion after seeing the Spurs dispose of Phoenix in a manner that really surprised me. Some team in the West is going to have to prove they can beat them as they have reestablished themselves as the top team regardless of seeding. Ironically, I think the Lakers could take them in the conference finals, but I don't see L.A. getting past Utah. Playoff outcomes really do hinge on matchups to a huge extent.