Round One:
Boston def. Atlanta (4-0)
Cleveland def. Washington (4-2)
Orlando def. Toronto (4-1)
Detroit def. Philadelphia (4-1)
Los Angeles def. Denver (4-1)
Utah def. Houston (4-2)
San Antonio def. Phoenix (4-3)
New Orleans def. Dallas (4-2)
Conference Semi-finals:
Boston def. Cleveland (4-1)
Detroit def. Orlando (4-1)
Los Angeles def. Utah (4-1)
San Antonio def. New Orleans (4-3)
Conference finals:
Detroit def Boston (4-2)
Los Angeles def. San Antonio (4-2)
NBA Finals:
Detroit def. Los Angeles (4-2)
First, San Antonio is still one of the best teams in the league. To predict them losing in the first round is crazy. They have one of the best defenses in the league, the best backcourt in the league (besides Detroit), the best player of the past 10 years (cumulatively), great coaching, and they just know how to win. Phoenix is a scary opponent, but San Antonio should win a hard-fought 7-game series.
That being said, Chris Paul can win regular-season games, but the playoffs are just different. I just can't see them beating the Spurs four times over. Again, this should be fought tooth-and-nail, but San Antonio should prevail, because they are just the better team.
Now, Los Angeles is clearly better than Denver, I shouldn't get any arguement there. Then they go against Utah, who has an amazing home record, but an abysmal road record, and given they have home-court advantage against Houston, but not LA, they should beat Houston, but not LA. So after San Antonio gets pounded on for two 7-games series, and LA has only played 10 playoff games, that should give LA the edge they need, combined with a returning Andrew Bynum tearing things up, allowing LA to win the West.
In the East, Is there any arguement whatsoever that Boston and Detroit don't stand head and shoulders above everyone in the east? I shouldn't have to make a case for this Eastern Conference Final match-up. But then I see most people picking Boston to win here. Detroit has a good enough defense to shut down Boston. And Boston's "Big Three" have been playing so many minutes in the regular season, and they'll only increase in the play-offs, that they're going to be exhausted playing Detroit. Which leads to a bench much weaker than Detroit's. There are no guards on Boston who can contain Chauncey and Rip. But Tayshaun and Wallace will contain Pearce and Garnett just fine. Detroit wins in six.
In the finals, we have a young, unexperienced team who have now proved themselves by surpassing all expectations by making the finals vs. a team who have played with each other for years, and need another title to cement they're spot in history to add to their 2004 championship. Detroit knows how to win. Rip will be contained by Kobe's defense, so that leaves Chauncey winning his second NBA Finals MVP.
Write it down, you heard it first here. But that's just, like, my opinion, man.