Well, March Madness has ended and, as usual, it did not disappoint. Now, it’s time to switch gears and enjoy an entire two months of NBA playoff basketball. With that being said, let’s look into the Western Conference seeding first.

The Los Angeles Lakers were able to cap off an impressive season-turnaround last night with their win over the Houston Rockets in overtime, locking up the No. 7 seed and a first-round matchup with the San Antonio Spurs. Without their star – the Black Mamba – Kobe Bryant, the Lakers will look to rely on much-maligned big man Dwight Howard to carry them against Tim  Duncan, Tony Parker, & Co.

James Harden and the Houston Rockets fell back to the No. 8 seed for the playoffs after their overtime loss to the Lakers last night. Harden, in his first season with Houston, will lead his new team against his old team in the No. 1 seeded Oklahoma City Thunder for the first round of the playoffs.

The No. 3 seeded Denver Nuggets will face off against the No. 6 Golden State Warriors in what looks to be one of the most exciting matchups in the first round. Stephen Curry of the Warriors broke Ray Allen’s single-season record for most three-pointers this year, setting the mark with 272 buckets from behind the arc. The Nuggets, whom lead the league in scoring per game, will look to advance past the Warriors without second-leading scorer Danilo Gallinari, who was lost to a torn ACL in a game against the Mavericks on April 4^th.

Finally, the No. 5 Memphis Grizzlies will play the No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers, who enter the postseason with their first division title in franchise history. “Lob City” will look to carry that momentum through the playoffs.

Moving over to the Eastern Conference, the defending champion and No. 1 seed Miami Heat will be taking on Brandon Jennings and the No. 8 seed Milwaukee Bucks.

At the No. 7 seed, the Boston Celtics have been playing practically all season without star point guard Rajon Rondo, but still remain a force to be reckoned with. The Celtics will be battling the No. 2 seed New York Knicks, powered by Carmelo Anthony, out to prove that he can take a team further than one round into the playoffs.

The No. 5 seed Chicago Bulls, another team plagued by point guard injury as they have been without former MVP Derrick Rose all season, play the No. 3 Indiana Pacers in the first round.

Last, but not least, the recently re-located No. 4 seed Brooklyn Nets look to move on the playoffs against a very athletic No. 5 seed Atlanta Hawks squad.

My Predictions:

–          Eastern Conference

o   Heat beat the Bucks in five as the Bucks win one in Milwaukee

o   Knicks defeat the Celtics in six                                    

o   Bulls surprise the Pacers in seven

o   Nets beat the Hawks in six

§  Heat knock out the Nets in five

§  Knicks overpower the Bulls in five

·         Heat knock off the Knicks in six

–          Western Conference

o   Thunder crush the Rockets in five

o   Spurs take down the undermanned Lakers in six

o   Nuggets outlast the Warriors in sven in the most entertaining series of the playoffs

o   Clippers squeak by the Grizzlies in six

§  Thunder defeat the Clippers in six

§  Spurs beat the Nuggets in six

·         Thunder move past the Spurs in six

 

–          The Finals

o   Heat defend their title as they win the series 4-2 over the Thunder