2008 NBA Playoff Picks & Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd on June 4, 2008

It came right down to the last day of the regular season for playoff positioning to sort itself out, but now that the field is set we can take a look at how Jimmy Boyd sees things shaping up in the postseason with his 2008 NBA Playoff predictions.

The West:

The West was wild this season with just about every playoff team holding first place at one point or another. And while there isn’t a bad apple in the bunch, there are only three teams which have a legit shot at winning it all this season. Those teams are the Lakers, Spurs, and Suns, and the latter two just happen to be duking it out in round one. I’ll quickly shoot down the Hornets because they are two young and inexperienced. The Jazz can’t win on the road, the Rockets are weak inside without Yao Ming, the Nuggets don’t play “D”, and it’s too little too late for the Mavs. That leaves us with the three teams I mentioned first. I like the winner of the Spurs/Suns series to play the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. The Suns will be playing with a chip on their shoulders after being dismissed by the Spurs in last year’s postseason and this time they add Shaquille O’Neal and Grant Hill to the mix. The Suns beat the Spurs in three of four meetings this season and two of those wins came at San Antonio, including an impressive 17-point blowout on April 9th. The Spurs are the defending champs and they have been known to flip a switch and play at a completely different level in the playoffs, but the Suns are a tough matchup for them as Duncan has struggled against Shaq. The Spurs have not been all that healthy this season and as a result, I have not seen the same level of cohesion. I’ll take the Suns out and I expect them to meet up with the number one seeded LA Lakers in the Conference Finals. The trade for Pau Gasol is what has earned the Lakers the number one spot as a quality big was the missing piece of the puzzle. With as hungry as Kobe is, I don’t think the Lakers will be denied a spot in the NBA Finals.

The East:

It’s a two team race in the East between the Detroit Pistons and the Boston Celtics. The Magic are the third best team in this top heavy conference but this year’s playoffs will be a growing experience for them. Boston won two of three matchups against the Pistons this season. Their last was a 12-point win at home to see which team would take the season series and that’s when I really gained a lot of faith in this Boston squad. The Pistons have struggled at times in the playoffs the past couple seasons as it appears the limelight is moving away from them. Boston is the most talented and the hungriest team in the entire Eastern Conference. They’ve been the best team in the league from day one and they’ll end up sitting atop the Eastern Conference.

The Finals:

I hope you’re ready for a good old fashioned Lakers versus Celtics showdown. Both of these teams have made drastic improvement to emerge as the best teams in their respective conferences. It’s going to be a tight series, but ultimately I have to give the edge to the Celtics. They will have the homecourt advantage, and they are the better defensive team. I am a firm believer in the saying that “defense wins championships.” Kevin Garnett is starving for a title and his passion will bring home another one to Boston.

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