So it is time for some predictions. Went 4-0 last round, but that is no accomplishment, inconsistent play from the Magic and especially the Lakers made it more exciting than it should of been.

East

This is interesting. Lebron is clearly on a role and if he continues rolling, this is his league. He wants it, the fans want it, the league wants it. Only the Magic don't want it. The Magic also have the one guy in the league who can go up and swat away Lebrons dunk attempt. This gives the Magic a chance in this series. If the Magic can somehow keep Lebron from driving and dunking or driving and dishing, they can keep pace with the Cavaliers. Big Z will look like Sabonis did against Shaq in the old Blazer/Laker series, and Sideshow Bob and the rest cannot hope to keep Howard off the boards. Unfortunately this series will be greatly affected by how quickly Howard accumulates fouls. Given that it is the chosen one driving to the basket, I predict some early foul trouble for Howard in at least 4 games. The Cavs are on a mission, and listening to Stan Van Panic yesterday makes me think that the Magic is just happy to be here. So it should be Cavs in 5. The crazy part is that Orlando is actually the team that matches up best with Cleveland, so a 7 game nail biter is not out of the question. But if I have to go on record, Cavs in 5 it is.

But if for some reason the Magic fires Van Gundy and brings in Riley to coach the rest of the playoffs- Magic in 7.

West

The Nuggets have come closest to emulating the Cavaliers intensity during these playoffs. They have had record blowouts against a once respectable team (Hornets) and walked through a Dallas team that got to the second round by defeating an already defeated and depleted Spurs team. So, in my opinion, the Nuggets have not been tested yet.

The Lakers have been a disinterested Jekyl and Hyde in these playoffs. They give up huge leads to Utah on a nightly basis, They lose 2 games to a Houston team missing their top 2 players.  Talking heads across the nation are jumping off their bandwagon in disgust. But what everyone is missing is that Houston was the absolute worst matchup for the Lakers in the West other than Portland. They have a speedy penetrating point guard, 2 excellent perimeter defenders to chase Kobe, rough and tumble (if undersized) post players and good 3 point shooting.

But this league is about matchups. So the question really is, how do the Nuggets match up with the Lakers....the answer is, not that well. Scola was an excellent defender for Gasol. Kenyon Martin....not so much. Chuck Hayes was a bruiser with quick feet, he presented problems for Bynum and the bigger and slower Nene will not. Mellow is a definate tough cover, but Ariza should be able to harass him on the perimeter while the big boys provide cover on the inside. Ariza can also make Mellow chase him at the other end with his improved 3 point shooting and explosive moves in the paint. Jones will not give Kobe the fits that the 2 headed monster of Battier and Artest managed. Which brings us to Chauncy. Chauncy is the reason that many are picking the Nuggets in this series. He is a savvy defender, a great distributer and a clutch shooter. Whats more is that he is a winner. But, Fisher can definately do a better job on him than he could on Brooks...and Shannon Brown provides a great option for defending Billups (also Kobe can defend him on a few possesions). The Lakers have Lamar coming off the bench, and if his back is right, he is a matchup nightmare for them...remember how he killed them last year?

The Nuggets are fools gold, Lakers in 5.