The atmosphere of renewal synonymous with spring usually creates a sharp contrast with the tired trend of inequality in the NBA Playoffs. As the buds blossom, the cries of basketball fans for parity have been drowned out by the victory parade of the champion from the Western Conference, while players from the East can only bow their humble heads. Over the past five seasons, a duo of Goliaths, Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs and Shaquille O’Neal of the Los Angeles Lakers, have perpetuated the dominance of the West—garnering five Finals MVPs, en route to outclassing the East by a total of 20 Finals wins to six.
The arrival of Rookie of the Year, LeBron James, in the beleaguered East is the harbinger of a new trend, as is the emergence of the Detroit Pistons as the collective secretaries of defense. The trend of playoff preview articles in which one only needed to read the half on the Western Conference for information about the champions has also been reversed. The West is no longer a slam dunk, as the East appears set to block all preconceived notions. So, without further ado …
WESTERN CONFERENCE
No. 2 Los Angeles Lakers (56-26) vs.
No. 3 San Antonio Spurs (57-25)
Last year’s champion Spurs are the hottest team in the NBA, riding the momentum of an 11-game winning streak into a 4-0 first round sweep over the upstart Memphis Grizzlies. The Lakers were equally impressive in their 4-1 dismissal of the Houston Rockets. The match-up that embodies the difference in this series is at the point guard position, as a youthful Spurs floor general, Tony Parker, will use his superior speed against the aging Gary Payton. Similarly, the rest of the younger Spurs form a more cohesive and deeper unit— having added Rasho Nesterovic and Hedo Turkoglu to replace the retired “Admiral” David Robinson and departed Stephen Jackson—than the Lakers, with four hall-of-famers, legendary discord, and a bench void of big game moxy now that Robert Horry is wearing a Spurs uniform. The Lakers are the poster boys of dissent, while Tim Duncan once again demonstrates that he belongs alongside Shaq, Kobe, and Kevin Garnett in discussions of the league’s best player.
Prediction: Spurs in seven.
No. 1 Minnesota Timberwolves (58-24) vs. No. 4 Sacramento Kings (55-27)
For seven years the first-round of the playoffs was a wilderness from which the Timberwolves could not emerge. Once again led by MVP Kevin Garnett, the off-season acquisitions of Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell paid off as the Wolves trounced the Denver Nuggets 4-1. Despite the secondary scoring, added depth and playoff experience provided by Sprewell and Cassell, Minnesota is no match for the high-scoring, pass-oriented offense of the Kings (the league’s second-best scoring team), which was on display in their first round 4-1 defeat of the Dallas Mavericks. The Kings were the best team in the West for most of the season, in spite of the absence of their best player and leader Chris Webber. Webber’s late-season return to a front court mix that includes court visionary Brad Miller briefly disrupted team chemistry, but he has recently begun to look formidable, and will give the outmatched Wolves centers fits. The Kings have paid their playoff dues, and will prevent the Wolves from leapfrogging the playoff learning curve.
Prediction: Kings in six.
CONFERENCE FINALS: Kings over Spurs in 7.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
No. 2 New Jersey Nets (47-35) vs.
No. 3 Detroit Pistons (54-28)
The Nets have witnessed their fair share of turmoil this season, culminating in the firing of head coach Byron Scott in January. After enjoying a record-setting 13-0 streak under replacement coach Lawrence Frank, the Nets finished the season with a disappointing 12-14 skid. The story of the series is on the other side of the match-up, where coach Larry Brown has his Pistons playing inspired defense. For eight straight games in March, Detroit held its opponents to under 80 points, buoyed as always by their defensive anchor Ben Wallace. Another Wallace, Rasheed, provides the Pistons with a scoring punch that has been lacking in previous years. The Pistons were 20-6 in the regular season after adding Wallace. The biggest question mark for this team is who will step up in clutch situations, as the Pistons had a .333 winning percentage in games decided by 3 points or less. Look for Richard Hamilton or Tayshaun Prince to assert themselves in those situations. Meanwhile, the hard-nosed defense of Chauncey Billups should limit the effectiveness of Jason Kidd, along with the run ’n gun offense that Kidd captains.
Prediction: Pistons in six.
No. 4 Miami Heat (42-40) vs.
No. 1 Indiana Pacers (61-21)
While Miami may feel lucky to have advanced to the second round after a tightly contested series with the New Orleans Hornets, the Pacers looked like they deserved the title of best team in the NBA. The Heat have been anything but hot on the road, going 0-3 thus far in the playoffs. The Pacers were the best home team during the regular season, but that is far from the only disparity between these two squads. The Pacers boast one of the best centers in the Eastern Conference, Jermaine O’Neal, while the Heat are relatively soft inside. Lamar Odom’s play was key to the Heat’s victory over the Hornets, but he will be hounded by defensive stalwart Ron Artest. The Heat have no answers for the depth and experience of the Pacers, and despite the best efforts of rookie stud Dwayne Wade and strategist Stan Van Gundy, this is the most lopsided match up of the second round.
Prediction: Pacers in five.
CONFERENCE FINALS: Pistons over Pacers in six.
NBA FINALS: Pistons over Kings in seven.
—With files from nba.com
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