Western Conference Playoff Prediction

If the season were to end today, here's what the playoffs would look like in the Western Conference:

1 SAS vs 8 MEM    4 OKC vs 5 DEN    3 LAL vs 6 POR    2 DAL vs 7 NOH           

If this were so, we'd be in for some quality games. The Griz are a good team and could pull off the upset, but if I were to make a full decision it would be the Spurs. The Thunder and Nuggets have been pretty equal as of late, but I would have to give this to the Thunder (in 7 games) simply because they have more talent. The Lakers should be pretty confident against the Blazers, based on their recent play. Finally, the Mavs and Hornets match up is a toss. The Mavs are the better team but they are very inconsistent. Their home records are almost the same, but the away games makes the difference, with the Hornets holding a losing record when visiting. This should be sufficient proof to say that the Mavs will take it.

Now we are left with:

1 SAS vs 4 OKC          3 LAL vs 2 DAL

Spurs against Oklahoma will be interesting. The Spurs will be favorites, and I would go with them winning the series. The Spurs are 3-0 this season against the Thunder. In their 3 wins, one game was a blowout, the second was a 10+ point win and the third was close. I know, I know, playoffs and regular season are different; but I just think that the Spurs will continue their successful play and take the series. The Lakers-Mavs should be entertaining. Both teams were fairly inconsistent throughout the season but the Lakers have been playing better as of late. I would give a slight edge to the Lakers but the Mavs could just as easily pull it off. It all depends on who is more ready to go come playoff time.

So we would be left with:

1 SAS vs 3 LAL

This is a very tough call. Both teams have a lot of confidence, have good records, and have beaten eachother this season. The Lakers lost to the Spurs at the buzzer earlier this season, but then blew out the Spurs in San Antonio, pretty recently. The Lakers will not lose at home but the Spurs hold home court advantage. If the Spurs were to win, it would be 4-3 win while the Lakers could take it in 6 or 7. This is a very tough call, but if we are looking at how teams have been playing as of late, I would have to go with the Lakers.