2008 NBA Bracket, Playoff Predictions

Predictability in the East and Chaos in the West

It's that time of year again. When the hardwood becomes the battlefield of the NBA elite, and the blood, sweat and tears flow like wine ... and the fans instinctively flock to their televisions like the salmon of Capistrano.  Sixteen teams will kick-off their championship quest, but only one can be successful:

Round One - East

Boston (1) vs. Atlanta (8)

Boston swept the regular season series with the Hawks (outscoring Atlanta by and average margin of 14.3 points per game), and that theme should continue in the first round. Boston in 4

Cleveland (4) vs. Washington (5)

Although the Wizards have been injury ridden for the entire season, they are finally healthy and should put up quite a fight in their first round match-up. The Cavaliers and Wizards split their regular season series, but the Cavaliers have the edge here (i.e. Lebron) and should eke out the necessary wins. Cleveland in 6

Detroit (2) vs. Philadelphia (7)

The 76ers have turned a lot of heads this season with their impressive push during the second half of the season. They actually split with the Pistons in their regular season series, but both of the 76er wins came after the Pistons had begun mailing it in for the year. Detroit will now start giving their full effort and should take this series with relative ease. Detroit in 5

Orlando (3) vs. Toronto (6)

This very intriguing match-up should also prove to be very entertaining. The fast-paced Raptors can be very dangerous when they're on a hot streak. Toronto, however, has cold as of late. Since March 1st, they've gone 9-16, a slump that, interestingly enough, coincided with the return of TJ Ford to the team. Under Jose Calderon, the team was thriving ... no doubt an issue the team will look at in the off-season. In the end, Dwight Howard should prove to be too much for Chris Bosh and the Raptors. Toronto in 6

Round One - West

LA Lakers (1) vs. Denver (8)

The Lakers won all 3 of the regular season meetings by an average of 16.3 points. Denver should be able to take one game at home, but not much else. Iverson and Carmelo should fall in the first round, and George Karl's job security may be in question. Lakers in 5

Utah (4) vs. Houston (5)