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Sports

Playoffs bring classic intrigue 

JONG LEE
The Daily Cougar

The NBA playoffs are just one day away, and I haven't felt this much anticipation since 1995, mainly because the Rockets have a good chance to win the championship this season. There are plenty of other compelling stories in this year's playoffs.

One of the most intriguing first round matchups is going to be the Dallas Mavericks vs. the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference. The Warriors run a fast-paced game that trumps even that of the Phoenix Suns. Golden State has the chance to stun many people, but a lack of defense will doom the Warriors. The Mavs will win in six games.

The fifth-seeded Rockets will face a competitive series with the fourth-seeded Utah Jazz. Houston has the home court advantage going and they have played great down the stretch. This Rockets team looks similar to the 1995 team that was seeded sixth and won the championship. 

The Rockets are the sleepers in the West and would challenge the Mavs for the Western Conference crown. As for the Jazz, they're going to be a challenge, but I don't see this series going anywhere past six games. Rockets will win in six.

Vince Carter will return to Toronto as a visitor for the first time in the postseason. Expect boos as the New Jersey Nets take on the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors are one of the most exciting teams in the East; they can run up and down, they can slow down the pace and they have great shooters.

The Nets, on the other hand, can't seem to put enough talent together to get results. The trio of Jason Kidd, Carter and Richard Jefferson seems like it should work, but chemistry issues and could be their undoing. Raptors will win in five.

The Denver Nuggets finally look like a good basketball team. The Nuggets went 10-1 in April and look strong coming into the series with San Antonio. The Nuggets have a nice mix of offense and their defense has improved. The only problem is that they're going to play the Spurs, who have been the best second-half team in basketball. Spurs will win in six.

Kobe Bryant and the Lakers will take on the Suns, who stumbled down the stretch. What Bryant needs to do is average at least 35-40 points a game in this series. If he does that, maybe he takes this series to at least six games. Phoenix over Bryant in six.

Chicago vs. Miami seems nice on paper, but I think this could be the least intriguing opening series. Dwyane Wade is still not 100 percent and Shaquille O'Neal isn't what he used to be. Fans will be disappointed and the Bulls will win in six.

The other two series seem somewhat dull, too, but I think the Orlando-Detroit series could have some merit. The Pistons are schizophrenic at times, so the Magic could steal a game -- maybe. Detroit wins in five.

With Washington backing into the playoffs, they're almost all but eliminated. The Wizards have no chance against Cleveland. The worst thing has been the timing of Gilbert Arenas injury. If he'd gone down a couple games earlier, the Wizards would at least have a chance at the lottery. The Cavs will sweep the series.

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