EASTERN CONFERENCE

Teams: #1 Indiana Pacers, #2 Miami Heat, #3 Toronto Raptors, #4 Chicago Bulls, #5 Washington Wizards, #6 Brooklyn Nets, #7 Charlotte Bobcats, and #8 Atlanta Hawks.

Match ups: #1 Indiana Pacers versus #8 Atlanta Hawks– This match up will be fairly one-sided.  Although the Pacers have been struggling at the end of the season, they have an excellent defense, which will help them deep in the series.  If the Pacers can generate enough offense through star forward Paul George, and guard Evan Turner, then they will breeze through the first round.

#2 Miami Heat versus #7 Charlotte Bobcats– Once again, this match up will most likely be one-sided.  Miami has too much offensive and defensive power for the Bobcats to handle.  LeBron James is one of, if not the best player in the world, and he should shine in this series.  The last time these teams met, LeBron scored 61 points, which leads us all to believe that the Heat will advance through this series.

#3 Toronto Raptors versus #6 Brooklyn Nets– This will be a very interesting first round match up.  The Toronto Raptors have had an excellent season, led by star guard Kyle Lowry, and they finished with a regular season record of 48-34.  The Nets were not as successful this season, but seasoned veteran Paul Pierce knows how to rally his team during the playoffs.  The Nets will upset the Raptors in this series, but Toronto will give them a very tough time.

#4 Chicago Bulls versus #5 Washington Wizards– I believe that this series will be very intriguing to witness.  The Bulls have had an excellent season, despite their star point guard Derrick Rose being injured.  The main reason the Bulls have had such an excellent season is because of their stellar defense.  The Wizards have also had a good season, led behind star point guard John Wall.  The Bulls’ defense will be put to the test against Wall and the Wizards, but in the end, the Bulls will come out victorious.

Winner of Conference: I believe that the Miami Heat will win the Eastern conference.  The Heat have too much star power with James, Dwyane Wade, Ray Allen, and Chris Bosh.  They also have great role players who will contribute to their success such as Shane Battier, Chris Anderson, and Mario Chalmers.  The Heat are close to unstoppable when they play their best offense, and their defense is always stellar.  The Heat will be returning to the championship series for the third year in a row.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Teams: #1 San Antonio Spurs, #2 Oklahoma City Thunder, #3 Los Angeles Clippers, #4 Houston Rockets, #5 Portland Trailblazers, #6 Golden State Warriors, #7 Memphis Grizzlies, and #8 Dallas Mavericks.

Match ups: #1 San Antonio Spurs versus #8 Dallas Mavericks– The Spurs are in this position year after year: They are a very talented team that is often forgotten about.  Their team is fairly old, with an average player age of 28.4 years, but despite this, the Spurs are a number one seed and favorite to win it all.  The Spurs will cruise past the first round, behind the excellent coaching of Gregg Popovich.

#2 Oklahoma City Thunder versus #7 Memphis Grizzlies– The Thunder will win this round easily.  Star forward Kevin Durant is the leading scorer in the NBA, and he will be too much for the Grizzlies to stop.  The team’s point guard, Russell Westbrook, will also be a big threat to the Grizzlies defense.  The overall talent of the Thunder will overpower the Memphis Grizzlies in this match up.

#3 Los Angeles Clippers versus #6 Golden State Warriors– The Warriors will upset the Clippers in the first round.  If the Warriors’ star point guard Steph Curry shoots as well as he usually does, the Warriors should pull off the victory.  However, it will be very difficult for the Warriors to stop Chris Paul, DeAndre Jordan, and Blake Griffin on the offensive end.  It will be interesting to see how this series plays out.

#4 Houston Rockets versus #5 Portland Trailblazers– The Rockets should be able to be victorious against the Trailblazers in this series.  Star center Dwight Howard and star guard James Harden are close to unstoppable on the offensive end, and Portland will have a hard time stopping them.  If the Rockets can play as a team, and get offensive help from Jeremy Lin and Chandler Parsons, then they will get through the first round with a victory.

Winner of Conference: The Oklahoma City Thunder will win the Western Conference.  Kevin Durant is playing like the best player in the league right now, and the Thunder have a very talented line-up.  Although they have been playing excellently for the past three years, but they have never won the NBA finals.  This year will be the Thunder’s year to reach the NBA finals, and also to win the championship.

Championship Series: Miami Heat versus Oklahoma City Thunder– If both of these teams can win their respective conferences, then this match up will be incredibly interesting.  Kevin Durant of the Thunder will be looking to earn his first NBA championship ring, and LeBron James of the Heat will be going for his third ring in three years.  Both teams have astounding offensive and defensive power, which will make this series very close.  Despite this, I believe the Oklahoma City Thunder will win, because Durant, Westbrook, and the rest of their team will overpower Miami.  LeBron will fall just short of his third ring, while Durant will win his first.