I wanted to get a thread going about the upcoming playoffs, likely matchups and possible future bets. I figured I might as well break down the standings and my thoughts on the contenders. I'll start with the west since its all locked up, and we can go from there. Opinions and ideas are appreciated. Posts future picks or just your alternate outcomes.

The standings are nearly set. The west to me will look like this:

1- Lakers. Obviously. With Bynum coming back tonight things are looking up for Kobe and such. Power ratings put them at #1 or #3 depending on what you use. Their size and power, along with coaching, veteran knowledge, and youthful energy make them the dominant favorite in the west, perhaps to win it all. The Lakers should win 3 of their last 4, might fall to Portland playing a back to back and the minute mixing with Bynum's return. I see them at 65-17.

2- Denver. 2.5 games up on the Spurs but a difficult final three games. Denvers lack of defense should spell problems, as I see them closing at 54-28 with road loses to LAL and Portland. Denver can put up a lot of points, but they need consistent results from JR Smith and Kleiza and increased productivity from Martin in order to win throughout the playoffs.

3- Spurs. Tired and reeling, San Antonio drags themselves in at third thanks to a fairly easy closing schedule. They have fallen to 8th in the power rankings. Their recent form has not impressed, but due to veteran knowledge and superior coaching they close out all four of their final games. If they get through the Jazz which they should, they may find trouble at Oracle. Due to a lucky call they barely eacked out an overtime win earlier this season there. They nearly lost (107-106 to GS) 2 weeks back. This time Ellis and Maggete are likely to be out, but Crawford and the seemingly healthy Biedrins are going to cause problems for the older Parker and Duncan respectively. Once again, GS will be underestimated and this time it is possible to result in an upset. If they survive that, they face trouble against NOH who will be very tough, especially with the Spurs lacking Ginobli. I see them closing at 54-28 but missing out to the
second seed with a losing record to Denver. Their recent form has me worried though, they may not win all of their final four games. Suddenly, for the first time in years, the Spurs have become unpredictable.

4- Portland. Suprise suprise. The trailblazers are ranked as 5th or 7th in the power rankings, and play four final games. Though they meet with LAL this friday, its at home, and Lakers are playing a back to back, not to mention Portland mauled these Lakers early this season at home. Even with the return of Bynum and Gasol together, Portland has their own twin towers with Joel and Oden, and Aldrige matches up well with Odom, and of course Roy does posses the ability to
trade baskets with Kobe. I believe they are likely to end strong against LAL, Clippers, OKC, and a tough one against Denver, but Portland's rebounding, defense, and home record prevail. These
guys are young and hungry, and play very well at home. They should be regarded as the dark horse in west, and belong in the rankings with the elite teams. While they lack a winning road record, come play off time they are likely to harness the energy and may suprise many fans. They finish strong at 54-28, but lose out at the opprotunity to take the second seed due due their inferior division record as compared to Denver.

5- Houston. This team is old, tired, and missing a clutch scorer much like the Spurs. Battier and Artest are moving in slow motion. Yao is consistent with his 20 points (nearly exactly every game) however, but they miss T-Mac's point production down the stretch. They squeek in winning 3 of the last 4, but fall to the red hot Mavericks in Dallas for their last regular game of the season. They finish at 53-29 but pose very little threat from here on out. Average player age is
over 28, and they simply don't have the energy to make a decent run at the playoffs. Ranked at 6th in the power rankings is being very generous. While they beat up on Orlando, Yao, Scola and
the inconsistent Von Waffer can't carry this team indefinetly and the result was more likely due to Howard only taking 11 shots and missing 6 of 9 free throws than owing anything to what Houston did right.

6- Dallas makes a strong close, slipping into sixth. They will win 3 of the 4 falling to NOH on the road and closing at 50-32 winning all of their last home games. Dallas is hot right now, and their 11th place power rating is a misconception. While Dallas has struggled against a few odd teams (OKC and Memphis) this season, so has Orlando and Cleaveland, and for that matter Celtics and Lakers (they have lost to Toronto, Washington, Warriors and Bobcats respectively). Mavericks
last five home wins have been by an average of 20 points! Barea, Kidd, Singleton, Bass, and even Dampier are playing really well right now averaging between them about 8 points more in the last
5 games than their season average. And of course Dirk, has been averaging 30ppg of late, and howard and Terry are always dangerous. Envigorated by their blowout against the suns and the
clinching of a playoff spot they look be another dark horse in the west.

7- Utah. Barely. They likely lose out to the Lakers and Spurs on the road, and book two wins at home against GS and Clippers. Golden State might make it close, they only beat them by an average of 6 points this year, but lost once to them by 20. Regardless, I expect them to close predicably at 49-33. While they are dominant at home, they barely beat the Lakers there and have yet to beat the Spurs. Williams, Brewer, and Okur are good but streaky. Millsap has been a
tremendous player, but his minutes are getting bumped for Boozer who has not made much of an impression upon his return. They have a good coach, and a solid point guard, but I think they
will have a less than stellar playoffs.

8- New Orleans. They are likely to lose 3 of the final 4, and would be lucky to even pick up the win at home against Dallas. I would expect them to finish at 49-33. Even with the same record as Utah, with a losing record against them they miss out on the chance for a seventh seed. Chris Paul is having a huge season, and West has kept his numbers nearly identical to last year. Butler has been a pleasant suprise, but with Peja and Posey having decent but lower production
years the Hornets struggle to put points on the board. The bigger problem is Chandler, who has been out for nearly half the season. While he is expected to return for the playoffs, maybe sooner, its questionable how well he will perform.

I believe that the matchups go as follows:

- Lakers vs NOH. Lakers are unlikely to struggle here. Paul will go off as always, but LA has already beaten the Hornets twice this year in NO. They lost at home, but only due to West and Paul having huge games producing 72 points and 15 assists combined. While Kobe had 39 points with 7 assists, combined with Gasol, Bynum, Vlad, and Odom it still fell short of the dynamic duo's points and only surpassed the assists by 1. Consider it a fluke. I see a sweep, possibly a five game series going to lakers. If there is an upset, and the Lakers end up facing the Jazz it could be a longer more grueling series. The Jazz could drag out the match to 7 games with home wins, but judging how close the Lakers came to winning in Utah without Bynum I wouldn't be suprised if they wrapped it up in five or six with the Jazz if needed.

- Denver vs Utah. While at first glance this would appear to be tough matchup, I doubt it will end up that way. Jazz have been beaten badly on the road in Denver by average of 15 points, which actually suprised me. Nuggets on the other hand have only lost (though both games) in Utah by an average of 5 points. While Denver has had some flaky games, they are just plain better than Utah. Birdman and Nene provide the energy boost they need, and I would expect Denver to outscore the Jazz consistently. I predict a 7 game series, but Denver might surprise with a road upset to shorten the series. If the Nuggets had to face the Hornets on a flip flop with 7 and 8
seeds it might make for a more interesting series. Denver has split series with NOH, but only barely. If the rest of NOH shows up other than just CP3 and West, their defense might be enough to cause an upset against Denver. This is not that far fetched of a scenario based on history this season.

Spurs vs Dallas. This has Upset written all over it. Dallas has not been a strong road team, but has beaten the spurs 3-1 in their series this year. Many of the fans will travel, and home court
will have less value. Without Ginobli; Dirk, Terry, and Howard ran amuck against the Spurs. Dampier is obviously a non-factor and failed to slow Duncan, but it was not enough. Dallas is hotter now than they were then, and KIdd, the speedy Barea, and the athletic Singleton will have much bigger impacts now than they did in the beginning of the season while Duncan is showing his age, and Hill and Mason have slowed their production. Parker, Duncan, and Boner can't beat Dallas in their curent form. This should make for some great basketball.

Portland vs Houston. Portland rolls here. Houston has caused problems for Portland this year, but not when the Trailblazers will have homecourt against them. Even if Houston were to gain 4th
seed, the Portland average player at nearly 4 years younger is going to play with too much energy for Hourton to keep up with. Houston can defend well against Portland, but their offense won't keep up with T-Mac out of the lineup. Oden, Joel, and Aldrige will outrebound the Rockets, and should play with more energy to allow their team to get the wins. It could be close, and might even take seven games (though more likely 5-6) if you examine their previous struggles
with Houston, but the age and energy should swing the momentum in favor of Portland down the playoff stretch.

The next round therefore would likely be:

LAL vs Portland. Great matchup here, and there is already a bit of a rivalry developing. These teams matchup well, and anything could happen. While the Lakers would have homecourt and thus be favorites, Portland would have a realistic chance to upset if Kobe or Gasol go through a mini slump in LA. Its unlikely, Kobe is quite the competitor. If LA steals a game in Portland is likely to be over, but I think the Trailblazers have a shot here. This could be the most exciting and athletic matchup of the entire playoffs. If for some odd reason Houston upsets and gets through Portland they will be finished against the Lakers. They have been swept in the regular season, and the post season is unlikely to be any different.

Denver vs Dallas. Completely up for grabs. I know, it sounds crazy, considering the Nuggs swept Dallas this year, but only one victory was by more than 3 points. With Dallas in their recnt form, I think they have a legitimate chance to upset. Denver has yet to play defense this year, and no one can defend Dirk anyway. With the Mavericks recent scoring ability these could be high scoring games decided by last minutes shots. Who comes into this matchup playing the hottest will decide the outcome. I doubt this series goes more than 5 or 6 games as neither team has failed to make it close at the other's home court. Whoever wins the first game here likely takes
it. Nuggs have to be favored, but I like the Maverick's chances.

Final western round:

Lakers vs Denver. Lakers should run away with this one. They can keep up on offense and play better defense. They've had Denver's number so far. I doubt the Mavs would fair any better if they are able to pull of the upset, they are 0-3 against LA this year. Quite simply if the Lakers get this far with no major slumps or injuries, they won't be stopped, at least not in the west. If for some reason we end up with big upsets along the way and see a Portland V. Denver/Dallas game all bets are off. Its certainly a long shot, and Portland has not faired well against Denver or Dallas but it would make for an exciting matchup. Longshot dark horse pick for
the west; either Portland or Dallas. But in all likelyhood it appears as though Lakers should make it through unscathed.

to be continued...