NBA Playoff Update (Eastern Conference)

The NBA Playoffs have been nothing short of spectacular so far, and here is my update of all the Eastern conference series.

#1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. #8 Detroit Pistons (Cavs 1-0)

The Cavaliers demolished the Pistons is game 1 and I expect the series to be more of the same. This is not the same Pistons team from years past and without Chauncey Billups, they cannot even be competitive with the Cavs. I like the Cavaliers to take this series in 5 games

#2 Boston Celtics vs. #7 Chicago Bulls (1-1)

This series has been absolute must-see TV so far. The Bulls came out on fire game 1 and beat the Celtics in overtime behind Derrick Rose's heroics. Game 2 was also an incredible game, as a late Ray Allen 3 (shown in the video above) propelled the defending champs to a 1-1 series tie. This series has been the most entertaining series so far in the playoffs and shows how awesome playoff basketball can be. I think Derrick Rose, Ben Gordon and the Bulls take this one in 6.

#3 Orlando Magic vs. #6 Philadelphia 76ers (76ers 1-0)

In what might be considered the biggest upset of the playoffs so far, the 76ers came out in game 1 and shocked the heavily favored Magic on the road. Andre Iguodala hit the game-winning shot with 2.2 seconds left to give the 76ers a 1-0 lead in the series. I think the Sixers showed a lot of heart and will continue to make this a tough series, but I just think the Magic are too talented and will take this series in 6.

#4 Atlanta Hawks vs #5 Miami Heat (Hawks 1-0)

The Hawks took it to the Heat in game 1 in surprising fashion with a blowout win. This series will be much closer than that game however. These teams are very evenly matched and I expect this series to go the distance. Dwayne Wade is going to need to step up his game 1 performance for the Heat to win while the Hawks are going to need to get consistent contributions from their normally inconsistent players like Josh Smith and Mike Bibby. I like the Hawks in 7.

Who will get the 8th seed out west?

In the Western Conference, everyone is trying to avoid the 8th seed and first round matchup against the Lakers. As a Jazz fan, this is especially important to me because I think the Jazz could beat anyone with the exception of the Lakers. Let's take a look at the 3 teams fighting it out not to get the 8 seed

Standings

6. New Orleans 49-31

7. Dallas 48-32

8. Utah 47-33

*The Jazz have the tiebreaker over both teams and New Orleans has the tiebreaker over Dallas

Here is the remaining schedule

Utah

vs. LA Clippers

@ LA Lakers

Dallas

vs. Minnesota

vs. Houston

New Orleans

@ Houston

@ San Antonio

This should be an interesting finish to the season. The Jazz should beat the Clippers and the Mavericks should beat Minnesota. The one team that many people do not realize is involved in this race is the Cleveland Cavaliers. If the Cavaliers win tonight, the Lakers will have no reason to play their starters because the Cavs would have clinched home court advantage for the entire NBA playoffs. This would obviously be a huge plus for the Jazz when they play @LA the last game of the year. If the Jazz can win the last 2 games, all they will need is the Mavericks to lose to the Rockets or New Orleans to lose to Houston and San Antonio. Even though seeding doesn't normally matter, any of these 3 teams can win a first round series, as long as they don't have to play the Lakers.