3/4 2nd Round NBA Preview.

One thing the NHL could learn from the NBA is starting Round 2 before round 1 is fully completed if matchups are set. Of course the NBA could learn to re-seed after the first round the way the NHL does, which is more important. It's ridiculous that if the Celtics put up the biggest choke job in the history of sports tomorrow against the Hawks (and never underestimate Doc Rivers ability to lose a big game) they Cavs play the Hawks while Detroit and Orlando meet in the second round.

I'll do the two series starting today then preview the other series as they start.

May 4 - Now I'll add the Lakers-Jazz

May 6 - Time to add Celtics-Cavs. And for the record I went 8-0 in the first round, though I expect perfection to stop at some point.

Eastern Conference

Boston Celtics (1) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (4)

There are those that think the Celtics got the scare they needed against the Hawks and everything will be fine now as they role to the Finals. I'm not one of those people. The important thing to remember about Boston's big three is that neither Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen or Paul Pierce has ever won a damn thing. They have all lost in the conference finals and that's it. I now don't see that changing and the biggest reason is Garnett.

I love Garnett and I always have but he never steps up in big games at crunch time. The year he went to the conference finals he had Sprewell and Cassell taking all the big shots. It's insane that a guy with his freakish athleticism and competitive streak settles for 17 foot jumpers and gives the ball up in the last five minutes of close games instead of attacking the rim but that's what he does. Which brings us to the the Celtics opponent this sries - the LeBron James travelling road show. LeBron is the exact opposite of Garnett in that he wants the ball in his hands and is capable of scoring 25 points in the fourth quarter.

So who does Boston have to defend LeBron? Nobody. Boston has great team defense but individually they are not that great. James is going to kill them in this series late in games. I expect Ben Wallace to play pretty well against Garnett and Wally Szczerbiak to nail open shots. On the other side of the ball the Cavs have lousy perimeter defense but I don't think Ray Allen is going to hit many shots (he is really not having a great year though nobody seems to be talking about it) and Pierce hasn't been shooting much from outside

This series comes down to you Kevin Garnett. You're the guy that wanted to go to Boston. You're the guy they built this team around. You're the guy who is supposed to lead thihs team to a championship. You're the leader on this team. And you're the guy who has to take control in the fourth quarter. If you don't all those quiet whispers from your supporters will turn into a deafening silence. Will you? I don't think you will. But LeBron sure will.

Cavs in 7

Detroit Pistons (2) vs. Orlando Magic (3)

The Pistons have a really bad habit of playing to the level of their competition and it showed up against the 76ers in round 1. They can't afford to start slow against the Magic because they are damn good. If this year was Dwight Howard's coming out party than round 1 was the icing on the cake. There were a lot of games this year he didn't really look that interested in dominating despite putting up big numbers. Against the Raptors he was unstoppable. It was as though a light went on and he said "Damn. I'm the strongest guy in this league and nobody can stop me in the low post. So I might as well go for 20 and 20 every night."

The Pistons are better equipped to make him work though. They can rotate Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess and Jason Maxiell on him and make him work every minute he is on the court. Aside from Howard the magic are in some trouble. Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton are great perimeter defenders and will make life miserable for Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis who won't score as easily as they usually do. Neither team is particularly deep so bench strength is a bit of an advantage for the Pistons but not a huge one. But the biggest problem for the Magic is going to be Jameer Nelson against Chauncey Billups. Billups is so strong that he can wear down Nelson and outplay him every night. Billups makes the difference.

Pistons in 6

Western Conference

New Orleans Hornets (2) vs. San Antonio Spurs (3)

It's time to put to bed the notion that the Spurs are boring. They used to be when it was Tim Duncan and David Robinson getting the ball every possession but those days are long gone. Duncan is still boringly efficient but in crunch time Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are just as likely to have the ball in their hands as Duncan. And that's why they are so damn scary to play and so damn fun to watch.

The Hornets are better than anyone gives them credit for. Chris Paul is the best point guard in the league. The problem for the Hornets is that he will match up with Parker who is the second best. David West is one of the best wing players in the league but he is matched up against Ginobili who is better. Tyson Chandler is a great rebounder but is matched up against Duncan, the best power forward ever. I think you can see where I am going with this.

The Duncan-Chandler match up is the key for the Hornets. Chandler was able to score on a lot of putbacks and pick and rolls against the Mavericks but he can't do that against Duncan so they have one less scoring option. Chris Paul is going to get his 20 points and 10 assists a night but he is not going to get the 30-35 point outbursts he had against the Mavs but the Spurs will limit West and Peja Stojakovic. The Hornets are really going to need role payers like Morris Peterson and Bonzi Wells to step up and knock down a lot of shots. Spurs like Michael Finley, Brent Barry, Bruce Bowen and Kurt Thomas are ancient but know their roles so well they can each contribute every night.

The other thing that will hurt the Hornets is the coaching matchup. Byron Scott is getting better but Pop is as good as it gets on the Spurs sideline.

In the end Parker will play Paul even but there will be to much Duncan and Ginobili for the Hornets to handle.

Spurs in 6

Los Angeles Lakers (1) vs. Utah Jazz (5)

I know the Lakers are the one seed but I have thought they were a bit overrated all year. I also think the Jazz have gone under the radar all season. Those two things add up to a hell of a series.

I still can't shake the feeling that Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol are going to let down the Lakers at some point. Carlos Boozer of the Jazz is going to light up Odom in this series but I think Gasol will get the better of Mehmet Okur. What the Jazz will have going for them is vastly underrated point Deron Williams and his inside out game with Boozer,which the Lakers will have a really hard time defending. The second biggest problem the Jazz will have is that Andrei Kirilenko really does not give them much anymore. If he was playing well I would say they would have won the west but he just looks awful compared to a few years ago.

The single biggest problem for the Jazz though is that they don't have anyone who can slow Kobe down (nobody can fully stop him). I know Kobe has been a team first guy this year but in the best interest of the team this series he is going to have to go off. And he will. At least enough times to win this series.

Lakers in 7