NBA Playoff Preview

(NBA playoff picture Google Images)

With the NBA regular season coming to an end seeds are being finalized and teams are resting their veteran players for the weekend.  The Lakers however are playing their starters minus injured Center Andrew Bynum because with a win they can clinch a two seed.  Implications are high and although these games are meaningless to some, players like Blake Griffin are taking advantage of the season finale with high flying dunks as usual.

Seeds are finalized in the East with the Chicago Bulls taking the number one spot led by MVP candidate Derrick Rose.  They will face off against the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs on Saturday.  This year the Bulls made an incredible regular season run and finished the year with the best record in the NBA.  The East is loaded with talent especially since the blockbusters trades were made over the summer.  Contenders like the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic all have the talent and star power to win the Eastern Conference Finals.  As we move on to the West we will also see a solid balance in talent throughout the teams in the league.

(Derrick Rose Dunk Google Images)

The San Antonio Spurs closed the season with the second best record in the NBA, but were hit with a major setback due to the injury of Manu Ginobli's hurt right elbow.  The Spurs will take on the New Orleans Hornets in the first round of the playoffs.  Although they seem poised for a solid run, the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers are definitely my favorite to win it all and make it out the West.  With the combination of interior scoring and perimeter play, the Lakers are seemingly unstoppable at times.  One problem with the Lakers is the inconsistent play they displayed throughout the regular season.  They were one game out of first place two weeks before the regular season was over and went on a four game losing streak.  This eliminated their chances of a number one seed and brought many questions to the minds of sports analysis and fans.

 The Oklahoma City Thunder are my team to watch in the West and could be a huge threat to the Lakers and Spurs.  The Dallas Mavericks were tied for second with the Lakers in the West and will have a solid shot at making a run.  The only problem with them is that they have only made it out the first round once in the last four years.  The games will get underway on Saturday around and should be a playoff for the ages with the type of trades made early on in the season.  What better way to end the regular season than with highlights of the top dunks in the regular season?