Conference Finals Predictions

Hey everyone, I've been extremely busy lately so I am only just managing to post this. As some of you know, I was planning a update with some historical facts and comparisons of the Boston Celtics, but unfortunately I could not find enough time to complete it. For now, here are my predictions for the Conf. Finals. I have no proof of this, but you will have to take my word on it. I made these predictions before both series started, and so far I seem to be on the right track.

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS:

BOS vs. ORL: Celtics in 6 games.

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS:

PHO vs. LAL: Lakers in 5 games.

(Note: Most of these ideas/predictions were written before the series started, so ignore the fact that some things might be wrong.)

In the East, I feel like the Celtics' experienced squad will continue to dominate at home, but they will also be able to steal games on the road (already done: they stole the first 2 games @Orlando, and their next 2 games are @Boston). The C's can also through tons of players at Dwight Howard in the paint, thus being able to foul almost at will, get Superman 2.0 fouled out easier, and mainly frustrate him on offense with the many bodies or on defense when he has to adjust to situations given to him.

While the Magic have other players to take the weight of Howard's shoulders, they tend to rely on giving him the ball, then if he can't do what he wants in the paint, he kicks it out to an open 3 point shooter. Unfortunately for them however, the Magic are playing one of the best (if not THE best) defenses in the League, and as shown in Games 1 and 2, those shooters are going to have a hard time. Open threes will rarely be seen, if ever.

In the West, this shouldn't even be a contest. I wrote the following after their sweep of the Spurs: "I personally apologize for underestimating the Phoenix Suns so much. I thought they would fight till they lost in the First Round, and then thought they'd do the same in Round Two. I was very wrong. They proved that they could play with the big boys when they swept (yes, swept) the once-mighty Spurs in four bloody games (Steve Nash's eye is proof of the physicality of the games). Good luck with the Lakers, fellas." I stand by my apology, but I seemed to forget the fact that the Lakers are a huge mismatch for this team. Let me elaborate.

L.A. has three 7-footers on their roster, and all 3 play big minutes for the team. Lamar Odom is a huge X-Factor coming off the bench for the defending champs, while Pau Gasol, though deemed soft, is actually quite capable of getting dirty in the paint when needed. We've seen flashes of brilliance from Andrew Bynum, but he hasn't been as aggressive on offense as the Lakers want (of course, he has been playing injured). The Lakers' length and height is way too much alone for the Suns to handle, and then you throw some other players like Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmar off the bench (they have been superb so far in the series), and, (cough), some guy named Bryant, and the Suns are either going to be swept or out in 5. I wasn't too sure of a sweep or not, but a series is never over till its over, and Phoenix will surely keep clawing back. Or will they?