NBA Playoffs in full swing

The NBA playoffs are back and quickly taking shape. With many teams capable of making a run at a championship trophy, these playoffs should generate a lot of drama and viewing interest.

Headlined by the Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and Los Angeles Lakers as the most likely teams to win the title, one can expect to see some fierce match-ups particularly in the later rounds of the playoffs.

The Chicago Bulls were another strong candidate to claim the championship trophy this June but suffered a major loss in their first game of the playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers, as star Derrick Rose tore his ACL, knocking him out for the remainder of the season.

The Heat appear to be the odds on favorites in the Eastern Conference with stars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh all gelling at the right time. However, the Boston Celtics led by guard Rajon Rondo and the resurgence of their original big three (Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen) cannot be written off just yet.

Nor can the team no one likes to talk about because they play in Indiana and lack star power, the Pacers. The Pacers do have a star in Danny Granger and have received great complementary play from guard Paul George, forward David West, and center Roy Hibbert.

The more people sleep on the Pacers, the more vulnerable they become to creep up and scare you. Watch out.

Centered around guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli,
along with center Tim Duncan, the Spurs are proven
champions and are back at it for more. 

In the West it is even more open as the Thunder, Spurs, and Lakers are the most likely teams to represent the conference in the NBA Finals, however there are other candidates. Do not write off whomever wins the first round series between the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies, these two teams are stacked with talent and have the playmakers it takes to win in the postseason.

All these teams listed have what it takes to get to the Finals, it is simply a matter of who is going to step up and who is going to sit down in crunch time.

With that said, I believe the Clippers will fall short against the Grizzlies despite great play from guard Chris Paul and forward Blake Griffin. The Grizzlies strong front-line of Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph, and Marc Gasol will just be too much to handle.

Then, I like the Thunder over the Lakers, yes Los Angeles is receiving great performances from stars Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum but the dynamic, youthful duo of stars Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant in Oklahoma City will be too much fire power for the Lakers to keep up with.

The Spurs led by their big three of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, and Tim Duncan will knockout the Grizzlies and then put the Thunder to rest afterwards in the Western Conference Finals.

While I could see both the Celtics and Pacers giving the Heat a serious run for their money in the East, ultimately the Heat will win the conference, leading to an NBA Finals showdown between the hated Heat and the so-called boring Spurs.

This series will be a classic and likely go seven games, with the Spurs prevailing in the end.