Second Round Preview

The second round of the NBA playoffs began today, as the Denver Nuggets defeated the Dallas Mavericks 109-95. I'll give a Lakers-Rockets preview, but instead of giving previews for the other matchups, I'm just going to give my predictions.

#1 Los Angeles Lakers vs #5 Houston Rockets

The Lakers are the deeper, longer and more talented team in this matchup. Coming off a 4-1 series win against the Utah Jazz, the Lakers had a few days to rest before finding out they would be playing Houston. The Rockets are in the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1997 after defeating the Portland Trail Blazers in six games.

 The Lakers beat the Rockets all four times in the regular season, and the average margin of victory was 13 points. The Lakers have the advantage at almost every position, with the exceptions being at the center and the small forward. Rockets point guard Aaron Brooks played great in the Portland series, but in his two starts against the Lakers in the regular season, he was very ineffective as he averaged eight points while shooting 5-of-14 from the field. No one will get an advantage over Kobe Bryant, who really seems to enjoy playing against Shane Battier and Ron Artest. Kobe was very effective against Houston in the regular season, and I don't see anything that Artest or Battier can do other than fire him up. The one distinct advantage Houston has is their big man in the middle. Yao Ming is the best offensive center in the NBA, and has improved his defensive play tremendously. Yao will surely be tested on defense in this series with the Laker duo of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. With Bynum expected to be inserted back in the starting lineup, Lamar Odom will now be coming off the Laker bench that played very well against Utah. 

While Houston looked good against Portland, I just don't see any way that they give the Lakers a legitimate scare. The Rockets do not have the individual talent to threaten the Lakers, and they are very susceptible to being shut down for long periods of time. At this point the only thing that can stop the Lakers is themselves. Expect the Lakers to play with more intensity, as they have been criticized for seemingly playing careless basketball against Utah. With Kobe leading the way, the Lakers should roll through this series onto the Western Conference Finals. Game 1 is tomorrow night at 7:30 in Los Angeles

Pick- Lakers in five

#2 Denver Nuggets vs #6 Dallas Mavericks

Pick- Nuggets in six

In the Eastern Conference

#1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs #4 Atlanta Hawks

Pick- Cavs in seven

#2 Boston Celtics vs #3 Orlando Magic

Pick- Magic in six

First round prediction results: 6-2