2009 NBA Playoffs: Conference Finals Match-ups and Predictions

The NBA Playoffs began with sixteen teams, eight from each of the two conferences and now we are down to four teams. All four of the teams remaining have won two playoff series and are halfway to an NBA Championship. Four of the top five NBA teams are in the Conference Finals, the top two seeds in the Western Conference and the #1 and #3 seed in the Eastern Conference. Here are the match-ups for the Eastern and Western Conference Finals, as well as my predictions:

#1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers vs. #3 seed Orlando Magic - The Cleveland Cavaliers are continuing their dominance in the playoffs sweeping the Atlanta Hawks in four games and are now 8-0 in the playoffs. Cleveland Cavaliers superstar and the NBA's best player Lebron James has played in these playoffs like the MVP he is, averaging 32.9 PPG, 9.8 RPG, and 6.8 APG. James is not the only one who has stepped up their game in the playoffs. One superstar can not win a championship by himself, and Lebron's teammates, like Mo Williams, Delonte West, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, to name a few, have stepped up their games as well. The Orlando Magic surprisingly beat the defending NBA Champion Boston Celtics in seven games. Dwight Howard made a guarantee that his Magic would win the series when they were down 3-2 in the series. Howard delivered in Game 6, with 23 points and 22 rebounds, and the Magic team delivered on the road in Game 7 as they won by 19 points. This was the first time Boston lost a series after being up 3-2 in 33 different occasions. The Magic were 2-1 against the Cavaliers in the regular season. The Cavaliers are playing their best basketball right now and the eight-day rest won't hurt them. The Cavaliers will finally face adversity in this match-up and might possibly lose a few games, but will come out the winner. Cleveland Cavaliers win series 4-2.

#1 seed Los Angeles Lakers vs. #2 seed Denver Nuggets - The Denver Nuggets beat the Dallas Mavericks in six games and are looking like a legitimate team to go even farther in these playoffs. NBA Analyst Charles Barkley even picked them to win the NBA Championship a week ago. The previous four years, the Nuggets have lost all their playoff series in the first round, including being swept by the Los Angeles Lakers last year. The Nuggets two best players all season and playoffs have been Carmelo Anthony, making his first conference finals appearance, and Chauncey Billups, who is making his seventh consecutive conference finals appearance. The Los Angeles Lakers got a major scare by the injured Houston Rockets and were taken to the brink of elimination, before beating them in seven games. The Lakers were very inconsistent as they blew out the Rockets in Game 3, 5, and 7 but were blown-out in Game 4 and 6 by a Rockets team that were playing without Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, and Dikembe Mutombo. In the regular season, the Lakers were 3-1 against the Nuggets but have struggled in the playoffs, while the Nuggets have been 8-2, dispatching the New Orleans Hornets and Dallas Mavericks. The Denver Nuggets have been the second best team in the playoffs so far, only behind the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Lakers will be the favorite to win this series but their inconsistency will hurt them. Denver Nuggets win series 4-3.

My prediction for the NBA Finals are: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Denver Nuggets