May 18, 2009, at 8:50 pm
The top two seeds in the Western Conference square off for what is sure to be a nail-biter right down to the end. Finishing with the best record in the West, the Lakers have backed their way into the conference finals for the 6th time this decade (’00, ’01, ’02, ’04, ’08, ’09) and for the 29th overall time in their History.
Led by adulterer Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles barely squeaked by a much-depleted Houston Rockets squad. On the other side of the coin, you have the surging Nuggets of Denver who have dispatched of both the Hornets and Mavericks in 5 games. Led by Carmello Anthony, the Nuggets are looking as if their best basketball is yet to come.
Chauncey Billups leads the point for Denver, and was an early season acquisition that has surely paid off for the Nuggets. Denver fans were scratching their heads when Allen Iverson came over for then point guard Andre Miller, and only after ridding themselves of the wrong “Answer” have they finally made the Western Conference finals. With a supporting cast of Nene, Keynon Martin and sharpshooter J.R. Smith, the Nuggets have surprised most with their late season run.
Andrew Bynum’s much anticipated return has not provided the major boost that many thought it would. However, the Lakers have not had a shortage of big time role players this season. Trevor Ariza and Josh Powell have provided valuable minutes down the stretch, and with three tree trunks in the starting line-up (Bynum, Odom, Gasol), the Lakers will surely be the favorite going in.
That’s-All-Folks.com had an amazing record in the 2009 NCAA Tournament (14-1 from the Sweet 16 to the Championship Game) and we expect to continue on that mark with three correct predictions to close out the NBA season. I have not been impressed with the Lakers play this postseason and the Nuggets are peaking at just the right time.
Prediction: Denver Nuggets in Six games
* Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals is up in the air right now as the Nuggets have rented out the Pepsi Center to WWE Raw. Vince McMahon refuses to re-schedule the event, as it has been booked since the summer of last year, and David Stern clearly stated, “The playoff dates will not be changed.” Let’s see which tough guy blinks first.
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