We have had some pretty good series thus far. Expect them only to get better from here on out as the top teams have proven themselves worthy to be in the Eastern and Western Conference Finals

Western Conference Finals

Denver Nuggets (2) at Los Angeles Lakers (1) – A month before the end of the season, I would have said that nobody had a chance of taking out the Lakers. Since then, the Nuggets have gone on a rampage, smashing team after team. Most teams can keep up with them for a time, but a quick spurt always manages to put the Nuggets up by 20 sometime through the game and allowing them to coast to victory. Of course, the Hornets and the Mavericks are nowhere close to the talent level of the Los Angeles Lakers. Look for this to be a very good series, with both teams having opportunities of beating the other team on their own court. The Denver Nuggets could win this one. One thing is for certain — this is going to be a long series. The Nuggets are well rested. The Los Angeles Lakers went 7 with a pesky Houston Rockets team that ended up finishing without its star center, Yao Ming. I’m going to go out on a limb and say Nuggets in 7.

Eastern Conference Finals

Orlando Magic (3) at Cleveland Cavaliers (1) – The Orlando Magic are doing better than I expected, even with the disadvantage of their top player being a poor free throw shooter. The Cleveland Cavaliers looked dominant against the Pistons and the Hawks. The Magic are much better than any competition that they have faced thus far, but don’t look for the Magic to be able to stop this juggernaut. LeBron James and his posse are on a roll, beating opponents by over 10 points per game in the playoffs and winning just about every game in the regular season at home. The Orlando Magic will have a very tough task. The Cavaliers are rested. The Magic went the distance with the defending champion Boston Celtics. I think the Magic will be able to take a couple from them though. Cleveland might start out a little rusty, and the Magic are young enough that the length of the previous series will likely do little to slow them down. Cleveland in 6