NBA Playoffs Round 2... Fight!

Ugh, these NBA playoffs annoy me. At this rate they might end in time for Christmas. I would prefer to do all my second round predictions at once but the scheduling will not allow me that as we will have Round 2 starting before the first round finishes. Splendid.

Anyway, to review round 1 so far, I have correctly predicted the winners of all series except Nets/Raptors and Golden State/Mavs. As far as the Warriors go, I doubt I am alone in that category and, frankly, I'm happy to have guessed wrong on this one. We shall see what happens in game 7 between the Rockets and Jazz tonight. To the rest of the games:

EAST

Chicago Bulls (5) vs. Detroit Pistons (1)

It's a series most NBA fans have high on their list in anticipation. Everyone is hyping the Ben Wallace versus his former team angle which I personally feel is a non-story for the most part. Ben left on good terms and is still friends with those guys. That being said, there is NO love between Rip and Tyrus and this will be a physical battle for all those involved. I expect plenty of hard fouls, flagrants, technicals, and that is not just Rasheed. Both teams are hot, the long rest favors the older Detroit. I want to pick my Bulls but I have to stick with my original prediction Pistons in 7.

New Jersey Nets (6) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (2)

I need to admit that the Nets have impressed me so far this postseason. The Cavs went unchallenged by the Wizards just as I predicted. This is a tough series to call but the Cavs seem younger and fresher. They also have LeBron which the league is still hoping can reach Jordan popularity. Stern wants James around as long as possible so I'm giving the Cavs the edge. No one likes looking at RJ, Vince, or Kidd. Cavs in 6.

West

San Antonio Spurs (3) vs. Phoenix Suns (2)

Now that the Mavs are done the focus in the West turns to this series which seems to now be the one to determine the championship favorite. These teams match up fairly evenly and although the Suns may have a slight advantage on paper, you can't ever count out these Spurs in the postseason. At least not until Horry retires. This one could easily go either way. Suns in 7.

I will add my Warrior vs. Rockets/Jazz prediction once the series is set. Just for the record, I'm still taking Houston in that one.