will the Heat get it done this time? I do not hope so:P Unfortunately as a Mavs fan, I will probably hear the first laughs from the Heat fans;-)

I'll take the Spurs to win it all. I'd take my Bulls, but I'm not convinced of Rose being 100% and able to go at playoff speed. I think even without Rose they could make the Eastern final, but I don't think they could beat Miami or San Antonio without Rose being at MVP-calibre level.

I live in Miami, so I guess I'll pull for them, but I'm a Bobcats fan at heart, as painful as that is to admit. So naturally I could give a fluff less about this season.

Go Clippers!

had rose not gone out with an acl tear, they had the best chance of winning it. best bench players, best offensive rebounding, highest second chance points in league...

but you know what we true Chicago fans always say....

There's always next year!!

Go Spurs Go!

Hopefully my Pacers can do something this year

Cannon: I'd imagine they can easily beat the Magic in round 1 (despite the game 1 loss).

They better be playing their top game in round 2 to get past the Heat though. That's where I see them going down. But with the Bulls Rose-less and the way Miami finished the season, there's a case to be made that the East is pretty wide open.

I'm still guessing the Heat weren't playing their most motivated basketball in those last 4 games though and that they should have a fairly easy path until the NBA Finals.

at the moment I'd say the Spurs if they come through in the West else I'd expect Miami with Rose out.

go New York Knicks

I take Spurs to win it all this year. Probably one of the last chances save next year being it depending on if Duncan renews contract

Usually I am for a team rather than against one. But watching the Clippers game maked me simply want to root against them. Griffin was in the college drama club I assume.

Knicks wont give up

Don't stop, don't stop til you get enough.

I really don't find any of the 2nd round matchups very compelling. I doubt the Pacers can hang with the talent of Miami unless Miami plays down to them. The Celtics should easily beat either the 76ers or a depleted Bulls team (unlikely they'll come back, but either way....).

In the West, I think the Spurs will easily handle whoever wins the 4/5 matchup. Lakers/Thunder could be compelling, because Kobe has an almost Jordan-like will to win, but ultimately, I don't think they have enough to beat the Thunder this year.

However, the conference finals if they end up being Celtics/Heat and Spurs/Thunder could be a lot of fun to watch. I think the Celtics end up being a tough matchup for the Heat because of Rondo at the point guard. I think the other Celtic veterans are slightly outmatched by their Heat counterparts, but each is close enough to keep the game close. But Rondo is far better than anyone the Heat has at the 1, and if they pull Lebron off to guard Rondo, they leave either Allen or Pierce up against an inferior defender. I don't know that this necessarily means the Celtics can beat them in the playoffs, but I think it'll be interesting to watch.

The Thunder/Spurs I think favors the Spurs, because they still have all their main championship talent, but now they actually play an offensive style of basketball now instead of just running pick and rolls with Duncan and Parker for 48 minutes and trying to win 85-78 like they seem to have done in all their previous championship years. At the same time, the Thunder are just really fun to watch, too. So it could be a very entertaining series.

sad Knicks out, next season should better

if another team than the Heat comes through in the East, then the finals will be boring

If the Heat come through but Bosh can't play, I can't imagine that'll be much more exciting. Indiana's pretty much showing all you need to do is pound it inside to expose Miami's weakness. San Antonio with Duncan or the Lakers with Gasol and Bynum would absolutely crush them. Perhaps they could match up better with the Thunder, since their marquee talent matches up more closely with the natural positions of the Heat stars, but anything's possible--we've already seen the top two Eastern conference teams drastically weakened by injuries after a brutally condensed regular season.

This is turning into a true "last team standing" situation, with the list of injured players being almost as important as the list of healthy players.

Don't count out the Pacers boys. They thrive in the underdog role.

Spurs looking real good to take the title this year.

they're the Knicks, don't hold your breath

hmmm

Spurs look good so far.

Spurs vs. OKC will likely be the real NBA Finals.

Hell yeah spurs are steamrolling

ya spurs rock, hoping for a spurs/heat final. Thunder are playing really well though.

Thunder will not be able to handle the spurs deadly pick and roll, and their extreme experience.

Indy was probably the toughest opponent for the Heat before the Finals. I was hoping Philly would go through instead of Boston (just because it would shut up the Boston fans), but I guess it will be fun to see Boston get swept/lose in 5.

That being said, I want the "Miami model" of building a team to be discredited further so a miracle win from the Celtics would be appreciated.

I think the Spurs will win out.