[The Dub]

Here are my picks.

With the East, I'm still not convinced that anyone in the East can beat New Jersey. It's really out of three teams: Indy, NJ, and Detroit. Most might count out NJ because people don't think they can possibly come out of the East yet again.

Shawn, I agree that Indy has a chance, but if what happened last season is any indication of how they will perform in the playoffs this year, you will be very disappointed. There was no way they shoud have lost to Paul Pierce last year. That's right, Paul Pierce beat Indy almost single-handedly in the playoffs last year. In order for them to reach the Finals, J.O. has to be dominant. He needs to take his game to another level. He has the support, but he has to make it a point to be "the man".

Detroit has always been an iffy team to me. Even with the addition of Rasheed Wallace, I still don't see them in the Finals. It's not like R. Wallace would give them such a great advantage at the 4. Given they make it far enough, he'll have to face either K-Mart or J.O. I just don't care for Chauncey Billups. Out of the three teams I mentioned, the Pistons would be my third pick.

Which leads me to my pick. I pick NJ to three-peat as East champs for a few reasons. They have not changed their team much, so the guys who were there when they went to the Finals the last two years are still there. Another reason: Jason Kidd. The only player I can think of who can dominate the game without scoring a single point. I could say Ben Wallace, but he doesn't get his teammates involved. Kidd may be the reason why Lucious Harris is still in the league. Their bench isn't that great, but I like Aaron Williams and Harris. If they had another proven shooter, they'd definitely come out of the East. Of course, it's also easy to go with the team who has won the East the last two years.

So my Eastern Conference Champion would be the New Jersey Nets.

On to the West.

First of all, I want to say who I definitely think will not win the West. That team is the Minnesota Timberwolves. There is just no way I would even think of picking a team with absolutely NO playoff success, no matter how much they have improved. The Spurs are on their asses, and even if they keep the 2 seed, they'll probably end up facing Houston, who I believe can beat them like they did the other night.

Shawn, I like the Rockets, but I don't believe that they are championship contenders just yet. Yao is starting to become the dominating force everyone was expecting him to be. Steve Francis hasn't wowed me, so I don't know about him being ready to become a top playoff performer. Cat Mobley is taking better shots. It's good now that Steve and Cat don't have to do all the scoring. I believe that their best off-season acquisition was Jim Jackson. He has finally found a home in Houston and his veteran experience could help them in the palyoffs, Mark Jackson as well.

Now on to the real contenders...

Having shown what they can do with a low seeding, you have to consider the Lakers. Even though it may seem like their plans of sending a baby-Dream team and Rick Fox out on the floor and totally dominate has been foiled, eveyone knows LA saves their best for the playoffs. If they are seeded high enough, they should be able to dispose of their first-round opponent without either Kobe or Malone, except if it is Houston. They want to get back to where they were the three previous seasons. You just can't count out LA, no matter how much you don't like them.

This year mey be Sac's best chance yet to finally make it to the Finals. With C-Webb back and Peja having an MVP-like season, they have the league's best record. That means homecourt advantage. That means having to go to one of the loudest arenas in the league, Arco Arena. They are not a good defensive team, but not as bad as Dallas, who I won't even consider (as much as I love them) because they traded Nick Van Exel, the man who burned the Kings last year. B.Miller is great. And you cannot forget Bobby Jackson. Vlade can foul the other team's center out with his great flopping ability. They have great chemistry and with two superstars on your team, yor chances are definitely good. Yes, I now consider Peja a superstar.

The San Antonio Spurs. This team has one superstar, but they have everything it takes to win it all again. They finally faced their fear of the Lakers last season, but I think LA is more talented. The Spurs cannot compare to some of the West contenders in terms of talent, but they win. They are only 2 games behind Minnesota, who doesn't have a chance no matter how good their REGULAR SEASON is going. They were able to catch Dallas last year when it looked impossible. I believe they are going to do the same to the Wolves, even though the task isn't nearly as daunting as it was last year. They have Robert Horry. Defense wins championships and they allow 84.6 points per game. If they continue to allow those kind of numbers, though unlikely, they could be headed back to the Finals.

Tough decision, but I think it is Sacramento's year. So my Western Conference Champions would be the Sacramento Kings.

A Finals matchup between the Kings and Nets would be interesting. The Nets play good defense, but I don't think they can stop the Kings' firepower. This is why I think they really needed a shooter or someone off the bench not named Rodney Rogers who can score. You give New Jersey Nick Van Exel and they win. Since they don't have him, I'll have to go with the Kings.

NBA Champion= Sacramento Kings