P-p-p-playoffs!

Geez, it seems like it was just last week when I came up with my predictions as to how the NBA playoffs will shape up. This was what I predicted:

WEST:
(1) Mavs, Suns, Spurs, Jazz, Rockets, Nuggets, Warriors, Lakers
(2) Mavs, Suns, Spurs, Rockets
(3) Mavs, Spurs
(4) Spurs

EAST
(1) Bulls, Pistons, Celtics, Wizards, Heat, Magic, Nets, Cavs
(2) Bulls, Pistons, Celtics, Heat
(3) Bulls, Celtics
(4) Bulls

FINALS
(1) Spurs, Bulls
(2) Spurs

Hoo-boy, was I off or what? Bulls in the finals? I guess I was thinking that Kobe would get traded. Instead, we have the Lake Show as the #1 seed throughout the playoffs. Yikes.

Anyway, if you believe the NBA is rigged (or, as I believe, "influenced"--see Game 6 of Lakers/Kings, where a Kobe elbow to Bibby's nose was deemed "incidental contact", and the Lakers shooting 27 free throws in the fourth), it's going to be Lakers-Celtics in the Finals. I think it'll be a Lakers-Spurs WCF, and a Celtics-Magic ECF, followed by the Dream Matchup. In this case, I think the NBA "influences" the series to a Game 7, where the NBA lets them play (after all, they've already won in terms of $$$).

A Lakers-Celtics finals would be hard for me. Normally, I'd be on the Anyone-But-The-Lakers bandwagon--except for the fact that this particular edition is so darned likable (Gasol, Farmar, Turiaf). Having grown up a Celtics fan, I should be rooting for the green uniform all the way--except I'm currently sick of all things Boston right now, because of the obnoxious fanbase.

So I'm torn. Heck, maybe I'll root for the Lakers just this once--after all, I did root for Jordan and Da Bulls that one time against the Sonics. Or maybe Shaq is the missing link for the Suns after all.