That’s only the first round.
Coming off its tightest playoff race ever, the NBA’s Western Conference is now set for a postseason that could be even better.
“It’s going to be bananas. It’s going to be crazy,” Dallas guard Jason Terry said. “It’s going to be great for NBA fans all across the world.”
When it’s finally over, whoever survives the wild West probably will find the Boston Celtics or Detroit Pistons waiting for them.
The playoffs begin Saturday. Phoenix heads to San Antonio; the Hornets host Dallas in their first postseason game since returning to New Orleans; the Houston Rockets host the Utah Jazz in another playoff rematch; and the Washington Wizards visit NBA scoring champion LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers for Round 3 of their postseason rivalry.
On Sunday, it’s Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers hosting Iverson’s Denver Nuggets; the Toronto Raptors travel to the Orlando Magic; the Pistons host the Philadelphia 76ers; and the top-seeded Celtics host the Atlanta Hawks.
The Celtics or the Pistons are heavy favorites to reach the NBA Finals. Nothing is certain out West, where the Lakers were only seven wins better than the No. 8 Nuggets, who went 50-32.
The Spurs have the No. 3 seed, the same spot from where they started last year’s title run. They went through the Suns, who provide a bigger roadblock this time in the form of the 7-1, 325-pound O’Neal, who helped Phoenix win both meetings since he arrived from Miami.
“The Phoenix-San Antonio matchup is going to be an absolute bloodbath,” Houston’s Shane Battier said. “The Dallas-New Orleans series is going to be very, very competitive. Denver is athletic enough to match up with the Lakers; you never know what could happen. And the 4-5 is always a good series. It’s going to be a very good playoff race in the Western Conference this year.”
Perhaps it will end with the Celtics against the Lakers, the NBA’s greatest rivalry renewed on its biggest stage. Or maybe it’ll be Boston-San Antonio, the old dynasty vs. the new.
Or it could be Pistons-Hornets, or Pistons-Jazz, or Celtics-Suns. The Finals might start in Boston or Detroit, but there’s no telling which West team will show up.
“I think it’s open,” Utah’s Carlos Boozer said. “I think the championship still goes through the Spurs. I have a great deal of respect for them. There are definitely some talented teams out there, and I think everybody has a chance to get to the championship.”
The Lakers clinched the top seed with a strong finish, with Bryant possibly winning his first MVP award in the process. But they get a dangerous No. 8 seed in the Nuggets, with Iverson and Carmelo Anthony ranking just behind Bryant in the league’s scoring race.
The eighth seed pulled the stunner last year when Golden State knocked off a 67-win Dallas team. Now the Mavs will try to see the upset from the other side against the Southwest Division champion Hornets, who are seeded second but have little postseason experience.
Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and the rest of the Mavs got a huge confidence boost in the season finale with a 111-98 victory over the Hornets - a huge turnaround from the beating the Hornets laid on them in February in Dallas’ first game after acquiring Kidd.
“We’ve been through almost everything in 30 games - injuries, suspensions, different lineup changes. So I think we’ve seen it all,” Kidd said. “I think there’s nothing we haven’t seen as a team, from the first time we played New Orleans to now. So I think we’re prepared and excited for this challenge.”
So are the Celtics, led by Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to an NBA-best 66-16 record. Now they chase the storied franchise’s first title since 1986.
“We expect to win this thing,” Garnett said. “Nothing less than that and that’s the focus here, that’s the mentality.”
The Celtics and Pistons are expected to cruise through their opening-round series against sub-.500 teams. That probably leaves the Cleveland-Washington series as the best of the first round in the East.
The Cavaliers knocked out the Wizards in each of the last two years, though Washington’s players talk as if they’ve forgotten. Some have said they wanted to play James and the defending East champs, and now they’ve got their chance.
