Wow what a 1st round in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Can’t say the same for the boring NBA. Although the Bull/Celts series may have been the best I have ever seen (next to my Warriors defeating the Mavs in the 1st round as an 8 seed), the NHL has just been better. I was 4 for 4 in both the Eastern conferences picking the Cavs, Hawks, Celtics, Magic, Penguins, Bruins, Capitals, and Hurricanes to advance. The Western conference was a bit dicier for me, as I selected the Lakers, Blazers, Spurs, and Nuggets, as well as the Sharks, Red Wings, Flames, and Canucks. 8 for 8 in the East, only 4 for 8 in the West, what can I say, i’m an East Coast boy.

 

Here are my 2nd round picks for the NBA:

 

Cavaliers over Hawks in 6 (previous pick was Cavs over Hawks)

I think the Hawks have matured and play great at home. They should be able to steal a game or 2, but thats about it against the leagues new MVP.

 

Magic over Celtics in 7 (previous pick was Magic over Celtics)

If KG comes back I can see this going the other way for sure. In fact, i’d pick the Celtics to play the Lakers in the finals again. But without KG I just don’t see that next generation all pro on the Celtics. We can make a case for Rondo, but he’s no Superman. Howard leads his team past the defending champs.

 

Lakers over Rockets in 6 (previous pick was Lakers over Blazers)

Too much fire power on the Lakers. No experience past the 1st round on the Rockets. This will lead to another early exit for Yao Ming and the Rockets. Down 1-0, Kobe will step his game up, he isn’t a top 2 player in the NBA for no reason.

 

Nuggets over Mavericks in 5 (previous pick was Nuggets over Spurs)

The Mavs should be able to steal a game at home, but the Nuggets are clicking on all cylinders. No one is going to stand in their way if they keep playing like the way they are. Question is, can they keep it up?

 

Here are my picks for the later rounds:

Lakers over Nuggets (same pick as before)

Cavaliers over Magic (same pick as before)

Lakers over Cavaliers (same pick as before)

 

Now onto the NHL:

 

Once again called all 4 teams right in the East, and only half in the West. My Stanley Cup champion Sharks are out of the race early again. Sharks fans must be getting tired of this. My Penguins are still in the race, but are now in a 2-0 hole. Here are my picks.

 

Hurricanes over Bruins in 6 (previous pick was Canes over Bruins)

Cam Ward versus Tim Thomas. What a show Ward has put on so far, while Thomas hasn’t really been tested but was the best goalie during the regular season. I think the Canes have the experience, especially at goalie, to sneak past the Bruins.

 

Penguins over Capitals in 7 (previous pick was Pens over Caps)

Man oh man, i’m so dissapointed with the way the series is going only as a Penguins fan. As a hockey fan, I haven’t seen many better offensive games than the 1st two of this series. Hat tricks for Crosby and Ovechkin in the same game. They’re putting on a show. The only difference has been that Malkin hasn’t showed up, and that Varlamov has been slightly better than Fleury. I don’t want to change my pick, but i’ll admit, i’m scared out of my pants right now.

 

Due to reseeding, my West picks are all messed up. I had the Sharks over the Flames and the Wings over the Canucks. here are my new picks.

 

Wings over the Ducks in 7

I want to pick the Ducks but I just can’t pick against the defending champs. They have a big name at every position, from Hossa to Osgood, to Zetterberg, to Datsyuk who is in the running for MVP. Hiller has been great, can he pull a JS Giguere? I don’t think he’ll be able to.

 

Canucks over Blackhawks in 5

Sedin brothers are proving to be too much. Khabibulin is not the same goalie he once was and Luongo is proving to be a bit better right now. Blackhawks may steal another game, but I think the Nucks take the series.

 

Later round picks:

Canucks over Wings (i’m changing my picks, i’ve become a Canucks believer)

Pens over Canes (same pick as before)

Canucks over Pens in the finals (poor Sharks’ fans).

 

Till the next round, let me know what you guys think.

Just like the NHL, I wasn’t around for the first few games to be able to talk about my picks. I’m going to have to make this short and sweet as i’m at work, just like the NHL one.

Just like the NHL picks, I will redo these every round.

Cavs over Pistons in 4

Pistons have shown nothing. They could have avoided this matchup with a late season win, but faltered and now they’ll pay the price. The years of the Spurs and Pistons are done.

 

Celts over Bulls in 7

The way the Bulls have been playing they remind me of the Hawks in the first round last year. Gordon and Rose should be able to carry them to 1 or 2 more victories each, but in the end the Celtics are just better, with or without Kevin Garnett.

 

Magic over 76ers in 7

Magic are hurting and have high expectations in the playoffs for the first time since Shaq left for the Lakers in the 90s. They will win the series, but the other AI (Andre Igoudala) and company will make it tougher than everyone thinks.

 

Hawks over Heat in 7

Dwayne Wade has a lot of youngsters around him. I know i’m picking 3 serieses to go 7, but I feel like the East is up and coming and the teams are a lot closer than people think. Wade will carry his team for 3 wins, but the Hawks were growing last year and have only gotten better. They’re good enough to push into the 2nd round, and this should be the best series to watch come games 5, 6, and 7.

 

Lakers over Jazz in 5

The Jazz can’t play on the road. They got their 1 win at home. They may keep game 4 close, but will probably lose in the same fashion they lost game 2. Game 5 is going to be all LA.

 

Nuggets over Hornets in 6

Chris Paul is too good to get swept. The Billups trade has obviously made the Nuggets contenders. Billups should get the job done 4 out of 6 times against Paul as he has the better team around him right now. West and Chandeler need to show up.

 

Spurs over Mavs in 7

I would have said 6, so i’m cheating a bit as the Mavs have already won 2 games. Tim Duncan is a champion, Dirk Nowitzki is not. That should be the difference. Not to mention Jason Kidd has slowed down and Tony Parker is on a tear. With or without Manu Ginobili, the Spurs are a better team. Roger Mason (the new Robert Horry) with a game 7 game winning 3 pointer.

 

Blazers over Rockets in 7

This should be just as good as the Hawks and Heat series. The young Blazers have the 2nd best shooting gaurd in the game in Brandon Roy and a bunch of young talent that I think can get the job done against Yao. This series could go either way, but the Blazers have the better star and are just a bit more exciting to watch. They’ll also pose great problems for the Lakers in round 2, I think they pull it off.

 

Eastern Conference Semis:

 

Magic over Celtics in 7 (Magic get a bit healthier and without KG no one is going to stop Dwight Superman Howard. We’d all love to see the Celtics and Cavs go at it, but without KG its just not the same, and the Celts may just not get there.)

 

Cavs over Hawks in 5 (I feel like the Cavs will dominate the young Hawks and the Hawks are a year away. Moving up 1 round every year!)

 

Western Conference Semis:

 

Lakers over Blazers in 6 (Blazers will pose problems. The best 2 sg’s in the league will go at it in Kobe and Roy. Kobe is just too good, especially on defense. Blazers should be able to sneak a win or 2, maybe even 3, but they’re not winning this series.)

 

Nuggets over Spurs in 6 (this should look much like the Nuggets/Hornets 1st round series, Billups should get the job done 4 out of 6 times against Parker as well, especially with the team clicking at the right time.)

 

Eastern Conference Finals:

 

Cavs over Magic in 6 (2 superstars go at it. Reminds me of Shaq and Kobe. 2 future hall of famers. The Cavs are just too good though, they’ll probably take 1 road game and they’re not going to lose at home.)

 

Western Conference Finals:

 

Lakers over Nuggets in 5 (Nugs might steal a game, but they got dominated by the Lakers recently.)

 

Finals:

 

This is a toughy. Cavs vs. Lakers is everyones consensus picks. I will have to go with the Lakers though in 7. This may be tough as the Cavs don’t lose at home, but Lebron doesn’t face Kobe everyday. Kobe has the championship experience and two 7 footers that can dominate. No Z can’t dominate and I don’t care who thinks otherwise, he will get beat in this series. And it may just be the difference as long as the Lakers point gaurds don’t get beat by Mo Williams.