NBA Playoff Preview: Eastern Conference - First Round

Miami Heat (#1) vs. New Jersey Nets (#8)
How great would it be for the Nets to send Alonzo Mourning home for the season and possibly for his career? Rhetorical question. It would be awesome given the way Mourning weaseled his way out of both New Jersey and Toronto this season in hopes of riding someone else's coattails to a ring. Others have done the same (e.g., Karl Malone, Gary Payton) but actually sacrificed some cash to do so. Mourning took all the cash he could get from the Nets and has been a self-centered pain-in-the-ass ever since. Go Nets!
Prediction: Heat in 6

Detroit Pistons (#2) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (#7)
Pound-for-pound, Allen Iverson is among the best athletes in the world today and he's the toughest and most competitive player in the NBA. However, the addition of Chris Webber has done nothing to ease Iverson's burden and you still can't win an NBA title single-handedly. The Pistons finally started playing like defending champs down the stretch and are just too deep for Iverson and his still-mediocre supporting cast.
Prediction: Pistons in 6

Boston Celtics (#3) vs. Indiana Pacers (#6)
I've said it before and I'll keep saying it until I'm proven wrong -- no team that relies heavily on Antoine Walker will EVER go far in the playoffs. He's a great player in fantasy basketball but a terrible player in the real world and, unfortunately for the Celtics, the playoffs are still played in the real world. Indiana deserved most of the adversity it faced this season but instead of using that as an excuse for falling apart, they fought through it all to have a very respectable season and make the playoffs. Plus, love him or hate him, the league won't be as much fun without Reggie Miller. He's stretched opposing defenses for 18 seasons. Let's hope he can stretch out his career a few more weeks.
Prediction: Pacers in 6

Chicago Bulls (#4) vs. Washington Wizards (#5)
No one could have predicted that the Bulls would improve by 24 victories this season. While it wasn't quite as simple as taking away Jamal Crawford's chucking and replacing it with Ben Gordon's clutch-shooting, that certainly had a lot to do it (just ask the Knicks). At full strength the Bulls are a strong favorite over the Wizards. However, with Eddy Curry and Luol Deng sidelined, this series becomes a toss-up. The Wizards are led by the talented trio of Gilbert Arenas, Larry Hughes and Antawn Jamison. Talented? Yes. Playoff-tested? No.
Prediction: Bulls in 7