NBA Playoffs Contest – Western Conference. Make your picks for a chance to win $5?

First Round -- (1) Los Angeles Lakers (65-17) vs (8) Utah Jazz (48-34) Winner: Lakers in 5__ games. (2) Denver Nuggets (54-28) vs (7) New Orleans Hornets (49-33) Winner: Denver in 7__ games. (3) San Antonio Spurs (54-28) vs (6) Dallas Mavericks (50-32) Winner: Spurs in _7_ games.(4) Portland Trailblazers (54-28) vs (5) Houston Rockets (55-173) Winner: Rockets in _7_ games.

-- Conference Semi Final -- Winners of the first round advanced. __Lakers__________ vs ____Rockets______ Winner: Lakers in _5_ games. _Denver___________ vs ___Spurs_______ Winner: Denver in _6_ games.

-- Conference Final -- __Lakers__________ vs ___Denver_______ Winner: Lakers in _6_ games.

First Round -- (1) Los Angeles Lakers (65-17) vs (8) Utah Jazz (48-34) Winner: Lakers in 6 games. (2) Denver Nuggets (54-28) vs (7) New Orleans Hornets (49-33) Winner: New Orleans in 5 games. (3) San Antonio Spurs (54-28) vs (6) Dallas Mavericks (50-32) Winner: San Antonio in 6 games.(4) Portland Trailblazers (54-28) vs (5) Houston Rockets (55-173) Winner: Houston in 7 games.

-- Conference Semi Final -- Winners of the first round advanced. Lakers vs Houston Winner: Lakers in 6 games. New Orleans vs San Antonio Winner: New Orleans in 7 games.

-- Conference Final -- Lakers vs New Orleans Winner: Lakers in 6 games.

First Round -- (1) Los Angeles Lakers (65-17) vs (8) Utah Jazz (48-34) Winner: Lakers in 6 games. (2) Denver Nuggets (54-28) vs (7) New Orleans Hornets (49-33) Winner: Denver in 7 games. (3) San Antonio Spurs (54-28) vs (6) Dallas Mavericks (50-32) Winner: Dallas in 6 games.(4) Portland Trailblazers (54-28) vs (5) Houston Rockets (55-173) Winner: Portland in 7 games.

-- Conference Semi Final -- Winners of the first round advanced. Lakers vs Portland Winner: Lakers in 6 games. Denver vs Dallas Winner: Dallas in 6 games.

-- Conference Final -- Lakers vs Dallas Winner: Lakers in 6 games.

As for the Western Conference, Here is my path of destruction. The Los Angeles Lakers in the Oklahoma City thunder have put on a quite a display. But don't worry, the Lakers will pull this one out.

Even if it takes seven games. Oklahoma was 31 and 10 this year at home. So don't be surprised if they win all three of those games that they have at home.In the end we all know how Kobe Bryant Intermountain fish and Phil Jackson handle pressure and flow to the top.

So I'll go with the Lakers and possibly seven. The Nuggets and the Jazz took a surprising twist in my eyes with Utah jumping out three games to one. What can I say about Utah, but they can score with the best team in the league.

Look for Denver to fight back, after all they do have Carmelo Anthony, and some pretty good three-point shooters. This is the only series I was wrong on thinking Denver would take the series in five. Denver does have the talent to push a game seven but Utah's way too close to their goal and I have been moving on against the Lakers.

The Phoenix Suns and the Portland Trail Blazers is more or less similar to the Atlanta and Milwaukee series across the board. But Stoudemire, should be the key in ending the series in six games. If Portland could find a way to keep their players healthy, they could be a force to reckon with in the future.

So that puts the Phoenix Suns against the San Antonio Spurs in the next round. Dallas just has too many on tangible things, disrupting the team. The talent is getting older; Dirk can't do it on his own.

And we don't need to say much about Mark Cuban now do we. San Antonio may be getting older as well, but they are one of the best all-around teams in the league, have been for a whole I years, in case you forgot. With the Lakers and Jazz shouldn't be too much of a contest, but expect Utah to put up quite a fight.

Especially when they play at home. The Lakers, however, are getting their wake-up call as we speak, by letting the OKC thunder put a foil in the easy road to the finals. But I still pick LA in six.

Matching them against the Phoenix Suns. Think about it if you look at the final four that I just picked. You have Los Angeles and San Antonio, Utah, and Phoenix.

These four teams are pretty used to reaching the semi finals and all and beyond. Expect Phoenix to give Los Angeles a run for their money, and maybe even pulling off the upset and seven games, because these two teams know each other very well. But I have the Lakers prevailing in six games, matching them up with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the NBA finals, and I'll call it now.

This will be one of the best series we've ever seen with Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers winning their first championship for that city. Now, just for the record, I am a diehard Pittsburgh Steelers fan and cannot stand any team that comes from Cleveland.LOL. This is very tough for me to go ahead with this prediction.

But as I said before, when we started, I have made my living off of sports, the last 15 years and this is how I go about it. Congratulations Cleveland. The championship waits.

Let's just hope they can sign Lebron to stay and defend it.

First Round -- (1) Los Angeles Lakers (65-17) vs (8) Utah Jazz (48-34) Winner: Lakers in 5 games. (2) Denver Nuggets (54-28) vs (7) New Orleans Hornets (49-33) Winner: Denver in 6 games. (3) San Antonio Spurs (54-28) vs (6) Dallas Mavericks (50-32) Winner: Dallas in 6 games.(4) Portland Trailblazers (54-28) vs (5) Houston Rockets (55-173) Winner: Portland in 7 games.

-- Conference Semi Final -- Winners of the first round advanced. Lakers vs Portland Winner: Lakers in 4 games. Denver vs Dallas Winner: Denver in 7 games.

-- Conference Final -- Lakers vs Denver Winner: Lakers in 5 games.

First Round -- (1) Los Angeles Lakers (65-17) vs (8) Utah Jazz (48-34) Winner: Lakers in 6__ games. (2) Denver Nuggets (54-28) vs (7) New Orleans Hornets (49-33) Winner: Hornets in 5__ games. (3) San Antonio Spurs (54-28) vs (6) Dallas Mavericks (50-32) Winner: Mavericks in 5__ games.(4) Portland Trailblazers (54-28) vs (5) Houston Rockets (55-173) Winner: Portland in 6__ games.

-- Conference Semi Final -- Winners of the first round advanced. Lakers____________ vs Portland__________ Winner: Portland in 6__ games. Hornets ____________ vs Mavericks_________ Winner: Mavericks in 6__ games.

-- Conference Final -- Portland____________ vs Mavericks__________ Winner: Mavericks! In 5__ games.

First Round -- (1) Los Angeles Lakers (65-17) vs (8) Utah Jazz (48-34) Winner: Lakers in 5 games. (2) Denver Nuggets (54-28) vs (7) New Orleans Hornets (49-33) Winner: Denver in 7 games. (3) San Antonio Spurs (54-28) vs (6) Dallas Mavericks (50-32) Winner: Dallas in 7 games.(4) Portland Trailblazers (54-28) vs (5) Houston Rockets (55-173) Winner: Portland in 6 games.

-- Conference Semi Final -- Winners of the first round advanced. Lakers vs Portland Winner: Lakers in 5 games. Denver vs Dallas Winner: Denver in 6 games.

-- Conference Final -- Lakers vs Denver Winner: Denver in 7 games.

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