Best: Cavaliers @ Lakers: Is LeBron the next Jordan? He has to be better than Kobe to be better than MJ (and of course Kobe isn't Jordan either). The big difference between Kobe and LeBron is that James does the stand-around-but-get-rebounds-anyway defense that T-Mac does. James should Scottie Pippens defense to see how a free-flowing SF should play defense. Predicted Score: Los Angeles Lakers win 103-96.Runner-up: Warriors @ Suns: Golden State is having a surprising season but is off and on. Both Baron Davis and Jason Richardson play great, but not always at the same time.
Richardson has to dominate night in and night out like Nash and Marion do. 3-pt shooting will be a no-brainer between the two, but rebounds might be scarce. Predicted Score: Phoenix wins 107-101.
Blowout: Pistons @ Spurs: Yeah it may be a clash of two NBA titans. But if the NBA Finals taught us anything last year, it was these two don't exactly play games for entertainment. Even Jazz/Bulls had a 40+ point blowout before Jordan hit the game-winner in Game 6. One blowout deserves another, and the low score in this game will make it even less entertaining for fans. Predicted Score: San Antonio wins 96-81.
.Visit Basketball Betting Systems for more expert articles on sports.By: David Pincus