Time for Part II of my scintillating NBA Playoffs preview. Click here for yesterday’s take on the Eastern Conference.

1) LA Lakers. You’ve got Kobe racking up almost 30 a game. You’ve got Pau Gasol fulfilling his destiny as a born number two option. And you’ve got a coach who’s won nine NBA championships. Yet, for some reason, I’m still not convinced the Lakers are the best in their conference. The team to emerge from the West is going to have to have tremendous point guard play. Maybe it’s me, but if I had my pick of Paul, Parker, Williams, Kidd, Nash, or Derek Fisher, I’m going to take Fisher last and see if I can trade him for a twenty piece nugget every single time.

2) New Orleans Hornets. Chris Paul is awesome. I’ve got a boner right now just typing about him. A judge in Louisiana should command that David West allocate 20% of all future earnings to Paul. I have my reservations about the Hornets in the playoffs though. I don’t think West is a 20 point per game scorer in the postseason. And historically Peja Stojakovic disappears when defensive intensity picks up. I smell a ton of minutes for Paul in the playoffs, but I worry that in the first round Jason Kidd will be able to force Paul’s supporting cast to be beat the Mavericks.

3) San Antonio Spurs. If you don’t know what the Spurs bring to the table, then you probably gave up on reading this article after you saw the title. The Spurs have never won back to back Championships. I don’t expect them to break that trend this year. I think next year Duncan and the fellas put together one more Championship run before he officially starts declining.

4) Utah Jazz. After a shaky start you have to really like this team. Boozer is ultra consistent. Deron Williams can play with anybody in the league (I consider him the second best point guard in the West, after Paul, of course). And the Jazz not only get double figures from Okur, Kirilenko, Brewer, and Korver, but all those guys bring different scoring styles to the table whether it be shooting, slashing, posting up, or offensive rebounding. They will push the Lakers to the limit in the second round.

5) Houston Rockets. McGrady has never made it out of the first round. Yao Ming is out for the season. Skip To My Loo (Rafer Alston) is out for the first two games of the playoffs. Hey Tracy! No need to bump your summer vacation plans back this year, we’ll catch you in the fall!

6) Phoenix Suns. I like the Suns to pull the upset in the first round. Stoudemire will be the most athletically gifted player on the floor. He should be able to get whatever he wants all series (including halftime hummers from Spurs cheerleaders). Duncan v. Shaq should be a fun matchup, as should Parker v. Nash. But with Ginobili dinged up going into the playoffs, the Spurs have no options to counter Stoudemire.

7) Dallas Mavericks. You know that one buddy of yours who gets his feelings hurt when your friends start giving each other a hard time after a couple rounds of beers? That’s the Mavericks. Adjectives I like to use when describing the Mavericks are: sweet, precious, gentle, caring, and big fucking pussies. If they strap on a pair they can beat the Hornets on talent alone, but I just don’t see it.

8 ) Denver Nuggets. These guys play absolutely no defense. It is awesome to watch. They don’t even try to try defensively. Can you think of another job where you can get paid millions of dollars to only put forth effort towards 50% of your duties? If you do, please let me know where to apply.

Previous Editions of Turf Toe:

• Booth Previews the Eastern Conference
• Has the Sports World Underestimated Memphis?
• Booth Defends His Bracket
• Moderately Good Teams That Could Make Your Bracket
• Booth’s Thoughts on NFL Free Agency

“Wicked Case of Turf Toe” is Booth’s weekly column dedicated to passing judgment on the world of sports. Click here for the archives.

Email This