SDH Previews the 2013 NBA Western Conference Playoffs: First Round

The 2013 NBA regular season is now in the book and now the top eight team from the Eastern and Western Conferences square off in a bid to take the ultimate prize--the NBA's Larry O'Brien Trophy.  The Western Conference will certainly be exciting to watch as three of the four of the first round matchups may wind up as upsets.  Save for the Oklahoma City Thunder who are basically a lock for the NBA Finals, the same can not be said for three other teams who have claimed home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.   So with out any further adieu, here are a series by series look of how I believe that first round will play out and it will certainly be one to remember.

#1		#8
Although this matchup will be highly as former teammates who had once banded together to reach the Finals last year return to face each other as enemies, this series will not be as exciting.  Simply put, the Thunder will simply mop the floor with the Rockets because the Thunder are simply deeper and more talented by far.  Add the fact that the Rockets finished with one of the worst defenses and highest turnover averages in the league will only make it an even bigger cake walk for Oklahoma City.  Expect this series to go five games max before the Rockets get thundered out of the playoffs and head for another early summer vacation.

#2		#7
This is a match up between two teams whose windows for NBA Championship glory have essentially closed shut and they both match up pretty well in terms of size, talent, depth and age making this first round series one of the most exciting to watch.  Although many give the Spurs the edge, do not count out L.A as they finished the season rather impressively winning eight of their last ten games, two of which without team star Kobe Bryant, who many do not expect to play at all.  Even without Bryant, the Lakers still remain even with the Spurs in terms of defensive match ups and if underestimated, can certainly flip the script and send the Spurs to yet another early playoff exit.  Add the fact that San Antonio, for the last couple of years, despite having the league's best record, still manage to fall short losing early in the playoffs.  That will not likely changes as I see LA shocking the Spurs and the world winning this series in seven games.

#3		#6
Again, here is another playoff series where the two playoff opponents match each other to a tee in terms of size, depth, athleticism, age and style of play.  This will certainly be a crowd pleaser as both teams rank among the top teams in the league for putting up points on the score board.  Some may have Denver winning this series over the upstart Warriors, but remember, this is the same Nuggets team that has only passed the first round of the playoffs ONCE in the past nine years and given the team's post season history, that may not change anytime soon.  Look for the Warriors to shock the world as they did in 2006 when they eliminated a top ranked team thus giving the West not just one, but TWO surprise teams facing each other in the Conference semi finals.  Expect the Warriors to pull the red carpet up from under the Nuggets in six games max as they head to face the fellow underdog LA Lakers in the next round.

#4		#5
Prepare yourselves for a long, dragged out and ugly series as both teams will face each other once again; however, this time the Clippers are the ones that have the home court advantage and it is the Grizzlies who shall be the underdogs.  It will be a make or break series for both teams as the Clippers look to take one step closer towards an NBA title while the Grizzlies want to remain a relevant force in the West.  Financially the Grizzlies have plenty invested in this series as a loss will force the team into further slashes in their payroll because of the new luxury tax rules.  Another early exit will possibly be the straw that breaks the camels back as Memphis may have to tank the team and start over from scratch yet again.  The advantage will go to the Clippers as they have become far more deeper, much more tougher and a seasoned veteran roster so expect the Clips to take this one easy by five games.