2006 EASTERN CONFERENCE ROUNDBALL ROUND-UP:

It’s nearing the end of April, which can only mean one thing: time for the NBA Playoffs to start! We’ve determined the scoring title. The seven-month, 82-game campaign is complete. Now it’s time to decide all the marbles in grueling, best-of-seven face-offs.

Questions abound: Will the San Antonio Spurs repeat as champions, winning their third Naismith trophy in four years? Or will the Detroit Pistons avenge last year’s seven game series loss, proving that 2004’s glory was no fluke?

How far will Pat Riley’s Miami Heat get with their revamped roster? Will either the Indiana Pacers or the Sacramento Kings, who traded key players at midseason, make it past the first round?

Finally, which Western Conference starting point guard is the luckier guy – Phoenix’s Steve Nash, who’s dating Elizabeth Hurley, or San Antonio’s Tony Parker, currently getting hot and heavy with Eva Longoria? Make your predictions, people!

The playoffs start this weekend. For now, I am reserving my analysis and comments for the Eastern Conference match-ups, since I predict either Detroit or Miami to win it all in June. Also, I have not been following the Western Conference all year. Sacramento and Denver are in? Didn’t they suck two months ago? That’s basketball!

EASTERN CONFERENCE MATCH-UPS:

#1 ranked Detroit versus #8 ranked Milwaukee

#2 Miami versus #7 Chicago

#3 New Jersey versus #6 Indiana

#4 Cleveland versus #5 Washington

Detroit Pistons versus Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee has a well-rounded backcourt featuring Michael Redd and T. J. Ford, scorer and distribution man extraordinaire, respectively. They also have a starting frontcourt that averages about a double-double each on paper. But this season is more significant as Ford’s first one back from a spinal cord injury. And the Bucks are going up against Detroit, which might have the best starting five in basketball. Maybe Milwaukee steals a game, but I wouldn’t count on it.

Prediction: Detroit in four.

Miami Heat versus Chicago Bulls

Yes, the Bulls are on a hot streak, and one of those games was a 20-point shellacking of Miami last week. But the Heat was resting its starters, having already clinched the second seed and guaranteed home court advantage for the first two rounds. Also, Miami has arguably the two best players in the league with Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal, impressive depth (Two bench players averaging more than 26 minutes, and a third averaging 20 minutes, who provide points, rebounds, and blocked shots), and they won two out of three this season against the Bulls. While it’s true that Chicago’s strength – perimeter scoring – could possibly exploit Miami’s weak perimeter defense, the Bulls have weak interior defense and barely any height. Let’s just hope Shaq takes this first round series seriously, or it could get ugly.

Prediction: Miami in five.

New Jersey Nets versus Indiana Pacers

If I’m not reading that the Pacers are the most dangerous team in the playoffs, I’m reading that their centerpiece, power forward Jermaine O’Neal, wants to go play for another team. Combine that with malcontents Stephen Jackson and Jamaal Tinsley, and free agent to-be Peja Stojakovic, and you have a roster that looks fine on paper but could get demoralized once they’re down by two games. Do they care enough to even compete? They won their last five, but New Jersey happens to be an even hotter team, featuring an explosive backcourt trio and Jason Kidd, who’s the best point guard in the league.

Prediction: New Jersey in five.

Cleveland Cavaliers versus Washington Wizards

This series is going to six before King James takes it over. Both teams are rife with explosive scorers and youthful athleticism, making it possible games could get into the 200-point stratosphere. More likely, however, scoring will stay in the 70-80 range, even with the James-Ilgauskas-Hughes-Murray gang from Brownsville and the Arenas-Jamison-Butler triumvirate down in Capital City. Expect the inflated stats of Ilgauskas and Murray to fizzle out once playoff time begins, and the same for Jamison and Butler. That leaves two gunners against one, a mismatch even though Arenas has been known to shoot for 50.

Prediction: Cleveland in six.

Enjoy the first round of the playoffs, folks. I didn’t get to post a similar breakdown last year, since K. and I were too busy driving to California (I’m getting around to posting about that trip, really). This is not to say that I’ll be obsessively following championship run this year. But I will enjoy watching it on T.V. occasionally, checking post-game stats on the web, or maybe even listening via the radio. In the meantime, go Heat!