2009 NBA Conference Finals Picks

The conference finals are here. After tonight’s one night break, the NBA has a game scheduled each day for the next two weeks. By then, if not sooner, we’ll have our 2009 NBA Finals matchup. My conference finals picks are coming in a bit, but first, a look back at how I fared in round two.

To recap, I'm using the scoring system from TrueHoop blogger Henry Abbott's Stat Geek Smackdown. The scoring system is 5 points for each correct series winner, plus 2 points if you get the number of games correct.

My picks
Cleveland over Atlanta in 5 = 5 points
Boston over Orlando in 7 = 0 points
Los Angeles over Houston in 5 = 5 points
Denver over Dallas in 6 = 5 points

1st round = 36 points
2nd round = 15 points
Total = 51 points

Boston’s Game 7 failure cost me 7 big points. Aside from that, I again underestimated the Cavs and Nuggets as they’ve both breezed through the first two rounds. For the record, my 51 points ties me with Henry’s mom in second-to-last place. Oh well.

Moving on to the conference finals, I still believe the Lakers and Cavaliers are on a collision course to meet for the championship, even if L.A. struggled to eliminate a depleted Rockets team. While I’m confident about who will advance, trying to predict the number of games is tough. I think both Orlando and Denver are tough enough to win a couple of games in the series, but I don’t see either squad forcing a Game 7.

Eastern Conference Finals
Cleveland over Orlando in 6

Western Conference Finals
Los Angeles over Denver in 6