[twins15]

Originally posted by Eckstein 4 Prez
Depends on what you mean by "a run for their money." It is highly likely that the East will win one game, at home, almost by default - sweeps are tough to do. With inspired play and/or favorable officiating, they might actually win two games. They don't have a prayer of winning a seven-game series. Look at it this way: despite the easier schedules of the Eastern Conference teams, Detroit, the top regular season team from the East, had exactly the same record as the Lakers and Blazers, the No. 5 and 6 teams in the West. If you remove a few of those wins because of the schedules, they'd be neck and neck with Utah, Phoenix and Houston. I actually think I'm being generous by suggesting they might be as good as the number 7 team in the West. In reality, I think it's a 50/50 shot whether any of them would make the playoffs. So, like I said, it's not that I'm expecting a sweep - I just think that no matter how much the Eastern team gets talked up by the announcers for their "heart" and "determination," it's highly, highly unlikely they'll win more than a game or two.

My guess is that the Spurs will beat the Nets in 6, with Game 6 being a very close one but the Spurs pulling it out.