The first round of this year?s postseason has gone as most have expected, with the exception of possibly one of the most shocking upsets in NBA history.  Many expected the Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns, and San Antonio Spurs to quickly dispose of their inferior opponents with ease.  Despite being the lower seed, many also believed the New Jersey Nets would be capable of easily defeating the Atlantic division champion Toronto Raptors.  Everyone also predicted the Utah Jazz versus Houston Rockets series would go seven.  

What many didn?t expect was to see the defending champion Miami Heat go down to the Chicago Bulls without winning a single game.  And virtually nobody predicted the Golden State Warriors to completely dismantle and annihilate the mighty Dallas Mavericks in six, registering the final victory by a stunning margin of 25 points.  Golden State became only the third eight-seed to ever defeat a one-seed in the first round of the postseason, joining the 1993-94 Denver Nuggets and the 1998-99 New York Knicks.  Only the 1998-99 Knicks reached the NBA Finals as an eight-seed, and no number eight has ever won the title.  

Now that we have dwindled the field down to eight, we again are given some incredible match-ups with some of the best players in the game.  An ancient rivalry is restored, the new kids on the block will try to contain the old Kidd and his mates, an ultra conservative defense will do battle with The Greatest Show on Hardwood, and the squad with the toughest little-man swagger we?ve seen in decades will again look to run the Big Fella off the court.  The second round is primed to start Saturday in Detroit.  But before then, here?s what we expect will happen in this year?s Elite Eight.  

Eastern Conference

(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (5) Chicago Bulls

Season series:  Chicago leads 3-1.

Key Storylines:  It doesn?t get much better than this?unless of course this was an Eastern Conference Finals match-up.  One of the league?s most intense and storied rivalries in history is reignited in the 2007 edition of the NBA postseason.  After the recent half-decade of the Pistons dominating the series and the division, the Bulls have been stockpiling youthful playmakers and are finally in position to take down the Eastern Conference elite.  The venom in the heart of the Piston fans will surface as Ben Wallace is announced by Mason in a sold-out, raucous, and violent Palace of Auburn Hills.  The former soul of the Pistons will be wearing enemy red, and will produce perhaps the scrappiest and most vicious playoff series since the days of the Bad Boys taking it to Michael Jordan?s Bulls.  We fully expect this to be an epic battle, but the playoff poise and savvy playmaking of Chauncey Billups down the stretch of games will surge Detroit back into the Eastern Conference Finals for the fifth consecutive year.

Prediction:  Detroit in five.

(2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (6) New Jersey Nets

Season series:  Cleveland leads 2-1.

Key Storylines:  After a cakewalk for the Cavs over the injury-depleted Wizards, they now step onto the court with a team who is finally hitting full stride and ready to reemerge as the Eastern Elite.  The Nets will ride Jason Kidd?s ridiculous triple-double average from the first round (14.0 points, 13.2 assists and 10.0 rebounds ? the 10th time in NBA history a player has averaged a triple-double for an entire playoff series) into this series with the up-and-coming Cavaliers.  Led by LeBron James and Larry Hughes, the Cavs will look to slow down the Big Three in New Jersey and hope their big men ? Zydrunas Illgauskas, Drew Gooden, and Anderson Varejao ? can overwhelm the thin frontcourt of the Nets.  However, with solid team defense and experienced leadership, the Nets should be able to ride Vinsanity and Kidd to the next round.

Prediction:  Nets in six.

Western Conference

(2) Phoenix Suns vs. (3) San Antonio Spurs

Season series:  San Antonio leads 2-1.

Key Storylines:  This is a rematch of the 2005 Western Conference Finals; the last playoff series the Suns were equipped with a healthy and explosive Amare Stoudemire.  This is the series that most will label as the virtual NBA Finals, now that the Mavericks have been eliminated.  The individual match-ups in this series only highlight what could rival the Pistons-Bulls skirmish as the best match-up of the playoffs.  The high-flying Suns attack is led by two(possibly three)-time MVP Steve Nash, who will do battle with the relentless and talented Tony Parker.  Defensive stoppers Raja Bell and Bruce Bowen will have their hands full with the offensive games of Manu Ginobili, Michael Finley, Leandro Barbosa, and Shawn Marion.  And who could ever forget what figures to be a ruthless low-block clash between Amare Stoudemire and postseason excellence poster boy Tim Duncan.  It?s going to be amazing series that could produce this year?s eventual champion.  However, it will be the superior cohesion and solidarity among those in the Game 1 visitor?s locker room that will prove too much to overcome in this virtual Finals match-up.

Prediction:  San Antonio in six.

(4) Utah Jazz vs. (8) Golden State Warriors

Season series:  Series tied 2-2.

Key Storylines:  After the melee between the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz in the seven game first round series, the Jazz will be tired and coming into the series with everyone?s trendy pick to reach the Western Conference Finals.  The Warriors will try to use their speed and athleticism to literally run the Utah big man Mehmet Okur off the court.  Using a small-ball approach perfected in the series against Dallas, Don Nelson will utilize the power, quickness, and talent of team leader Baron Davis to dominate the Jazz backcourt and brutalize the helpless frontcourt with his vision and playmaking ability.  Look for Al Harrington to finally emerge in this postseason and for Stephen Jackson to put the clamps on Deron Williams? potent distributing prowess.  For Utah to be able to survive against these ferocious Warriors playing with heart, pride, and a ?nothing to lose? attitude, they are going to have to get huge lifts from role players like Andrei Kirilenko and Derek Fisher.  However, the high these Warriors are riding after destroying the seventh-best regular season team in NBA history seems too much for Jerry Sloan?s squad to extinguish.

Prediction:  Golden State in six.

This second round is shaping up to be great for the fans and the league.  Two of these series are already being considered the respective Conference Finals and could both not only produce the eventual NBA Finals combatants, but also become instant classics.  However, fans in New Jersey, Cleveland, Golden State, and Utah will beg to differ.  Only time will tell which teams will advance and which teams will be upset, but you can bet that Commissioner David Stern is pleased with the match ups found in the second round of the 2006-07 NBA playoffs.  

Agree?  Disagree?  Feel free to contact Jason M. Williams with your thoughts and predictions on which of these teams will reach the conference finals.  He can be reached at [email protected] for comments or questions.