Four teams emerged victorious in the Western Conference Quarterfinals and will move on to the next round, while four other teams are left thinking about next year.
1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. 8 Utah Jazz
Lakers win in 5
This series went pretty much as expected. The Lakers began their march toward the NBA Finals with a convincing win over the Jazz. The Lakers dominated the first two games at home coasting to easy wins. In Game 3 the Jazz showed their pride with an inspiring win. That loss made Kobe mad, though, and he came out in Game 4 as a man on a mission. He dominated that game and the Lakers took full control of the series. Along with Kobe, Gasol, Odom, and Ariza also had very solid performances for the Lakers. The Jazz got solid performances from their stars WIlliams and Boozer but it wasn't enough. They really missed Okur in the early games. His ability to spread the floor and shoot the three could have made this series closer. In the end, though, the Lakers were the better team and they will move on to a match-up with the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Semifinals. As for the Jazz, they should be a playoff team again next year. Even if Boozer opts out of his contract, they have a solid replacement in Millsap who played very well when Boozer was out this year. They could, though, use another wing player who can drive to the basket and shoot from the perimeter.
2 Denver Nuggets vs. 7 New Orleans Hornets
Nuggets win in 5
Couldn't have been more wrong about this series. The feeling here was that the younger Chris Paul would get the better of the veteran Chauncey Billups. The exact opposite happened. Billups got hot from three point land and thoroughly out-played Paul, who many consider the best point guard in the NBA. He certainly did not look like it in this series. He was outscored by Billups 22.6 PPG to 16.6. The Nuggets made a smart decision to put Dahntay Jones on Paul. He is a great defender and really took Paul out of his game. David West was also inconsistent as he dealt with another great defender in Kenyon Martin. The Nuggets depth proved to be the difference. They got solid contributions from Billups, Martin, Jones, Anthony, Smith, Nene, and Anderson. They have a ton of offensive firepower and will face another team with great firepower in the Dallas Mavericks in the next round. The Hornets, looking ahead to next year, desperately need a third scorer to go along with Paul and West.
3 San Antonio Spurs vs. 6 Dallas Mavericks
Mavericks win in 5
Very surprising to see the ease with which the Mavericks dispatched the four-time NBA champion Spurs. Obviously, not having Ginobli seriously hurt the Spurs chances. They got very little out of anyone but Parker and Duncan in this series. Meanwhile, the Mavericks got a great performance from Josh Howard, who was the best player in this series. Terry, Kidd and Dampier also played very well for Dallas. Nowitski struggled in the series before the close-out game but the attention he drew opened things up for his teammates. The Mavericks will face the Denver Nuggets next, in what should be a very high scoring series. Meanwhile, as the Spurs head into next year, they must get younger. Bowen, Thomas, and Finley are all aging. They need youth, speed, and athleticism. Many are proclaiming this the end of the Spurs dynasty but the feeling here is that with a healthy Ginobli and the addition of a piece here and there, this can be a championship contender again next year.
4 Portland Trail Blazers vs. 5 Houston Rockets
Rockets win in 6
The Houston Rockets finally make it out of the first round and, ironically enough, they do it without Tracy Mcgrady. What must he be thinking? They have actually played better the last couple of years without him, which is why they should consider trading him in the off-season. As for this series, Yao Ming came out on fire in game 1 as the Rockets took away the home court and never looked back. Luis Scola was the Rockets most consistent player in the series. Artest and Battier were solid, especially defensively against the very tough Brandon Roy. Roy got his points but they made him work hard for everything he got. The Rockets will next face a very tough match-up with the Lakers. The young Blazers came out tight in game 1 and never really recovered. Looking ahead, the Blazers have a very bright future and should come back even stronger next year after this learning experience. They have a superstar in Roy, a legit #2 scorer in Aldridge and a center in Oden with a huge upside. They should be contenders for years to come.
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