I HATE TO SAY I TOLD YOU SO...

I'm pretty sure I said the Nuggets would be lucky to get one game against the Lakers. Well, luck was not on their side. Now before anyone goes and calls me a basketball playoff picking guru, I must say that was a fairly easy series to call. Next up for the Lakers is either Houston or Utah. This one's tricky. I'd prefer to see Utah because I don't want Houston or Tracy McGrady to ever get out of the first round, sorta like how I always root against Peyton Manning. But Houston would be an easier match-up for the Lakers, so I'm stuck. I won't make any predictions until we know who the Lakers are playing. And in case you were wondering, I'm still not convinced this is the Lakers year. Boston is pretty good. I don't see how anyone can beat them. I'd rather the Lakers lose in the Western Conference finals than the NBA Finals to the Celtics. I'm 28 and in my lifetime, the Lakers have owned the Celtics (excpet for '84, but if you do the math, you'll see how I don't remember that series). I don't want to rivalry to swing back in Boston's favor. So if the Lakers plan on losing at some point, how 'bout they not do it against the Celtics? Then they can re-tool for next year with a healthy Bynum and Gasol for a full season. That's a championship contender.