Now: ROUND 2

As the first round of the NBA playoffs begin to come to a close, the contenders have begun to separate themselves from the pretenders.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry lays up the basketball against New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) during the second quarter in game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Pelicans 106-99.(USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Terada)

The first round of the playoffs have been predictable where the favorites, with the exception of 3 teams still playing, have advanced to the 2^nd round.  Already advancing are Cleveland, Golden State, Washington, Houston and Memphis.  These teams will more than likely be followed by Chicago, Atlanta and San Antonio.

What becomes more unpredictable are the later rounds.  It’s these rounds where anything can happen and any team can win.  Just ask the #1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder who lost to the #4 seeded Memphis Grizzlies in the 2013 conference semifinals.  Predicting the NBA playoffs is far from an art form but it is still easier to predict than March Madness.  In fact, 83.3% of the time, the higher seeded NBA team wins the series.

With that being said, here are my predictions for who will be in the Conference Finals, NBA Finals and the eventual World Champions.  As the playoffs advance, I will dive deeper into each team.  For now, I will just give you the name of each team.

Eastern Conference Finals: Golden State Warriors v Houston Rockets

Western Conference Finals: Cleveland Cavaliers v Atlanta Hawks

NBA Championship: Golden State Warriors v Cleveland Cavaliers

World Champion: Golden State Warriors

The “Splash Brothers” defeat the King and his royal court in 6 games bringing the Warriors and the city of Oakland its first championship since 1989, when the Oakland Athletics won the World Series.  Sorry LeBron, maybe next year.