[SmokingJoe]

Well at least they got to the finals last year, which is a heck of a lot more than they'll do this year.
It's going to be yet another Lakers/Celtics finals, and the way that the Celtics are laying right now, especially in their away matches, it's going to be really hard for the Lakers to beat them.
Should be an interesting series (I hope), unless The Lakers decide to fold like Orlando just did.

[max americana]

Conspiracy NBA theorists will say that Stern was steering for another Celts-Lakers finale, just like the fact that no one actually sees the teams win the draft lottery.

BUT the horrid performance of the Magic negates the fact. I admit that the Celts were running on fumes right before the start of the playoffs and for a bunch of “old, over the hill dudes” they really showed me.

-max (typing on a blackberry in Los Angeles) ;)