Dawg Winfrey

IN THE EAST...IF THEY STARTED TODAY

1. CHI vs 8. PHI. Philadelphia matches up very well with Chicago, however with no consistent offensive threat for PHI...the Bulls should wrap this series up in 5 games.

2. MIA vs 7. NY. This may be the highest rated series in the 1st round. NY is still getting their lineup together and Melo is playing great basketball. MIA has floudered a bit, but once these playoffs begin we all should see the MIA everyones expects to be in the Eastern Conference Finals. Stoudamire & Melo will be factors if Mike Woodson can find a way for them to co-exist at the same time on the court. MIA does not have the bigs to compete in the paint with NY, but they do have James, Wade and Bosh...this series should be a barn burner. MIA in 6.

3. IND vs 6. ORL. No Howard, No Nelson (maybe)...no ORL wins. IND in a sweep. nuff said.

4. BOS vs 5 ATL. That 7 game series these two teams played a few years ago should be a light drama compared to this time around. Both are 7-3 in their last 10 games they match with each other very well. Both have coaches who have similar coaching styles. Both lineup are laced with veteran players. Both play very good defense, and they dont seem to like each other either. The one x-factor which could sway to one side or the other in my opinion is Rajon Rondo. If Rondo is healthy...then BOS should win. BOS in 7.

1. CHI vs 4. BOS. Another barn burner and these two teams will not disappoint. This series will go 7 games. The two best defensive teams in the league battling it out like a couple of pit bulls. Tom Thibadeux against the team he assisted to help win a title. Rose vs Rondo, Noah vs Garnett...OMG!!! I cant wait for this one. Home cooking rules though with CHI in 7.

2. MIA vs 3. IND. Let start by saying that if any of you sleep on IND...you will have nightmares. This team is much better now than they were prior to the All Star break. Hibbert and West could be the best PF/C combo in the East and MIA will find that out early. Both coaches are very inexperienced by NBA coaching standards, both are in their 2nd season as coaches. I do like IND very much, if they pound the inside, use their length to stay in front of Wade and James, MIA could be having an early summer. Bosh will have to "take his talents" to the perimeter, and MIA should get Hibbert in pick and roll situations. Hibbert is easily attracted into foul trouble, and that should be the story for IND. MIA in 7.

1. CHI vs 2. MIA. We all know what these two teams can do, question is...can either one force the other to get out of their comfort zone. The Bulls have proven they can beat MIA without Rose, but MIA proved that CHI is a different team when you attack them physically. James and Wade should log heavy minutes this series and if Wade is not 100%, this could be a short series. The key will be the Bulls bench. If the "Bench Mob" plays good basketball then CHI will see another NBA Finals. In my opinion, that will be the case as the bench wears down James, Wade and Bosh to the point wher they don't have much steam. CHI in 7.

IN THE WEST...

1. SA vs 8 UT. SA is playing the best basketball in the league right now, and UT can't stop them, they'll get competitive, but not enough to slow this train down. SA in 5.

2. OKC vs 7 DAL. OKC's title runs was halted by DAL in this rematch of the Western Conference Finals. OKC will be more focused to repay a debt. OKC in 6.

3 LAL vs 6 DEN. LAL is back and although they are having issues with Bynum, MWP, age, immaturity, and Mike Brown coaching style. DEN is not good enough to beat them 4 times. LAL in 6.

4 LAC vs 5 MEM. MEM is the one team that no one wants to play, and they will show that to the Clippers. Paul is great, Griffin is great, the Clips bench is great, but infortunately Del ***** is not. He gets out coached again while the Grizz moves on. MEM in 7.

1 SA vs 5 MEM. Last season SA was too old and beaten up to take on a young hungry Grizzles team. Can't say that this year. SA is a perfect mix of experience, youth, and added some hungry players of their own in Diaw and Jackson. This mix will end the season for MEM. SA in 6.

2 OKC vs 3 LAL. Young vs Old. New Hotness vs Old and Busted. Kobe vs Durant. OH! I forgot Metta World Peace will be back this season after missing the 1st round due to suspension. As much as I think LAL will win the series, I cannot get past Mike Brown. He makes me weary to say that LAL can win. OKC in 7.

1 SA vs 2 OKC. Coach Pop is a very good coach, maybe the best in the league. Pop has a way of exploiting your weakness and using it as an advantage. Enter: Russell Westbrook. When Westbrook uses his teammates, they roll. When he puts himself before the team (3-22 against LAL) they lose. Westbrook shoots OKC out of the playoffs. SA in 7.

NBA FINALS

SA vs CHI

I was watching game 3 of the 95-96 NBA Finals with the Bulls against the Sonics. I was really worried about this game because we were missing Ron Harper due to injury, and he was defending Gary Payton very well. We started Toni Kukoc in his place and with him in the starting lineup we dominated the first quarter by a score 32-12. The Bulls as a team shot over 70% and Jordan & Kukoc were flawless. Looking at this made want to ask this question...What is the best QUARTER of basketball you have ever seen from one team?

Why does it become more difficult to pass the football when your IQ becomes higher than 700? I noticed that the accuracy is very hard to control for even the simplest of passes once a IQ of 700 is acquired.

Any suggestions.

It is obvious that the Bulls are unsure what to do about its head coaching situation. What should the Bulls do? Should they keep Vinny Del ***** or fire him? If they fire him should they hire unproven coaches like Lawrence Frank and Eric Musselman who Gar Forman reportedly called about the position. Or should they go with more proven commodities like Byron Scott and Avery Johnson.

I am aware that Johnson is still getting paid by the Mavericks and currently earning a salary from ESPN so he may not be available. And Scott is reportedly interested in the same and taking a coaching break for the next season. If they are out of the picture...what should the Bulls do?

The Spectrum has now hosted its last game. And this is the last season for Madison Square Garden too. We have now seen the last of the old stadiums in the league...

Chicago Stadium...gone

Boston Garden...gone

The Forum...gone

The Spectrum...gone

MSG...gone

The Omni...gone

My favorite was the Chicago Stadium. You could hear a Bulls game blocks away, and it was electric on the inside.

Which of the old NBA stadiums did you like the best? And why.

Who would be your sleeper teams moving toward the coming season? Teams that didn't make the playoffs in 07-08 that would make the playoffs in 08-09. Teams that barely made the playoffs that would inprove this coming season.

I like Milwaukee in the East. Scott Skiles has proven that he can motivate players to play well in his 1st couple of seasons as a coach. And this roster is getting better and better. With their three headed monster of Redd, Jefferson and Mo Williams they should be very good. And the bench is becoming one of the best in basketball (on paper).

The team that should improve from last season should be the Atlanta Hawks. But only because the Bucks & 76ers seem to be the only teams who made drastic changes to their rosters to succeed in the East.

I'm on the fence with the Clippers. Camby and Davis was huge, but in the Pacific...not sure.

Teams on the way down are...The Nuggets, The Mavs (but Artest could change that), and the Suns.

What do you think?

Did anyone hear Kobe admit that MJ is the best ever during his interview with Stephen A. Smith.

When Kobe was asked about the comparisions to Jordan he replied..."Aw come on man, we're talking about the greatest ever to play, don't do that!"

I really want to know your thoughts.

Do Jay Bilas and Andy Katz realize that since the inception of a 64 team NCAA tournament that all four number 1 seeds have never made it to the final four? Does Dick Vitale, Digger Phelps and Hubert Davis understand that the last time three number 1 seeds and a number 2 seed went to the final four was in 1993. The odds of a number 2 beating a number 15 seed in my opinion are better than that. In my opinion only Coach Knight's elite 8 and final four picks are truly believable when he predicted Pittsburgh to win it all.

Why does our so called experts enlighten us with their vast experience when they take the easy way out and choose all four number one seeds in this tournament? This also happened last year as well.

What do you think?

It is reported that Clemens may not agree to testify at the upcoming Senate hearings on January 16th. If he doesn't testify...would you accept that as an admission of guilt that he knowingly took steroids? I would. Please answer and state why or why not.

Are the Celtics the team to beat the Bulls record of 72 wins in a season? I dont think so. What do you think?

I watched NBA Fastbreak where Jamal Mashburn mentioned that MJ's comments to Rachel Nichols and him playing basketball with his team (The Bobcats) was irresponsible. I agreed with him when he said that MJ seems to be having a hard time letting go of the past.

What do you think?

Why do people say that the Spurs are boring? Do they play the right way? Why don't the high flying, run and gun basketball teams in the NBA win titles anymore?

Personally, I appreciate the Spurs and the way they approach the game. They treat every posession with care and precision. And most of all...they win games and championships...so why aren't they appreciated more?

We all make mistakes. Some we can recover from and some we can't. Which mistake that Kobe Bryant has made that you feel he can never recover from?

I feel most of you will say the alleged rape, but I'm looking for things from a basketball standpoint. Let's keep it to things on the court. No MJ/Bryant comparisons please.

I would like to know your picks for the coming season. Mine are...

MVP - Amare Stoudamire, PHO

Scoring Champ - Kobe Bryant, LAL

Rebounding - Dwight Howard, ORL

Assists - Steve Nash, PHO

Rookie Of The Year - Corey Brewer, MIN

Defensive Player Of The Year - Emeka Okafor, CHA

6th Man Of The Year - Andres Nocioni, CHI

Comeback Player Of The Year - Tony Allen, BOS

NBA Finals - Phoenix vs New Jersey (If they stay healthy)

NBA Champion - Phoenix

I picked Phoenix last season too. Let me hear yours.

Can anyone tell me where to find Law & Order on DVD seasons 6-13, and season 15 & 16?

I believe I tried everywhere...EBay, ITunes, Amazon & even the NBC Store and all they have available are seasons 1-5, and 14.

Kobe Bryant himself. He joined Yahoo! Answers this February, and all he does is talk about Kobe Bryant...especially as it relates to MJ. He seems to have quite a bit of time on his hands...something that Kobe has now. Just like Kobe to talk about nothing else, but...Kobe.

Does anyone else feel the same way?

What was the greatest game you ever saw the Bulls play? On TV or in person. Mine was game 2 of the 1991 NBA Finals in which the Bulls won 107-86 over Magic's Lakers.

Who is the most beloved cartoon character of all time?

What style of play do you prefer? What current NBA franchise would your model yours after? And who would be your 1st round draft pick? Only college players can be drafted.

Who was the biggest NBA draft bust, and which player was the biggest NBA draft surprise of all time...and I mean OF ALL TIME!!!