Merry Basketmas

Basketball had an off season like no other. Just like the NFL, the NBA suffered a scary and difficult lockout. Unlike the NFL, the NBA had such a terrible time agreeing that games were canceled. Then, out of nowhere came David Stern's early Christmas gift; the NBA's annual Christmas day games were going to be the kickoff to the new, shortened season. I now feel like a little kid waiting for Santa Claus to bring me glorious, glorious gifts. Christmas day will feature some great conference match ups and even a Finals rematch! Before we get to any picks, it's time to take an early look at who is going to win it all this year.

Eastern Conference 

Atlantic

1. Boston Celtics (3) - The Big Three will be hungry this season. They will be really hard to stop.

2. New York Knicks (4) - The addition of Chandler will make the Knicks better, but not good enough. 

3. Philadelphia 76ers (6) - Turner stars in one of the 76ers best seasons in recent memory.

4. Toronto Raptors - With the band of no names returning, basketball will continue to be ho-hum in Toronto.

5. New Jersey Nets - Williams can't fix ALL the problems the Nets have. 

Central 

1. Chicago Bulls (2) - D-Rose continues the MVP performance and leads the Bulls to greatness.  

2. Milwaukee Bucks (8) - The Bucks won't be great, but that's good enough for second in this division.  

3. Indiana Pacers - Tyler Hansbrough and Co. = Middle of the road. 

4. Cleveland Cavaliers - The Cavs will have a bounce back year... if you want to call is that.

5. Detroit Pistons - Pistons fans might as well put that '04 commemorative DVD in right about.... now. 

South East 

1. Miami Heat (1) - The Heatles will be scary this year. All systems will be go in South Beach this year.

2. Orlando Magic (5) - As long as they keep Howard, they will be a great team. 

3. Atlanta Hawks (7) - Josh Smith will keep the Hawks competitive... Competitive being the key word. 

4. Washington Wizards - John Wall and the rest of the Wiz show promise. Maybe next year. 

5. Charlotte Bobcats - This team would need Michael Jordan himself to play if they want to win.

Playoffs 

(1) Heat over (8) Bucks in 4

(2) Bulls over (7) Hawks in 5

(3) Celtics over (6) 76ers in 4

(4) Knicks over (5) Magic in 6 

Semi Final

(1) Heat over (4) Knicks in 5

(2) Bulls over (3) Celtics in 6 

Eastern Final 

(1) Heat over (2) Bulls in 6 

Western Conference 

Northwest

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (2)- Kevin Durant will lead the Thunder with vigor and to the division championship.

2. Denver Nuggets (6)- Danilo Gallinari will play big as the Nuggets make a run for the playoffs. 

3. Utah Jazz- Al Jefferson and Josh Howard will make due role players around them, but it won't be enough.

4. Portland Trail Blazers- Without Roy, the Trail Blazers don't have pieces to make a solid run. 

5. Minnesota Timber Wolves- An improved T-wolves team is still a T-wolves team. 

Pacific

1. Los Angeles Lakers (3) - Kobe. Pau. World Peace. They will continue to get it done in the city of Angels. 

2. Los Angeles Clippers (4) - Chris Paul makes this team playoff ready. Griffin will continue to dazzle.

3. Phoenix Suns (8) - Steve Nash gets into the playoffs, but just by the skin of his teeth. 

4. Golden State Warriors - Curry will play great, but the rest of his team will let him down. 

5. Sacromento Kings - The Kings have some young talent, but they wont be able to put it together this year. 

South West 

1. Dallas Mavericks (1) - The Big German is just too good for his conference; Mavs Blow past everyone. 

2. San Antonio Spurs (5) - Duncan and Parker are getting older. They will have to dig deep to get this spot. 

3. Memphis Grizzlies (7) - Spurred on by last years playoff run, Mayo and the gang get in again.

4. Houston Rockets - Can you even name someone on this team? Nope, but their numbers look decent. 

5. New Orleans Hornets - The loss of CP3 will be a huge blow to Nola, but I don't expect them to recover. 

Playoffs 

(1) Mavericks over (8) Suns in 4

(2) Thunder over (7) Grizzlies in 5

(3) Lakers over (6) Nuggets in 6

(4) Clippers over (8) Spurs in 7

Semi Final 

(1) Mavericks over (4) Clippers in 5

(2) Thunder over (3) Lakers in 5

Western Final 

(2) Thunder over (1) Mavericks in 7

~~2012 NBA FINALS~~

Heat over Thunder in 6

~~ 2012 NBA FINALS CHAMPIONS~~

                    MIAMI HEAT

With that in mind, let's look to the real games. Teams need to win early and often so a hot start would be very valuable. This is how it will shake out on Christmas Day!

Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks - Mavs wont be focused because of the banner raising. Heat will also be looking for revenge!

New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics - Boston's big three out ways New York's. 

Chicago Bulls vs. Los Angeles Lakers - D-Rose will be rocking for the Bulls as the Lakers falter without Kobe. 

Orlando Magic vs. Oklahoma City Thunder - Kevin Durant will keep his pick up game pace as he blazes past Howard and the Magic. 

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors - Chris Paul and Blake Griffin jell early and blowout the boys from Golden State.

Thanks For Reading! Enjoy the Games! Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!