As mentioned in the last article, the 2008 playoffs started with a bang. Well, now things are starting to get juicy!

During the late first round we saw the Atlanta Hawks nearly knock off the top-ranked Boston Celtics by taking them to a deciding game seven.The Hawks were down 2-0, but then bounced back to make the series close and very interesting.

The other series that probably came as a little surprise was the New Orleans Hornets making light work of the Dallas Mavericks by disposing them in only five games, 4-1. The Hornets are lead by Chris Paul, who having just turned 23, is a player we can expect to make a dramatic impact for years to come in the league. This is a player that I would like to focus on for much of this article.

Here is what has been said about Paul: You look at Kevin Garnett and you know you're looking at some extraordinary specimen even before you watch him play. Ditto LeBron and Kobe, whose ripped, long frames seem almost predictably tied to excellence. Paul is fit but not sculpted. He's the shortest guy on the floor most of the time.

He's got this unassuming, slightly pigeon-toed walk and this young, seemingly guileless grin. And even though you know he's capable of stealing Jason Kidd's immortal soul, you're still dumbfounded when he completely dominates a Western Conference semifinal game.

The defining feature of Chris Paul right now is something even more elemental and impressive and captivating than those things. Chris Paul is being Chris Paul. Young, fast, creative, tough, eager and gifted. He's being Chris Paul completely. Without reservation. Tirelessly. Without complication.



Another thing that I notice about the Hornets is that they are a true team, rather than a group of individuals. They don't care who gets the glory and who gets to be on the highlight reel; if a player is open, they pass the ball to that person, simple as that. They work together. This attitude is also reflected in their coaching (remember the old adage: "team reflects leadership?") Byron Scott, who was an NBA great himself for many years, is their coach and this year won the NBA's coveted Coach of the Year award for his great job of teaching and leading his Hornets.

Enough of my personal opinions on who I want to win the title this year. Here are a few other teams to watch, the Boston Celtics look to vie for the title and are making a strong case thus far as they are leading 1-0 over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

The Los Angeles Lakers in the West are also up 2-0 in their semifinal series against the Utah Jazz. Kobe Bryant was named MVP last night and has been putting up stellar numbers in this series.

My bold and fearless predictions: The Hornets will knock off the Lakers in 6 games (after the Hornets knock off the Spurs and the Lakers knock off the Jazz, of course) in the Western Conference Finals to advance to the NBA Finals. In the East, look for the Pistons (after beating the Magic) and the Celtics (after defeating the Cavs) to battle it out with the Celtics winning in 6 games also.

In the Finals, I predict the Hornets to win in 6 games against the Celtics. Oh, and warning: my predictions are full of personal biases on who I want to win.

Dan Olson writes for KSTW-TV in Seattle. All opinions expressed in this column are his.