Well the conference semifinals came to an end on Sunday in a most unsatisfying fashion. After all the overtime games, upsets, and buzzer beaters the Lakers and Magic won their respective game 7’s all too easily. Now that we’re only one round away from the NBA Finals, lets take a look at what we can expect from the conference finals matchups.

Eastern Conference Finals: Magic vs. Cavaliers

The Cavs will face their most difficult opponent of the playoffs here. Does that mean that they have a chance of losing? Nope, it won’t even make it to seven games. Orlando may have won the season series against the Cavs but the playoffs are a different game altogether. Lebron and co. are playing at much too high a level for Dwight Howard and his crew to handle. I think the Magic’s inexperience and lack of heart showed during the Celtics series. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce both played terribly inconsistent. Add the apparent absence of Kevin Garnett, the lack of depth in Boston’s front court (which is Orlando’s strength), and the amount of energy the Celts had to expend to survive the first round; and you get an opponent that the Magic should have beat in five games. The Celtics experience and heart, though, overpowered Orlando and forced the series to go the distance. The Magic will meet a team in Cleveland that has playoff experience, determination, and a healthy, well rested team … oh yeah, and the best player in the league. Orlando’s good enough to avoid a sweep, but I see Cleveland only losing one in Orlando. Lebron and the Cavs win this series in 5.

Western Conference Finals: Lakers vs. Nuggets

The Lakers won this season series, but I think this is going to be a very entertaining matchup. The Nuggets present a lot of problems for LA. The biggest mis-match will be Chauncey Billups. The Lakers are weakest at the point guard position and it has shown throughout the playoffs. Deron Williams is a tough matchup for any team, but Aaron Brooks’ performance in the second round was surprising. The combination of Jordan Farmer and Derek Fisher will not be able to stop Billups who should have a very good series. The most important thing that Billups brings to the Nuggets, though, is his leadership and experience. They are clearly a different team with him and they have played with unbelievable focus and confidence for a team without much playoff experience – and that comes directly from “Mr. Big Shot” (another terribe NBA nickname). Denver’s front court should also have a solid series. The Lakers “dapper duo” of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol can put up numbers but they are soft as ice cream. I think they will have problems keeping up with the Nuggets’ physical and athletic trio of Kenyon Martin, Nene, and Chris Anderson. The big question mark here is Bynum. He has the potential to play great, but he is going to have to be a lot more physical to compete in this series. Carmelo vs. Kobe is also a terific prelude to the much anticipated Finals matchup.

The X-factor for the Lakers will be their grit. They definitely mailed in some games last round and they are going to need to show up with their “A game” every single night against Denver. For Denver, their defense is going to have to improve. They consistently gave up 100+ points per game during the regular season and they haven’t been able to hold their opponents under triple digits in the playoffs. Normally they have been able to outscore their opponents, but that will be tough to do against a Lakers team that can put up points and play great defense. I really like the Nuggets’ athleticsm and, with Billups running the point, they definitely have a shot to make it to the Finals; but the Lakers are the better team and I think that the series against the Rockets will act as a much needed wake-up call for the team. The Lakers win this one in 6.