I’ll start this out by saying that Shaquille O’Neal has proven to be the best player in the NBA and that the Lakers will go as far as he can take them. With Bryant and Rice filling up the hoop from the outside, and Phil Jackson tutoring and guiding him from the sidelines, O’Neal finally has the support and direction to take the Lakers all the way.

The NBA has proven to be as good as ever since the all-star break, with the West putting on a clinic of exciting, fast-paced basketball for the everyone to enjoy. This is coming at a time when TV ratings are at their lowest since before the Jordan Era. The west, with guards such as Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton, Jason Kidd, Penny Hardaway, Terrel Brandon, Jason Williams and many others, combined with big men who can run like Chris Webber, Kevin Garnett, Rasheed Wallace, O’Neal, Vlade Divac (arguably the best passing center in the NBA) and others, the western conference has changed the pace and dynamic of the NBA game.

Yahoo.com Shaquille O’Neal, Sultan of Slam, Duke of Dunks, King of Kazaam Baron of Blocks, has his eyes set on the MVP trophy, and hopes to take his Lakers to the top.

The East, unfortunately, is not pulling its weight. There is no one team that can be sited as dominant — where there is a good argument for the dominance of a handful of teams in the west — and the team that could be considered the East’s best, the New York Knicks, just suffered a 20+ point blowout at the hands of the Lakers. As the season draws to a close, the Eastern Conference features seven teams deep in mediocrity between 35 and 45 wins, while the West has only two.

But the East does boast at least three of the NBA’s most exciting young players in Allen Iverson, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady. These youn’ns should keep the game interesting and keep the dark horses, the Sixers and the Raptors, alive for at least a while.

All things considered, the NBA Playoffs should be very interesting in both the East and the West this year. Right now the West is all but set. The matchups, and outcomes, for the first round should go like this: the Lakers will sweep the Sonics (assuming Seattle can’t edge out Sacramento for the seventh seed). This is a given. The Lakers are the most dominant team in the NBA, and are looking to be one of the most dominant teams in the history of the league, and the Sonics have nothing going for them except that they’re from Seattle and they play with Payton (and Seattle’s not that cool); Utah will have a rematch against the Kings, and like last year, the Kings will take them to five games, but the Jazz think it’s their season and won’t go down to anyone but the Blazers or the Lakers; Portland, even though they’ve been slumping, will take the T-wolves in four games. Not that the Wolves aren’t good, it’s just that they’re a bit before their time; and finally, we have the 4 and the 5 seeds, the Suns and the Spurs. Theoretically it should be the most competitive matchup, but we all know what the Spurs are capable of and they’ll get back to old form come playoff time.

Now to the Eastern Conference, which is far less predictable, but I’ll still predict it perfectly: the Pacers will destroy the Magic. Miller, Jackson and Smits (ha) are poised and won’t let the first round tire them out. They need all the rest that they can get. Miami will similarly dispose of the Pistons, who will give them a little more of a run, but not enough of one. New York’s current matchup with the Raptors will be more interesting. The team’s match up very well with Sprewell and Houston matching up against Carter and McGrady, and Willis and Oakley matching up well against the Knicks front-line. Unfortunately for all you Carter fans, the Raptors can’t hang with the Knicks, especially playing in Madison Square Garden. Philly against the Hornets will also be a great matchup, and Iverson will have to carry the Sixers, who have been playing amazingly well since the addition of Toni Kukoc (A former Chicago Bull! — Ed.) I give the Sixers the nod on this one, even though Anthony Mason has been playing like Magic Johnson of late.

In closing, let me say one thing about the team I chose to win the finals at the beginning of the season: The Blazers. They remain, in my book, the most talented team in the NBA and I hold firm to my prediction. They are the only team that can beat the Lakers at home and they have the tools to dominate any other team in the Conference. Whoever wins in the west, most likely the Blazers, will win the Finals.

So, there’s your predictions for this year’s playoffs. Don’t bother watching the first round (you already know what’s going to happen) and call your bookie because that’s the way it is: The guru has spoken.