The second round of the NBA Western Conference Semifinals is now here. Kobe and the Lakers finally got rid of the Oklahoma Thunder as expected, but don't get it twisted, the Thunder two or three years from now will be dangerous. Don't be surprised if Kevin Durant is actually the NBA's best player one day which can be very shortly. Moving on I am totally shocked that the San Antonio Spurs knocked off the Dallas Mavericks. I did say in my column in reference to the matchup on this Texas rivalry that the Spurs were too old and will not be able to keep up, I guess I was wrong. The Spurs are now a legitimate threat to contend in the Western Conference and what more can you say for the core veterans that already won a total of four NBA titles in the last decade. The Phoenix Suns knocked off the Portland Trailblazers as expected and seem to have their fast-paced offense together and ready to do some damage. Utah looks deadly has well and Carlos Boozer along with Deron Williams have the perfect chemistry providing a one, two punch to make a run in the playoffs.

(1) Los Angeles Lakers VS (5) Utah Jazz

Many are making the case that the Los Angeles Lakers struggled against the youthful Oklahoma Thunder. Yeah they did, but at the end of the day who won the series? The Lakers did and while watching the youth of the Thunder and their star Kevin Durant was fun, the Lakers veteran and championship experience put the kids away. Kobe Bryant on the court nowadays shows his age is catching up with him, but the Lakers bench play have been very helpful. Shannon Brown can come off the bench to give the Lakers a good ten-fifteen points on a good night and Jordan Farmar is solid at the point position. That doesn't even include the starting lineup as a whole. The great defensive skills of Ron Artest made things hard for Kevin Durant. Pao Gasol continues to play at a higher level and proves each night why he's an NBA all-star. Say what you want to say, but if you think the Lakers don't have great chance at repeating your kidding yourself and simply in denial.

Utah showed great courage against the Nuggets as to why they were the better team. You just have to love the great play from Carlos Boozer,  a great scorer and rebounder which is required to win in the NBA postseason. Deron Williams is my favorite point guard in the NBA that plays with heart. When Utah is under pressure Deron Williams turns on his motor and not afraid at all to take the big shot. Losing Mehmet Okur during the Nuggets series was crucial, but Utah still managed to come through. Role players such as C.J. Miles has proven to be a solid defender and don't forget about Paul Millsap who is highly overlooked. Kyle Korver is still that scary three point threat and showed why in the Denver series knocking down a big one when needed. Utah's skill level should not be underestimated and coach Jerry Sloan has these boys playing hard. 

Prediction: Lakers in 6. When you break it down the Lakers will take this one. Not to knock Utah and say they don't have a chance, but two key pieces to compete with the Lakers are missing. Mehmet Okur just suffered a injury and Andrei Kirilenko who knows if he'll be 100% if he returns. Pound for pound Utah's frontcourt game might give the Lakers a run. The Jazz have Carlos Boozer and Paul Millsap that will grab crucial rebounds for second chance shots. l don't think Andrew Bynum will be able to handle Carlos Boozer's aggressiveness and athleticism. Of course Derek Fisher is no match for Deron Williams who speed will easily burn him out. Yeah so far it sounds like the Jazz have a shot, but once again the experience of the defending champs and leadership of Kobe Bryant is why the Lakers will win this battle.

(3) Phoenix Suns VS (7) San Antonio Spurs

The Phoenix Suns have showed in the series against Portland that their back to the old ways, run and gun high scoring basketball. Amare Stoudemire is a wrecking machine and Steve Nash shows age is nothing, but a number. Grant Hill is still playing like the reliable veteran and when you include Channing Frye's jump shooting ability the Suns can easily warm things up and that's in a matter of seconds. Portland at one point looked like they were going to knock off Phoenix, but the Suns are veterans and exposed Portland's youth and took advantage of their costly mistakes, especially with turnovers. 

The San Antonio Spurs showed the Dallas Mavericks why we all should take them serious. We all know questions are raised as to if this team can compete with their aging veterans which is why some youth were added to the team. George Hill and Richard Jefferson finally found their niche in this Spurs offense making things more easy for the Spurs big three in Parker, Duncan, and Ginobili. Rookie DeJuan Blair has been a solid power forward to come off the bench in order to give Tim Duncan some rest when the Spurs really need him. There was times when Dallas did play run and gun, but great defensive adjustments by Coach Popovich put that Dallas offense to rest with no problem. 

Prediction: Suns in 5. Okay the Spurs beat Dallas who I thought would smash them due to their age. Yeah I was wrong, but now this series verses Phoenix is totally different. Dallas are a good team, but for the fact that run and gun is the Suns style the Spurs will struggle to keep up. Can you just imagine Tim Duncan running up and down the court all day chasing Nash hoping to stop Amare from catching a alley-oop for a superjam. The Spurs put a beating on Dallas and now this is the second round. This simply means more work, more games, and facing a team whose offense fiends to score, score, score. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili will make some great plays as well, but overall I think the Suns are just too much, Phoenix also has the home court advantage too.