NBA Playoffs Prediction: Lakers Will Sweep Hornets

This is what the Lakers have been waiting for. Say what you want about their recent struggles, but all that really matters to Kobe and Co. is the season that begins on Sunday. LA forfeited the number one seed because of its late-season slide, but ended up with a pretty ideal first-round draw against New Orleans, a team they went 4-0 against in the regular season.

If the Lakers can regain their swagger and rhythm in the first-round, they more or less have all of the pieces in place to make a run at a three-peat. There are questions about Kobe’s age and whether or not this will be the year he is slowed by time, and you can of course count on Andrew Bynum’s brittle body to cause some concern just as much as you can count on the sun rising.

But overall, any chance at a Hornets’ upset is pretty farfetched. The only matchup they have the edge in is at point guard, where the 36 year-old Derek Fisher is no match for Chris Paul’s speed and agility. Without David Lee, who is out with a torn ACL, New Orleans won’t have a counterpunch to the size and strength of the Lakers in the post.

The Hornets might, MIGHT, be able to steal a game from LA, but this is the Lakers’ time of year, and it’s going to take more than Chris Paul to slow them down. I’ll take the Lakers to sweep.