Throw out your prognostications for the playoffs either March Madness style and/or Stat Geek Smackdown style (to be explained).

The playoff match ups are as follows:

West:

1.  Fakers 

vs.

8.  Thunder

2.  Mavs

vs.

7.  Spurs

3.  Suns

vs.

6.  Blazers

4.  Nuggets

vs.

5.  Jazz

East:

1.  Cavs

vs.

8.  Bulls

2.  Magic

vs.

7.  Bobcats

3.  Hawks

vs.

6.  Bucks

4.  Celtics

vs.

5.  Heat

The Stat Geek Smackdown  is a little competition run by Henry Abbott of Truehoop for the past 3 seasons.  He invites prominent "stat geeks" to make their predictions for the playoffs.  The rules:

"The rules are simple: Based on stats, hunches and anything else, each person predicts the outcome of every playoff series, as the rounds unfold. Each correctly picked series is worth five points. Correctly predicting the number of games is worth two additional points."

I figure we can have our own little Junk Drawer prediction contest under Stat Geek Smackdown rules.  Post your first round predictions in this thread, including the number of games you think the series will go.  Guessing the right number of games but the wrong team to win isn't worth anything.  I'll try to get the 2nd round prediction thread up as soon as all the 2nd round match ups are set.