I think the 2012-13 NBA Playoffs are going to be classic this year as the first round matchups look pretty darn good.  Here is how I see things shaking out:

Eastern Conference:

Round #1:

Celtics over the Knicks in seven games

Nets over the Bulls in six games

Pacers over the Hawks in five games

Heat over the Bucks in five games

Round #2:

Heat over the Nets in six games

Pacers over the Celtics in six games

Eastern Conference Finals:

Heat over the Pacers in seven games

Western Conference:

Round #1:

Nuggets over Warriors in seven games

Clippers over Grizzlies in seven games

Spurs over Lakers in six games

Thunder over Rockets in six games

Round #2:

Thunder over the Clippers in six games

Spurs over the Nuggets in six games

Western Conference Finals:

Spurs over the Thunder in seven games

NBA Finals:

Spurs over the Heat in six games

Last weekend the favorites went 4-0 against the spread and bookies got nailed all over the country.  The linemakers know that bettors like taking the favorite, so they adjusted the lines for this weekend’s playoff games.  Here is a look at how I see these games shaking out against the spread:

Seattle Seahawks (+2.5) over the Atlanta Falcons:  Matt Ryan and head coach Michael Smith are both 0-3 in the playoffs.  The key to this game is how the Seahawks are going to run the ball down the Falcons’ throats.  I like the Seahawks to win this game 24-17.

Houston Texans (+9.5) over the New England Patriots:  Not too many teams go to Foxboro and beat the Patriots.  I don’t think the Texans will either, but they will keep the game semi-close.  I like the Patriots to win this game 31-24.  This game screams backdoor cover.

Baltimore Ravens (+10) over the Denver Broncos:  The Broncos are likely going to win this game, but I think the Ravens are going to come to play and keep it close.  I like the Broncos to win this game 27-20, but for the Ravens to cover.

San Francisco 49ers (-3) vs. Green Bay Packers:  This game screams push.  I like the 49ers to beat the Packers 27-24 this weekend.

The NFL Playoffs are fascinating to me in 2012.  There is no clear cut favorite in this bunch and I could make a case of any of the 12 teams in the tournament to win it.  Here is how I see the playoffs going this year:

AFC

FIRST ROUND:

Texans over the Bengals

Ravens over the Colts

SECOND ROUND:

Patriots over the Texans

Broncos over the Ravens

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP:

Patriots over the Broncos

NFC

FIRST ROUND:

Packers over the Vikings

Redskins over the Seahawks

SECOND ROUND:

49ers over the Packers

Redskins over the Falcons

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP:

49ers over the Redskins

SUPER BOWL:

49ers over the Patriots

The Playoffs are off to an amazing start with the underdog Baltimore Orioles and St. Louis Cardinals moving on after impressive wins last night.  Here is the way I see things shaking out in the playoffs this year:

American League Division Series:

Detroit Tigers over the Oakland A’s in five games:  The A’s lack of experience will show in this series as the Tigers are built to win right now.

New York Yankees over the Baltimore Orioles in four games:  I would love to pick the Orioles in this series, but I think that their starting rotation is going to hurt them against the Yankees.

National League Division Series:

Cincinnati Reds over the San Francisco Giants in five games:  This is going to be the best series of this round of the playoffs.  Both teams have outstanding pitching staffs, but the Reds have a little more offense.

Washington Nationals over the St. Louis Cardinals in five games:  The Nationals and Cardinals are both solid teams, but Washington has a deeper pitching staff.  For that reason, I like them to nip the Cardinals in this series.

American League Championship Series:

Detroit Tigers over the New York Yankees in six games:  The Tigers are going to batter the Yankees’ starting pitchers in this series.  They are the one team that can go toe to toe offensively with the Bronx Bombers.

Cincinnati Reds over the Washington Nationals in seven games:  This is the series that the Nationals will wish they had Stephen Strasburg instead of Edwin Jackson.  I like the Reds to win a deciding 7th game in this series.

2012 World Series:

Detroit Tigers over the Cincinnati Reds in seven games:  This is going to be an epic World Series in which Miguel Cabrera leads the Tigers to the World Series’ Championship in his Triple Crown and maybe MVP season in 2012.

I think the 2011-12 NBA Playoffs are going to be outstanding.  Here is a look at how I see things going down starting tomorrow:

Eastern Conference:

ROUND 1:

Chicago Bulls over the Philadelphia 76ers in five games

Miami Heat over the New York Knicks in seven games

Indiana Pacers over the Orlando Magic in five games

Boston Celtics over the Atlanta Hawks in six games

ROUND 2:

Chicago Bulls over the Boston Celtics in six games

Miami Heat over the Indiana Pacers in seven games

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS:

Chicago Bulls over the Miami Heat in six games

Western Conference:

Round 1:

Oklahoma City Thunder over the Dallas Mavericks in five games

San Antonio Spurs over the Utah Jazz in six games

Los Angeles Lakers over the Denver Nuggets in six games

Los Angeles Clippers over the Memphis Grizzlies in 7 games

ROUND 2:

Los Angeles Clippers over the San Antonio Spurs in 7 games

Oklahoma City Thunder over the Los Angeles Lakers in 6 games

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS:

Oklahoma City Thunder over the Los Angeles Clippers in 7 games

NBA FINALS:

Oklahoma City Thunder over the Chicago Bulls in 6 games