Regular-season standings were determined by overall scores.

Eastern Conference

1) Indiana                     67.5

2) Detroit                     66.5

3) Miami                      65.5

4) Chicago                   65

5) New Jersey              64.5

6) Washington              63

7) Philadelphia              62.5

8) Cleveland                 62.5

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Orlando                        59.5

Milwaukee                   59

Boston                         59

New York                    56.5

Charlotte                      56.5

Toronto                        54

Atlanta                         53

First Round

Indiana over Cleveland

Detroit over Philadelphia

Miami over Washington

New Jersey over Chicago

Second Round

Indiana over New Jersey

Detroit over Miami

Eastern Conference Finals

Detroit over Indiana

Western Conference

1) San Antonio             75.5

2) Sacramento              68

3) Phoenix                    67

4) Denver                     67

5) Utah                         66.5

6) Houston                   65.5

7) Dallas                       65

8) Memphis                  63

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LA L                            61.5

Portland                       61.5

Seattle                          59

New Orleans                58.5

Minnesota                    58

Golden State                57

LA C                           57

First Round

San Antonio over Memphis

Sacramento over Dallas

Houston over Phoenix

Utah over Denver

Second Round

San Antonio over Utah

Sacramento over Houston

Western Conference Finals

San Antonio over Sacramento

MVP: Tracy McGrady

Rookie of the Year: Chris Paul

Defensive Player of the Year: Ron Artest

Sixth Man Award: Antonio Daniels

Coach of the Year: Jerry Sloan

NBA Finals

Well, well, well. The San Antonio Spurs and the Detroit Pistons meet again for the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. And for good reason. The teams finished first and second respectively in points allowed per game last season. Their shutdown defenses will rise to the occasion again this season and vault them into the finals.

A breakdown of the players and coaches for San Antonio and Detroit:

Center: Nazr Mohammad and Ben Wallace

Mohammad was great acquisition for San Antonio (what was Isiah thinking?). He plays the center position dependable, which is more than they can say about Rasho Nesterovic. But Nazr is no match for Big Ben, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year. Wallace is amazingly quick for his size and an outstanding rebounder. He can be so dominating on the defensive end, it’s almost like his offensive output is a bonus.

EDGE: Pistons

Power Forward: Tim Duncan and Rasheed Wallace

Wallace is a tremendous player that can play inside and out. Defensively Rasheed is slightly better than his counterpart. But Duncan wins this battle in a landslide. Despite his notorious inability to make free-throws, the two-time MVP and three-time champion elevates the level of play of his teammates. Duncan’s excellent mid-range jumper forces defenders to play honest. Then he can either drive to the hoop, dish off to a teammate or nail a wicked bank shot.

EDGE: Spurs

Small Forward: Bruce Bowen and Tayshaun Prince

Bowen is a shutdown defender. Although he rarely creates his own shot, Bowen is lethal from the 3-point corners. Tayshaun get his share of blocks with his long arms, but he can be beaten with a quick first step. Prince is an accurate shooter (48% career), but a hitch in his shooting motion makes his susceptible to scoring droughts.

SLIGHT EDGE: Spurs

Shooting Guard: Manu Ginobli and Richard Hamilton

Rip Hamilton is the most conditioned player in the league. He can run circles for 48 minutes without missing a beat. He takes advantage of opponents by running around and tiring them. His bread-and-butter is curling off a pick-and-roll and nailing a 15-footer. Ginobli during the post-season averages 21/6/4. The Argentinian has a knack for performing in the clutch. He usually pulls off a move or two in every game that makes you say, “Did he just do that?” Both players are good defenders. Manu does an excellent job of drawing charges.

EDGE: Spurs

Point Guard: Parker is a decent shooter who will have cold spells. He is the ideal third scoring-option behind Duncan and Ginobli. Occasionally he will get carried away and make careless turnovers. Billups is terrific shooter capable of hitting three’s with regularity. Billups has twenty pounds on Parker and can overpower him on both ends of the court. Chauncey is perhaps the best clutch free-thrower in the game.

EDGE: Pistons

Bench

Spurs: San Antonio had an outstanding bench last season. This year it’s even better. They lost Devin Brown, who contributed to their ’03-’04 championship but played sparingly last year. The Spurs reloaded in a major way, acquiring Michael Finley, Nick Van Exel and Fabricio Oberto. The newest members will share minutes with Brent Barry, Ben Udrih and Robert Horry. Horry, of course, is a NBA Playoff legend. The Spurs possess exceptional sharpshooters, interior men and defenders. In fact San Antonio’s bench could start for the majority of the league.

Pistons: Detroit’s bench was lacking in ’04-’05. The resurgent Antonio McDyess and Lindsay Hutner being the only reliable contributors. In the offseason the Pistons acquired Dale Davis. Carlos Arroyo and Darko Milicic round out the average substitutes. Due to their lack of depth, the Pistons starting five will likely play forty minutes per game in the Finals. Look for fatigue to set in as the series continues.

BIG EDGE: Spurs

Coach: Gregg Popovich and Flip Saunders

Popovich is probably the league’s best coach at the moment (depending upon how much the Zen Master can fix the Lakers). He has won three titles in eight years and commands complete confidence from his players. Saunders is one of the most underrated coaches in the league. However, Flip is coaching for a brand-new team. Although the players are championship caliber, Saunders himself has never gotten past the second round.

BIG EDGE: Spurs

Prediction: San Antonio over Detroit in six games.