The NBA playoffs are already underway! While many people, myself included, just want to crown the Miami Heat champions, there are some other story lines to be aware of in this year’s postseason. Will Derrick Rose return for the playoffs? Can the Lakers overcome a disappointing season and bounce back in the playoffs with no Kobe Bryant?  Can the Knicks reward their loyal fans and give the Heat some trouble in the East? These headlines, as well as many others, have all taken a backseat to the Miami Heat’s pursuit at another title, following a historic and record-breaking season. However, while the Heat are favored to win it all for the second straight year, there are a few teams that could challenge them in both the East as well as in the Finals.

While all signs point to “no” for the return of Derrick Rose, his possible return can drastically improve their playoff chances. It seems as if the Bulls have been completely honest in saying that while Rose is able to practice, he is not quite ready for games. Truthfully, Rose is all the Bulls really need to put them over the edge in their first round series against the Brooklyn Nets. If Rose is motivated to come back or willing to accept the fact that he won’t be 100% in this series, then the Bulls have a legitimate shot at beating the Nets and making a run in the playoffs.

At the beginning of the season, almost everybody predicted the Los Angeles Lakers to meet the Miami Heat in the Finals. While they are probably right about the latter pick, seeing the Lakers in the Finals this season seems completely absurd. Even though they have gotten their act together as of late , finishing with a 45-37 record, they finished nowhere near their pre-season expectations due to a tumultuous start to the season. Despite the Laker’s catching fire, it has come at the cost of losing their best player, Kobe Bryant, to a torn Achilles. Not only does that put them at a major disadvantage in the playoffs, but heir horrendous start to the season has attributed to them being the seeded 7^th in a first round matchup against the 2^nd seeded San Antonio Spurs. Not only are the Spurs the better overall team, but due to their higher seed, they also have home court advantage against their first round opponent. Don’t sleep on the Lakers though; all it takes is a few monster games from Dwight Howard and maybe a few miracles to set this underachieving team back on track.

With the Eastern Conference having a very down year, it all but guarantees the Heat a spot in the Finals. However, the New York Knicks have something to say about that. While some question if the Knicks can even win their first round series against the Celtics, they are confident that they can make it to the Eastern Conference Finals and challenge the Heat. The Knicks are led by superstar and scoring champ Carmelo Anthony, whose shooting will ultimately determine the team’s postseason fate. Also, don’t overlook Iman Shumpert, who could prove to be the X-factor for the Knicks after having a mediocre regular season.

With that being said, I want to announce my picks for the Finals as well as the 2013 NBA Champion. For the East, it is none other than the Miami Heat, who get there by way of a tough, six-game series against the aforementioned New York Knicks. For the West, it is the “other” team in Los Angeles, the Clippers. They earn their spot after a tough seven-game series against the San Antonio Spurs, who can only get the better of one team from the Staples Center. The Miami Heat will ultimately win in five games behind the performance of MVP Lebron James.