So, what's the subject of our “Sez Who?” this week? Simple: Which team will represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals?

The NBA's regular season came to a conclusion Wednesday, and we were finally left with the final standings - eight combatants in what could be the wildest Western Conference playoff in history.

The eight teams entered in the West are: The Lakers, New Orleans Hornets, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets.

The Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers both finished at .500 or above. They'd be in the playoffs if they were in the Eastern Conference. Instead, they get lottery picks.

So - who's it going to be?

Here's what We Sez:

Sez Mike McKean:

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At the beginning of the year, a season like what we've seen from Phil Jackson's squad would have been all but unthinkable. Kobe Bryant desperately wanted out of Tinseltown, buoyed by a perceived lack of production from GM Mitch Kupchak in order to build up the roster to take a run at a title. That frustration reared its ugly head in the well-known YouTube clip where Bryant slammed the play of teenage teammate Andrew Bynum.

Bryant's public displays of antipathy towards his franchise brought about serious trade talks with the Chicago Bulls, bent on sending the superstar out of town. Don't you remember just how close Bryant came to being with the Bulls? Instead, the deal went sour, one of two big personnel situations that have since made Kupchak look brilliant, the other being his mid-season fleecing of the Memphis Grizzlies to pick up Pau Gasol, a move that may win Kupchak the Executive of the Year award.

The moody superstar stuck around, and it turned out that a young Lakers team from last year had suddenly morphed into a feisty and fun squad, with Bryant quickly falling in line and morphing into the “savvy leader” role, with Lamar Odom as his lieutenant. Bynum was a welcome surprise until his knee injury, but players like Jordan Farmar, Vladimir Radmanovich, Sasha Vujacich and Ronny Turiaf stepped up their games and have become the type of role players you need to win a title.

Add veterans like Luke Walton and Derek Fisher, and later Gasol to the mix, and the Lakers have become Š well, the No. 1 seed in the West. The possibility of getting Bynum back for the playoffs only adds to the excitement.

With all that said, for now, I just can't pick the Lakers to win the West, and for only one reason: The San Antonio Spurs are still the defending champs. Sure, they've gotten old and a little stale, and had to deal with a load of injuries in the last few weeks, but the Spurs still hold together the core of a team that's won four titles in the last nine years, as close as a team can get to a dynasty nowadays.

I know that the Spurs are boring as watching paint dry, and the NBA offices are praying to every deity imaginable to not have another Spurs-Pistons matchup in the Finals. But the old notion is that you pick the champs until they're deposed, so that's the way I'm going Š but I'll tell you that I'd have no problem getting this one wrong, as long as it's Kobe's Fun Bunch stampeding their way into June.

Sez Dan Watson:

There's nothing I'd like to see more than a Celtics-Lakers finals - Who wouldn't? - taking us back to basketball's greatest rivalry: Elgin Baylor vs. Russell, the Hick from French Lick vs. Magic, Showtime vs. the unforgiving parquet floor.

But the road through the West is something like a field stocked with landmines. Denver's offense is downright scary - but even if the late Johnnie Cochran was on the Nuggets' side they couldn't defend themselves to a win. Houston's a great regular season story, not much more. Dallas a jumbled mess of former all-stars built around Dirk. Utah, as always, intriguing, but figures to pull a “Utah” in the playoffs. New Orleans is too young and San Antonio too old (and banged up).

So it's either the Lakers or the Suns to me. And with Stoudemire currently playing out of his mind, and “the Big Cactus” starting to care, Phoenix has enough downlow defense to counter Gasol (and potentially Bynum, more of a problem than an asset as he returns from injury). Phoenix isn't as deep as L.A. (no one is), but 7-to-8 deep should be just fine.

Sez Kenny Cress:

Kobe Bryant seems unusually content and is playing like an MVP candidate.

Despite what his backers may say, he hadn't in the recent past. Best player in the league, maybe. MVP, no. This year, though, he's helping his teammates flourish around him.

Soon after the Los Angeles Lakes acquired Pau Gasol, someone from a rival Western Conference franchise grumbled to Sports Illustrated, “Pau Gasol AND Kobe Bryant? Couldn't the ....Chicago Bulls have been able to pick up Gasol?”

The Lakers will be all the tougher if Andrew Bynum can make a timely return for the playoffs. Meanwhile, they have the seasoned Derek Fisher.

Though you can't ever count out the San Antonio Spurs, this all adds up to the Lakers winning the Western Conference Finals.

Sez Brad Memberto:

What is all this talk of Kobe as MVP? He scored as much as he did when the Lakers were bad as far back as say - last year.

Coach of the year for Phil- yeah, MVP for Kobe - no.

That said, Kobe will try to do way too much, which will hurt the Lake Show's chances.

The Shaq Attack and the Suns will go farther than the Lakers - again.

Celtics and the Suns in the finals. Unless of course San Antonio gets real hungry real fast, or New Orleans stays consistent, or Utah doesn't turn into Playoff Utah, or - Ah the heck with it - GO LAKERS!

Sez Elliott Stern:

The NBA and TV would love to see a Lakers-Celtics final. So would I. Celtics in 7.

So What Sez You? Feel free to e-mail your opinions to Sports Editor Elliott Stern at estern@santamariatimes.com or Assistant Sports Editor Dan Watson at dwatson@santamariatimes.com.

April 17, 2008