It could be the last games of the conference finals coming up very soon … yikes! There's one thing to be thankful for, though, and that is the fact that the conference finals weren't as much a clean sweep as the semi-finals were for most teams. Heads rolled after those performances - and I for one felt terrible that a couple of piece of bad luck out of quite good playoff performances could have such harsh repercussions for so many!

Conference Finals Games So Far

Thank Dog the conference finals have turned out to be more interesting than the pundits expected! Jameer Nelson scored 24 of Orlando's 113 points in the last Eastern conference game, and Dwight Howard got 32 for the Magic in the previous matchup. Westside, Amar'e Stoudamire took the Suns to their first wins of the Conference finals, but in the last matchup Kobe Bryant's points and assists proved too much for the Suns.

Current standings:

Eastern Conference

Boston Celtics: 3

Orlando Magic: 2

Western Conference

LA Lakers: 3

Phoenix Suns: 2

Odds On, Odds Off…

Nobody wants to call the Lakers and Suns game! There's a bit more of variance in odds for the Magic/Celtics game … does your gut feeling match up with the bookies'?

Orlando Magic v Boston Celtics

Magic: 1.90 - 1.97

Celtics: 1.87 - 1.92

Los Angeles Lakers v Phoenix Suns

Lakers: 1.91 - 1.91

Suns: 1.91 - 1.91

Cheers and Jeers

• So, despite the fact that even the Associated Press were anticipating a Lakers-Celtics final last time we posted, there have been some interesting developments. Told you it wouldn't be that straightforward!
• Apparently Tom Thibodeau's future rests on a game six win for the Celtics. Gosh, basketball writers can be drama queens!
• People may not like the Cavaliers, but they love Lebron James… Bleacher Report published 10 reasons that Lebron James should becomes a New Orleans Hornet (rather than heading to New York or Chicago), including 'Most loyal and jubilant fans in sports', 'Chilling with Dwayne Carter', and because the next playoffs would then echo this years Saints win at the Superbowl :-)

The Tweet-offs

The Phoenix Suns have a lotta love in the Twittersphere … 'Suns lost' even made it into the Trending Topics list for today. Here's what the rabble thought…

--- OT3PLUT RT @flymrwhite: The Suns played hard but the #LAKERS won...Period. Get Over It and stop hatin. You look dumb if your makin excuses

--- jacemck @RealGranthill33 LA's gotta be terrified of a game 7 after that one. Go Suns

--- lanova33 Gonna get a 60 minute full body massage RIGHT NOW!! Need it after that Suns game...\

--- hydro88wr The score for the lakers-suns game is tickin me off

We could be as far as halfway into the best-of-7 matches of the Conference Finals … possibly only a couple of games away from finding out which teams have made it all the way! There have been a few clean sweeps and concurrent upsets in this year's NBA Playoffs, and it's entirely possible that there'll be just as much (entertaining!) vitriole once the Conference Finals are over. Today we check out what might just happen next week!

Conference Finals Games So Far

In the Conference semifinals we saw every single one of the matchups finishing at 4 games for the winning team … and all but one of the four matchups were clean sweeps! Perhaps the 'luck' of those games is weighing on the minds of the Orlando Magic and the Phoenix Suns, both of whom are currently sitting at nil to 2.

Current standings:

Eastern Conference

Boston Celtics: 2

Orlando Magic: 0

Western Conference

LA Lakers: 2

Phoenix Suns: 0

Odds On, Odds Off…

Despite being two games into the Conference Finals round, the numbers haven’t changed much form the start! The bookie's estimation of the Lakers and Suns has switched, but they won’t be budged from their Boston/Orlando opinion.  Here's how rich you'll be when your hunch pays off…

Orlando Magic v Boston Celtics

Magic: 1.91 - 1.97

Celtics: 1.87 - 1.95

Los Angeles Lakers v Phoenix Suns

Lakers: 1.85 - 1.92

Suns: 1.91 - 2.02

Cheers and Jeers

• Referee Joe de Rosa lost his entire game's pay for throwing the ball to a fan during the last Celtics/Magic match. He must not have known …
• Much ado is being made of Paul Pierce's performances against the Magic … talk is that the low scoring totals by Pierce against Cleveland meant that Orlando seriously underestimated Pierce.
• There isn't much confidence in either a Suns or Magic comeback in the press generally … even the Associated Press are reporting that the wait is on for a Lakers-Celtics final. Where's your imagination?!

The Tweet-offs

You get the most honest opinions in 140 characters … here's this week's!

--- germangirlatl3 Na Na Na Na...Hey Hey Hey...goodbye #Cavs. Great job during the season guys but the playoffs? Not so much. The NBA, where buh-bye happens.

--- kato3000 Q:Who do you think is gonna go all the way in the nba playoffs?... A:the celtics http://formspring.me/kato3000/q/575792136

--- NBAMVP RT @Taal73: I think the NBA playoffs shouldnt be so spaced out!

--- BigDipAFB #TRUESTORY I'M MORE HYPE ABOUT THE NBA OFF SEASON THEN THE REST OF THE PLAYOFFS (Note: Spoilsport!!)

So, all but one of the matchups for the Conference semifinals was a clean sweep … with that disappointing record for three of the teams, there has been a lot of talk of upheaval in the ranks. Here's what we've got to look forward to for the Conference finals of the NBA Playoffs!

Conference Semifinals Recap

After fairly even results from most team in the first round (ALL the Western Conference teams headed into the semifinals with only a two-game win in the first  round), the number of clean sweeps in the semifinals was amazing! Here are the results:

Cleveland 2, Boston 4

Atlanta 0, Orlando 4

Lakers 4, Utah 0

Phoenix 4, San Antonio 0

Odds On, Odds Off…

Here's the magic numbers … or perhaps the Celtic numbers … for the upcoming rounds of the Conference finals!

Orlando Magic v Boston Celtics

Magic: 1.86 - 1.96

Celtics: 1.82 - 2.08

Los Angeles Lakers v Phoenix Suns

Lakers: 1.9 - 2.03

Suns: 1.9 - 1.94

Cheers and Jeers

Nnn, nn, nn! There's still plenty of guessing and gossip going on in the sewing circle of the NBA Playoffs - here's the not-so-quiet whispers:

• Mike Woodson has 'officially' been dumped as the Hawks coach after their unceremonious dumping from the Playoffs this week. Despite Woodson's six seasons with the Hawks, in which the team won more games that the previous year every time…
• In the wake of that dumping, speculation has been flying through the air like dung, wondering if Mike Brown has also been dumped as the Cleveland Cavaliers coach. Owner Dan Gilbert says no … but they are going through an "evaluation process".
• Kobe Bryant says the Lakers' focus has shifted from simply defending their existing title to actually winning another one. Look out!

The Tweet-offs

The Twits of the world have plenty to say about the NBA Playoffs, especially now that the probably winners field is narrowing…

--- CeloJ NBA Playoffs continues tomorrow and this is my last week of high school. And the best days of my life begin now lol.

--- nikitapino NBA Playoffs won't be the same without LeBron and the Cavs! Bummer! :(

--- Soulful_07 Im suffering from withdrawal lol RT @MissTreese: @Soulful_07 Cheer up Charlie...the #NBA playoffs will continue soon enough :)

--- alithegreatest BTW - NBA playoffs resume tomorrow. maybe we can get a break from the LeBron talk