The drama in sports is what draws in fan interest and there is no more drama in sports than during the playoffs. After the dramatics surrounding Ron Artest, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and the other NBA superstars during the regular season, I can’t wait to see what goes down in the first round. Since tipoff is days away, the only way to bide my time until the playoffs is by sharing my predictions with the world ­— or the small demographic of Guardian Sports readers.

Western Conference

Kings vs. Spurs

The Sacramento Kings have been playing well with the addition of Ron Artest. Their defense has gotten tough, while Mike Bibby and Brad Miller continue to play well with Artest offensively. Normally, these Kings would be scary to face in the first round, but they’re matched up with the defending champions, San Antonio Spurs. I don’t think the Spurs are intimidated by Artest, and they basically do everything better than Sacramento. They have size, speed, scoring, defense, depth, teamwork and a good coach in Greg Popovich. The Kings will most likely put up some sort of fight, but the Spurs will win in five games.

Mavericks vs. Grizzlies

Even though the Dallas Mavericks have the second-best record in the West, they are the No. 4 seed playing the No. 5 Memphis Grizzlies. Pau Gasol has really grown as a player and stands out as the leader of the Grizzlies, but there’s no chance he will defeat the Mavs in a series. Memphis might win a game, but I have my doubts and I’m expecting a Dallas sweep.

Clippers vs. Nuggets

When the Los Angeles Clippers host the Denver Nuggets, the game will come down to the impact players. Elton Brand has made quite an impact on the Clippers and I love what Chris Kaman does for Los Angeles as a big center that can do some work in the paint. The Clippers are trying to make it sound like they’re the underdogs, but in reality, they have the better record and home court advantage — and that means that they’re the favorites. I don’t want to predict against the Clippers, but in my gut, I feel that Denver’s star Carmelo Anthony is too hungry to advance in the playoffs and with the help of a healthy Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin, the Nuggets will win the series 4-3.

Lakers vs. Suns

Finally, Kobe Bryant is back in the playoffs as his Los Angeles Lakers play the Phoenix Suns. Phoenix’s run-and-gun style will cause some problems for the Lakers, but head coach Phil Jackson will figure out a way to slow the pace down. Kwame Brown is playing out of his mind and having Chris Mihm return (as the back-up center) will allow Los Angeles to control the paint. While Steve Nash is an amazing point guard for the Suns, Bryant has the drive to play even better in the playoffs than he did in the regular season. As long as Lamar Odom continues to bring a triple-double threat every night and the Lakers’ role players hit the open shots, Los Angeles will beat Phoenix in six games.

Eastern Conference

There are still eight possibilities for the last four spots in the Eastern Conference, but with so much on the line, Washington, Indiana and Chicago will all win their last games and the seedings will stay as they are (I hope). Under that assumption, here are my predictions:

Bucks vs. Pistons

The Milwaukee Bucks end their season two games under .500 as the No. 8 seed and will face arguably the best team in the league, the Detroit Pistons. Enough said. The Pistons defeat the Bucks in four.

Heat vs. Bulls

Shaquille O’Neal continues his quest for a championship away from L.A. as the Miami Heat play the upstart Chicago Bulls. Ben Gordon is just one young Bulls star among many and they will be a handful for the aging Heat. There’s no doubt that Miami is going to win the series, but the number of games it will take depends on how dominant O’Neal is. In the end, Dwayne Wade and O’Neal will challenge themselves and take the series in five.

Nets vs. Pacers

Although I like Jermaine O’Neal’s versatile game, I don’t know how healthy he really is and the New Jersey Nets are playing too well right now to be messed with. The Indiana Pacers do have some history with the Nets, so I will give them two games, as New Jersey wins in six.

Cavaliers vs. Wizards

I think the matchup between No. 4 Cleveland and No. 5 Washington is the most interesting in the Eastern Conference. LeBron James is making his debut in the playoffs and was playing like an MVP before his ankle injury. He is one of those special players that make it hard to pick against, but I really like the Washington team. First, it has experience on its side and knows what it takes to play a physical series. The Wizards also have Gilbert Arenas, who has been playing almost as well as James and has the help of Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler. Although it’s very possible for James to dominate this series and lead his team to the second round, I’m going with another upset as the Wizards beat the Cavs, 4-3.

Overall, the playoffs sound a lot better than last year’s. With Kobe, LeBron, Shaq and “Flash” all in the playoffs, the stage is set for these stars to shine. It’s which stars shine brightest that make the playoffs interesting.