SI.com - Magazine - SI's 2003-04 NBA Preview - Thursday October 23, 2003 4:54PM

Walter Iooss Jr.

Can an 18-year-old shoulder the burden of a league, a city and a few corporations? SI's Jack McCallum details what the kid from Akron is up against as The LeBron James Era begins.

Expectations are high in Cleveland, but look for the Nets, Pistons, Kings and Lakers to still be playing come May. With a healthy Chris Webber, SI predicts Sacramento will beat New Jersey for its first NBA championship.

See below for SI's playoff predictions, plus detailed scouting reports on all 29 teams. And click here to see a complete list of Player Value Rankings.

	EASTERN CONFERENCE		WESTERN CONFERENCE
1	New Jersey Nets (4)	1	Sacramento Kings (1)*
2	Detroit Pistons (7)	2	San Antonio Spurs (2)
3	Indiana Pacers (10)	3	Los Angeles Lakers (3)
4	New Orleans Hornets (11)	4	Dallas Mavericks (5)
5	Orlando Magic (13)	5	Minnesota Timberwolves (6)
6	Philadelphia 76ers (14)	6	Phoenix Suns (8)
7	Miami Heat (17)	7	Houston Rockets (9)
8	Chicago Bulls (19)	8	Portland Trail Blazers (12)
9	Boston Celtics (20)	9	Memphis Grizzlies (15)
10	Toronto Raptors (21)	10	Seattle SuperSonics (16)
11	Cleveland Cavaliers (23)	11	Golden State Warriors (18)
12	New York Knicks (24)	12	Denver Nuggets (22)
13	Washington Wizards (26)	13	Los Angeles Clippers (25)
14	Atlanta Hawks (27)	14	Utah Jazz (29)
15	Milwaukee Bucks (28)

ATLANTIC DIVISION CENTRAL DIVISION

MIDWEST DIVISION PACIFIC DIVISION

CONFERENCE FINALS CONFERENCE FINALS

Nets over Pistons Kings over Lakers

NBA FINALS

Kings over Nets

*Overall ranking in parentheses

Issue date: October 27, 2003


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