The first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs wrapped up this past weekend on Saturday night when the depleted (5)Chicago Bulls defeated the (4)Brooklyn Nets 99-93, despite not having Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich or Luol Deng and despite Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson playing at much less than 100 percent.

Joining the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals are the Miami Heat, New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers.  Advancing to the Western Conference Semi-Finals are the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Memphis Grizzlies and the Golden State Warriors.

The second round got tipped off Sunday afternoon when the (1)Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the (5)Memphis Grizzlies 93-91 as a result of Kevin Durant's 35 points and pull-up jumper in transition with :11 left in the game.  After eliminating the uptempo-style Houston Rockets in round one, the Thunder are facing a much different team in Memphis, who features two of the best post players in the league in Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol.

I am predicting the Memphis Grizzlies to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

The other Western Conference Semi-Finals series will tip off Monday night when the (2)San Antonio Spurs host the (7)Golden State Warriors.  The Spurs did exactly what most everyone thought they would do when they swept the Los Angeles Lakers in round one.  The Warriors took a different path to round two, upsetting the third-seeded Denver Nuggets.  Golden State advanced to the Western Conference Semi's for the first time since the 2006-'07 playoffs when they upset the number one seed Dallas Mavericks.

Unfortunately for the Warriors, they are facing a Spurs team who has had a week to rest, which is especially vital to the banged up Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.  As if that weren't bad enough, Golden State is faced with the fact that they haven't beaten San Antonio in the Alamo City since Valentine's Day in 1997, over 16 years ago.

I am predicting the San Antonio Spurs to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

The Eastern Conference Semi's started on Sunday as well in the Mecca of basketball, Madison Square Garden, when the (2)New York Knicks took on the (3)Indiana Pacers.  Indiana was able to contain Carmelo Anthony, who still scored 27 points, en route to a 102-95 victory.  If game one is any indication of how this series is going to play out, expect it to be extremely physical the rest of the way.

I am predicting the Indiana Pacers to advance to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.

The last of the four second round series is the (1)Miami Heat versus the (5)Chicago Bulls, which will get their series underway tomorrow night in Miami.  LeBron James accepted his fourth NBA Most Valuable Player award for the second straight year Sunday afternoon, and I can't help but think that he is going to come out and have a monster game tomorrow night.

Unfortunately for Chicago and it's fans, the 2011 NBA MVP, Derrick Rose, decided not to play in the playoffs thus far, despite being cleared by his doctor, the team's doctor and despite fully participating in his team's practices for the better part of two months now.  Chicago isn't going to roll over for the defending Champions, and I do expect them to win a game or two, but not many people are giving them a realistic chance to win this series, including myself.

I am predicting the Miami Heat to advance to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.