E.K. NATION

Before we get to our predictions for the NBA season, which starts tonight, let us first head out for St. Louis, Missouri, to light off some fireworks in celebration of E.K. Nation's first successful pre-season prediction of a league champion, namely the St. Louis Cardinals, who clearly so obvious a pick to win the World Series back in the spring that E.K. Nation couldn't even get that one wrong.

Okay, now we are back in our home offices in Portland, Oregon, ready to continue with this string of correct predictions in a row, which is currently one in a row.

(Oh, wait. First, we must mention that our pre-season Major League Soccer pick of Colorado defeating D.C. United in the final can still happen. And they're down to just four teams. This could be #2 in a row. Now, on with the Association...)

This is the fourth time we have offered up predictions for the NBA:

• For the 2003-04 season, we offered up a pick of Dallas over Detroit. We were a couple of years too soon on the Mavs making the Finals, but Detroit made it, and actually won it. Not too bad.

• For 2004-05, we decided it would be Detroit over Minnesota. Detroit fell one game short of winning it all, and Minnesota simply fell down. Schmucks.

• Last season, we chose San Antonio to win the championship over Indiana. In what turned out to be the most horrific NBA prediction in E.K. Nation history, neither team made it. Oh well.

Again, for this season and all others, we really don't know a whole lot, and frankly we don't care much about the NBA, but if anything, we can help you avoid losing money in Vegas by not betting on these results:

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

THE DIVISION CHAMPIONS:

THE PLAYOFF TEAMS:

WESTERN FINALS:

over

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

THE DIVISION CHAMPIONS:

THE PLAYOFF TEAMS:

EASTERN FINALS:

over

2006 NBA FINALS:

over