you are totally right about the west being wide open.
while I think my Mavs are gonna pull it off, it's certainly going to be tough - you look at every series except the Kings - Sonics series and they are all tied 2-2 for the reg. season. And even though the Kings and Sonics are the only series not at 2-2 I really expect the Kings to beat the Sonics.
The west is truly wide open it's gonna make for a great playoffs!