NBA Playoffs: Round 1
Welcome to the NBA Playoffs! After 82 regular season games and an in season cup we all remember we are finally to the post season. We have 12 teams locked into spots and will get 2 more per league locked in after the play-in tournament. Let’s all enjoy the playoffs!
Eastern Conference
Detroit Pistons vs Orlando Magic
Season Series: 2-2
I think this is a potentially a bad matchup for the Pistons. The Magic have been underwhelming all year, but they are big and physical and play a defensive game that is very similar to the Pistons own game. Desmond Bane will need to take over on offense for the Magic at times and the same for Cade for the Pistons. This series will be a blood bath.
Prediction: Pistons in 5
Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers
Season Series: 2-2
Boston should win this series, but this 76ers team is no push over. Joel Embiid is at least out for game 1 of the series after having emergency appendectomy surgery. For Boston, the Jays Tatum and Brown are ready to try to win Boston its 19th ring and their second. Maxey and Paul George will need to carry the offense for the 76ers but this should be a fantastic first round series.
Prediction: Celtics in 5
New York Knicks vs Atlanta Hawks
Season Series: Knicks 2-1
The season series is a bit of falsehood. Some of those games were early in the year before Atlanta had made major changes to their roster. The Knicks and Hawks had a huge meeting late in the season that showed the truth between these two teams. The Knicks came out on top of that game, but CJ McCollum almost tied it right at the end. This is going to be a good tight series, while the Knicks have the experience, the Hawks are playing with house money and they are the hotter team.
Prediction: Knicks in 7
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Toronto Raptors
Season Series: Raptors 3-1
Similar to the Knicks and Hawks, the season series does tell the entire story. During the regular season the Raptors won 3 out of 4, but those three wins came without James Harden on the roster and a ton of injuries to the Cavs. These Cavaliers need to prove they are the real deal and avoiding both the Hawks and 76ers in the first round feels like a win for them. I am not sure the Raptors have the depth or fire power to deal with the Cavaliers in a longer series.
Prediction: Cavaliers in 5
Western Conference
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Phoenix Suns
Season Series: OKC 3-2
The Suns dismantled the Warriors to reach the 1st round of the NBA playoffs. They are a feisty and fiery team that will need to hit their threes to compete with the Thunder. The Thunder on the other hand are one of the best defensive teams we have ever seen in the NBA and of course are the deafening NBA champs. SGA is an MVP candidate even if his best skill is flopping his head back. The Thunder should handle the Suns easily.
Prediction: Thunder in 4
San Antonio Spurs vs Portland Trail Blazers
Season Series: Spurs 2-1
The Trail Blazers are back in the post season and for Portland fans this has to be a great feeling. Not a great feeling they get matched up with the Spurs who are on fire over the last few months. The Spurs are a title favorite and their only losses since the end of January are to the Nuggets and the Knicks. Portland it's been a fun ride, but it might be a short one.
Prediction: Spurs in 4
Denver Nuggets vs Minnesota Timberwolves
Season Series: Nuggets 2-1
The Nuggets are one of the hottest teams in the NBA right now, please read this as Will Ferrell in Zoolander. The Wolves are coming off back to back Western Conference finals and have one of the faces of the NBA in Anthony Edwards. But Ant has been in and out of the lineup at the end of the season and the Nuggets are healthy. This is a series that in theory should be awesome, but might be a bit of a let down.
Prediction: Nuggets in 6
Los Angeles Lakers vs Houston Rockets
Season Series: Lakers 2-1
Speaking of series that should be incredible but might be a bit of a let down. The Rockets took care of the Lakers on Christmas day, but then lost two in a row during the Lakers turn around during the end of the season. The biggest storylines in this series are the injuries to the Lakers two best players in Lakers Doncic and Austin Reaves. Can Lebron turn back the clock and be the number 1 option? The Rockets have enough talent to handle the Lakers if Doncic and Reaves are unable to play.
Prediction: Rockets in 6