The NBA Playoffs are finally here!
The Play In games were a huge success this year with a lot of high energy basketball and now it’s playoff time.
This year could be the best playoffs the NBA has seen in a while due to there being no clear cut favorite in either conference. There area about five or six teams that could have a legitimate shot at winning the NBA Championship this season.
But first, we have the first round.
There are some very intriguing matchups in the first round with some that could go any way and nothing would be surprising but let’s preview the matchups anyways.
EASTERN CONFERENCE:
1 MILWAUKEE BUCKS vs. 8 MIAMI HEAT
The Heat are a very intriguing team who probably should have been better. They really shouldn’t even be playing the Bucks in the first round given they were the 7 seed and became their first 7 seed to lose their Play In game. They took care of business in their matchup with the Bulls though and here we are.
No one is really giving the Heat a chance due to how good the Bucks are and how balanced they’ve been but this isn’t a team the Bucks can take lightly. They have Jimmy Butler who is known for upping his play in the playoffs plus the improvements that Tyler Herro has made this season. Not to mention Bam Adebayo. The key for them will be how well vets Kevin Love and Kyle Lowry play.
The Bucks are the Bucks though. They’re the number one seed for a reason. They have one of the best defenses in the league to go with a top 12 defense. Then they have the best player in the league in Giannis Antetokounmpo so it’s hard to see the Heat actually beating them.
Prediction: 4-1 Bucks
2 CELTICS vs. 8 HAWKS
For a while, the Celtics were the best team in basketball. Then things changed drastically. It’s like they got bored but they returned to form down the stretch of the season and I expect that to continue in their first round series against the Hawks.
The Hawks are riding a high of becoming the first 8 seed to beat the 7 seed in the Play In so they probably have a lot of confidence. The Celtics aren’t the Heat though.
Celtics can’t take the Hawks lightly or they’ll make the series longer than expected. The Hawks just can’t really match up with the Celtics defensively because of their second ranked offense plus the Celtics have the 3rd ranked defense. The Celtics should make this a quick series.
Prediction: 4-1 Celtics
3 SIXERS vs. 6 NETS
This could be the year for the Sixers. Might be their most talented team but more importantly, no one is really talking about them winning the Championship so the pressure that the players were feeling was in the past might be gone.
Sixers are one of the more balanced teams in the league being top 10 in both offense and defense which will make things tough for the Nets. Mikal Bridges seems like he has put the NBA on notice ever since getting traded to the Nets butthey just don’t really have the fire power to keep up with the Sixers.
This should
4 CAVS vs. 5 KNICKS
This is the most intriguing series in the East by far. This is the only one that wouldn’t surprise anyone if either team won.
The Cavs made a trade for Donovan Mitchell, who could be First Team All NBA this season, and things have worked pretty well so far. They have the best defense in the league led by young star Evan Mobley who could be the Defensive Player of the Year and they have a top 10 offense to go with that. Pretty balanced team all around.
The Knicks also made a change in the off-season via free agency by signing Jalen Brunson and that has given their team a boost big time. Led by Julius Randle who should be on one of the All NBA team, the Knicks are one of the NBA’s surprising teams.
They are coming in a little banged up though. Julius Randle is dealing with a left ankle sprain that caused him to miss the last five games of the season but he is planning on playing in game 1 for the Knicks.
The Knicks did beat the Cavs three of the four times they saw each other this season but I expect things to be different in the playoffs. A playoff series suits the Cavs more than it does the Knicks so they should win this one. Plus, having home court could go a long way for them.
Prediction: 4-3 Cavs
WESTERN CONFERENCE:
1 NUGGETS vs. 8 Wolves
This is a very intriguing series.
The Wolves are probably better than an actual 8 seed. If they were healthy all year they likely aren’t in this position. They’re healthy now and they are wanting to make some noise in the playoffs.
The Nuggets have the reigning MVP who could win his third straight this season and a healthy Jamal Murray leading the 5th best offense in the league. Defensively is where things get dicey for them though. They do rank 15th so it’s not that bad but the playoffs tend to expose a team’s weakness more than the regular season.
Nuggets are one of the only teams that can match the Wolves size inside plus have match their offensive output. The Nuggets are also a much more disciplined team to go with being the more experienced team. Both will be huge factors in this series.
Prediction: 4-2 Nuggets
2 GRIZZLIES vs. 7 LAKERS
This series is going to be fun.
Have the young hungry Grizzlies who know they need to prove themselves to really be taken seriously vs. the new look Lakers who had to fight and claw back from their 2-10 start just to get to this point.
The Lakers have the experience on their side but the Grizzlies are a poised and deep team. It’s going to be very scrappy and could really go either way.
With both teams, we have to throw what the numbers say about their offenses and defenses because neither team was really healthy all year. The Lakers missed LeBron James and Anthony Davis for a big chunk while the Grizzlies dealt with injuries to Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane while also losing Ja Morant for some time. Plus losing Steven Adams for the rest of the season.
Wouldn’t be surprised if either team won.
Prediction: 4-3 Lakers
3 KINGS vs. 6 WARRIORS
Another fun series out West.
The Kings might be the biggest surprise team in the NBA while the Warriors are the defending Champs.
Both teams will have great crowds in their arenas to make things more fun too.
The Warriors have the experience and they know exactly what they need to do to win a series while the Kings are the young team that doesn’t really know any better. Another one that could go either way.
The Warriors have seemed very bored all season. Especially on the road where they were abysmal compared to how good they were at home. The Kings have the best offense in the league which is very fun to watch but it’s going to come down to the defensive end of the floor and in that battle I trust the Warriors more.
Prediction: 4-2 Warriors
4 SUNS vs. 5 CLIPPERS
This will probably be the best first round series this year.
The Suns added a huge addition before the trade deadline in Kevin Durant while keeping their main three guys and the Clippers are getting a healthy Kawhi in the playoffs and that’s a very scary sight.
The Clippers will likely be missing Paul George in the first round so that’s going to hurt them. However, Russell Westbrook has been stepping up big time for them. Him as a first or second option works so much better.
The Suns have more high end talent but the Clippers are the deeper team. The Suns have the ultimate x-factor though.
Kevin Durant.
There really isn’t an answer for Kevin Durant on the Clippers roster. Not even Kawhi if we’re going on history of their matchups. That’s going to make things much easier for Devin Booker and Chris Paul.
The Suns do lack continuity but that probably won’t be too much of an issue.
Prediction: 4-3 Suns