It seems like only yesterday that LeBron James was headed home to Cleveland, the Knicks were ready to make an impact and Derrick Rose was returning from injury… Ok scrap the last one. Still, it’s hard to believe that the NBA regular season has come to an end. For some it was an exciting journey full of highlights and amazing sporting moments, while for others the season dragged out longer than Kevin Durant’s MVP speech. But the fact is, while the regular season is fun and all, it’s time to get down to the business end of the season. The NBA Playoffs.
Check out our latest episode of Big Ballers Podcast in a special, NBA Playoff Edition.
Eastern Conference:
Atlanta Hawks (1st) vs Brooklyn Nets (8th)
While for many, this series seems like a case of 4-0 in favour of the Hawks, I think this series will surprise a lot of people. Don’t get me wrong, the Hawks are an amazing team with some great depth, but the Nets aren’t lacking in the talent department themselves. It really will come down to whether the Nets will be able to match the spread that the Hawks have. The tag team of Al Horford and Paul Millsap will be somewhat negated by the depth that Brooklyn have themselves with the likes of Brook Lopez, Mason Plumlee and Thaddeus Young, but their firepower out deep will be the Hawks’ biggest asset. The match up of Jeff Teague and Deron Williams has the potential to be one to remember, pending which “D-Will” rocks up throughout the Playoffs. But if the last couple weeks is anything to go by, we could be in for a treat.
My Prediction: Atlanta in 6 games.
[image src=’http://fnx.network/fnxnetwork/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/15662035290_221faa8ab8_z.jpg’ width=‘500’ height=’430′ title=‘Source:Keith,Flickr’ align=’left’]Cleveland Cavaliers (2nd) vs Boston Celtics (7th)
Did someone forget to tell Brad Stevens and the Celtics that they were meant to be tanking? After essentially gutting the team with a vision of building towards the future, the Celtics find themselves face to face with a star studded Cavs team that has been starved of post season action since 2010. With the likes of Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Kevin Love, J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov, it may just be too much for the Celtics to handle. It has been a tremendous effort by Boston to finish where they have, but I just can’t see the Celtics continuing to push the envelope into the post season. The Cavs have had a very strong back half of the season and head into the Playoffs with 15 wins from their last 20 games.
My Prediction: Cleveland in 4 games.
Chicago Bulls (3rd) vs Milwaukee Bucks (6th)
Despite an injury plagued season, the Bulls continue to get the job done. We saw glimpses of what they were capable of earlier in the season with a healthy squad, and that alone should have teams in the East on notice. While Milwaukee have become somewhat of an exciting team to watch this season behind the amazing work of Giannis Antetokounmpo, the depth and defensive style of Chicago will just be too much for a young Bucks side. For me, the Bulls are the dark horse of the Playoffs. They have the depth and talent to make an impact if they can keep the squad healthy.
My Prediction: Chicago in 4 games.
Toronto Raptors (4th) vs Washington Wizards (5th)
Strap yourselves in hoop heads, this will be the best series of the East. These two teams found themselves sitting above the Eastern Conference standing for the first part of the NBA season. John Wall v Kyle Lowry, Bradley Beal v DeMar DeRozan and Marcin Gortat v Jonas Valanciunas, so many exciting match ups. Both teams play a similar style and are on the verge of becoming a force in the East. For me, this is John Wall’s time. While he has become a great player, he still capable of more and this Playoff series has makings of something special. The two have battled it out 3 times throughout the season, all in favour of the Raptors. Either way, this will be be a great battle between two young teams hungry for success.
My Prediction: Washington in 7 games.
[image src=’http://fnx.network/fnxnetwork/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/5493657622_4692e8e49c_z.jpg’ width=‘437’ height=’500′ title=‘Source:Keith,Flickr’ align=’right’]Western Conference:
Golden State Warriors (1st) vs New Orleans Pelicans (8th)
Ok, so it’s not the battle between the Warriors and OKC which we all wanted so badly. Even so, the Warriors themselves are exciting to watch and the Pelicans have battled hard to take the 8th seed, even defeating the steamrolling Spurs in the process. There is no doubt that Anthony Davis is the star of the Pelicans but Tyreke Evans has found some form with respectable averages throughout the season, and has been pivotal in the Pelicans making the Playoffs. While Davis does have the ability to change a game, I can’t see him doing so over a seven game series against the best team in the NBA. The Warriors depth is just too strong, and with Stephen Curry continuing to explode along side fellow “Splash Brother” Klay Thompson, the Warriors firepower will be hard to contain.
My Prediction: Golden State in 5 games.
Houston Rockets (2nd) vs Dallas Mavericks (7th)
This is probably one of the hardest games to pick. While the Rockets have been flying with the scoring machine that is James Harden, the Mavericks are one of those teams who seem to just keep rolling along. While Harden has dominated throughout the regular season, the NBA Playoffs are a different beast. They will need to have other players step up into supporting Harden to help share the scoring load. Every season has its Playoffs upset, and this could be it. The Mavericks have a lot of firepower and it will be hard for the Rockets to contain throughout a series. Both teams are full of stars and this could very well go either way in a shootout through seven games.
My Prediction: Dallas in 6 games.
Los Angeles Clippers (3rd) vs San Antonio Spurs (6th)
What is there to say about the San Antonio Spurs… They continue to defy critics and father time as they set themselves for their 18th straight post season campaign. The reigning champions have been on fire lately, even taking a number of Western Conference powerhouses down in the process. Their no fuss, team style of play continues to get the job done. With Kawhi Leonard, undoubtedly the future of the franchise, he is doing work at both ends with some big scoring games as well as shutting down the opposition stars, much like he did to Stephen Curry only last week. The Clippers will have a big task ahead of them, but they are definitely up for it. They have depth the match the Spurs, but will need to be switched on defensively to prevent the Spurs moving the ball with ease. Chris Paul has for a long time, been one of the premier point guards in the league and we could see him push himself to the next level in the search for that elusive title.
My Prediction: San Antonio in 7 games.
Portland Trail Blazers (4th) vs Memphis Grizzlies (5th)
This is another one that is hard to judge. While the Blazers have the likes of Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge, the Grizzlies have their own star power as well as that physical grinding style that can drive teams into the ground over a long series. The Grizzlies found themselves sitting up towards the top of the West earlier in the season while they were on an impressive run. Their best is more than capable of dismantling teams on any given day, but the sheer will power of Lillard along side Aldridge may prove to be too much for Memphis. Zach Randolph is no dud, but in order to restrict the offensive impact of Aldridge, I feel the Grizzlies would be best suited to have Marc Gasol locking down on him to help prevent any easy jump shots. This one will be a true battle of “offensively” minded vs “defensively” minded.
My Prediction: Portland in 6 games.
The stage is set for a great NBA Playoff series across the board. While the West is tightly contested, the East is so unpredictable.
Who’s your pick?
Be sure to check out Big Ballers Podcast right here on the FNX Network as Todd, Miller, Moe, Buckets and LJ talk hoops every fortnight!
Banner Image Credit: Joseph Glorioso Photography, Flickr
Story Image 1 Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr
Story image 2 Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr
