Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) — After 1,230 regular season National Basketball Association (NBA) games, we have finally whittled down the field to the best 16 teams in the league.
The Playoffs are finally here.
We take a quick look at the first round matchups, and we predict which teams will advance into their respective conference semifinals.
Editor’s Note: All stats from NBA.com, unless otherwise stated.
Western Conference
Golden State Warriors (1) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (8)
Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lilliard said in a television interview that his team can win against the Dubs in six games.
But with Kevin Durant back in the saddle, Steph Curry being Steph Curry, and the ability of the Warriors to whip out the lineup of death, Lillard’s comments might be highly optimistic to say the least.
Not a lot of people would pick the Blazers to top the Warriors, and while Lillard later clarified that while he was taken out of context when he made his comment, he believes that they can beat the Dubs.
To be fair to the Blazers, they have been on a tear since March, going 17-6 to close out the regular season and both Lillard and his backcourt partner CJ McCollum have the propensity to transform into an unstoppable offensive force from time to time.
That alone could propel Portland to a win against Golden State, but taking four games is too tall a task.
The Warriors hold the best record in the league with a 67-15 record, and only dropped one game in their last 10 outings. They also spanked Portland in all four of their meetings this season.
Sure, Golden State could still be figuring out how to get the best out of both Curry and Durant when they are on the floor together, but their overall talent should overwhelm the Blazers.
Prediction: Warriors in five
San Antonio Spurs (2) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (7)
For the second year running, the San Antonio Spurs will face-off against the grit and grind of the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round.
Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, they don’t look set to altering last year’s results by a wide margin.
Though they are more equipped this year to deal with Kahwi Leonard and the Spurs, the Grizzlies are not going into the Playoffs looking convincing.
Mike Conley and Co. are going into the Playoffs on the back off a disappointing 3-7 stretch, and will have to find a way to unlock the number one ranked defensive team in the league.
The Spurs have not been playing their best basketball going into the post-season, going 5-5 in the last ten games.
Even so, Gregg Popovich is a series shifting factor in himself, and he could be the sole reason why we expect the Spurs to get right during the playoffs.
The Grizzlies will put up a fight, especially with Conley and Marc Gasol in the mix, but San Antonio is just too tough to deal with if you aren’t at your best.
Prediction: Spurs in five
Houston Rockets (3) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (6)
This could probably be the most explosive matchup in the first round of the Playoffs.
The prospect of seven games of MVP race frontrunners James Harden and Russell Westbrook going toe-to-toe should be enough for fans to start salivating.
Westbrook’s late tear at the end of the regular season further validated his claim to the top individual crown, but the Playoffs are about pulling it all together to win a series.
And the Rockets look primed to do that despite Westbrook’s triple-double season.
Houston is the second best offensive team in the league, and has bought in to the idea that the three-ball is the most potent weapon in the league today.
The Rockets are second in the league in three point attempts and can stretch the floor as a result. Though the Thunder are fourth in the league in preventing three point shots, there is a real possibility OKC can be overwhelmed by it.
Oklahoma lost the regular season series 1-3, with Houston scoring more than a 100 in every game.
It should be a great shootout between the two teams, both of whom are led by two of the league’s most dynamic stars today, but Houston should be able to outgun the Thunder.
Prediction: Rockets in six
Los Angeles Clippers (4) vs. Utah Jazz (5)
This series could determine the make up of both teams next season.
Both the Clippers and the Jazz could lose key players with a first round exit, so you have to feel that there is a lot more at stake here than just moving on to the next round.
The Clippers have had the edge on the Jazz this season, grabbing the home court advantage by virtue of holding the tiebreaker.
But even so, this could be the toughest first round series to call.
With Chris Paul, J.J. Reddick, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and Luc Mbah a Moute, the Clippers have one of the league’s most potent starting lineups. But the Jazz are starting to get healthy, and could win it through their bench if they put the clamps on the Clippers’ starters.
With Rudy Gobert anchoring the league’s third best defense, they could do just that.
The Jazz are getting healthier too, with oft-injured Rodney Hood and Derrick Favors finally getting back into rhythm to help out Gordon Hayward.
If Utah manages to stay healthy and find ways to be dangerous when Hayward and Gobert are off the floor, they could edge out Griffin and Los Angeles.
Prediction: Jazz in six
Eastern Conference
Boston Celtics (1) vs. Chicago Bulls (8)
The Chicago Bulls couldn’t believe their luck. They may have stumbled on the eighth seed, but they have completely avoided an early meeting with LeBron James.
Despite Boston finishing atop of the Eastern Conference, there are still a lot of questions to be asked of Isaiah Thomas and the rest.
The Celtics have a notoriously difficult time securing rebounds, and finished in the bottom four in defensive rebound percentage. The Bulls are set to feast on that, with Chicago fourth in offensive rebound percentage.
Chicago is also the third best rebounding team, and are only off the top spot by .3 boards.
Then there is the matter of Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade leading the charge for the Bulls to deal with.
It’s gonna be tough for the Celtics, but with the options of Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder, who should be able to slow the Bulls down, then they could limit the damage.
Apart from that, Thomas is expected to elevate his late-game heroics to a bigger stage and that should be enough to see Boston creep by into the next stage.
Prediction: Celtics in seven
Cleveland Cavaliers (2) vs. Indiana Pacers (7)
LeBron James dueling Paul George is always fun, as evidenced by their regular season double overtime meeting.
Apart from James and George going at it, watching what Indiana returnee Lance Stephenson decides to do in the series could possibly be the most exciting thing about this matchup.
The Pacers are a shell of what they used to be when George led them to the Eastern Conference finals years ago.
No Roy Hibbert, David West, and even George Hill, means that Indiana will have a difficult time slowing down a James, Kyrie Irving-led onslaught.
A lot of this is assuming that Cleveland can and will indeed finally flip the proverbial switch and boss their way into the Eastern Conference finals.
But we don’t know how long the process of switch flipping could actually take, and that could cost them games.
George will most probably find a way to take over the game for the Pacers and steal a win, but he can only do so much against the defending champions.
Prediction: Cleveland in six
Toronto Raptors (3) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (6)
With Kyle Lowry, DeMar Derozan, DeMarre Carroll, and Jonas Valunciunas, the Toronto Raptors should probably feel comfortable going against a team that ranks 19th defensively and 13th offensively.
In contrast, the Raptors are 9th on the defensive end and 6th on offense, and have shored up even more defensively with midesason moves for Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker.
But unfortunately for the Raptors, the Milwaukee Bucks have arguably the best player in the series wreaking havoc on for the opposing side.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was a revelation in the regular season, and could cause the Raptors fits.
Antetokounmpo also has Khris Middleton back to lighten the load on offense, and Rookie of the Year candidate Malcolm Brogdon should help pick up the slack on defense.
A lot of things have to go right for Milwaukee to upset Toronto, but there is little doubt that if they do, Giannis will probably be one of the bigger reasons why.
Prediction: Raptors in five
Washington Wizards (4) vs. Atlanta Hawks (5)
The John Wall and Bradley Beal fueled Washington Wizards offense will test the mettle of one of the stingiest defenses in the league when they take on Paul Millsap and the Atlanta Hawks.
The Hawks boast of the fourth best defense after the regular season, but will have their hands full when they play Washington, who hold the ninth best offense.
The Wizards won the regular series against the Hawks three games to one, but the grind it out nature of the Playoffs could shift things in Atlanta’s favor.
Millsap, along with Dennis Schroder, and Dwight Howard, shouldn’t have a problem mucking things up and making Washington bleed for their points.
What could be Atlanta’s undoing is its sub-par offense.
The Hawks are 27th in the league on the offensive end, and though the Wizards aren’t the greatest defensive team by any stretch, they are unlikely to be overwhelmed.
Success for Atlanta also depends on how long can they put the clamps on the Wall-Beal duo, which is a daunting task when you’re expected to do it in a seven-game series.
Prediction: Wizards in six
