NBA Playoff Predictions — First Round
My predictions for the first round of the NBA playoffs starting this weekend
This picture says it all, of course, but read on for my thoughts on each playoff series. I don’t foresee any upsets, but there should be some interesting seven-game sets.
WEST
Golden State vs. Portland: Warriors in Five
Not too much to see here. The Warriors are heavy favorites, and there’s no path I can see to a Trail Blazer victory. However, I do think they’ll win a game. Golden State lost every game three in the playoffs last season, and the Portland crowd should be good for at least one stolen game. The Blazers partially redeemed their season with a playoff appearance, but the road ends here.
LA Clippers vs. Utah: Clippers in Seven
I agonized over this one, and I think this will be the closest series out of these eight selections. Ultimately though, I’m going with the slightly better experience and star power that LA brings. This might be a different series if Utah had home court, but there are just too many questions around this Jazz team.
Houston vs. Oklahoma City: Rockets in Seven
I agree with most people that Houston will win this series, but I differ over its length. OKC is good enough to steal a game or two, and Russell Westbrook is transcendent enough to overwhelm the Rockets’ defense. I think the talent disparity between these teams is a little too much for the Thunder to overcome, but this should be a fun, exciting, and long series.
San Antonio vs. Memphis: Spurs in Six
This series features two older, defense-first teams that are closer than they may seem in terms of skill. The Spurs should win this one easily, but I have enough confidence in the playoff Grizzlies to expect them to win a couple of games. This series may lack the excitement of OKC/HOU, but it should still be a fun one to keep up with.
EAST
Boston vs. Chicago: Celtics in Six
Yes, Boston is a weak top seed. And yes, Chicago is kind of a disaster. What gets me about this series is this, though: Jimmy Butler might be the best player on the floor. Isaiah Thomas had a better regular season, but Butler is good enough to pass him in this series. That won’t be enough to win, but it will be enough to push this series to six games.
Washington vs. Atlanta: Wizards in Seven
I probably have more confidence in the Hawks than I should, but I think they’ll put together a solid challenge to to Wizards. Atlanta’s defense can be elite when the players truly lock in, and Washington’s defense is pretty suspect. The Hawks still can’t score, so they won’t win this series, but they’ll push it to seven.
Toronto vs. Milwaukee: Raptors in Six
This is a really fun series, and the Bucks are capable of truly threatening the Raptors. This revamped Toronto team is too strong to topple in the first round, but Milwaukee has enough speed and athleticism to make this an interesting series nonetheless. I flip-flopped between picking six or seven games for this series, but I trust Kyle Lowry enough to finally settle on the shorter series.
Cleveland vs. Indiana: Cleveland in Six
This is a bold prediction, but I think the Pacers can push the Cavs. There may be a playoff switch that LeBron James can flip but his team hasn’t done so yet and is facing a fired-up Paul George out of the gate. George and his teammates will push Cleveland to six games, and maybe put enough wear and tear on this team to cripple them later down the road.
