Round 1: NBA Playoffs
Who will survive the first round of the playoffs and what will happen to those teams gunning for higher hopes than a 1st round exit?
There isn’t just one storyline to look at as the 2017 NBA playoffs are set to begin today. Every team has different expectations for what will be determined successful for their organizations. They may be satisfied with a 1st round competitive series, or the team working with a championship or bust mentality. They have real stakes tied to what happens over the next couple of weeks or months, with chances of key players jetting off for better situations or a change of scenery. Free agency isn’t as far away as it seems and every player whose contract expires in July will take varying degrees of consideration to their destination based on what happens this postseason.
The importance of every possession is felt in the crowd and the stadium rocks with sways of momentum. The game slows down and players have perceptions change — for good or bad — pending on the outcome of the game. It is where moments happen (NBA plug) and the season really takes shape.
Eastern Conference
- Boston Celtics vs. Chicago Bulls: The biggest question concerning this series may be whether the primetime Bulls show up or not. On March 12th the Bulls looked left for dead after getting shredded by the Celtics, dropping their record to 31–35. From that point forward they’ve played some of their better basketball, albeit inconsistent, by posting a 10–6 record to squeeze into the 8th seed.
The season series was split at two apiece, but the Celtics clearly have the edge. The defense has perked up for them over the 2nd half of the season and the offense, drab at times, still runs with the little engine who could in Isaiah Thomas. But the playoffs are a different animal. Previous experience and success lends its hand to better future performance (generally) or at least proves their type of basketball survives in the slowed down version. The jump Thomas has made this season makes me comfortable in asserting that his play will transfer over just fine, along with the weak perimeter defense of the Bulls. Jimmy Butler will have to put the offense on his back and hope for some lucky 3-point shooting to make this series truly interesting. I think one of those two things happen and the Bulls make it fairly competitive.
Celtics in 6
2. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers: The Pacers are just the definition of a “meh” team. Average on both sides of the ball, they typically bore me outside of their core. But the matchup against the Cavs jacks up the intensity with Paul George being one of the few wings in the league capable of holding his own on both sides of the ball against LeBron James. The added flavor of Lance Stephenson juices up the playmaking on the second unit and gives us the chance to watch several repeat videos of him blowing into the ear of James. The issues with the Cavs are obvious at this point with the most glaring flaw being on the defensive side of the ball. Whether it is apathy or true lack of defensive integrity we will find out where the Cavs fall soon enough. I’m betting on apathy and the Cavs to take care of business in a lightly competitive series.
Cavs in 5
3. Toronto Raptors vs. Milwaukee Bucks: This very well may be the most exciting series of the playoffs. Giannis and company taking on the very underrated Raptors should make this fun. Lowry shook off some of the playoff cobwebs last year and had some success against the Cavs, but much of the playoffs were a struggle for the 31-year-old and it’ll be interesting to see if he can continue his return to form after his coming back from a wrist injury a week and a half ago. The Raptors mid-season additions fortified their depth and gave them an added layer of versatility that will come in handy among teams like the Bucks that have a variety of playing styles. Antetokounmpo being able to body up centers pressures the opposition to find the right men in transition, an area where he has become truly elite in. As much fun as this series will be I think it falls just short of the 7 games due to the experience, completeness and cohesiveness of the Raptors.
Raptors in 6
4. Washington Wizards vs. Atlanta Hawks: This series playing out in 2015 does not seem long ago, but it is. The Wizards have gotten more consistency out of Bradley Beal and reveal a starting five that is as strong as the one the Hawks owned that season. The Hawks are a defensively stingy, offensively inept bunch that has outpaced their expected win-loss record by four wins this season. Dennis Schroder and Dwight Howard playing at peak levels for the entirety of the series could turn this series into a more competitive one, but the Wizards have the superstar and the depth to play multiple ways to upend the Hawks. The Wizards strong record at home make this series a pretty quick one.
Wizards in 5
Western Conference
- Golden State Warriors vs. Portland Trail Blazers: A lot of people were hoping to get a repeat of this series from last year, and I get it. The Blazers can put up points with the dynamic duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, have played the Warriors fairly well over the past couple of years and have nice depth on the wing to combat some of the Warriors firepower. But expecting Jusuf Nurkic to fit in seamlessly (if he even plays) after coming back from an injury is a bit far-fetched. Even if he does the Warriors are too overwhelming, the Blazers needing an off shooting night to hang around.
Warriors in 4
2. San Antonio Spurs vs. Memphis Grizzlies: Mike Conley and Marc Gasol have been magnificent after injuries last season left them as question marks to return to form this year. Gasol graced my All-NBA squad while Conley lingered as one of the next few guards off of the board. They’ve been similar to the Grit N’ Grind Grizzlies of years past, relying on defense and the main stars to lead them to victory. They rank 28th in pace and have teetered of late going 8–14 since March 1st. That puts them as major underdogs against the vaunted Spurs. The depth of the Spurs becomes less important as playoff rotations shrink but they have the best player of the bunch and the number one ranked defense in the league. This Grizzlies team doesn’t have the legs to get past five.
Spurs in 5
3. Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: To most, this is the battle of MVPs. The ferocious attacks of Westbrook down the lane versus the funky EuroSteps of Harden mystifying defenders. It’s also a battle of styles. The athletic Thunder defense being brought to offensive respectability with Westbrook’s heroics up against one of the most explosive offenses ever holding their own on the defensive side of the ball. If the games are tight these games will come down to the last few minutes where the Thunder have been able to rely on Westbrook offensively while becoming an even more dominant defense. This series will have a few of these games, and it’ll be up to Harden to break the poor last-minute offense of the Rockets.
Rockets in 7
4. Los Angeles Clippers vs. Utah Jazz: Remember reading earlier about these playoff series having some stakes tied to them? Look no further than this one. The Clippers will be looking to exorcise their playoff demons by getting out of the 2nd round for the first time ever, but first have to go through a Jazz team that has played wonderfully this season. That’s troublesome news for a team that could lose all three of Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and J.J. Redick this offseason if things don’t break right in this series. The wonderful Jazz have equally high pressure of posting competitive results, without the knowledge of knowing what will be enough to entice Gordon Hayward and George Hill to return to Utah this summer. Both teams have had issues getting their starting 5 on the court at the same time due to injuries, but when playing have been sensational. This should be a dogfight and home-court advantage ends up being enough to push the Clippers over the edge to fight another day.
Clippers in 7
