NBA First Round Playoff Predictions

NBA First Round Playoff Predictions

Western Conference

Minnesota Timberwolves Vs Houston Rockets

This will probably end up being the most boring matchup in the Western Conference! The Rockets mopped the floor with the Timberwolves in the regular season. I’m not sure why things would change in the postseason? The Timberwolves are building a solid foundation. I just don’t think they’re even close to what the Rockets have going on right now, though!

Rockets over Timberwolves 4 games

Utah Jazz Vs Oklahoma City Thunder

The Utah Jazz have been one of the most surprising teams of the season because nobody expected them to even be a decent team, let alone make the playoffs! Donovan Mitchell is the rookie phenom dominating the league. He has burst onto the scene and made tons of noise this season, on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. The Thunder have been up and down throughout the season. Paul George and Carmelo Anthony really haven’t brought much to the table, so everything lies on the shoulders of Russell Westbrook. That really isn’t an issue, at least in this round, but at some point someone else is going to have to step up and help Westbrook out. These two teams are evenly matched. Either team can score a ton of points, they both have big time play makers, and they even finished tied with the same record in their division. These two teams know each other well, so this should end up being a good matchup to watch, but I believe the Thunder have the edge in this one because they have the deeper team from starter to bench, and if you are an NBA fan you know the bench plays a huge part in the playoffs!

Thunder over Jazz 7 games

New Orleans Pelicans Vs Portland Trail Blazers

If Damian Lillard didn’t play in Portland he’d probably be a candidate for the MVP this season because he has carried this team from start to finish! He is on fire and can’t be stopped! You know who else is on fire though? Anthony mother fucking Davis! That guy is balling hard, it’s just too bad he gets injured every other game! This should be an interesting matchup even though most people who aren’t basketball fans really won’t give a shit given the teams. They matchup well against each other, but the difference between the two is the Trail blazers work more as a team led by Lillard whereas the Pelicans solely run through Anthony Davis. If he happens to get injured in one of these games and misses the next the Pelicans have no shot! It’s going to be a tough battle, but the Trail Blazers should walk away with the win in this one.

Trail Blazers over Pelicans 6 games

San Antonio Spurs Vs Golden State Warriors

The Warriors are not looking half as dominant as they have over the past couple of seasons, but they’re still the favorite to win it all, as they should be. The same thing could also be said about the Spurs, except they are not even close to a Championship contender. This matchup would have been fun to watch last season or the year before, but this year the Spurs have been exceptionally mediocre for their standards. I don’t believe the Spurs will make much noise against the Warriors. They haven’t been able to find any consistency this season and I doubt that’s going to change in the postseason!

Warriors over Spurs 5 games

Eastern Conference

Washington Wizards Vs Toronto Raptors

The Wizards are barely a watchable team this season and the only reason why they’re even in the playoffs is because they’re in the Eastern Conference! The Raptors shouldn’t have a problem moving onto the next round!

Raptors over Wizards 4 games

Indiana Pacers Vs Cleveland Cavaliers

No matter how up and down the Cavs season has gone so far…there is no way this matchup is even going to be close! I have a feeling the Pacers won’t even win a game in this one.

Cavaliers over Pacers 4 games

Miami Heat Vs Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers are probably the biggest surprise this season. We all knew they had a bunch of great players they’ve collected over the years through the draft, but we haven’t seen most of them play due to injury. This season while they still had some injuries to overcome, they have really been one of the more dominant teams in the East. There really isn’t much going on with the Miami Heat these days. Yes they’re in the playoffs, but come on we all know that’s only because the Eastern Conference is garbage! The 76ers are coming into the playoffs strong and on fire, and while the Heat may steal a game or two, this series is going to the 6ers!

76ers over Heat 5 games

Milwaukee Bucks Vs Boston Celtics

The Celtics have pretty much dominated the Eastern Conference all season, and they’ve been able to maintain playing at a high level even though they have had to overcome numerous injuries to some of their star players. I feel like out of all of the teams in the playoffs the Celtics play all around team ball, which is why they’ve been able to overcome the injuries. It will be interesting to see how this plays out for the Celtics because as we all know the postseason is a whole different game! The Bucks are an underrated team because they’re up in Milwaukee and most people forget they even exist. They have a strong foundation, but still could use plenty of work. The Bucks should make this an interesting series, but I still believe the Celtics are the better team.

Celtics over Bucks 6 games