First Round Record: (6-2)
Western Conference
Phoenix Suns Vs Denver Nuggets
Well, Kevin Durant has not been a member of the Phoenix Suns for long, but you wouldn’t know it by the way he is fitting right in! The Suns are clicking on all cylinders right now and look unstoppable at this point. Devin Booker is scoring points at an insane rate this season and is difficult for any opponent to keep up with, but you can’t focus all of your attention on him with Durant out there. This is the perfect situation for Durant because he doesn’t have to do everything. The only thing he has to do is just go out there and focus on his game and keep knocking down the shots and let everyone else do their job. The Nuggets rely way too much on Nikola Jokic, but lucky for them in the first round Jamal Murray really stepped it up and looks like he could be the other guy out there to take the load off. Even though the Nuggets have been the best team in the Western Conference this season, I’ve never believed in them as a legit contender, and the Suns are a team who I believe can test that theory. The Suns have way too much firepower for the Nuggets to keep up with for a seven game series. With the addition of Kevin Durant and his Championship experience coupled with the veteran leadership of Chris Paul, and add in a high flying Devin Booker, this all just spells out a Phoenix Suns win to me.
Suns in 6 games
Los Angeles Lakers Vs Golden State Warriors
I’m not sure that I needed anymore proof that Steph Curry is going to go down in history as one of the greatest to ever do it, but he did just that against the Sacramento Kings. The Kings were one of the top teams in the Western Conference, but they were not good enough to stop the greatness that is Steph Curry! That dude, while he had some help from the rest of the team, they won because he took over EVERY game, even the ones they lost he still showed out! Now it’s the Lakers turn and this adds to the chapter of LeBron vs The Warriors in the postseason. They have already faced off in the Finals many times when Lebron was in Cleveland, but this time around he’s in the Western Conference, which is a whole different rodeo. The Lakers, actually, looked pretty decent against the Grizzlies, but they didn’t show me enough to make me a believer just yet. Anthony Davis has been a monster in the postseason and that has made all the difference for the Lakers and made them a much better team in the paint. The Lakers are still sloppy as fuck and they have those weird games where they just disappear and you’re just left wondering “what the fuck was that I just watched?” I expect this to be a good series, but the Warriors are putting it together at the right time, and they are the defending champs! It’s going to be an uphill battle for the Lakers and I expect them to put up a good fight, but unfortunately, I see the Warriors moving onto the Western Conference Finals!
Warriors in 6 games
Eastern Conference
Philadelphia 76ers Vs Boston Celtics
This should be a good series, if Joel Embiid ends up playing and can play at high level, otherwise I have a feeling this will be an awful series that the Celtics should wrap up fairly quick if that’s the case! But I’m going to make my prediction based on Embiid will play at some point in this series and will be playing at a competitive level. Embiid is an MVP candidate for a reason and he really has made his presence known on the court since day one of the regular season. Tyrese Maxey has been a diamond in the rough for this team. Once he started to get healthy and get more playing time he began to take over games and become a another weapon for this team. The Celtics looked really sluggish in the series against the Hawks, which was weird because I thought they were a far superior team compared to the Hawks. I understand this is the playoffs and every game is difficult, but the Celtics just looked like they wanted to give the series away. If they don’t step it up against the 76ers it’s going to be a problem! Embiid is playing with a chip on his shoulder this season because he was snubbed for the MVP last year and he also suffered some injuries in the postseason last year, which also, proved to be costly for a Championship run last year. If Embiid is able to play at a competitive level in this series, I think the 76ers will be too much for the Celtics to handle in the paint because they don’t have anyone who matches up well against him for a seven game series, and I expect this one to go the distance.
76ers in 7 games
Miami Heat Vs New York Knicks
Well,
if you thought playoff Jimmy Butler was a myth, you haven’t been paying close
to attention. This guy single handedly won the last series against the top seed
in the East, the Bucks! He did have some help from the Bucks because they
choked super hard, but still Butler went off! I’m sure he will continue to
excel, but unfortunately for him they are going up against a really strong team
defensively. The Knicks have played very consistent basketball all season and
dominated a really good Cavaliers team in the last round. Jalen Brunson has
made the big plays and this team seems to have taken on his identity with their
scrappy play. Julius Randle has yet to be a factor in the postseason and I
expect that will change in this round. The Heat were one of the worst scoring
teams in the league and outside of Jimmy Butler they really don’t have anyone
else who can step it like he can, except for Tyler Herro who is injured and
won’t play in this series. I think the Knicks will lock down the Heat defensively
and force Jimmy Butler to do too much in the critical moments, which in turn
will cost the Heat the series.
Knicks in 6 games
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