First Round Record (7-1)
NBA Conference Semifinals Predictions
Western Conference
Dallas Mavericks Vs Oklahoma City Thunder
I have been pleasantly surprised with both of these teams this season. The Thunder came out of nowhere to dominate this entire regular season from start to finish. This is a young team, but they are electric and have not looked intimidated by anyone they’ve faced this season. The Mavs are led by Luka Doncic who has been playing at an MVP level and has been unstoppable for the most part. Kyrie Irving has been the biggest x-factor for the Mavs because you just never know what you’re going to get from the guy. He is a good basketball player, but sometimes he isn’t all in with the team, but that is not the case with him this year. Kyrie has done nothing but prove it on the court this year and he is why this team has finally elevated to another level. The Thunder are a talented team from top to bottom, but at some point I expect them to run into a road block this postseason and I believe that will be in this round. The Mavs have the MVP of the league on their team and usually that plays in your favor in a seven game series. The Thunder have been fun to watch and look like they will be competitive for many seasons to come, but I think they will fall short in this one because the Mavs experience and Luka will be too much for the Thunder to overcome.
Mavericks in 7 games
Minnesota Timberwolves Vs Denver Nuggets
I’m expecting this matchup to be a battle! Both teams are stacked with talent and they are division rivals, so, they know each other quite well. Jokic has been playing at his typical MVP caliber level of play easily averaging a triple double a game, but his role players have grown into much more this season. Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., KCP, and Aaron Gordon have played a consistent level of basketball all season that this team has become too difficult to stop from scoring, and they actually play defense too! The Timberwolves have been on a tear all season led by Anthony Edwards, who has already had some standout games in the postseason, along with Rudy Gobert and Karl Anthony Towns, they have become an unstoppable force in the paint. The edge in this matchup is the Nuggets with their deep bench and their championship experience. In a tough battle between two top tier teams a series is always decided by who makes the least mistakes and is able to take advantage when the other team is down. I trust Denver in this situation more so than I do the Timberwolves. The Timberwolves have not been here before, they have no playoff experience, and are young. They are going to be tested in this round and they are going up against a beast in the Nuggets. It’s going to be a close matchup, but I’m going with Denver and the championship experience over the young guys in this one!
Nuggets in 6 games
Eastern Conference
Cleveland Cavaliers Vs Boston Celtics
The Cavaliers have had such an inconsistent season that continued on into the first round of the playoffs and now they will be playing a series against the best team in the East, the Boston Celtics. This is a team that will roll you over if they start to run away with and they won’t look back. They ran through the Eastern conference in the regular season and ran through the first round of the playoffs, so what do you think is going to happen in this one? I would imagine more of the same. The Cavs are honestly lucky they made it this far because they could have easily been knocked out in the first round by the Magic and I don’t think they will have what it takes to compete against this Celtics team. The Celtics are stacked and really should have no issues moving onto the Eastern Conference Finals!
Celtics in 5 games
Indiana Pacers Vs New
York Knicks
It’s been a quite shocking season from the Knicks up to this point. They have had to deal with numerous injuries throughout the season and it has yet to take a toll on this squad. Jalen Brunson is having a career year and has carried this team all the way to the Semifinals! The Knicks are one of the best defensive squads in the league who play really scrappy basketball and are not afraid to get in your face. The Pacers have been a huge surprise this season with Tyrese Halliburton stepping into his own and really elevating his game to another level. The Pacers have a high flying offense, but they do have their down moments. I expect the Pacers to play hard in this series and won’t make it easy on the Knicks, but the defense of the Knicks is head and shoulders above what the Pacers have and I believe if shit gets out of hand that the Pacers will not be able to play catch up and the Knicks will start to run away with the series. It’s been a solid season from the Pacers and I have a feeling this postseason will be a let down, but it will help them grow in the future.
Knicks in 6 games
