Saturday, April 16, 2016

NBA First Round Playoff Predictions



Western Conference

Houston Rockets Vs Golden State Warriors

Warriors. Win. Easy. Nuff. Said!

Warriors over Rockets 4 games

Portland Trailblazers  Vs Los Angeles Clippers

This will probably be the only competitive matchup in the Western Conference from the First Round. Damian Lillard has been playing very well this season and for the most part it has gone unnoticed because the West is full of a lot of great players and it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. The Clippers have had their moments this season, but I don’t know if I think they can actually be a threat to any team in the playoffs this season. The Clippers on occasions tend to be their own worst enemy, they play great team ball when they win, but when they lose I often question their mental toughness. That is why I don’t think this will be a cake walk at all for them against the Trailblazers. I give the edge to the Clippers in this matchup because they have more depth on the bench, but I expect the Trailblazers to give them everything they’ve got!

Clippers over Trailblazers 6 games

Dallas Mavericks Vs Oklahoma City Thunder

This will be a boring matchup overall. The Thunder are quietly having a very good season. Since there is so much competition in the Western Conference it’s easy to get overlooked, especially when the Warriors have been so dominant! Russell Westbrook is having the best season of his career and Kevin Durant has bounced back strong from the foot injury last season. The Mavericks are old and won’t be able to keep up with the Thunder for an entire series.

Thunder over Mavericks 5 games

Memphis Grizzlies Vs San Antonio Spurs

This has been a great a matchup over the years in the playoffs, fierce battles, fought until the end. Not this year though. The Grizzlies have had a tough time trying to work through injuries this season. Twenty eight players have been cycled through this roster and that’s never a good thing for any team. The Spurs on the other hand have a lot of depth on their bench and Coach Popovich has his squad ready for a playoff run! This should be a nice warm up for the Spurs to get them ready for the next opponent they end up facing in the following round!

Spurs over Grizzlies 5 games

Eastern Conference

Detroit Pistons Vs Cleveland Cavaliers

This will not even be close….therefore, no analysis on this matchup is necessary!

Cavaliers over Pistons 4 games

Boston Celtics Vs Atlanta Hawks

This could possibly be the only intriguing matchup in the Eastern Conference! The Celtics have surged the second half of the season and unexpectedly made the playoffs led by the nobody squad! They’re a scrappy team with some good shooters so I expect them to put up a good fight against the Hawks! The Hawks are a pretty boring team overall which is why this should end up being a decent series. Both teams matchup well against each other and neither team is expected to make any strides in the post season! I think the Celtics have the edge in this matchup because they’ve steam rolled their way into the playoffs and I believe they can continue to ride that wave for at least one round in the playoffs!

Celtics over Hawks 7 games

Charlotte Hornets Vs Miami Heat

You know the Eastern Conference sucks as soon as you see a mediocre team like the Hornets are actually participating in the post season. The Heat are actually a good team this season and Dwayne Wade has managed to stay healthy for the most part which is a big reason why they are playing so well. They’ve even managed to continue to play well through the absence of Chris Bosh! The only hope for the Hornets is that Michael Jordan just gets so fed up with his mediocre team and comes out of retirement to try and get them a win!

Heat over Hornets 4 games

Indiana Pacers Vs Toronto Raptors

I don’t expect this to be much of a series. The Pacers are mediocre and the Raptors are one of the few teams that could actually challenge the Cavaliers this post season. This should be a nice little warm up for the Raptors!

Raptors over Pacers 5 games

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