Monday, May 16, 2016

NBA Conference Finals Predictions



First Round Record (6-2)
Semi Finals Record (2-2)

NBA Conference Finals Predictions

Western Conference

Oklahoma City Thunder Vs Golden State Warriors

When the Playoffs began I had a feeling the Thunder were going to make things tough for some of their opponents, but I really did not believe they would make it this far in such dominating fashion! They spent the entire regular season blowing major leads in the fourth quarter and it was tough to believe they’d be able to withstand the Spurs for an entire series, let alone kick their ass! The Warriors are finally going to be tested this post season. It’s been amazing to see how well they play even with Steph Curry injured, but they will definitely need him in this round! While I point out that the Warriors will be tested in this round, I still think they are head and shoulders above every team remaining in the playoffs! They play  in sync and so well together offensively, they make it all look easy. The defense is what gets overlooked, but I have a feeling it will play a major role in this matchup against the Thunder. The Warriors focus should be trying to contain Russell Westbrook. He is all over the court and if he continues to run loose then it’s easy for him to run up the score on you. He goes hard in the paint and is not afraid to muscle his way in for some rebounds. With all that said about Westbrook, I think the Warriors will end up on top. They know what it takes to win a Championship and they’re an even better team than they were last year so it’s kind of tough to pick against the Warriors because so far this entire season they have overcome every task that they have had to face.

Warriors over Thunder 6 games

Eastern Conference

Toronto Raptors Vs Cleveland Cavaliers

The Eastern Conference is such an insanely awful conference I don’t even understand why they bother to pretend to participate in the previous rounds of basketball. The Cavaliers are the only legitimate team in this pathetic conference and the sad thing is that’s pretty much the way the East has been for many years! You have one to three good teams and the rest are a wash! This is why I have no faith in the Raptors. I’d love to think that they could actually make this a watchable series, but Toronto cannot be trusted this time of year! The Cavs are nice and rested and ready to cruise into the NBA Finals to finally face a real team! This should be another quick series for Bron Bron and the Cavs!

Cavaliers over Raptors 5 games

Monday, May 2, 2016

NBA Conference Semi Finals Predictions



First Round Record (6-2)

NBA Conference Semi Finals Predictions

Western Conference

Portland Trail Blazers Vs Golden State Warriors

Even though Steph Curry is injured I still have no doubt in my mind that the Golden State Warriors will move on to the next round easily! The Trail Blazers are a decent team, but are really only in this round because of all the injuries to the Clippers. The Warriors are way too deep and coached too well for the Blazers to keep up with.

Warriors over Trail Blazers 5 games

Oklahoma City Thunder Vs San Antonio Spurs

I am absolutely looking forward to this matchup! Whenever these two teams face off against each other it’s a fun matchup to watch and I’m expecting nothing less from this series. The Thunder have been rolling on the offensive side of the ball, Russell Westbrook is playing out of his mind basketball this season and has been the driving force for this team. Unfortunately for the Thunder they aren’t as deep as the Spurs. The Spurs are stacked from top to bottom and have so many weapons it’s tough to keep up for one game, let alone an entire series. The Spurs are much more aggressive on the defensive side of the ball and should be able to lock down some of the role players to apply some pressure on Durant and Westbrook to only focus on offense. That sounds like it’s not a problem when you have two of the highest scoring players in the league, but it has actually always been a problem for the Thunder over the years. It’s why they have continued to blow big leads in the fourth quarter consistently this season. Durant and Westbrook start throwing up shots and any and all defense goes out the window and you can’t do that against the Spurs. They are too damn good! When it’s all said and done I think the Spurs will be moving on!

Spurs over Thunder 6 games

Eastern Conference

Atlanta Hawks Vs Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers were extremely unimpressive in the previous round. Sure, they won the series without even losing a game, but they didn’t dominate one game against a fairly mediocre team. The Hawks looked pretty good, but they’re still a team that I can’t really believe in until they step it up and win big in the post season. The Cavaliers don’t really have any chemistry which is something that has been very obvious throughout the entire season, but it hasn’t cost them much since they are in the mediocre Eastern Conference, it’s very easy to mask that weakness when you aren’t facing any good teams. The Hawks will make this a good series to watch and should walk away with a couple wins, but like I said before, until they prove their worth in the post season I can’t pick them. Even if they are going up against a team with no chemistry, the Cavaliers still have LeBron who could probably beat the Atlanta Hawks team all by himself if need be.

Cavaliers over Hawks 6 games

Miami Heat Vs Toronto Raptors

The Raptors are lucky to even be in this round! I swear they wanted to go home in the last round against the Pacers, but managed to hang on to the win in Game 7. If there is one thing that the Raptors are consistent at it is blowing it in the playoffs and I have a feeling that will be right around the corner…like in this round! The Heat were pushed to the max by the Hornets and it should have never gone seven games, but the Heat would be a much more dominant team if Bosh wasn’t injured. Dwayne Wade has really stepped it up this season. It seemed like he was headed towards retirement with all the injuries he’s had to deal with over the past couple of seasons, but right now he has shown that he still has some gas in the tank and I think he’s ready to go for this round! The Heat aren’t that far removed from when they were winning Championships, which is why since the playoffs began I figured they would be one of the biggest threats in the Eastern Conference to the Cavaliers. The Raptors are a good team, but cannot be trusted in this position and until they prove otherwise I can’t pick them. They’re playing a red hot Miami Heat team led by a veteran who has multiple Championships and knows how to win at this time of the year! Enjoy the views from the 6 Toronto you’re going to be crying as hard as your ambassador Drake once Dwayne Wade is done with you!

Heat over Raptors in 6 games