NBA Playoff Predictions - First Round

From Friday:

It’s been a long, grueling NBA season marked with injured stars (Rose, Westbrook, Wade, Kobe, etc.), long streaks (Pacers and Spurs in good ways, 76ers in a bad way), and some surprises (Suns, Raptors, Bobcats, but also Knicks in a bad way). But it’s been fun and the playoffs should be exciting. Today we preview the First Round, which starts tomorrow.

Of course, the Sports Guys will be competing throughout the playoffs. For every round, we’ll post our predictions. If we predict the series correctly, we get 2 points. If we predict the length of the series correctly, we get an additional 1 point. So without further ado, here are our predictions:

Western Conference

1 San Antonio Spurs vs. 8 Dallas Mavericks

The Spurs finished on top in the West, which Andrew predicted before the season started. Once again, Coach Pop managed his aging stars and got the most out of each player on the roster. They also went on an amazing tear after the All-Star Break, and they enter as heavy favorites against Dallas, whom they owned this year.

If you are looking for a great matchup though, Duncan vs. Dirk should be fun, hopefully not for the last time. These two aging forwards have matched up numerous times before, and are both two of the best of all-time. The difference in the series will be Tony Parker, as Dallas has struggled to guard the point guard position all season. Patty Mills will be a great bench player to watch also.

Andrew: Spurs in 5

Greg: Spurs in 5

2 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 7 Memphis Grizzlies

Memphis is a really good team, and seeing them as a 7-seed speaks to the depth in the Western Conference. They play with two big men, which could give the Thunder some trouble at times. BUT, the Thunder are the better overall team. They have Durant and Westbrook, who will be the two best players on the court at all times.

The best individual matchup will be at point guard where Westbrook will take on Conley. But the difference maker will be KD, as nobody can match up with him.

Andrew: Thunder in 7

Greg: Thunder in 6

3 Los Angeles Clippers vs. 6 Golden State Warriors

This matchup straight up excites me. These are two of the best teams to watch in the entire league. It’s a shame GS enters dealing with injuries (notably Bogut). That ultimately could cost them the series. But if they shoot well, they can beat anyone, including the Clips.

All eyes will be one Curry and CP3, two of the best in the league. They are joined in the backcourt by shooters: Thompson and Redick. I also love the forward matchup of Lee and Griffin. This series could go either way.

Andrew: Clippers in 7

Greg: Clippers in 7

4 Houston Rockets vs. 5 Portland Trailblazers

We expected Houston to finish here, but Portland is a bit of a surprise (at the start of the year). But they’ve ridden Aldridge and Lillard to this point, and they don’t intend to stop now. Houston needs to regain their midseason form.

Both teams possess great guards (Lillard and Harden) and great big men (Aldridge and Howard), but they likely won’t guard each other. This series could come down to which role players step up the most.

Andrew: Rockets in 6

Greg: Trailblazers in 7

Eastern Conference

1 Indiana Pacers vs. 8 Atlanta Hawks

Indiana hasn’t been great during the second half of the season, but they did hang on to the top seed and have been able to regain a little confidence. They should be able to control the tempo against the Hawks, and they have more stars too. We saw this same matchup last season in the first round, and Indiana dominated.

Millsap vs. West will be an important matchup to watch. I’m also interested in who they have try and guard Paul George, cause I don’t think they have anyone that can.

Andrew: Pacers in 5

Greg: Pacers in 6

2 Miami Heat vs. 7 Charlotte Bobcats

Miami underachieved this season, while Charlotte likely overachieved. Charlotte enters playing great basketball, while Miami enters playing poorly. Will that matter? Probably not, but you never know. This series may be closer than some realize.

Charlotte has size, particularly with Al Jefferson, and that could cause Miami issues. They also have better depth than anticipated. But, Miami has Lebron, Wade, and Bosh. If they play well, Charlotte won’t win.

Andrew: Heat in 6

Greg: Heat in 7

3 Toronto Raptors vs. 6 Brooklyn Nets

The Raptors, not the Nets, are the higher seed. Who would have guessed that six months ago. The Raptors were solid for nearly the entire season. The Nets have only been good since Jan. 1. But they enter playing better basketball in my opinion.

The thing to watch here is that most of the Nets have been here before, where many of the Raptors haven’t. Will that be a factor?

Andrew: Nets in 6

Greg: Nets in 7

4 Chicago Bulls vs. 5 Washington Wizards

The Bulls are all about hard-nosed basketball. The Wizards are a bit flashier with John Wall running the show. It should make for an entertaining series. Just like the series above, one team has experience (Bulls) and one team doesn’t (Wizards). What gives?

The Bulls are led by their center, Joakim Noah. Washington is led by their point guard, John Wall. Both provide energy, production in every area, and leadership. Whichever star shows up more, that team wins.

Andrew: Bulls in 7

Greg: Bulls in 6

Tell us what you think, and who you agree with. Enjoy the first round!

By: The Sports Guys