With the play-in tournament in the rearview mirror, the NBA playoffs officially begin on Saturday. There are a lot of intriguing first-round matchups and we could see quite of few of them reach the seven-game limit.
Let’s take a quick look at all eight series:
Eastern Conference
- No. 1 Heat vs. No. 8 Hawks — Miami’s defense will be tested by the brilliance of Trae Young, whose second-half performance against Cleveland on Friday carried his team into the postseason. Both centers — Bam Adebayo (protocols), Clint Capela (knee) — are question marks heading into the series.
- No. 2 Celtics vs. No. 7 Nets — The Celtics were the best team in the East during the second half of the season but the knee injury to Robert Williams makes them more vulnerable. It’s a matchup of high-scoring duos — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown vs. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving — making this must-see TV.
- No. 3 Bucks vs. No. 6 Bulls — Chicago won’t have Lonzo Ball but it still has a formidable trio in DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. Of course, the defending champs have their own Big 3 in Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday.
- No. 4 Sixers vs. No. 5 Raptors — Joel Embiid won the scoring title and Philadelphia acquired James Harden to make a deep run. The Raptors were much sharper than the Sixers down the stretch behind Pascal Siakam and rookie Scottie Barnes.
Western Conference
- No. 1 Suns vs. No. 8 Pelicans — Phoenix deserves to be the favorite to come out of the West again after cruising to the league’s best record. New Orleans is happy to get here after a woeful start and going without Zion Williamson all season. Can CJ McCollum match Devin Booker in the scoring column?
- No. 2 Grizzlies vs. No. 7 Timberwolves — Ja Morant says he’s ready to go after a late-season injury scare. Vastly-improved Memphis has a strong supporting cast around Morant but have to neutralize the high-scoring trio of Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards.
- No. 3 Warriors vs. No. 6 Nuggets — Stephen Curry is expected to return from his foot injury just in time for Golden State’s postseason run. The Warriors don’t have a true center to guard superstar Nikola Jokic, so they’ll throw all kinds of looks at him.
- No. 4 Mavericks vs. No. 5 Jazz — Luka Doncic‘s calf strain changes the whole dynamic of this series. Can Dallas hang in there with its franchise player either sidelined or less than 100 percent? Utah stumbled down the stretch but it’s healthier than last postseason and Donovan Mitchell will undoubtedly ramp up his production.
That brings us to our question of the day: Who are your picks to win all the first-round playoff series?
Please take to the comments section to make your selections. We look forward to your input.
Raps in 6
Sixers in 4
Blue Coats in 11
Heat, Nets, Bucks, 76ers in the east
Suns, Grizzlies, Warriors, Mavs (only if Luka is healthy for game 2 and on)
Heat in 5, Nets in 7, Bucks 4, Sixers 7
Suns in 5, Griz 7, Nuggets 6, Mavs 6
Watchable: Lowry & Dipo vs Young, Drummond vs Horford, Irving vs Smart, Derozan vs Giannis, Harden vs Barnes.
Bridges vs Mccollum or Jones, Edwards vs Bane, Towns vs Adams, Jokic and Curry, Dinwiddie vs Mitchell.
Honestly if Bulls are smart DeRozan goes at Holiday to tire him out, and Williams is on Giannis defensively and goes at the guards on offense. So, maybe scoring wise Giannis v DeRozan, but honestly if the Bulls scoring doesn’t include double figures from all 5 starters, these games will be a blowout. To have any chance Bulls need ball movement and a better shooting % than they have shown recently.
To be clear, Bulls need the above AND Vooch to play in the paint AND the Bucks to be cold frim 3, AND some calls from the officials in drives to the hoop. Likelihood: slim. Wait until next year.
Frankly the imbalance makes the matchups more watchable. I don’t always follow indibiduals but I figure everyone will be “on” for the playoffs. I expect a lot of effort from those two.
For whatever reason Vooch is rarely enjoyable to watch.
You’re anticipating the Bulls will run picks often to get matchups? That might encourage Vooch to roam.
Sillivan Predictions without bias
Eastern
1. Miami Heat over 8. Atlanta Hawks (4-2)
4. Philadelphia 76ers over 5. Toronto Raptors (4-3)
3. Milwaukee Bucks over 6. Chicago Bulls (4-1)
2. Boston Celtics over 7. Brooklyn Nets (4-3)
Western
1. Phoenix Suns over 8. New Orleans Pelicans (4-0)
Utah Jazz over Dallas Mavericks (4-3)
Memphis Grizzlies over Minnesota Timberwolves (4-2)
3. Golden State Warriors over 6. Denver Nuggets (4-2)
Celtics, Heat, Bucks, Raptors
Suns, Wolves, Nuggets, Jazz
Suns
Grizz
Warriors
Jazz
Heat
Celtics
Bucks
Raptors
I predict that a team from the East and a team from the West will determine the NBA championship.
– RIP John Madden
Heat
Celtics
Bucks
Raptors
Suns
Grizzlies
Warriors
Jazz
How to guard Curry, Klay and Poole shooting beyond 30 feet?
Body to body defense with zero foul.
All fouls are stupid fouls.
Heat 4-1
Celtics 4-3
Bucks 4-0
76ers 4-2
Suns 4-0
Grizzlies 4-1
Warriors 4-1
Jazz 4-2
ATL, BRK, MIL & PHI
PHO, MIN, DEN & DAL (if Luka is back at full health & soon)