Golden State Warriors (1) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (8)
Season Series: 3-1 Warriors
Previous Playoff Meetings: Never
Favorite Connections: Warriors guard Justin Holiday is Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday’s older brother
The Warriors are the best team in the league. They are the best team by far. They finished the year with the second best offensive efficiency and best defensive efficiency. Curry should win the Most Valuable Player Award, since he was the best player in the league and played for the best team in the league. Curry and Klay Thompson are also going to be incredibly fun to watch.
The only NBA merchandise I own is a Pelicans hat. I love watching the plucky team. Anthony Davis is a dirty-triple-double threat throughout the season. He carried the team to this spot. Omer Asik has helped improve the Pelicans post defense. Tyreke Evans has been fun to watch and Eric Gordon has shown flashes of his former self. If healthy, they could have been a sixth seed. They are just playing against the wrong team this year.
Warriors in 5.
Los Angeles Clippers (3) vs. San Antonio Spurs (6)
Season Series: 2-2 Even
Playoff Meetings: 2011-12 Conference Semifinals (Spurs 4-0)
Favorite Connections: Doc Rivers played two seasons for the Spurs. When David Robinson scored 71 points at the end of the season, he did it against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Spurs don’t really die, do they? Even as a sixth seed they are the team that’s second most likely to win according to Vegas. Tim Duncan nearly averaged a double-double at approximately 67 years old. Kawhi Leonard, when healthy, has been amazing.
I can’t help but feel bad for Chris Paul. I think that he’s better than his playoff record would indicate. Chris Paul has never been to the Conference Finals. Most of the reason for this is that he’s played in the West his entire career. This won’t be his year either.
Spurs in 6.
Memphis Grizzlies (5) vs. Portland TrailBlazers (4)
Season Series: 4-0 Memphis
Playoff Meetings: Never.
Favorite Connection: Zach Randolph played for the Trail Blazers during the Jail Blazers era.
LaMarcus Aldridge has been a hero for the Trail Blazers. He suffered an injury during the middle of the year, but rather than opting for surgery, Aldridge played through the pain and helped the Blazers get into the playoffs. With the injury to Wesley Matthews, Aldridge’s sacrifice was necessary. Also, Damien Lillard plays for them. He has a history of showing up in the playoffs.
The Grizzlies have home court advantage because of the NBA’s weird division rule. The Blazers won the 4 seed because they won the Northwest Division. The Grizzlies have a better record and therefore get home court. They also have a better team from top to bottom. They also swept the season series. Recent injuries to Conley, Gasol and Allen concern me, but not enough to shift the balance of the series.
Grizzlies in 6
Dallas Mavericks (7) vs. Houston Rockets (2)
Season Series: 3-1 Rockets
Playoff Meetings: 2004-05 (4-3 Mavericks Opening Round)
Favorite Connection: Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons was drafted by the Houston Rockets.
Chandler Parsons chose to go to the Mavericks during Free Agency, last summer. It was the first of a couple of major moves that he Mavericks made to make this team better for the playoffs. The Other move was upgrading from Felton to Rajon Rondo. It hasn’t improved their offense, but their defense has improved around Rondo.
Dwight Howard’s health is going to be important this series. The Rockets found their way to the number 2 seed by the strength of their shooting guard, an oddity in the NBA. The team has been injured all year. If Dwight goes down in this series then the Rockets won’t be making a deep run. While I think that the Mavericks might be ripe to upset a lesser team, James Harden might be enough to handle the Mavericks on his own. This will be especially true if Harden gets foul shots at the same insane rate that he did during the season.
Rockets in 7.
Atlanta Hawks (1) vs. Brooklyn Nets (8)
Season Series: 4-0 Atlanta
Playoff Meetings: Never.
Favorite Connections: Nets guard Joe Johnson played seven seasons with Atlanta. Atlanta swaps first round picks with the Brooklyn Nets.
The Nets don’t deserve to be in the playoffs at an embarrassing 38-44. There are no reasons to believe in them as a franchise. They’ve been dysfunctional for as long as they’ve been in Brooklyn. Paul Pierce just called out the team’s top players in a recent interview. I only gave them the dignity of not getting swept because of my belief in Ski Mask Joe and his ability to manhandle a team and hit clutch shots repeatedly.
If the Nets were to beat a team and escape the first round, the path would not go through the Hawks who routed the Eastern Conference this year. Millsap is coming back from a shoulder injury and their best defensive wing, Thabo Sefolosha is out for the year (DNP-NYPD). Even so, I can’t imagine how the Nets win this series. People who don’t believe in the Hawks are in for a rude awakening. They have a lot of talent and they are well coached. They also have the easier side of the Eastern Conference bracket, so if they can stay healthy they have a clear path to the Conference finals.
Hawks in 5.
Cleveland Cavaliers (2) vs. Boston Celtics (7)
Season Series: 2-2 Even
Playoff Meetings: 4. Most Recent: 2009-10 (4-3 Boston)
Team Connections: Kendrick Perkins played for the Celtics from 2003-11 and was a member of the 2008 Championship team.
The Celtics are a proud franchise that has not won a playoff series since Kendrick Perkins was traded. They are well coached. Isaiah Thomas is fun to watch.
Look, the Cavaliers are a better team than the Celtics. Cleveland is going to win this series decisively. The season series is 2-2, because the Cavaliers benched star players during the last 2 games. Also, the last time, Lebron was in a Cavaliers uniform in the playoffs, The Celtics beat them. A month later, Lebron took his talents to South Beach. I don’t think that he’s going to take this series lightly. Also, who is supposed to guard Kyrie Irving?
Cavaliers in 4.
Chicago Bulls (3) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (6)
Season Series: 3-1 Bulls
Playoff Meetings: 2 (most recently 1989-90 Bulls.)
Connections: Pau Gasol scored 46 points, a career high, against the Bucks this year.
The Bucks are one of the 3 teams I’ve watched live this season. They have height advantages at every position on the court. The Greek Freak has been nothing less than exemplary, improving from his rookie performance. Jason Kidd has proven that he’s a worthy coach and in a different year he might be a Coach of the Year contender. The young Bucks will be feared in the Eastern Conference in a few seasons.
Derrick Rose might be healthy for this series. Even if he isn’t the Bulls have Gasol and Noah who I love as a front court. They have Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic behind them. Jimmy Butler, the NBA’s Most Improved player, also plays here. They also have the best coach in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks might be the team of the future, but the Bulls are better right now.
Bulls in 5.
Washington Wizards (5) vs. Toronto Raptors (4)
Season Series: 3-0 Raptors
Playoff Meetings: Never.
Connections: In the 2011 draft, the Wizards picked Jan Vesely. The Raptors picked Jonas Valančiūnas in the previous spot. Jonas is the Raptors’ starting Center. Jan Vesely is no longer in the league.
This is the battle of the poorly coached and guard-centric franchises. They are playing for the right to be sacrificed by the Hawks next round. The Wizards feature John Wall, former 1st overall pick. He’s the league leader in assists and he’s a deadly scoring option. The Wizards also have Gortat and Nene, a threatening front court combination.
The Raptors feature Lou Williams who has game on and off the court. He’s my favorite for Sixth Man of the Year. Their starters, Kyle Lowry and Demar Derozan, make up among the best backcourts in the league. I think that Canada’s favorite basketball team wins handily.
Raptors in 6.
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