After a few scrimmages and eight regular season games, it’s time for the playoffs. Each team is going through different circumstances ranging from injuries to rusty play. I will share my predictions on the teams who can advance to the next round and what separates them from their opponent.
Eastern Conference
(1) Milwaukee Bucks vs (8) Orlando Magic
Prior to the suspension of the NBA season the Milwaukee Bucks were the most dominant team in the league with a record of 53-12. In the Orlando bubble, the Bucks went 3-5 which isn’t impressive. Milwaukee lost a couple of close ones against the Houston Rockets and the Dallas Mavericks who are tough teams. Despite that, the Bucks’ first-round matchup is against an Orlando Magic team that is young and inexperienced. The Bucks made a push last postseason to the eastern conference finals and are poised to make an NBA Finals appearance. Orlando is dealing with injuries as well, Jonathan Isaac is out with a torn ACL, Mo Bamba is out, and Aaron Gordon is questionable for game 1 because of a hamstring injury. Milwaukee should take care of business easily against the Magic.
Bucks in 4
(2) Toronto Raptors vs (7) Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets are without their stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant which is a big hole to fill. The Nets are also missing Spencer Dinwiddie a reliable guard who can score 20 points a night. The Nets do have Caris Levert, Jarret Allen, and Joe Harris. Although shorthanded, Brooklyn almost got the best of the Portland Trail Blazers being a shot away from sending them home.
The defending champions are without Kawhi Leonard but they have a chip on their shoulders. The Toronto Raptors arguably have the deepest team in the league. Kyle Lowry and Fred Vanvleet are a great duo who shoot the three-ball well and can create for others. Pascal Siakim improved his game this year and has become a leader.
The Nets have played hard in the bubble and they can steal one game but Raptors in 5.
(3) Boston Celtics vs (6) Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers are heading into the playoffs in the absence of their all-star Ben Simmons. Simmons initiates the offense for his teammates and without him Head Coach Brett Brown will have to focus the offense around Joel Embiid. Embiid should put up monster stats against the Celtics with 6’7″ Daniel Theis starting at center. In the three games Embiid has played against the Celtics this season, he’s averaged 21.3 points on 39.1% shooting from the field and 10.3 rebounds. Boston has made it difficult for Embiid to score efficiently from the floor. Philadelphia’s guards Shake Milton and Josh Richardson will have to step up and help make plays.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are having their best seasons averaging a career-highs in points. Boston’s wings can shoot from the three, drive, and hit from mid-range. The Celtics have more scoring options along with Gordon Hayward and Kemba Walker. Celtics have an advantage with their starting-five being healthy other than Kemba having a lingering knee-injury.
Both teams are among the best defensive teams in the league but the Celtics have more firepower on the offensive side than the 76ers. It’ll be difficult for Joel Embiid to carry the load without Simmons after suffering a couple of minor injuries in the bubble. For the season, Embiid only averaged 29.5 minutes per game and he’s going to need to play at least 35 minutes to give his team a shot.
Celtics in 5
(4) Indiana Pacers vs (5) Miami Heat
T.J. Warren had a flurry of games scoring 30+ points leading the Pacers offensively in the bubble. Victor Oladipo isn’t playing at the level he was two years ago but he’s slowly progressing in Orlando. Domantas Sabonis is out with a foot injury and may return later in the postseason if the Pacers advance past the first round. Indiana went 6-2 in the bubble with key wins over the Los Angeles Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Miami Heat went 3-5 in the bubble but can play better than what they’ve shown. The Heat have perimeter shooting with young players Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro. Bam Adebayo is my selection for the Most Improved Player because he’s refined his game on both sides of the ball. The core of this Miami squad is Jimmy Butler who is a tenacious player who will give 100% effort in each game. On the bench, the Heat have a veteran in Goran Dragic and Kelly Olynyk who can get hot from the perimeter.
The 4th and 5th seed is usually the closest matchup in the east but I’d give the edge to the Heat because of their defense and shooting. If Oladipo was 100%, I think this series would go seven games.
Heat in 6
Western Conference
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs (8) Portland Trail Blazers
In the bubble, the Lakers look like a completely different team than they did before the season shutdown. Los Angeles have gone 3-5 in the bubble and haven’t had an impressive win. In the bubble opener against the Los Angeles Clippers, LeBron James and Anthony Davis shot terribly but managed to get the win because of LeBron’s defense and putback to end the game. Davis hasn’t looked interested to play during games against the Raptors, Thunder, and the Rockets attempting only a handful of shots. The Lakers face a Blazers team with a ton of offense with the backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. As well as, shooters Carmelo Anthony and Gary Trent Jr. Jusuf Nurkic has returned after his gruesome leg injury and has posted a few double-doubles. The Lakers will need Davis to be aggressive and a couple more players to step up like Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to combat the Blazers’ scorching offense.
The Trail Blazers have had a busy schedule trying to enter the playoffs winning six of their seeding games, and defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in tournament for the 8th seed. Defense is an issue for this team and they have had to rely heavily on outscoring teams to win games. LeBron James will be a matchup nightmare for Portland and they will have to find a way to contain him.
Although the Lakers haven’t looked fluid during the NBA restart, I like their chances to win this series. They have size and athleticism to deal with Portland’s weapons. Los Angeles is the more experienced team with LeBron leading the way and Danny Green who is a 2x champion.
Lakers in 6
(2) Los Angeles Clippers vs (7) Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks will be exciting to watch in the playoffs with the tandem of Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic. The Mavericks have snipers from Seth Curry to Tim Hardaway Jr. The Mavericks will compete against a Clippers team that is stacked from the starting lineup to the bench. They have great defenders in Paul George and Kawhi Leonard who will take turns defending Doncic.
Paul George is playing at a high level since the NBA’s return for the Clippers. Los Angeles is a very deep team who can get hot from three and shut a team down defensively. Lou Williams is back for the Clippers who is in the conversation for sixth man of the year. Montrezl Harrell is expected to be active for game 1 and he will probably play minimal minutes.
These teams played each other in the bubble and the Clippers closed the game a lot stronger than the Mavericks. Dallas can’t defend and struggle to close games which is a flawed recipe for the playoffs.
Clippers in 5
(3) Denver Nuggets vs (6) Utah Jazz
Both teams are without some key players entering the first round. The Nuggets will be without guards Will Barton and Gary Harris for game 1. The Jazz are missing Bojan Bogdanovic who was having a great scoring season. It comes down to which players will step up to fill the gaps for their team.
Denver is starting to see the potential of Michael Porter Jr. He looks confident with a couple of 30-point plus outbursts in the bubble. The Nuggets still have the best passing big man in Nikola Jokic and a dynamic point guard in Jamal Murray.
The Jazz still have a solid starting five beginning with Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. Their bench is going to be an issue in this series as their only spark is Jordan Clarkson. Denver still has a deep team despite their injuries and they could go on runs while Mitchell is on the bench.
Nuggets in 6
(4) Houston Rockets vs (5) Oklahoma City Thunder
Russell Westbrook will miss some time due to a quad strain and it might cost the Rockets a couple of games in this series. Harden will have to carry the load offensively, and might have to play more minutes. Houston has played small ball but their players are getting into foul trouble. Defending Steven Adams will be an issue for Covington and P.J. Tucker. Eric Gordon will replace Russell Westbrook in the starting lineup but his production will be limited since he’s only appeared in two games in Orlando.
OKC has flourished this year and playing with a lot of heart and enthusiasm. Chris Paul will face his former team and has an opportunity to knock them off. Paul has some talent around him with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari. The Thunder are a very balanced team compared to the Rockets where the ball sticks to James Harden for 24 seconds.
The Westbrook injury is a big concern and Harden can’t do it all offensively for 40 minutes in a seven-game series.
Thunder in 7