Last night, the NBA regular season wrapped up, as the NBA Playoffs officially start this Saturday, when Washington takes on Toronto at the Air Canada Centre. Therefore, it is only fitting that we preview each series of the first round, starting with the Eastern Conference.
1 Seed Atlanta Hawks (60-22) vs 8 Seed Brooklyn Nets (38-44)
Game 1: Sunday 5:30, TNT
On paper, the clear favorites are the Hawks. They finished the year fourth in the league in field goal percentage and second in 3-point percentage. They are also second in assists per game and fifth in opponents points per game. The Hawks do not have one superstar they lean on during close games; instead, they have a solid group of players in Al Horford, Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, and Paul Millsap. They have shown that they can beat anyone in the East when they’re at their best.
However, it is hard to count out the Brooklyn Nets when considering the talent that they have. Although they barely squeaked past the Pacers to get into the playoffs, playmakers like Deron Williams, Brook Lopez, and Joe Johnson should not be ignored. They are middle-of-the-pack stat wise, but Johnson can do this.
However, the Hawks are simply the better team, despite only winning five of the past ten games. Kyle Korver all day. Hawks in 5.
2 Seed Cleveland Cavaliers (53-29) vs. 7 Seed Boston Celtics (40-42)
Game 1: Sunday 3:00 #FeedMeBronBron
Here we go baby!!! Honestly this is what we wanted. Evan Turner is probably drooling thinking about all the ways he is gonna torture Baby BronBron in this series. The Celtics are at a Bruno Mars level of hot as of late, as they are 8-2 in the last ten games and are on a six game win streak. Most likely, Brad Stevens has written a full college paper length report on all the ways to beat the Cavs and make David Blatt look more stupid than he usually does.
Now that I have gotten my mandatory Masshole statements out of the way, the Cavs are the clear favorite here. Baby BronBron (That’s all I’m going to call him during this series) is somewhat good at basketball, and we’ll have to respect that. Kyrie Irving may give the Celtics nightmares when he has the ball; I figure Stevens will have lockdown defender Avery Bradley being Irving’s shadow. Also, future Celtic Kevin Love may give the C’s fits by his ability to drain threes as a power forward, which will force Boston to spread out their defense, giving Baby BronBron and Kyrie room to drive.
But you know what? When I look at the coaches, I see two completely different people. For the Celtics, I see a young evil mastermind who spends his Saturday nights watching basketball films on the fundamentals of the inbound pass. And for the Cavs, I see Blatt, who has as much authority over BronBron and the Cavs as Delonte West does. If this is a coaches battle, the Celtics win in a landslide.
And maybe that’s how it plays out. Stevens draws up two brilliant inbound plays to beat the Cavs in two close games, Thomas scores 25 a game, and Baby BronBron struggles throughout the series. I’m going with Dr.Stevens on this one. Celtics in 7, don’t ask me to bet on it though.
3 Seed Chicago Bulls (50-32) vs 6 Seed Milwaukee Bucks (41-41)
Game 1: Saturday 7:30, ESPN
Chicago comes into this series the hotter team, winning their last four game and locking up the third seed in the process. Tom Thibodeau’s squad is always a tough out in the postseason. The Bulls are a great defensive team and are third in the league in rebounds per game. This team has little weaknesses, as they are strong all around; their only problem is the health of Derrick Rose, their star point guard.
Rose lost both his knees a long time ago and has not been the same since. He has only been able to play 51 games this season and is always at risk to spontaneously combust. If anything happens to him early on in the series, the Bulls will be in serious trouble.
That is why I think I have to give this series to the Bucks, who are a strong offensive team and are great at passing the ball, much like their coach Jason Kidd once was. They’re 8th in opponents points per game and have 9 players who average over 20 minutes per game, which means Kidd is able to rest players when they’re tired or hurting, a crucial aspect of playoff basketball.
Rose loses all of his right leg on his first drive to the basket. Kidd finds it and hides it for the rest of the series. Bucks in 6.
4 Seed Toronto Raptors (49-33) vs. 5 Seed Washington Wizards (46-36)
Game 1: Saturday, 12:30, ESPN
This one is the biggest toss-up, obviously. The Wizards are one of the best shooting teams in the league, led by stars Bradley Beal and John Wall in the backcourt. They also love to share the rock, they collect boards, and can play lockdown defense.
On the other side, the Raptors light it up from 3-point land and are money at the free-throw line. While they struggle as a team with their rebounding, Toronto makes up for it by being 4th in points per game. Their offense is led by athletic swingman Demar Derozan and scrappy point guard Kyle Lowry, who average 20.1 and 17.8 points each game, respectively.
Two really good offensive teams, both with great guard play, so who comes out victorious? Let’s think for a minute.
After all of this thinking, I’m gonna go with The Truth. Pierce hits a game winning shot in game 7, and Washington survives. Wizards in 7.
The Staff’s Eastern Conference Pick:
Frazier: Bucks
Tock: Celtics
Beard: Raptors
Biggie: Cavs
Large: Cavs
The Beantown Buzz 