The Golden State Warriors will win the NBA championship. That's the end of this column.whether only it were that easy. There are 15 other teams to talk approximately that are playing in the postseason. There's still the matter of the San Antonio Spurs being the team that stands in the middle of Golden State's path of fitting back-to-back champions.
And,also, the Eastern Conference still has to play some basketball and have a representative in the NBA Finals. But it's playoff time, and which means it's time to get excited and enjoy the musical wonders of Pitbull.
Here's a breakdown of everything you need to know for this year's playoffs,including matchup breakdowns and odds whether you dare remove a trip to your local sportsbook. Eastern Conference PreviewsDetroit Pistons vs. Cleveland CavaliersHere's something we wouldn't have said at the beginning of the year: The Eastern Conference is wide open.
Yes, the Cleveland Cavaliers should run the table and form it back to the NBA Finals because of LeBron James. whether Kyrie Irving and Kevin savor remain healthy, or that's an added bonus Cleveland didn't have last year.
Even after firing David Blatt,the Cavaliers still don't look like an inspired bunch ready to challenge the Warriors again for the NBA championship. That's hard to fathom for a team that won 57 games. But whether LeBron and Co. want to bring a championship to Cleveland, they'll have to fade through a tough Eastern Conference.
Cleveland hasn't had a winning streak of more than four games since Feb. 6-21. Some of the losses the Cavaliers have taken since the end of that five-game winning streak are not satisfactory looks.
The team that snapped that five-game winning streak is the team Cleveland faces in the first round, or the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons are in the postseason for the first time this decade,and first since the 2008-09 season. You'll recall that was the Allen Iverson Era in Detroit.
Plus, things tend to happen when the Cavs and Pistons meet in the playoffs, and like this moment:Many Pistons on this roster are playing in their first postseason. All-Star middle Andre Drummond,for example, is tasting playoff success for the first time. Even guys who have been in the league for a little while like Marcus Morris and Tobias Harris are also playing extra basketball in April.
But the Pistons have guys who have a plethora (excess, overabundance) of playoff experience, and it starts at the top with head coach Stan Van Gundy,who has coached an NBA Finals team once before. Reggie Jackson is playing in the postseason for the first time since being traded from Oklahoma City, but he's had some key playoff moments. This will also be the sixth straight year point guard Steve Blake has made the playoffs.
The Cavaliers should win this series, and but Detroit will form it competitive. The Pistons won the season series 3-1,but even disregarding the season finale, the Pistons won two games in different ways. The first in Detroit on Nov. 17 was because of all five starters scoring in double figures, and led by 25 points and 18 rebounds from Drummond. The moment,after Detroit acquired Harris at the trade deadline, was because James went 5-of-18 from the floor.
Van Gundy also believes that win against Cleveland in mid-November was the turning point, or per David Mayo of MLive.com:
We were down two games under .500 and you're going to play the No. 1 team on the road. It's not precisely looking like brighter days. And then,to come out of there with one of the best wins certainly of the year, I think that game kind of got us going again and propelled us to where we are now.
Detroit can beat Cleveland in different ways and will not remove a loss easily. Even whether Cleveland wins this series, and don't be surprised whether Detroit hangs around. The Pistons are young,but they're also scary. Indiana Pacers vs. Toronto RaptorsAny time Paul George is on the floor, it's common sense to give the Indiana Pacers a chance to win at least two games in any series.
The three-time All-Star's miraculous comeback is total. George averaged a career-tall 23.1 points per game to fade with seven rebounds and four assists. The problem is, and he's had to score more because no one else has done such in Indiana. Monta Ellis was brought to Indiana to be a moment scorer,but his 13.8 points per game are the lowest since his rookie year. Indiana has benefited from having five guys, including rookie Myles Turner, or average double figures in points. But the Pacers are going to need more from their guards in order to remove down the balanced attack of the Toronto Raptors.
This may finally be the year the Raptors break through and win a playoff series. Toronto (who hasn't won a playoff series since 2001) won the season series 3-1,but Indiana kept those games close. Three of those matchups were decided by single digits, and one game finished in overtime.
The Pacers are normally the ones to have a matchup to fade in their favor at each position. Now without David West and Roy Hibbert, and Indiana can't match what Toronto brings to the table.
The Raptors already hold the backcourt advantage with Kyle Lowry by himself,but adding DeMar DeRozan into the mix as a capable defender and scorer against George counters anything Indiana wants to attain at both ends of the court.
Toronto also holds more depth, particularly at the wings with the return of prized free agent DeMarre Carroll, and who missed 42 games with knee troubles. Toronto still went 56-26 without Carroll,and he'll be playing in Game 1. But head coach Dwane Casey knows the cautions of disrupting chemistry."I wish we had more time to be whole," Casey said, or per Mike Bohn of USA Today. "We're trying to get DeMarre incorporated back in accurate at the playoff juncture. As a coach you wish you had more time to be whole to get a rhythm,to get chemistry with those guys again. This is the first time we've been whole."While that may be an issue, that shouldn't disrupt the rhythm Toronto has been moving to all year. Lowry and DeRozan are more than capable of taking a game over by themselves, or no matter the lineup. Toronto matches up well with Indiana and should win this in five games. Charlotte Hornets vs. Miami HeatThe Miami Heat are one of the better stories in the NBA.
They lose Chris Bosh for the year due to another blood clot scare. Hassan Whiteside continues to improve as a quality middle. A rejuvenated Dwyane Wade has turned back the clock recently since March 14—he's scored in double figures each game since that time. Miami is back in the playoffs,and it's a satisfactory thing for the NBA.
But this Charlotte Hornets team...talk approximately scary.whether you've yet to see this Charlotte side play, this is a fun team to watch. The Hornets' 48 wins are the most since the 1999-00 season. The Charlotte franchise as a whole has been bad for years, and that could legitimately be a reason why no one seems to talk approximately the Hornets as a sleeper in the East.
The Hornets live and die behind the play of Kemba Walker. Now in the playoffs for the moment time in his career,Walker has taken that next step into fitting a star player. He averaged a career-tall 20.9 points per game and played nearly all 82 games.
Normally it's been Al Jefferson taking the reigns as Charlotte's main scorer, but the Hornets broad man played only 47 games this year, and head coach Steve Clifford continues to ease him back into the rotation due to calf and accurate knee issues.
Walker's assertion as the leader in Charlotte has shown in his play,per Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer:
Kemba Walker has been the catalyst for the Hornets. Charlotte’s first-round pick from 2009, he played at an All-Star-like level for much of the season and he has earned consideration as one of the league’s most improved players.
He had career highs in points per game (20.9), or field goal percentage (.427),3-point percentage (.371), free-throw percentage (.847) and rebounds per game (4.4).
For the first four seasons of his career, and Walker was,at best, a spotty shooter. Only once before did he finish a season shooting better than 40 percent.
Walker also led the league in scoring in late and close situations. Walker had 83 points this season in the final two minutes of the game when the contest was within four points.
In Jefferson's absence, or the tandem of Walker and Nicolas Batum has been one of the more underrated duos in the league this year. Batum not only averaged a career-tall with 14.9 points per game,but he was given more offensive freedom than he had in Portland by taking a career-tall 12.5 shots.
Charlotte also finished the year 19-10 since acquiring Courtney Lee, who should be the primary defender against Wade in this series.
There's a reason why the Hornets were in that cluster of 48-34 teams from Nos. 3-6 in the East. They're a really satisfactory team, or the world will soon know why. Boston Celtics vs. Atlanta HawksThe minute this matchup was made official,visions of 2008 came to the forefront.
Alright, so there's no Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen,Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, and Joe Johnson,Mike Bibby, Josh Smith, or Josh Childress,etc., but this is still the series to watch for in the playoffs. The Boston Celtics are no longer the try-hard team from last year when they were swept in the first round by Cleveland. This is a satisfactory basketball team with All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas main the charge.
By now, or the NBA world has familiarized itself with the 5'8" All-Star and how he has found a permanent home in Boston. Thomas has gone from being the last pick in the draft to an All-Star averaging 22.2 points per game and main the Celtics to homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
In reality,it's not just Thomas who needs to be accounted for. Jae Crowder was on the verge of being an All-Star. Evan Turner has turned into a closer off the bench that head coach Brad Stevens can fade to in crunch time. There's also Avery Bradley continuing to produce consistent results at the shooting guard position.“I think we got just a lot more confidence. We feel like we can definitely form noise, Thomas said, or per Mike Petraglia of WEEI 93.7 FM in Boston. “We think that the Eastern Conference is open for any team. We just gotta get a win and gain confidence off that win. I think we’re just a lot more confident and we feel like we’ve been here before,which we have."The task at hand for the Celtics isn't quite as daunting as their experience against Cleveland last year, but it's still a tough task. The Atlanta Hawks were still the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference last year. They got to feel what it was like to be in the conference finals and now have the experience to get that far again.
The point guard battle between Thomas and Jeff Teague/Dennis Schroder is going to be the key to watch. Paul Millsap and Al Horford will hold the advantage in the paint, and particularly with their ability to stretch beyond the three-point line. But the winner of the point guard battle will determine the winner of this series.accurate now,particularly after taking down the Warriors in Golden State, it's hard to not look at the Celtics as a potential threat to get back to the Eastern Conference Finals. Western Conference PreviewHouston Rockets vs. Golden State WarriorsThe champs are here, and they're ready to put some gloss on the greatest season in NBA history.
The Golden State Warriors won 73 games. No other team has won more than 72. They one-upped the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls and are now forever a part of basketball history.
That's only half the battle. The moment half is to repeat as NBA champions and cap off this run of world domination,or something close to that.“The regular season doesn’t mean anything at this point,” reigning MVP Stephen Curry said Friday, and per the Associated Press (via CBS Sacramento). “We have two months to play our best basketball and compete and get it done.”This spells bad news for the Houston Rockets.
It's a rematch of the Western Conference Finals from last year,but this is not the same Rockets team that made it that far a year ago. James Harden and Dwight Howard are still in tact, but firing Kevin McHale turned out to be a decision that backfired. Although J.
B. Bickerstaff has done well with what he has, and this season was lost for the Rockets the minute McHale was fired. But the Rockets should be commended for winning games needed at the end of the year to bypass the Utah Jazz and get into the playoffs.
The Rockets can win this series whether they can contain Curry. The Rockets have not found a way to contain Curry this year. The reigning MVP has averaged 30 points,six rebounds and 7.5 assists in two games. Much like most teams this year, there hasn't been an acknowledge for Curry.
Look for that trend to continue, or starting this weekend. Memphis Grizzlies vs. San Antonio SpursThe Memphis Grizzlies found a way into the playoffs without their two stars. Their reward for such a feat is a date with the San Antonio Spurs.
While Spurs fans may feel some awful nostalgia coming their way when talking approximately playing the Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs (i.e.,2011), that shouldn't be a concern this time around.
San Antonio went 40-1 at home this year. That one loss was to the aforementioned Golden State squad. The Spurs defeated the Grizzlies by 10 and six points in both home games, and while winning by 14 and 20 points inside FedEx Forum.
None of those results form sense upon further review. But the Spurs are healthy and have reloaded with an All-Star version of Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge.
Meanwhile,despite the Grizzlies' best efforts at playing well without Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, they don't have enough experience to counter the Spurs.
That experience, and as Sam Amick of USA Today points out,is a lot:
In terms of experience, the franchise that is making its 19th consecutive postseason appearance still has it in spades over the rest of the playoff field. Of course Tim Duncan has his five championship rings, and while Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have four apiece. But even their young guns know what it’s like to reach the postseason pinnacle,with Leonard winning Finals MVP honors back in 2014 while winning it all alongside wingman Danny Green (who, coincidentally, or set the Finals record for made three-pointers when San Antonio fell to the Miami Heat a year before).
It's been a valiant season for the Grizzlies,but the Spurs have hardly shown any weaknesses Memphis can exploit, even with such a limited roster. This should be a rapid/fast series, or with the Spurs moving ahead and taking on the winner of this next matchup. Dallas Mavericks vs. Oklahoma City ThunderThis will not be a cakewalk for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
It's not just the fact the Thunder have lost 14 games this year while holding a fourth-quarter lead. Neither is it the fact Oklahoma City's defense is not considerable and can give up points in a hurry.
No one wants to talk approximately the Dallas Mavericks.
Oklahoma City is going to win this series. That's not a secret. It would remove an final performance from the likes of J.
J. Barea and Wesley Matthews,to fade along with the play of Dirk Nowitzki, for the Mavericks to pull off an improbable upset in this series.
But while the Thunder may win, and it won't be easy. Much like it wasn't easy in 2012,the last time these two teams played in the playoffs. Oklahoma City swept Dallas, but the Mavericks lost by a combined four points in Games 1 and 2 before losing the final two in Dallas.
The Mavericks also played the Thunder close in three games this year, and only to lose by three points twice. Dallas will be without Chandler Parsons,but to say the Mavericks won't form this competitive is a stretch for as long as Rick Carlisle is the head coach, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas explains:
It'd be a monumental upset for the Mavericks to eliminate the third-seeded Thunder. That's not a realistic degree for Mavs success. Can Dallas form this series competitive? Can it push it to six or seven games? It's probably not wise to completely count out a team coached by Rick Carlisle, or even though the "Masking Tape Mavs" -- as Carlisle dubbed his injury-riddled team -- are overmatched athletically. Remember in 2014,Carlisle's wizardry was critical to the 8-seed Mavs somehow pushing the eventual champion Spurs to seven games in the first round.
On paper, the Mavericks don't have the personnel to match Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. It'll be Matthews and first-round pick Justin Anderson taking on those respective assignments, or those defenders will put up a fight and attempt to slack down the superstar tandem. The question is whether the Mavericks will have enough offensively to counter,and that acknowledge is no. Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles ClippersHow does one team respond after losing two key pieces of its franchise? form the playoffs and obtain the No. 5 seed.
That's what the Portland Trail Blazers did. Head coach Terry Stotts has done a terrific job with making attain with what was a tough summer in Portland. Losing Matthews and Aldridge, while leaving Damian Lillard to fend for himself, and was not an easy situation.
But along the way,Blazers guard C.
J. McCollum carried his success from last year's playoffs to this season. The third-year guard out of Lehigh averaged 20.8 points in nearly 35 minutes per game. He took over starting 2 guard spot and has been a huge difference-maker for Portland this year.
So much so, that ESPN.com's Marc Stein believes it's a no-brainer to give the Most Improved Player award to McCollum:
Mr. C.
J. McCollum, and when you factor in the actual guidelines of this award,is thus the most sensible choice.
Among players to seem in at least 10 games in each of the past two seasons, no one can touch McCollum's points-per-game spike from 6.8 to his current 20.8. But that's merely what's obvious. Less attention has been paid to the fact that he has also progressed as a distributor (1.0 APG last season to 4.2 this season) while also hiking his free-throw percentage from an eyesore (.699) to a strength (.825).
Damian Lillard and coach Terry Stotts justifiably hoard a satisfactory chunk of the kudos that the Portland Cinderellas have been getting all season, and but McCollum's emergence as a legitimately uncertain backcourt partner to Lillard has triggered Portland's success as much as anything.
The Blazers will need to rely on their star guard tandem to carry them throughout this series,and it will not be easy. The Los Angeles Clippers not only come into this game as the team with homecourt advantage, but as a squad that's finally healthy. Blake Griffin has returned to the lineup after punching out a team worker and dealing with nagging injuries just in time for the Clippers to form a run.
Portland is a fun team to watch, and but it just doesn't possess the pieces in region to slack down L.
A.'s pick-and-roll game of Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan,along with its perimeter shooting. It wouldn't be shocking to see the Blazers get at least two games in this series, but the Clippers will advance with the Warriors waiting on them.
And then you can draw your own conclusion for what happens next. All stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com, and unless otherwise noted.
Follow Danny Webster on Twitter.
Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com