Here at last. Here at last. The NBA regular season is over and the NBA playoffs have officially kicked off.
Duringthe past 82 games played in the regular season, the world has witnessed high-flying dunks, long-range threes, ankle shattering crossovers, and many gruesome rejections. But now, we see basketball at its most intense. There will be hard fouls, tough shots, name calling, and we may even catch another player blowing in someone else’s face again.
In the Western Conference, understandably, the Warriors have the top seed. The rest of the Western Conference is seeded as followed: the Denver Nuggets (2), the Portland Trailblazers (3), The Houston Rockets (4), the Utah Jazz (5), the Oklahoma City Thunder (6), the San Antonio Spurs (7), and the Los Angeles Clippers as the last seed (8).
In the Eastern Conference, the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Milwaukee Bucks enter the playoffs as the top seed. The rest of the Eastern Conference is seeded as followed: the Toronto Raptors (2), the Philadelphia 76ers (3), the Boston Celtics (4), the Indiana Pacers (6), the Orlando Magic (7), and the last seed Detroit Pistons (8).
The Golden State Warriors are predicted to win the NBA Finals easily. They are the favorite with 70% of the vote. Only four teams have a shot at taking down the Warriors’ regime.
The Celtics pose as a great matchup for the Celtics. They have fast and long wing players and a score-happy point guard in Kyrie Irving. The defense is key for their matchup, which Brad Stevens and the Celtics have plenty of. The only problem is that the offense can be lackluster at times.
The Houston Rockets pose as a very dangerous rival for the Warriors. 2017-18 NBA MVP James Harden is scoring lights out. With Chris Paul and Clint Capela at full strength, the Warriors will have a hard time outscoring the Rockets. The problem with the Rockets, however, is that James Harden will most likely be fatigued by the time the matchup is set.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are the hottest team in the league right now. Paul George was killing it in the regular season and Russell Westbrook just completed three seasons in a row, averaging a triple-double stat line. However, George and Westbrook are not going to be able to beat the star-studded Warriors by themselves. Center Steven Adams needs to be a better post scorer and the bench must continue to hold leads.
Lastly, the Milwaukee Bucks. Giannis has proven to be literally unstoppable. The Greek Freak is averaging close to 28 points per game, 12.5 rebounds per game, and 5.8 assists, all while shooting 57.8% from the field. But Giannis is only one man. Khris Middleton proves to be a reliable scorer, but the Bucks could be looking at being swept. At least Giannis has put up 40 points per game against the Warriors. He might even dunk on Kevin Durant.
Though Lebron James is not in the playoffs for the first time since the 2005-2006 season, we can all enjoy a very competitive and fun NBA Playoff. May the best team win.
