After a chaotic 82-game season filled with blockbuster trades, last-minute coach firings and a down-to-the-wire fight for postseason positioning, the NBA playoffs are finally here.
The Western Conference houses several tense matchups. The Los Angeles Lakers take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in Luka Dončić’s first playoff series as a Laker. Dončić torched Minnesota in last season’s Western Conference Finals with the Dallas Mavericks, taking advantage of Rudy Gobert’s drop coverage time and time again.
However, Dončić lacks the same rim-running, vertical-spacing threats as he had in Dallas, as L.A. frequently elects to go small-ball. Of course, the trade-off is getting to play alongside LeBron James in one of the league’s most dynamic one-two punches. While Minnesota’s defense may hold up well against the shallow Lakers’ depth, Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle are prone to some questionable late-game decision-making, especially when compared to two of the greatest playoff performers in James and Dončić. It should be a fun series, but I’d give L.A. the edge on the ability to close out tight contests.
The Clippers have been more than just the other L.A. team this year: they’re legitimate dark horses. Kawhi Leonard has somehow defied his own body’s insistence on breaking down and has recently played as spectacularly as ever. With James Harden as the team’s offensive playmaking engine, career years from Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac as reliable tertiary scoring options and an arsenal of pesky wing defenders, the Clippers have been a well-oiled machine this year.
On the other end, the Denver Nuggets have been anything but a well-oiled machine, but they have an MVP-sized Band-Aid slapped on it in Nikola Jokić. Denver has been downright dysfunctional at times, firing their coach and general manager in the final week of the season, in addition to dealing with the injury woes of Jamal Murray and the months-long shooting slump of Michael Porter Jr. However, Jokić is still Jokić. I like the Clippers’ chances at advancing to the second round, but I wouldn’t so quickly count out one of the league’s premier players.
There’s a lot to like about the Houston Rockets. Amen Thompson’s freak athleticism screams long-term star upside, and in the short term, he wreaks havoc defensively to support an Alperen Şengün and Jalen Green-led offense.
Unfortunately for the second-seeded Rockets, they drew the battle-tested Golden State Warriors. Since adding Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline, the Warriors have been a completely different team. It doesn’t feel like I’m really being bold in picking an upset when it’s taking proven playoff performers in Steph Curry and Butler over the inexperienced Rockets, but it should be a fun series.
Somehow, the 68-win Oklahoma City Thunder seem to be flying under the radar. OKC has been incredible this season, led by an MVP-caliber year from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder are young, scrappy defensively and seem to have that extra gear that championship teams need, but the West will still be tough.
The Eastern Conference is, unfortunately, a lot more uneventful. The Boston Celtics are going to win their first-round matchup (and probably the whole conference). The Cleveland Cavaliers are going to win their first-round matchup. The New York Knicks are probably going to win their first-round matchup (and not a round after that), although the Detroit Pistons might make things more interesting than either of Cleveland or Boston’s opponents.
A rematch of last year’s first-round clash, the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers series is the real point of contention in the East. Damian Lillard is expected to miss at least the start of the playoffs with a blood clot, leaving Giannis Antetokounmpo to fight for his life with Kyle Kuzma and Kevin Porter Jr. as two of his primary shot-creators (godspeed).
Although they got off to a slow start to the season, the Pacers have quietly been one of the best teams in basketball for the past few months. Their frenetic pace and bench scoring have given teams fits. Without Lillard, it’d take a herculean effort from Antetokounmpo to overcome Indiana, but there’s a reason they call him the Greek Freak after all.
Finals prediction: Celtics defeat the Thunder in six games
