Wow! The 2015-2016 NBA regular season came to a conclusion last night in spectacular fashion. Kobe Bryant ended his career by scoring 60 points and willing the Lakers to victory over the Jazz. Meanwhile, Steph Curry hit his 402nd 3-point shot as the Golden State Warriors became the first NBA team to win 73 regular season games. This was the perfect finale to a great NBA regular season. Even though my Chicago Bulls are eliminated (or maybe because of it, freeing me up to root for whomever I please) I am excited for the playoffs. Here’s the playoff picture and my predictions:
Round 1
Western Conference
Golden State Warriors defeat Houston Rockets (4-0). The Rockets have no answer defensively for the Warriors’ historic offensive attack. While James Harden could conceivably score his way to one victory if the Splash Brothers have an off night, I wouldn’t count on it.
Los Angeles Clippers lose to Portland Trail Blazers (4-2). My “upset” pick in the West. In a league that increasingly values versatility, the Clippers embody comparative advantage. Paul passes, Redick shoots from outside, Griffin scores from inside, and Jordan rebounds. This won’t get it done against the Trailblazers, whose rising stars Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum look increasingly in sync.
Oklahoma City Thunder defeat Dallas Mavericks (4-0). The Thunder’s biggest challenge in the playoffs will be avoiding late-game collapses. Luckily for them, this Mavericks team probably won’t be able to keep up with the Thunder through the first three quarters.
San Antonio Spurs defeat Memphis Grizzlies (4-0). This is the most lopsided match-up in the West. The Spurs will be able to defensively lock down what little offensive firepower the Grizzlies have without much trouble.
Eastern Conference
Cleveland Cavaliers defeat Detroit Pistons (4-1). The Cavaliers don’t look very impressive for a top team outside of LeBron. But Playoff LeBron is here and he is out to dominate. The Pistons will pick up one at home in a game where LeBron clunks up too many jumpshots but that’s all they will get.
Atlanta Hawks defeat Boston Celtics (4-3). This should be the tightest first round series of the playoffs. For me this is essentially a toss-up, and I’m not sure I can even give Atlanta and edge for home court advantage given the likely energy levels in Philips and TD Garden. I don’t think the Celtics have a clear answer for Paul Millsap and Al Horford, but I’m anxious to see how Brad Stevens gameplans against them.
Miami Heat defeat Charlotte Hornets (4-1). No pun intended, the Heat are the hottest team in the East. Their recent acquisition of Joe Johnson looks like the move of the season. Jeremy Lin will have one of his great bench performances in the Hornets’ lone win.
Toronto Raptors defeat Indiana Pacers (4-0). This series is easy to write off because the Pacers just aren’t very good. But I’ll take this opportunity to say the Raptors are an enigma to me. They play with the second-slowest pace in the NBA and are middle of the pack in scoring.
Round 2
Western Conference
Golden State Warriors defeat Portland Trail Blazers (4-1). Obviously, the Warriors are the team to beat. But you need exceptional defense to beat Golden State and the Trail Blazers are lackluster on defense.
San Antonio Spurs defeat Oklahoma City Thunder (4-2). What a great match-up in the conference semi-finals. I will be rooting for Oklahoma City but they’re going to have an uphill battle. They will need their supporting cast to play above much better than they’ve shown if they are going to beat the Spurs. Also count on Westbrook for a boneheaded play in crunch time for a close loss.
Eastern Conference
Cleveland Cavaliers defeat Atlanta Hawks (4-0). Playoff LeBron will dominate a solid but average Hawks squad, aided by Kevin Love’s ability to stretch Atlanta’s strong front court out of the paint.
Toronto Raptors lose to Miami Heat (4-2). Here’s my big upset pick of the East. Again, I think the Heat are red hot and I just don’t understand the Raptors. The Heat will bring too much between Wade and Johnson’s scoring as well as Whiteside’s defense for the Raptors to handle.
Round 3
Western Conference
Golden State Warriors defeat San Antonio Spurs (4-2). This will be an epic battle. The Spurs have shown they can lock up Steph Curry from outside. I think they’ll do that again while at home, but that level of defense against Steph just isn’t sustainable for a full series. Role players for the Warriors like Iguodala, Speights, and Livingston will also come up big in this series.
Eastern Conference
Cleveland Cavaliers defeat Miami Heat (4-3). Oh man, what a match-up this will be if it happens. The Heat go from the villains of the league to America’s Team against LeBron. This would be straight out of a WWE plot and I really hope it happens. The Heat will keep it close but they don’t have the ability to truly stop LeBron in seven games.
Finals
Golden State Warriors defeat Cleveland Cavaliers (4-1). Cleveland will bring more to the table this year if their squad remains healthy, but Golden State is playing at an even higher level of greatness than they did last year. Draymond Green will give the Cavaliers fits on offense and defense while Kevin Love will choke on the big stage. Count on Tyronn Lue to make a big mistake and/or get told what to do by LeBron in a big moment during this series.