It’s mid-April and you know what that means: the NBA playoffs are upon us. The top eight teams from the Eastern and Western Conference will square off in best of 7 series until there is one NBA world champion.
Last month was March Madness, and that all through the month of March, 64 NCAA Division 1 Men’s’ Basketball teams across the country faced off in a massive playoff bracket, ending with Villanova’s thrilling game winner to win the championship. When the tournament firsts starts, people across the nation take the bracket for March Madness and try to predict each winner in each round.
As an NBA fan, I thought it would be fun to do the same with the NBA bracket. So here are my predictions for each round of the 2016 NBA Playoffs
1ST ROUND
Eastern Conference
#1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. #8 Detroit Pistons
In 2009, the last time the Pistons qualified for the playoffs, these two teams met in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Cleveland swept Detroit with ease. Seven years later, these two teams will square off once again. Detroit is a much better looking team than last season, winning 44 games behind Reggie Jackson, Tobias Harris, and Andre Drummond. Meanwhile, the Cavs are looking to make another run to the finals behind Lebron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love. So the winner? Well, I find it hard to believe that Cleveland would make a first round exit against a #8 seed. But Detroit did win 3 out of the 4 regular season meetings with the Cavs, so the Pistons won’t go down easy. So I’m picking. Cleveland in 7
#2 Toronto Raptors vs. #7 Indiana Pacers
The Pacers haven’t been the same since the gruesome Paul George injury during the summer of 2014. Before that, the Pacers had made it to the Eastern Conference Finals two years in a row and were a pretty scary looking team. Since the injury, the Pacers missed the playoffs last season and finished 7th in the East this year, several steps down from the team that was once a big threat in the East. Meanwhile, Toronto seems to be taking that from the Pacers, for they’ve played pretty well the past few seasons, winning their division for three straight years and finishing in the top four in the East. Now, all the Raptors need to do is learn how to win in the postseason. This will be the year they succeed, for the series will be won by Toronto in 6.
#3 Miami Heat vs. #6 Charlotte Hornets
For a team that lost Lebron James in the offseason of 2014, the Miami heat seem to have rebounded really well. They made it back to the top of the Southeastern division behind exceptional play from Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and Hassan Whiteside. Fun fact about Charlotte, when they used to be the Bobcats, they only qualified for the playoffs two times in ten years. And the two years they did make the playoffs, they were swept out both times by divisional foes: the Orlando Magic (2010) and the Miami Heat (2014). This year, Charlotte will win games in the postseason, but not enough for I think it will be Miami in 6.
#4 Atlanta Hawks vs. #5 Boston Celtics
Atlanta won the regular season series against the Celtics 3-1, but it won’t be easy this time around. Now in their second straight year back in the playoffs, the Celtics are a better looking team behind all-star Isiah Thomas. Now in his fifth year in the NBA, Thomas just finished his best season yet, averaging 22 points per game for the Celtics. The Hawks certainly aren’t the 60 win team they were last season, and it’ll show, for this series will be won by Boston in 6.
Western Conference
#1 Golden State vs. #8 Houston Rockets
Golden State just finished a historic 73 win season. They will not lose in the first round, especially to a scrappy Rockets team that just barely qualified for the playoffs. This is the pick that I have the most confidence in out of any of them: Golden state will sweep the Rockets.
#2 San Antonio Spurs vs. #7 Memphis Grizzlies
For the 18th straight time, the Spurs are back at it again. Each time the Grizzlies have played the Spurs in the postseason, all but one of those times, San Antonio swept Memphis. For that one exception, the Grizzlies actually upset San Antonio as the #8 seed, becoming one of the few teams pull off such a victory. Will the Grizzlies upset the Spurs this time around? No. Will San Antonio sweep Memphis once again? Probably not. Memphis in 5.
#3 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. #6 Dallas Mavericks
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are a dangerous duo in the West, helping their team bounce back from a season in which the Thunder just missed the playoffs. This year they’ve won 55 games and reclaimed their spot atop the Northwest Division. Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks haven’t made it out of the first round of the playoffs since their Finals run in 2011. Do the Mavericks have what it takes to move forward in the playoffs? I don’t think so. I pick Oklahoma City in 6.
#4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. #5 Portland Trailblazers
This will probably be the most interesting first round series in the West. Do we go with Blake Griffin and the Clippers? Or do we go with Damian Lillard and the Trailblazers? This series will go back and forth and certainly will be fun to watch. In the end, I feel that it will be Portland in 7.
CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS
Eastern Conference
#1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. #5 Boston Celtics
Last year, the Cavs swept Boston in the first round. Can the Cavs do the same in a second round match-up with the Celtics? Maybe not, but they can still win the series. Cleveland in 6.
#2 Toronto Raptors vs. #3 Miami Heat
DeRozan against Wade for 7 games isn’t a bad match-up. But do remember that the Raptors don’t have a very good track record for winning playoff games. And the Heat do. Plus, Miami has a lot of weapons on the bench. Miami in 7.
Western Conference
#1 Golden State Warriors vs. #5 Portland Trailblazers
Portland knows how to beat Golden State. They did manage to pull it off once this season in a 137-105 victory where Damian Lillard scored 51 points. But the question is, can the Trailblazers do that four times to take the series? No, but they could take two. Golden State in 6.
#2 San Antonio Spurs vs. #3 Oklahoma City Thunder
Since moving to Oklahoma City, the Thunder are 6-6 when playing the Spurs in the playoffs. These two teams also went 2-2 in the regular season, so it would certainly be a pretty even match up. Leading up to game seven, both teams would likely win all their home games, bringing us to a 3-3 series tie, forcing a game 7. I think this time around, the Thunder will grind it out, and it will end up being Oklahoma City in 7.
CONFERENCE FINALS
Eastern Conference
#1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. #3 Miami Heat
The Heat would be making the Conference Finals for the first time since Lebron left Miami and the team they’d be playing is…Lebron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers. This is the moment Heat fans have been waiting for: a chance to prove to Lebron that he made a mistake leaving South Beach to go back to the Cavs. This chance will be wasted when the Cavs win in 6.
Western Conference
#1 Golden State Warriors vs. #3 Oklahoma City Thunder
Splash Bros vs. Westbrook and Durant. Entertaining? Yes. A perfect matchup for the Western Conference Finals. Now will it be close? Probably not. After all, the Warriors did sweep the Thunder in the regular season series. Not much will change between these two teams in the Conference Finals. It will be Golden State in 5.
NBA FINALS
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors
A 2015 Finals rematch. The only difference here is that (presumably) the Cavs’ roster stays healthy through the entire postseason. But will it be enough to stop the streaking Warriors? At times, it may seem so, but in the end, the champion will be Golden State in 7.
Well, there’s my bracket. Now, let’s see if I get any of these predictions right.
