The Warriors won 73 games and beat the record of the legendary Chicago Bulls. The Spurs finished with an amazing 39-1 home record. Kobe signed off and did it in the way only Kobe can by scoring 60 points in his final game. Quite a few highlights to sign off what has been a great season.
If the regular season finale still has you mesmerised, brace yourself because NBA basketball is going to get real serious now. Yes, playoff basketball is upon us and we attempt to predict what this year’s Eastern Conference is going to throw at us in the first round.
1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs Detroit Pistons
Cavaliers Record: 57-25 (Home 33-8; Road: 24-17)
Pistons Record: 44-38 (Home 26-15; Road 18-23)
Season series: 3-1 to the Pistons
The Cavaliers have had a turbulent season and still seem like a team that is lost in transition and faces an identity crisis. Nobody doubts the roster depth and the immense basketball ability the Cavs possess, but somehow they still seem to lack a rhythm that defines Championship teams.
The Cavs seem to go as far as LeBron takes them and that is a sorry waste because Kyrie, Love and Smith are too good to depend on LeBron to carry them through.
MVP of the series
LeBron has been on a rampage, averaging 28.4 points, 8 rebounds and 8.5 assists over the last 10 games. His shooting percentage has improved and his lift and mobility just seem a lot better. So yes, expect him to have a series in a similar tone.
Marcus Morris and Stanley Johnson will bear the load of guarding LeBron and he will have a field day against the duo. However, Stan Van Gundy is one of the best in the league at setting up teams and expect him to have a few tricks up his hat.
Key matchups
The key matchup in this series will be between the rebounding daemons in Andre Drummond and Tristan Thompson. The Drummond-Jackson pick-and-roll will also be key as the Pistons will look to attack Kyrie Irving, who despite being a very able defender can be faulted for taking time off on defence.
The rebounding battle will be critical as the Cavs need to put a body on Drummond on all times and ensure that he doesn’t earn many offensive rebounds and second-chance points.
X-Factor
The offensive sets for both teams will be a steady dose of LeBron and Kyrie and Jackson and Drummond, but the series will mostly be decided by the 3-point shooters in both teams.
The Pistons will be banking on Morris, Harris and Pope to have a good series shooting the ball as it is critical for the spacing on the floor and the Jackson-Drummond pick-and-roll to work.
The Cavs will try to get LeBron into the post as much as possible to take advantage of the size mismatch. Expect Van Gundy to throw multiple bodies at LeBron and force him into giving up the ball. LeBron is smart enough to find the open shooters but he will be hoping that Love, Frye, Smith and Dellavedova do make the most of the open shots.
Prediction:
Cavs in 5. But don’t expect the Cavs to run the Pistons out of the building. All games will be closely contested, but in the end, the Cavs just have too much talent to be bothered by the Pistons.
2) Toronto Raptors vs Indiana Pacers
Raptors Record: 56-26 (Home 32-9; Road 24-17)
Pacers Record: 45-37 (Home 26-15; Road 19-22)
Season series: 3-1 to the Raptors
The Raptors have one of the best backcourts in the game in Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, players who combine for an average of 44.7 ppg. The addition of DeMarre Carroll gives them a legitimate 3-and-D guy and they have genuine low-post scoring depth in Valanciunas.
Dwane Casey is the favourite for Coach of the year and the Raptors seem primed for a very deep playoff run.
The opposite can be said for the Pacers, as they are one of the toughest teams to predict in the league. The growth of Myles Turner and Ian Mahinmi give the Pacers legitimate frontcourt depth, but considering how Paul George has faded away as the season progressed and the fact that Monta Ellis and George Hill just don’t seem like a duo that fit and compliment each other, the Pacers can be expected to really struggle.
MVP of the series
Kyle Lowry will most certainly have the biggest say in the series. He will be up against Hill and Ellis mostly and considering his offensive potential he should have the biggest say in the series.
In the season series, he averaged close to 24 points per game and his big shot making ability will be key in the series. Expect him to have averages of close to 25 ppg and 7 apg.
Key matchups
The most intriguing matchup in this series will be between DeRozan and George. Both are elite two-way players and expect both to give their all in a quest to outdo each other.
The battle down low will also be intriguing with the Raptors being amongst the best shooting teams in the league and Casey may also tend towards giving Powell more time in his preferred three-guard lineup to spread the floor.
The Pacers have the definite size advantage down low, but the Raptors are an extremely disciplined defensive unit, and Mahinmi and Turner will be hard-pressed to dominate down low.
X-Factor
Luis Scola and DeMarre Carroll might very well be the X-factors in the series. The Raptors remain a very young team and Scola’s experience and pedigree can serve them well in the high-pressure situations. Scola also is a versatile low-post scorer and if the Pacers do choose to go small, he has the skill set to exploit the mismatch.
Carroll will be critical as he and DeRozan will share the responsibility of keeping George under check. The Pacers go as far as George takes them and Carroll’s defensive intensity will be important in deciding the kind of series George has. Further, Carroll is an underrated shooter and he can just turn out to be the ideal sidekick to the Lowry-DeRozan duo.
Prediction:
Raptors in 6.
3) Miami Heat vs Charlotte Hornets
Miami Record: 48-34 (Home 28-13; Road 20-21)
Charlotte Record: 48-34 (Home 30-11; Road 18-23)
Season series: Split 2-2.
The Miami Heat had to wait until the last day of the season to earn the third seed but they would surely not be too pleased to face the Bobcats. It has not come to many people’s notice that the Bobcats ended the season on a 21-8 run post the All-Star break, the best record in the East.
Kemba Walker finally seems to have come of age and Al Jefferson is a gritty low post menace that Hassan Whiteside should be extremely wary off.
The Heat, on the other hand, will bank on their seasoned stars in Wade, Stoudemire, Johnson and Bosh (if he features). The Bobcats are relatively inexperienced in the postseason and the Heat will be banking on its proven big-match players to power them through.
MVP of the series:
I am going to go on a limb here and predict that Wade will dig deep and give a vintage performance that will shape the Heat’s playoff run and give him and his team necessary momentum. Wade has struggled against the Bobcats as he has averaged a mere 16 points in the four games this season, but in the playoffs expect Wade to take a greater share of the offensive burden.
Yes, he is not the player he used to be and the days of Wade may well be behind him but if anything we have learnt about Wade in all these years is that he plays with the heart of a Champion. Expect him to have a 25 ppg series.
Key matchups
While both teams boast of some of the best guards in the game in Walker, Dragic and Wade, the real battle will happen between the bigs. The Walker-Jefferson pick-and-roll is crucial for the Bobcats and despite Whiteside’s gargantuan shot-blocking ability, his pick-and-roll defence has enough frailties to be exploited and expect the veteran savvy of Jefferson to give him nightmares down low.
Jefferson in his two games against the Heat averaged 19.5 points to go along with 7.5 assists. The Bobcats feed off Jefferson’s decision-making and they surround him with shooters of the pedigree of Batum, Lin and William.
Jefferson can be expected to make the most of any lapses in the defensive rotations. On the other end, the Bobcats will have their hands full keeping the Dragic-Whiteside pick-and-roll in control.
X-Factor:
Joe Johnson might have been relegated to a reduced role on offence with the Heat, but he is a proven big-match scorer and a clutch shot-taker and shot-maker. Since joining the Heat, he has averaged 13.5 points per game on 42% shooting from beyond the arc and 51% shooting from the field.
As the season has progressed he seems to be getting back to his normal rhythm and it just seems the right time for him to peak.
Prediction:
Heat in seven.
4) Atlanta Hawks vs Boston Celtics
Atlanta Record: 48-34 (Home 27-14; Road 21-20)
Boston Record: 48-34 (Home 28-13; Road 20-21)
Season series: 3-1 to the Hawks
The Boston Celtics are one of the most efficient teams in the league on both ends of the floor. The Celtics bank on the genius of Isiah Thomas to carry them through on the offensive end. On defence, they have the talent to stifle the best guards in the game with their elite wing defenders.
Avery Bradley’s defence on Curry was maybe the best on-ball defence I have witnessed all season and given how well drilled and coached the Celtics are, it is no surprise that a team bereft of any big name superstar managed to excel in the East.
The Hawks, on the other hand, have had a humbling season after the exploits of last year. Their offensive rating has dropped drastically but they have moulded themselves into a premier lock-down defensive team. Millsap and Horford do a great job defending the pick-and-roll as well as anchoring the paint, and Bazemore and Teague are no pushovers on the defensive end.
Both teams seem evenly matched and this series will for certain go down to the wire.
MVP of the series
The greatest impact on the series will most probably come from Isiah Thomas who is having his best ever season in the NBA. Thomas’s shot-making ability off the dribble can open up the best defence in the game and expect him to be the difference maker in what promises to be a great duel between Teague and Thomas.
Key matchups
The critical defining matchup in the series will be the duel between Teague and Thomas. Both are extremely capable ball-handlers who can really create their own shots and make big time shots. Teague is known for his offensive bursts and also famed for coming into his own in the playoffs.
Further, the Hawks have two All-Stars in Horford and Milsap who will certainly dominate the game inside. Milsap remains overtly underestimated on both ends of the floor and Horford is one of the most well-rounded players in the game.
However, the duo will be hard-pressed to match up with the effort and intensity of Sullinger and Johnson on the boards. Boston is one of the better offensive rebounding teams in the game and Hawks one of the worst defensive rebounding teams in the league. So expect the Celtics to win the rebounding battles and earn second chance opportunities that may very well be the deciding factor in the series.
X-Factor:
Avery Bradley will be given the task to keep Teague quiet and the best on-ball defender in the game has both the defensive fortitude and the intensity to come out trumps. His offence will also be critical as he needs to be shooting at a high clip to take the burden off Thomas.
Prediction:
Celtics in seven. But, it may very well be the Hawks in seven. This is truly too tight to call.
Guess the Lakers players!
