NBA Playoffs 2018-19: Predicting the NBA Playoffs First Round - Western Conference

Unlike the recent past, Golden State did not end this regular season as the league's best team. However, they still managed to rule over their conference, finishing three games clear of the second seed Nuggets on the West standings.

With the Bucks uprising to LeBron's absence in the postseason, a lot has changed for the impending postseason. The Warriors would wish the winds of change to not wreak havoc on their aspirations of a third straight title bid.

For our first round playoff fixtures, the defending champs face off against Doc's Clippers, the Nuggets clash with the San Antonio Spurs, Dame's Trailblazers are set to take on the Thunder and the Rockets meet Donovan Mitchell and his Jazz.

The Western Conference has always been a dogfight to get past the mighty Warriors, but the hopes of a new emerging dynasty never lag behind every year.

Let's take a look at the four first-round matchups from the Western Conference and predict their outcomes using our knowledge of the regular season.

---

#1 Golden State Warriors(1) vs Los Angeles Clippers(8)

Patrick Beverley will not let GSW have it easy.

Season Series: The Warriors led the Clippers 3-1 in regular season games, with GSW winning the last three matchups in a row.

With Cousins healthy and fully functioning, GSW are a heavier force to be reckoned with, than what they previously were. The starting lineup of Durant, Curry, Thompson, Green, and Cousins is nightmarish for any opposition(to say the least), let alone LA who recently traded their leading scorer to Philly in return for loose change.

No doubt the Clippers are a talented team and they have proven repeatedly that they are more than capable of pulling an upset against teams stronger than them on paper. But, realistically, the Warriors are a playoff unit. They've been obliterating postseason opponents with ease for quite a while and to expect they will falter against an 8th seed when it matters most is purely wishful thinking.

Prediction: Despite some wayward resistance, Golden State should be able to get done with the Clippers in four games.

#2 Denver Nuggets(2) vs San Antonio Spurs(7)

The Spurs are expected to pose major hurdles for the Nuggets this early.

Season Series: Both the teams won two games each, with half of the games being decided by three points or less.

The San Antonio Spurs went on a blazing run to ensure themselves a spot in the postseason, and here they are, ready to match up against the West's newest uprising in Denver. Although the presence of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Will Barton, and Isaiah Thomas in one uniform might appear intimidating, the Spurs leadership seems like the entity that just might not be fazed by it.

Led by a future Hall of Famer Coach, the Spurs are one of those teams that's not governed by the regular season standings at all. Aldridge, DeRozan, Gay, and others possess veteran talent and poise fit for the playoff heat.

Prediction: The Spurs might pull an upset and temper all expectations from the young and gunning Nuggets side.

#3 Portland Trailblazers(3) vs Oklahoma City Thunder(6)

Westbrook has always had trouble sharing the court with Dame.

Season Series: OKC have swept Portland in all four regular-season matchups, with one being a tight OT encounter.

The pairing of Russell Westbrook and Paul George has paid dividends ever since Melo exited the frame last year. PG13 has had an MVP year, while Brodie finished a third-straight season averaging a triple-double.

On the other hand, the Trailblazers just lost their main center in Jusuf Nurkic (who was averaging a double-double) to a gruesome leg injury only days before the postseason was about to kick off. The playoffs have always been Portland's Achilles Heel and now with such a huge loss going into a seven-game series against OKC, the odds are not stacked in their favor.

“There’s something there,” Lillard said of the tension between the teams. “There’s something there. When Russ see me, and when I see him, it’s two dogs fighting. That’s what it is. I think it will be a great series.”

Prediction: Oklahoma will pull through in six games but there's a strong chance this one might go all the way.

#4 Houston Rockets(4) vs Utah Jazz(5)

Rockets vs Jazz

Season Series: The Rockets have beaten Utah in two of the four regular-season matchups.

Experts are looking at the Jazz to be an elite competitive side for the Rockets, but what we do seem to forget is that Houston is the same team that would have easily beaten GSW in the West Finals last year had Chris Paul not been injured.

Utah's pillars in Donovan Mitchell (averaging 23.8 ppg) and Rudy Gobert might not be enough to hold the avalanche that the Beard brings with him in the postseason. Having scored more than 36 points a game this year, Harden doesn't look like he's stopping anytime soon.

With the team physically fit and running on all pistons, there's nothing much that comes to mind that screams positivity for Utah's future in the playoffs.

Prediction: The Rockets will finish off the Jazz in five games, if not earlier.