Truth be told, my picks for this first round of the NBA playoffs are pretty much going to be the exact opposite of what I was anticipating in the NHL. In other words, I'm playing it on the so-called "safe" side here and picking nearly all favorites.
Trust me, I didn't think this would be the story when I was looking at the Western Conference standings a few weeks ago and thought there was a very real chance that all the lower seeds might advance (this, obviously, was when Kevin Durant was still presumed to be participating in the playoffs). The West is just so loaded with talent that I can't deny that three so-called upsets would not surprise me.
Either way, I'm anticipating a very lively and exciting first round of basketball. Well, in the West at least. I'm not terribly likely to rip myself away from any hockey for any series in the East. Probably not even the Bulls. Wake me when LeBron is playing Chicago, thank you.
Again, these are sort of in descending order of confidence. The last four are basically random though:
The Nets are pretty bad (as evidenced by the worst record of any playoff team), and the Hawks are still trying to be taken seriously. I'm hesitant to say Atlanta is the "real deal," but I certainly take them seriously and don't rule out the Hawks winning the East. I do not expect any problems for them here.
Stunning that Boston is even here, and scary to think about the draft picks they've still got coming. This is going to be a formidable team in future seasons, but for now they're just happy to be here. Cleveland might phone one in during Game 3 or 4 in Boston, but I again don't expect any real scare for the Cavs.
I've actually seen a lot of Warriors games this year, and the team is just incredible. Comparing their ball movement to the average college basketball game is like watching two different sports. Golden State has wildly exceeded my expectations, and I'm fully expecting them to get off to a solid start here. Anthony Davis is a nightmare for any team to contain, but he's still one guy against a very deep roster.
There's really not much reason the Bulls shouldn't dispatch the Bucks in five, maybe even four. However, the team has just had so many mental lapses this year, and I'm guessing that Milwaukee will steal more than just one game. Thibs will straighten things out and Chicago will prevail, but I'm just feeling that Milwaukee is going to be more trouble than Bulls fans are expecting.
Portland started the season so hot, but the injuries have been killer. None more so than Wesley Matthews, and now the only reason I'm inclined to go with the Blazers. Instead, I'm thinking that the Grizzlies winning all four games of the season series can't be ignored (even though I'm the first guy to tell you the regular season doesn't matter). Portland simply doesn't have the defense to get the big stops, even if Aldridge and Lillard likely carry the Blazers to a couple of wins.
Washington Wizards over Toronto Raptors in seven games
Similar to Portland, both of these teams looked a lot stronger at the beginning of the year. Since the All-Star Break, Toronto has largely been cruising and Washington has seemed like something of mess. Still, I'm going with the upset here because the Wizards simply have more potential. Paul Pierce has the playoff experience that can help his teammates elevate their games accordingly.
Houston Rockets over Dallas Mavericks in seven games
Wife will kill me, assuming she reads this blog or even bothers to watch a single game. Had you told me at the beginning of the year that Houston and Dallas would respectively acquire Josh Smith and Rajon Rondo, you'd have garnered my interest. (Oh, and I guess Amar'e Stoudemire deserves a mention, but I forgot about him just like everybody else who doesn't live in Dallas.) But realistically, both guys have largely proven why they have their haters. This series essentially comes down to MVP candidate James Harden against the seemingly eternal Dirk Nowitzki. I don't know how the Mavs overcome Harden and Howard's impact on the opposite sides of the floor when the Dallas defense didn't prove all that capable in the regular season.
Los Angeles Clippers over San Antonio Spurs in seven games
I'm going against my gut on this, because every bit of logic tells me the Spurs will probably wrap this up in six. Instead, I'm standing by my predicted NBA Champion under some crazy belief that their own All-Stars are going to surprise San Antonio's. Make no mistake, this is going to be the best series of the first round and I only go with the Clippers here on the belief that Chris Paul is ready to take control and make a title run under the guidance of Doc Rivers. This is admittedly a stretch, considering the Spurs finished the season about as hot as any team in the league, so I'm fully anticipating this prediction to be in red when all seven games (it has to go seven, dammit) have been played.
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