We get playoff basketball tomorrow we get playoff basketball tomorrow we get playoff basketball tomorrow we get... Holy hell, those eight regular season games took forever but the NBA playoffs are finally here and in new fashion? That's right baby the Western Conference starts the playoffs tomorrow with a playin game between the Trailblazers and Grizzlies. If the Blazers win, they earn the 8th playoff spot while the Grizzlies need to to win against Portland twice to earn the spot. Two teams with losing records battling it out to get swept by the Lakers gives off major March Madness energy.
Quick RIP to the Suns. 8-0 wasn't enough.
FIRST ROUND:
Alright so based on our Average at Best fan poll, 0% of our followers want to see Memphis as the 8th seed so for round one we have: Lakers vs. Trailblazers. As I mentioned previously, neither team is going to take down LeBron and AD in round one. There was so much hype riding on three mediocre teams (which don't get me wrong, I love the hype) when in reality the eighth seeds have advanced to the second round only five times since the 1983-84 season. That being said, a Blazers 8th seed seems better than your average 8th seed. Coming off a WCF trip in 2019 and with the star power of Dame, Portland is a sneaky team.
Prediction: Lakers 4-1
One of my favorite matchups in the playoffs is this 4 vs. 5 in the west: Rockets vs. Thunder. Everyone is aware of the blockbuster trade that sent Russell Westbrook to Houston and officially started the Thunder's rebuild, but everyone doesn't consider... The thunder finished with the same record as the Rockets and right behind in the standings. People were writing off the Thunder as Chris Paul's gravestone where he would spend the last few years of his career in Oklahoma with a tanking team. People were wrong. I am people. The Thunder will be able to create mismatches for the Rockets' size (like literally every other team) but I don't see them outplaying Brodie and the Beard.
Prediction: Rockets 4-2
This next series holds near and dear to my heart. We got the Nuggets vs. Jazz. Both teams have third tier all stars with the exception that Nikola Jokic could be a tier two guy. (might fuck around with tiermaker to explain my opinion there) But, you know what else both teams have? That's right, an Iowa State alumni playing in a meaningful role. Denver's Monte Morris is one of the better backup point guards in the league and Utah's Georges Niang is an excellent offensive threat at the 4 or 3 position.
Prediction: Nuggets 4-1
One of the best 2 vs 7 matchups I've seen in awhile: Clippers vs. Mavericks. This series has everything. Elite star-power, explosive scorers, lock down defenders, and maybe even Kawhi's laughter. Luka and Kristaps are comfortably in the top 6 for PPG in the bubble, although their 3-5 bubble record wouldn't show it. The Clippers did not impress in their eight games either, but it's hard to doubt Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. No fuck that, I'm doubting them and the entire Clippers organization. This is the best season the Clippers franchise has ever had and after a first round exit, they'll be rebranding and relocating.
Prediction: Mavericks 4-3
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