The NBA Playoffs start Monday and are a welcome distraction from everything that isn’t going right these days for most. Without further delay, I’ll get right into the first round match ups.

Monday, August 17th Games

1:30pm

3 Denver v. 6 Utah

The Denver Nuggets are an exciting fun to watch!  The Utah Jazz are a boring fun to watch (this makes sense somehow, I swear).  The Nuggets have a unique look with so much of their offense running through 7 footer Nikola Jokic who’s fantastical passing got him 7 assists a game this year but he’ll be going up against 2 time defending defensive player of the year award winner Rudy Gobert.  And it’s always a pleasure to watch Mike Conley Jr. score points.  Denver’s trying to make up for losing in the 2nd round last year and they’re looking to make some noise. Nowadays noise seems to do better than sweet, sweet jazz.  Pick:  Nuggets in 6

4:00pm

2 Toronto v. 7 Brooklyn

Brooklyn and Toronto are just confusing.  Brooklyn played most of the year without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, still managing to remain in the playoff hunt but then fired a pretty roundly respected head coach in Kenny Atkinson (current favorite to get the new Bulls head coaching job) right before pandemic hit.  The Raptors pretty much continued from where they left off last year even after losing the greatest player in franchise history in Kawhi Leonard.  That’s some serious culture there.  Think the Nets are too depleted to beat a strong Toronto team. 
Pick:  Raptors in 5

6:30pm

3 Boston v. 6 Philadelphia

Poor Philadelphia.  The Process nearly worked (maybe it still will!).  But just like Philly fired the architect of said process, they might fall short of truly being a contender with this current iteration.  Boston is on fire.  They’re playing with a high level of confidence and their young talent is blossoming at the right time.  The only concern may be a nagging knee injury to starting point guard Kemba Walker who played only 9 minutes in the bubble.  But the Sixers have worse injury concerns as Ben Simmons has been ruled completely out for the playoffs with his own knee injury.  We’ll see how dominant a force Joel Embiid can be but I don’t think it will be enough and Philly will need to shake things up on their team after a 1st round exit with Finals talent.  Pick:  Celtics in 5

9:00pm

2 LA Clippers v. 7 Dallas

Two of the best wing defenders are going to be tasked to stop one of the newest best wing offenders in Luka “Euro Bird” Doncic.  Doncic’s surreal passing and scoring ability invite welcome comparisons to Bird’s elite talents and we’ll finally see if he can come close to Bird’s playoff prowess.  Both Doncic and fellow star Kristaps Porzingis will be playing in their first NBA playoffs but they’ll be going up against the best built team in the NBA.  The Clippers have better depth and overall talent than any other team but they may lack the cohesiveness necessary for a championship run. Due to injuries and other factors, the Clippers have not played at full strength for the majority of their games this year.  It will take a lot to beat them however.  Pick: Clippers in 6

Tuesday, August 18th Games

1:30pm

1 Milwaukee v. 8 Orlando

Games 3 and 4 will be billed as Milwaukee “at” Orlando. Will this be the only instance of actual home court advantage since the Magic are the only team playing in their home city?  Probably not.  The Bucks were one of the contenders that struggled in the bubble, going 3-5 but predictably not receiving anywhere near the damning vitriol attributed to the Lakers identical 3-5 record.  Such is the price of exceptionalism.  The Magic will also be losing backup center Mo Bamba due to possible complications from a Coronavirus diagnosis he received back on June 11th.  Hope it all ends up well for the young man.  But he wasn’t stopping Giannis.  Pick:  Bucks in 5

4:00pm

4 Indiana v. 5 Miami

No Victor Oladipo for the Pacers.  Jimmy Butler on a mission for the Heat.  No timetable for Domantas Sabonis returning from injury. Big money bets on the Heat as a wild card to win the East.   This series is not looking particularly close for teams that finished 1 game apart in the standings.  At least Indiana still has Hoosiers. (the movie, not the college basketball team)  The Heat think they’re good enough to come out of the East and while that is still doubtful,  they are simply closer to full strength than the Pacers are.  Pick:  Heat in 5

6:30pm

4 Houston v. 5 OKC

Sweet! A Chris Paul Revenge series.  Chris Paul is highly competitive.  He’s just short.  No wonder everyone gets annoyed by him.  The other story of this series is how the Rockets will be without the man traded for Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook who is slated to miss the first few games of the 1st round.  It shouldn’t hurt Houston too much offensively because their offense still revolves around Harden but it should give the Thunder hope.  If Paul comes up with some heroics and the other Thunder play at a playoff level (and they have playoff experience) they can get Houston on the ropes.  Perfect timing for Westbrook to come back at that point and rip Oklahoma City’s heart out Kali Ma style.  Pick:  Rockets in 7

9:00pm

1 LA Lakers v. 8 Portland

Okay, guys.  It’s fine to think this Portland team is dangerous but stop thinking they’re gonna beat the Lakers.  The Blazers would have to get pretty lucky by hoping the Lakers continue playing their worst basketball of the season like they were in the bubble.  Not saying it’s impossible but LeBron James is 52-10 in the first round for his career and has never lost a series there.  The Blazers really finished the season on a high note but these Lakers are on a mission.  They’re already motivated by the news that they’ll be bringing back the Kobe designed Black Mamba jerseys if they advance past the first round.  Pick:  Lakers in 6

Here’s a look back at what i thought 10 months ago when I previewed the season.

East Playoffs: 1. Bucks 2. 76ers 3. Celtics 4. Nets 5. Pacers 6. Heat 7. Hawks 8. Magic

Bucks over Magic, 76ers over Hawks, Celtics over Heat, Pacers over Nets

Bucks over Pacers, 76ers over Celtics

76ers over Bucks

West Playoffs: 1. Clippers 2. Lakers 3. Jazz 4. Nuggets 5. Blazers 6. Rockets 7. Warriors 8. Spurs

Clippers over Spurs, Lakers over Warriors, Rockets over Jazz, Nuggets over Blazers

Clippers over Nuggets, Lakers over Rockets

Lakers over Clippers

I’d originally picked the Lakers over the Sixers in 6. Not too bad if I say so myself. I would make a couple changes after the weirdest season in NBA history took place. In the 2nd round for the East, I’ll take the Bucks over the Heat (5 games) and the Celtics over the Raptors (6 games). The West’s 2nd round will actually be exactly the same as I predicted with Clippers-Nuggets going 7 and Lakers-Rockets going 6. And even though I consider the Clippers the best overall team this year, I trust in LeBron and don’t see anyone being able to stop the arrival of Anthony Davis. The Bucks will beat the Celtics in 7 games, getting revenge for the 1986 ECF while the series everyone wanted will see the Lakers edging the Clippers in 7. All to see the Lakers over the Bucks in 6. Le't’s play!