Oh shit, I should’ve checked this thread out sooner. I didn’t expect there to be so much NBA talk.
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Let’s talk NBA playoffs.
I think Bucks and Celtics are clearly top 2, not just in the east but the league, and I fully expect them to meet in the ECF and that it will be the “real finals”. I think Bucks are more likely to win but this series could really go either way.
West is looking pretty open, I think the Nuggets will make the finals but that’s far from given and their second round matchup with the Suns will be the “real WCF”. If the Suns are good enough to beat the Nuggets then they’ll be good enough to make it to the finals.
I have more opinions on more teams and matchups but I don’t wanna write a fuck-huge comment.
I’m a Sixers fan btw, feel free to flame me for it.
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Can’t rule suns out
Celtics I’m not too sold on. They’re solid for sure but Tatum discards the midrange and plays harden-esque.
This play style has been shown to be problematic over and over ever since its inception.
Playoffs defense is too sophisticated to cherry pick 3’s and layups for a championship. I would be surprised if Celtics won, even though I thought they’d win last year
Pelicans are out which is disappointing for me. CJ played injured while Zion didn’t even play.
Really wish Ingram was able to compete, he’s really talented
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I don’t see what’s wrong with the Celtics. They were the silver medal team last year* and have only gotten better. Mazzulla has filled in nicely for Udoka and even seems to be an upgrade. Their bench is super deep too, I swear they’ve got like 8 guys who are in the top 100, so even if Tatum has a bad game they got plenty of guys who can pick up the slack. They’re also an analytics darling, but then again, it seems like the analytically best teams are rarely the ones who actually win it all.
*tbf, Bucks probably make the finals instead if Middleton’s healthy
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I wouldn’t be surprised if Celtics go to semi finals and or the finals
The problem comes down to Tatum, because the offense relies on giving him plenty of well deserved touches.
At the end of the day, creating a shot and hitting tough shots is the biggest difference maker in the playoffs, assuming no other strong weaknesses exist (lack of defense, depth on roster, etc)
They have jaylen brown who can create and hit tough shots, but the rest of the roster cannot do this. This does not mean they are not solid players, but creating a jumpshot off the dribble is the highest degree of difficulty in hoops, and in the finals, it’s usually the difference maker.
Marcus smart is decent at this, though not on the level of brown and Tatum.
If they play the suns, or bucks, I’ll take the former teams over the Celtics simply for this reason. Last year I had my doubts, but still thought Celtics could pull it off. Then Tatum started bricking from 3 and at the rim predictably and refused to find spots around the elbow and low post.
If he had done the latter, it would’ve opened up open 3’s and cutting opportunities for his teammates down the stretch
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By semi-finals, do you mean the ECF? I think their path there is fairly secure and it’s unlikely they go down in the second round. The Sixers will have a puncher’s chance if Embiid’s healthy (though that’s kinda a big if) since he’d be the best player in the series, but our supporting cast is mediocre. I like Maxey, but he’s not (yet) good enough to be the 3rd best player on a championship team. When it’s 1 vs 5, the 5 usually win. The Sixers also don’t have any great wing defenders, so the Jays will probably absolutely shred us.
It’s definitely a great skill to have but it’s not like it’s the only thing. Look at Steph Curry, he can take his defender off the dribble but that’s not really his game. He’s more about getting open shots off of screens and that stuff matters a lot. Personally, I’m not counting the Celtics out until they’re actually out, and I think they can take anyone that comes out of the West.
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guess we will see. the last few years the NBA championship has been up for grabs which is a nice change haha
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I’ll sorta round out my bracket now
I think the Knicks will beat the Cavs in a tough series, but it doesn’t really matter because the winner’s getting curbstomped by the Bucks in the second round. I know I said the Celtics probably win against the Sixers but I hope my boys can put up a good fight. Let’s say Boston in 6.
MEM-LAL and SAC-GSW are both very interesting. I think they’ll be competitive but I got the Grizzlies over the Lakers and the Warriors over the Kings, and then I think the Warriors will win a tough second round matchup against Memphis, only to lose fairly easily to a relatively well-rested Denver in the WCF.
As for my predicted Bucks-Nuggets finals, I think the Bucks win but it could go anywhere from a sweep to a full 7.
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EC:
Knicks vs Cavs - Cavs, though rooting for Knicks
Celtics vs Sixers - Celtics though rooting for Sixers and think they have a shot
WC:
lakers vs grizzlies - i think Lakers take this one in a close series, but going for grizzlies
Warriors vs Kings - honestly ill have to decide after the first game but i hope Kings take the W
Nuggets vs Wolves - putting down a Wolves upset here
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agreed honestly. this one’s definitely the most exciting of the first-round matchups
ooooooo, spicy take. I know the nuggets aren’t super-dominant but i think the wolves simply don’t have what it takes to win 4 games out of 7.
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That’s true considering they should’ve won last year against Memphis but choked hard
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Here are my predictions:
East:
(1) Bucks vs (8) Heat - Bucks in 5
(2) Celtics vs Hawks - Celtics in 5
(3) Sixers vs Nets - Sixers in 4
(4) Cavs vs Knicks - Cavs in 7
West:
(1) Nuggets vs (8) Wolves - Nuggets in 6
(2) Grizzlies vs (7) Lakers - Lakers in 6
(3) Kings vs (6) Warriors - Warriors in 6
(4) Suns vs (5) Clippers - Suns in 6
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The biggest problem with the Sixers is that Doc Rivers cannot coach in the playoffs. This is the same guy who cost the clippers a championship in the bubble by having a 6 foot 7 Montrez Harrell, who is a horrific defender guard Jokic straight up.
The other issue is James Harden has had so many choke jobs in the playoffs. He cannot be trusted either.
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Yup. I do not trust Tatum either. His choke job last finals was so bad. I still can’t believe Boston lost that. Tatum basically handed it to the warriors with his horrible shot selection and team killing turnovers.
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I got the Bucks winning it all too. How about Jalen Brunson? This guy is a baller. Big win on the road vs the Cavs today. Mavs really blew it not re-signing him last year. This guy is going to be an all star for years to come.
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The problem with Harden and Tatum is that they are excellent players but they purposely modify their play styles.
edit: wrote a boring essay rant on something but i dont want to take up space here haha
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Brunson is a great example of a real hooper. guy keeps a lost art alive
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alright after watching this kings warriors game, i think warriors take the series.
great game
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Curry needs Iguodala for the clutch shots we all know he doesn’t have that in his bag. For such a great shooter he just doesn’t come through on final shots. People are gonna say it’s a floater but that’s an open shot he should be hitting that.
I’m really impressed with what I saw from the Kings. Malik Monk is a baller. Guy has no fear. De’Aaron Fox has arrived.
Most young teams historically fold under the pressure during a game 1 at home after a long playoff drought. So this is some big time stuff. Warriors really needed to steal this game 1.
This series is gonna be good. Kings are not afraid of the warriors at all.
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Game 1 was insane
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