The NBA regular season has come to an end and every team has played their 82 game season. Only 16 teams remain for one objective… to reach the NBA Finals. 8 teams on each conference will compete to reach the Finals.
No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks (58-24) Vs No. 8 Miami Heat (44-38)
The Milwaukee Bucks enter the playoffs with the best record in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks will look to sweep Miami Heat and advance to the next round. Arguably one of the best players in the league Giannis Antetokounmpo will be leading the way for the Bucks with his teammates backing him up as they’ve proved they are one of the best teams in the league. This Bucks team could be very dangerous heading into the playoffs and are hungry to head back to the NBA Finals.
The Miami Heat punched their way into the playoffs after losing to the Atlanta Hawks in the play-in tournament and then beating the Chicago Bulls for the final spot in the eastern conference playoff picture. The Heat nearly missed out on the playoffs but a good team victory against the Bulls proves that they could surprise the Bucks and make it an interesting series. Jimmy Butler will look to lead his teammates against the best team in the East.
Prediction: Bucks Win the Series (4-0)
No. 2 Boston Celtics (57-25) Vs No. 7 Atlanta Hawks (41-41)
The Atlanta Hawks punched their ticket to the playoffs with a win over the Miami Heat in the Play-In tournament while on the road. The Hawks haven’t had the season they’ve wanted but still clawed their way into the playoffs. With a young team and Trae Young leading the way now is the time they have to play well together, they are playing arguably one of the toughest teams in the league as they are going up against the defending Eastern Conference Champions. The Road will not be easy for the Hawks, they’ll need to play the most efficient basketball they’ve played all season against the Celtics.
The Boston Celtics are the defending Eastern Conference champions and are looking to make a trip back to the NBA Finals. A lot of critics and teams were interested to see how the Celtics would play since Joe Mazzulla took the head coaching job, and the Celtics showed no signs of slowing down. They were able to obtain the second seed in the eastern conference. The Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown duo will look to lead their team to success in this series and advance to the second round.
Prediction: Celtics Wins the Series (4-0)
No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers (54-28) vs No. 6 Brooklyn Nets (45-36)
The Brooklyn Nets are an entirely different team in the second half of the season. The Nets had Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant to start off the season but both were traded before the NBA Trade Deadline. The Nets have built themselves quite a team since the trades and were able to obtain a playoff spot. The Nets will head into the playoff as underdogs but they do have the talent to keep up with the 76ers and could make this series interesting.
As for the Philadelphia 76ers they’ve dealt with injuries this season but were up there with the top teams in the league and were able to secure the third seed in the Eastern Conference. James Harden seems to be finding his rhythm and looks to be displaying his best in the NBA playoffs and make an NBA Finals run with teammate Joel Embiid who could potentially be the league MVP. The 76ers have their work cutout for them and look to make a strong statement in round 1.
Prediction: 76ers win the Series (4-1)
No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers (51-31) Vs New York Knicks (47-35)
This series may be the most interesting in the eastern conference. The Cavaliers made a big splash last summer to get Donovan Mitchell and secured the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Many critics thought that they wouldn’t make it this far but the Cavaliers front court has been underrated this season. The Cavaliers defense has been solid all season and will look to limit Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle if he’s ready to play.
As for the Knicks they could be without Randle and will have to rely on Brunson to run the offense. If the Knicks have both those players then this series can be interesting but if Randle isn’t set to go it could be a hard series for the Knicks. This series will depend on if Randle will be able to put up numbers and show that he is the star for the Knicks. The Knicks will have their hands filled defensively as they have to guard Mitchell and Darius Garland.
Prediction: Cavaliers Win the Series (4-3)
Recent Comments