With the Western Conference standings locked in as of today, with the Portland Trailblazers winning the race for eighth, we look at the Match-Ups going into Round One of the NBA Playoffs, kicking off Monday, August 17th.
#1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. #8 Portland Trailblazers
With the Trailblazers making the miracle run to the Playoffs after their recent win against the Memphis Grizzlies, they now face a formidable adversary in LeBron James and the first seeded Lakers. The Lakers, despite having won the regular season series 2-1, may have some turbulence against the Trailblazers, especially with the way Damian Lillard has been playing since the NBA Restart. This is exactly one of the biggest win conditions for both teams, to no surprise. Lillard and the Blazers know that the Lakers are emphasizing on containing him offensively, trying to force the ball out of his hands as much as they possibly can. This can benefit the Lakers having ranked 7th in defending 3-pointers, holding teams to 34.9% shooting when the Blazers are 4th in 3-point percentage at 37.6%.
#2 Los Angeles Clippers vs. #7 Dallas Mavericks
The ever so stacked Los Angeles Clippers kick off their off-season against one of the faces future of the league in Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. Although the Clippers swept the regular season series, they cannot underestimate the talent on this Mavericks roster with names like Doncic, Porzingis, Curry, and the once Clipper Boban Marjanovic. The Mavericks will have quite the test however, playing against a team ranked 3rd in opponent FG%, with new additions in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George leading the way.
#3 Denver Nuggets vs. #6 Utah Jazz
The Denver Nuggets have found themselves towards the top of the ladder this season, and will be facing off against Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz. Basketball fans are in for an offensive show, with both teams ranked in the Top 10 in FG%. A big emphasis to keep an eye on for this series is at the Center position. Reigning DPOY Rudy Gobert will be facing offensive powerhouse Nikola Jokic. A decent amount of the Nuggets offense is ran through Jokic, and with Gobert as the defensive anchor for the Jazz, wins can ultimately come down to who gets the better of the other coming into the series.
#4 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. #5 Houston Rockets
The Oklahoma City Thunder, while against all odds, secured the 4th seed to face off against the Houston Rockets in quite the narrative overarching the entire season that was the Westbrook trade. The Rockets will be in quite a difficult predicament especially with Westbrook missing some games. Without Westbrook, the Rockets have a lacking presence in the paint, having committed to small ball. And with small ball, comes difficulty rebounding, which is a large problem for the Rockets because the Thunder have notable bigs Steven Adams and Nerlens Noel, both very capable rebounders. Another interesting point of contention for this match up is the 3. With small ball, the Houston Rockets live by the 3, with half of their offensive coming from beyond. This can make things a bit difficult, especially when the Thunder rank 3rd in opponent 3pt FG%.
With the match-ups all set and ready to go, NBA fans are ecstatic for the Playoffs to kick off today, August 17th.
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