Playoff Preview: Western Conference (Part 2)

[2] San Antonio Spurs vs [7] Memphis Grizzlies  The Spurs look to make it back to the Conference Semi-Finals for the first time since 2014 when they won the title. The Grizzlies are heavily over-matched in this one and have the worst odds to win the championship out of the 16 teams in the playoffs. Memphis will be without their two best players in Marc Gasol and Mike Conley and will rely on the likes of Lance Stephenson, Z-Bo, and Matt Barnes. The Grizzlies stumbled into the playoffs and are rewarded by having to face Kawhi Leonard and the 67 win Spurs.

The Spurs are expected to roll over the short-handed Grizzlies and they probably will. Expect a heavy dose of Aldridge in the low post, something that will be extremely difficult to defend without their rim protector, Gasol. Memphis will be lucky to keep these games within 15 points.

Prediction: Spurs win series 4-0

[4] Los Angeles Clippers vs [5] Portland Trail Blazers  The Blazers will square off against the Clippers in their first playoff series with Damian Lillard as the unquestioned team leader. Lillard is one of the best up-and-coming point guards in the game and is coming off a career year. He will face the tough task of going up against proven veteran Chris Paul. This is the stage that Lillard lives for and he will not be intimidated by the opportunity. The same cannot be said about the rest of the Blazers roster. Portland is one of the youngest teams in the post season and they have key players who lack meaningful playoff experience.

On the other hand, the Clippers have the same established roster that was a game away from the Western Conference Finals in 2015. A lot of the Clippers success in this year’s playoffs will depend on Blake Griffin. He will need to be a key contributor if the Clippers want to advance to the next round. All-in-all the Clippers have too much firepower for the young Blazers to handle and the size down low will be a problem for Portland. Expect a big series out of DeAndre Jordan.

Prediction: Clippers win series 4-1(Image by Soobum Im, USA TODAY Sports)

Grayson Gold-Garvey

Playoff Preview: Western Conference (Part 1)

[1] Golden State Warriors vs [8] Houston Rockets  The Warriors square off against the Rockets in a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals. After setting the league record for wins in a season (73) the Warriors look to build on an incredible campaign and pick up where they left off last post-season. On the other hand, the Rockets stumble into the playoffs with a 41-41 record after winning 56 games a year ago. The Rockets were a much better team last year under head coach Kevin McHale, but they were still only able to win one game in the Conference Finals.

This series could get really ugly for Houston. They lack the firepower and team chemistry to compete with the Warriors over a 7 game series. Harden will do what he can to try to keep them in games, but you can expect this series to end early. The three point shooting and offensive attack of Stephen Curry and the Warriors will be too much for a mediocre Rockets team that will be tempted to get into a three point shootout that they will surely lose.

Prediction: Warriors win series 4-0

[3] Oklahoma City Thunder vs [6] Dallas Mavericks  After a one year absence, the Thunder are back in the playoffs. The Thunder are the healthiest they’ve been in years and have one of the best and deepest rosters in the league, led by two of the top five talents in the game in Westbrook and Durant. The Mavericks have already exceeded most expectations this year by making the playoffs as the 6 seed. The Mavs have been plagued with injuries all season and will have to deal with the absence of Chandler Parsons for the second consecutive season.

The Mavs have been able to stay afloat with the recent contributions of J.J. Barea and Wesley Matthews. On paper, Dallas doesn’t have nearly enough talent to compete with one of the most efficient offenses in the league. However, 4^th quarter struggles are still a major concern with the Thunder and the veteran leadership of Dirk and Wes Matthews should keep things interesting.

Prediction: Thunder win series 4-2

Grayson Gold-Garvey

Playoff Preview: Eastern Conference

The NBA Playoffs are finally here after what was an interesting regular season. The Golden State Warriors set the NBA record for most wins in a regular season with 73. It was Kobe Bryant’s last season and his final game saw him drop an amazing 60 points. The Cleveland Cavaliers had some unwanted attention throughout the season between Kevin Love trade rumors and Kyrie Irving getting dumped. Nonetheless, the playoffs are here and while the Cavs are the team to beat in the East, some teams could make it interesting on them on their way to their second straight NBA Finals appearance and what would be LeBron James’ sixth straight Finals.

Here’s a preview of what the Eastern Conference Finals will look like.

(1)   Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Detroit Pistons

On paper this might seem like a 4-0 sweep with as much firepower as the Cavaliers have. And having LeBron James doesn’t hurt, but don’t sleep on the Pistons possibly stealing a game. Pistons center Andre Drummond led the NBA with 66 double doubles and while the Cavs might not have an answer for big man, the rest of the Pistons lineup won’t be able to keep up with the Cavs offense. And they don’t have anyone who can guard LeBron. I see the Pistons stealing one at home and making the Cavs work a little harder than they’d like in the first round.

            Cavaliers win series 4-1

(2)   Toronto Raptors vs. (7) Indiana Pacers

This is an interesting matchup for a couple reasons; the Raptors haven’t made it past the first round since 2001, and the Pacers missed the playoffs last year after having made it to the East Finals the two previous seasons. Paul George is having a quiet season averaging 23 PPG and 7 RPG after having missed all but 6 games in 2014-15. The Raptors also had a quiet season having been behind the Cavaliers all season. They’re led by two All-Stars in Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan who will have to step up their game if they want to challenge the Cleveland.

            Raptors win series 4-2

(3)   Miami Heat vs. (6) Charlotte Hornets

If you look at the names on the Miami Heat roster you’d think that they have the best chance of beating the Cavaliers on their way to the Finals. Dwyane Wade, Joe Johnson, and Goran Dragic look to carry the Heat through the playoffs. On the other side, the Hornets are a team who the casual NBA fan might look at and say, “the Hornets?”, they haven’t been relevant since, well, never. Not since Baron Davis was in town. They’re a young team with talent at every position led by Kemba Walker. They might have the talent but they don’t have the experience and that’s what the Heat have and plenty of it.

            Heat win series 4-0

(4)   Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Boston Celtics

This will likely be the most entertaining series in the East playoffs. Two teams who are looking to prove that they can hang with the big boys. The Hawks were the top seed in the conference last season and slipped a little bit but still have a team who could contend for the conference championship. Paul Millsap leads the way for a team who looks to get back to the Conference Finals for a second straight season. The Boston Celtics are a team heading in the right direction and Brad Stevens is a coach who knows what he’s doing. Isaiah Thomas is one of the smaller players in the league but his 22 PPG will say otherwise. He’s one of the most underrated players in the league and these playoffs could be the coming out party for the 5^th year player.

            Celtics win series 4-3

Stephen Springer

Playoff Rankings/Betting odds

With the playoffs set to begin on Saturday, April 16^th, it seems fitting to rank the remaining teams. The Warriors are the obvious favorites going into the postseason, with Vegas giving them 2:1 odds to win the championship. The Grizzlies decimated roster has the worst odds at 1000:1. Here are my playoff rankings along with the Vegas odds for winning it all.

1. Golden State Warriors (73-9)  [2:1]
2. San Antonio Spurs (67-15)  [19:5]     
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (57-25)  [4:1]
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (55-27)  [15:1]
5. Los Angeles Clippers (53-29)  [40:1]
6. Toronto Raptors (56-26)  [50:1]
7. Miami Heat (48-34)  [75:1]
8. Boston Celtics (48-34)  [80:1]
9. Atlanta Hawks (48-34)  [100:1]
10. Portland Trailblazers (44-38)  [175:1]
11. Charlotte Hornets (48-34)  [125:1]
12. Indiana Pacers (45-37)  [200:1]
13. Detroit Pistons (44-38)  [250:1]
14. Dallas Mavericks (42-40)  [500:1]
15. Houston Rockets (41-41)  [250:1]
16. Memphis Grizzlies (42-40)  [1000:1]

*Odds by Sportsbook.ag

Grayson Gold-Garvey

The Pursuit of 73

After Thursday’s convincing 112-101 victory over the Spurs, the Warriors record sits at 70-9. All the Warriors need to do is win their final three games of the season to set the all-time single season wins record, breaking the Bulls ’95-96 record of 72-10. The only teams standing in their way are a banged up Grizzlies squad they will face twice and the Spurs team they faced Thursday night.

If Golden State manages to win in Memphis on Saturday, which they should easily do considering the Griz are basically a D-League team being led by Lance Stephenson, then that will set up the chance for the Warriors to record their 72^nd win of the season in San Antonio on Sunday. Coach Popovich is expected to rest his starters Friday night in Denver and play his typical lineup on Sunday when the Warriors come to town. The Warriors have posted a league best 32-7 record away from home this year, but this could be the most challenge road game they’ve played all season. On the second night of a back to back in San Antonio, where the Spurs have yet to lose this season, en route to a 39-0 home record.

The Warriors are 2-1 against the Spurs this season with each team winning their home games. With the exception of Andre Iguodala, we know that the Warriors really want this record. It would be a tremendous accomplishment and this will probably be their only opportunity to get it done. It seems fitting that Tim Duncan and the 65-13 Spurs stand in their way. Sunday’s game could very well be a preview of this year’s Western Conference Final and hopefully it matches the intensity of their March 19^th battle in San Antonio.

Grayson Gold-Garvey

NBA Power Rankings (Week 24)

The Warriors may have damaged their chances of breaking the Bulls NBA record of 72 wins, but they are still an impressive 60 games over .500. This week will feature two games between the two best teams in the league. It is difficult to guess who Popovich will play in these games, but they still figure to be tough outings for the defending champions. It will be interesting to see how the Warriors bounce back at home on Thursday and in San Antonio on Sunday.
(Brackets indicate previous rankings)

1. Golden State Warriors (69-9) [1]
2. San Antonio Spurs (65-12) [2]
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (56-22) [3]
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (54-24) [4]
5. Toronto Raptors (52-25) [5]
6. Los Angeles Clippers (49-28) [7]
7. Atlanta Hawks (46-32) [6]
8. Boston Celtics (45-32) [8]
9. Miami Heat (45-32) [10]
10. Charlotte Hornets (44-33) [9]
11. Portland Trailblazers (42-37) [13]
12. Indiana Pacers (41-36) [11]
13. Detroit Pistons (41-37) [12]
14. Dallas Mavericks (39-38) [19]
15. Utah Jazz (39-39) [14]
16. Houston Rockets (38-39) [16]
17. Chicago Bulls (39-39) [17]
18. Washington Wizards (37-40) [15]
19. Memphis Grizzlies (42-36) [18]
20. Orlando Magic (33-44) [21]
21. Sacramento Kings (31-47) [22]
22. Milwaukee Bucks (32-46) [23]
23. Denver Nuggets (32-47) [20]
24. Minnesota Timberwolves (26-52) [25]
25. New York Knicks (31-47) [24]
26. New Orleans Pelicans (29-48) [28]
27. Phoenix Suns (20-58) [27]
28. Brooklyn Nets (21-56) [26]
29. Los Angeles Lakers (16-61) [29]
30. Philadelphia 76ers (10-68) [30]

Image provided by USA TODAY Sports
 
Grayson Gold-Garvey