Western Conference:

Warriors vs. Trailblazers: Warriors in 4 – I do not see this series being close at all. I think the Warriors are fired up and peaking at the right time, as they played their best basketball at the end of the regular season. Kevin Durant has just come back, but he is looking great. The Blazers, on the other hand, limped their way into the playoffs. The only way for the Blazers to steal a game is to, (1) have Jusuf Nurkic back from his injury at 100%, or (2) Lillard and McCollum are both going to have to play phenomenal.

Spurs vs. Grizzlies: Spurs in 5 – The Grizzlies have been so underrated all year, and I would say this series would be a lot closer if Tony Allen was not injured. I think this will be a lot similar to the Cavs-Pistons series last year, where the Cavs swept them, but all 4 games were extremely close. This will be a competitive series, with the Grizz stealing a game, but the Spurs will pull it out under the coaching excellence of Gregg Popovich.

Rockets vs Thunder: Rockets in 6 – And here we have the two leading MVP Candidates. As I said before in my last article, I believe that James Harden will go off this series, on a mission to prove who the real MVP is. Of course it helps that he has a better team, and I think that the Rockets will prove to be just too much for OKC. I think the two games that the Thunder will get will be on the back of Westbrook, who will put up some monster numbers before going down.

Clippers vs Jazz: Clippers in 7 – This will be the closest and best series of the first round. These two teams are very equal skill-wise, and I think it will go all the way down to a Game 7. It will be tough for the Clippers, who have been riddled with injury all year, but I think the fact that they have 3 All Star caliber players and a good bench will help them prevail. I think the MVP for the Jazz will by Gordon Hayward, as he will not have to spend much time on the defensive end, as he will be guarding Luc Mbah A Moute.

 

Eastern Conference:

Celtics vs. Bulls: Celtics in 6 – Matchups between the 1 seed and the 8 seed are often not close, but I believe this one will be. The Bulls matchup well with the Celtics, and the Bulls have all the experience with Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade, and Rajon Rondo. Meanwhile the Celtics are relatively young, and if the Bulls can find a way to make Isaiah Thomas struggle, they can pull of an upset.

Cavaliers vs. Pacers: Cavaliers in 5 – The first few games of this series will be very important. We will see if the Cavs can really “flip the switch” and if Tyronn Lue’s secret defensive plan is really part of the gameplan. We will also get the see what Paul George can do to carry this Indiana team. I think he will have one of “those” games, but I think the Cavs will quickly rap this one up.

Raptors vs. Bucks: Raptors in 6 – I might have had the Bucks winning this one if Jabari Parker was still playing, but he is not and I think the Raptors guard duo will take the team past the Bucks. The only reason I have Milwaukee winning two games is because of Giannis. Nobody on the Raptors can guard Giannis, so I think we might see him get a triple double in this series, but it won’t be enough to beat Toronto.

Wizards vs Hawks: Wizards in 5 – The Hawks have been extremely hot lately, beating the Cavs twice, but I really do not see them beating the Wizards. They might be able to steal one game in Atlanta, but Wall and Beal is just too much for the Hawks to handle.

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