It’s been a long time since I’ve sat down to write a proper article. I haven’t written a sports article since my Super Bowl predictions came out. However, I’m here to change that. You all know that I love football (both versions), but I love the NBA just as much. And this season has definitely been one to remember. With the regular season ending yesterday we as NBA fans got some crazy storylines, with most of them coming from the Target Center in Minnesota.
Despite all that, we have the postseason to talk about. Will LeBron get his fifth ring? Will the Warriors run it back? Will Joel Embiid and the Sixers finally get over the hump? There’s only one way to find out. Let’s get into it.
(7) Miami Heat (44-38) vs (8) Atlanta Hawks (41-41) (April 11th, 7:30 p.m. EST)
A rematch of last years #1 vs #8 seed series in which Miami won 4-1. And while to the naked eye it may seem that Miami just wiped the floor with them, that was simply not the case. The Hawks were in position to tie the series at 1 in Miami but Jimmy Butler’s playoff career-high 45 made the Heat grab a decisive 2-0 lead.
This time around the Hawks are a different team. A new head coach in Quin Snyder and two new players into the rotation with Dejounte Murray and Saadiq Bey. The Hawks have the third best scoring offense in the NBA (118.4 ppg) and their star point guard led the league in total assists (741). And while the Heat are dead last in points per game (109.5 ppg) they are second-best in opponent points per game (109.8 ppg).
Key Players
MIA: G Tyler Herro (20.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg & 4.1 apg)
ATL: G Dejounte Murray (20.5 ppg, 6.1 apg & 1.5 spg)
I understand that when you look at these two teams, these are not the players that instantly come to mind. But trust me, their roles are incredibly valuable.
For the Heat, Tyler Herro is the catalyst to any run. His scoring ability will standout for this Heat team if Bam and Jimmy aren’t firing on all cylinders.
For the Hawks it’s simple, Dejounte Murray is their missing piece. They didn’t have a defensive stalwart at the guard position like Murray in their lineup for the last couple of years (all-defensive second team in 2018 & league leader in steals leader last year). He will help massively on matchups in this game and potentially in a series against a team like the Celtics with scoring wings.
Prediction: Miami 109, Atlanta 104
(7) Los Angeles Lakers (43-39) vs. (8) Minnesota Timberwolves (42-40) (April 11th, 10:00 p.m. EST)
Despite their season-finale antics, the Timberwolves still have a great chance to win this game. Now I know he is heavily clowned on NBA twitter, but Rudy Gobert is a three-time DPOY. And he is a good matchup for Anthony Davis. However, I just don’t see a reality where the Wolves win this game without their best one-five defender in Jaden McDaniels and their best bench scorer in Naz Reid. The Lakers have a great record since the trade deadline (18-8) and especially with the sideline fight between Gobert and Kyle Anderson I just don’t think it’ll go the Wolves way.
UPDATE: Rudy Gobert will not be traveling with the team to LA to face the Lakers according to Shams Charania. He will return to the team after the Lakers game.
Literally five minutes after I finish this section of the article I got the notification on my phone. Unbelievable scenes. If the Lakers lose this game, the MJ fans are going to lose their heads.
Key Players
LAL: C Anthony Davis (25.9 ppg, 12.5 rpg & 2.5 bpg)
MIN: G Anthony Edwards (24.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg & 1.6 spg)
I was tempted to put D’Angelo Russell for the Lakers, but it just has to be Anthony Davis. We’ve seen him play out of his mind this year. If he is on his game the Lakers are a nightmare to go against. Another key for AD is improving his efficiency at the charity stripe. In the last 10 games for the Lakers he has shot 72.7% from the line, compared his to career average of 79.3%. If he can get to the line over 10 times a game in these playoffs it’ll be a major key for a potential playoff run.
The reason I put Anthony Edwards here is simply due to the fact that he can pop out with a 40+ point game at any moment. Since they’ll be without McDaniels I think that this game will lie on the shoulders of Anthony Edwards. Will he be able to have a great shooting night at the Staples Center (I’m still calling it Staples I don’t care)? We’ll have to wait and see.
Prediction: LAL 119, MIN 111
(9) Toronto Raptors vs (10) Chicago Bulls (40-42) (April 12th, 7:00 p.m. EST)
This is the definition of a 50/50 game. Both teams are great defensively (TOR ranked fifth and CHI ranked seventh in opponent ppg) and have players that score at will if needed. For example, the Bulls have both DeMar Derozan and Zach LaVine who are both averaging over 24.5 ppg. And then the Raptors have both Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet who are both averaging over 19.3 ppg.
This is a weird game to predict though. Both teams have been “disappointing” this year and have different situations going on behind the scenes. Rumors of the Bulls front office breaking up the DeRozan and LaVine duo have been going on all year and on the Raptors side it’s looking like Nick Nurse has one foot out the door already.
Key Players
TOR: F Pascal Siakam (24.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg & 5.8 apg)
CHI: C Nikola Vučević (17.6 ppg, 11.0 rpg & 3.2 apg)
He’s the guy that fuels the engine for the Raptors. The All-NBA forward will have his work cut out for him against the defensive-heavy Bulls team featuring Pat Beverly, Alex Caruso and Patrick Williams. If he can’t get going I don’t see a reality in which this Raptors team pulls this off.
We know that DeMar and Zach will be able to score the basketball, the only question is will third man of Chicago’s “big three” show up? In order for this team to be successful Vuc needs to command the paint and knock down his shots. In his last five games he’s been shooting 23.1% from deep compared to his season-average of 34.9%.
With that being said, I’m going to have to go with the team that’s 27-14 at home this year (winning their last four as well).
Prediction: TOR 113, CHI 101
(9) New Orleans Pelicans (42-40) vs (10) Oklahoma City Thunder (40-42) (April 12th, 9:30 p.m. EST)
There was a point this year where the Pelicans were the best team in the conference. Zion Williamson was healthy and playing at an All-NBA level (averaging 26.0 ppg & 7.0 rpg on 60.8% from the field), but he hasn’t been on the court since January 2nd due to a hamstring injury and will likely not again this year.
On the other side, the Thunder weren’t even supposed to be here. When their first-round pick Chet Holmgren was ruled out for the year with a foot injury, everyone wrote off their season. However, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander having a career-best year averaging 31.4 ppg & 51.0% from the field (both career-highs), and rookies stepping up, the Thunder find themselves two wins away from the playoffs.
Key Players
NOP: G C.J. McCollum (20.9 ppg, 5.7 apg & 38.9% from three)
OKC: F Lu Dort (13.7 ppg & 4.6 ppg)
We know that Brandon Ingram is going to be the primary scorer, but how will C.J. McCollum step up when the team needs him? In their last game against the Timberwolves C.J. missed two key free throws down the stretch along with a foul on Anthony Edwards allowing a big and-one. If the Pelicans want to find a way into the eighth seed, he needs to be at his best.
For the Thunder SGA is obviously the big name, but their lockdown defender goes by the name of Lu Dort. His defense, a.k.a the Dorture Chamber, will be pivotal against McCollum and Ingram. If he holds either of them to a bad shooting night the Thunder have a chance to sneak away with a win.
I need to have one upset pick in my predictions right? SGA 40-piece McNugget incoming as the Thunder pull this upset off in overtime.
Prediction: OKC 133, NOP 129 F/OT
Second-Round of Play-In Games
(8) ATL 118, (9) TOR 97
(8) MIN 109, (10) OKC 102
My Playoff Matchups
Western Conference
(1) Denver Nuggets vs (8) Minnesota Timberwolves
(2) Memphis Grizzlies vs (7) Los Angeles Lakers
(3) Sacramento Kings vs (6) Golden State Warriors
(4) Phoenix Suns vs (5) Los Angeles Clippers
Eastern Conference
(1) Milwaukee Bucks vs (8) Atlanta Hawks
(2) Boston Celtics vs (7) Miami Heat
(3) Philadelphia 76ers vs (6) Brooklyn Nets
(4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs (5) New York Knicks
That will be it for this article. I should have my full playoff predictions uploaded before the first game on Saturday. Champions League & the NBA playoffs are in full swing and I’m loving every second of it. This is YSN, until next time, signing out.
