NBA Playoff Picture

The NBA Playoffs are just around the corner and there is still some seeding to be finalized in both conferences. With roughly 10 games left for all teams, here’s how the current match-ups are shaping up.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

(1)  Atlanta Hawks (55-17) vs. (8) Boston Celtics (32-40)

·      Atlanta leads season series 2-1

(2)  Cleveland Cavaliers (47-27) vs. (7) Miami Heat (33-39)

·      Miami leads season series 2-1

(3)  Chicago Bulls (44-29) vs. (6) Milwaukee Bucks (36-36)

·      Chicago leads season series 3-0

(4)  Toronto Raptors (43-30) vs. (5) Washington Wizards (41-32)

·      Toronto leads season series 3-0

The most intriguing matchup in this first round would obviously be Cleveland and Miami. The Heat seemed to play their best against LeBron and the Cavs, and why not. LeBron left Miami to go back to Cleveland and help lead his hometown team back to the playoffs and the ultimately the Finals. In three games against the Cavs this season, the Heat averaged 100 points; in their other 69 games they averaged 94 points. Dwyane Wade on the season averaged 21.5 points a game but in the two games he played in against the Cavs his average went up by 10 points. It’s also an intriguing matchup because the crowd in Miami will be louder than any of those four Finals runs. I expect Cleveland to win the series but I also expect it to go seven games.

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

       (1) Golden State Warriors (59-13) vs. (8) Oklahoma City Thunder (41-31)

·      Golden State leads season series 3-1

       (2) Memphis Grizzlies (50-23) vs. (7) Dallas Mavericks (45-28)

·      Memphis leads season series 3-1

       (3) Houston Rockets (49-23) vs. (6) San Antonio Spurs (46-26)

·      Season series tied at 1-1

(5)  Portland Trailblazers (46-25) vs. (5) Los Angeles Clippers (48-25)

·      Los Angeles leads season series 2-1

The Western Conference Playoffs are always fun to watch. The winner always comes out with some bruises. The matchup I would most be looking forward is Golden State and Oklahoma City. Even with Kevin Durant being out the rest of the season having to undergo foot surgery, the Thunder can still give the Warriors problems. Russell Westbrook is putting up numbers we haven’t seen since Michael Jordan, and Westbrook’s numbers might be better during his current stretch. In the month of March he’s averaging 30 points, 10 assists and 8.5 rebounds; along with the four triple-doubles he’s had. The Warriors haven’t had to face many hurdles this season, but the Thunder are a team that could give them a scare and it would be interesting to see how they would react to potentially losing a game at home (they’re 34-2 at Oracle Arena). Stephen Curry looks poised to bring home the MVP trophy this season and he would need to have MVP numbers to ensure his team doesn’t get bounced early.

Another potential matchup to keep an eye on is Houston and San Antonio. The Rockets got Dwight Howard back after having not played since January 23^rd and are easing him back into game speed so he’s ready to play a full game. If the two teams got matched up, Dwight could be the factor in the series.

Keep checking back for updates on matchups.