The playoffs start Saturday. And I can't freaking wait.
East:
Hawks over Nets in 5.
Cavs over Celts in 5. I really like this Celts team & especially Brad Stevens as coach. I'd love if they could steal 2 from Cleveland, but it might be too much to ask.
Bulls over Bucks in 6. I'm sure Chicago was happy to avoid Washington.
Wizards over Raptors in 7. This should be the best first round match-up in the East.
West:
Warriors over Pelicans in 5. Watching Curry & The Brow is a series should be fun, but there's a reason why the Warriors won 67 games.
Rockets over Mavs in 6. I imagine Carlisle will have Rondo on Harden a lot, which is an intriguing matchup. A lot of hate between these two teams.
Spurs over Clippers in 7. This is a first round match-up? Shows you how stacked the WC is. Both teams have been playing lights out recently. The two teams split the regular season series 2-2. I'm going with the champs.
Grizzlies over Blazers in 6. Portland has too many injuries.
Cavs in 4
Bulls in 5
Raptors in 7
Warriors in 4
Rockets in 7
Spurs in 5
Memphis in 7
2. CP3. No more excuses. He has a great shooter, defender/rebounder and a Robin to go with him. His 1st round matchup is brutal, but if you are considered the best PG in the league, you have to win these series once in awhile.
3. Rose. He has shown glimpses of being the Rose of old since he has returned (even though last night he was awful and only played 10 minutes). If he just settles for long jumpers and 3s, it will be disappointing. A 2nd round matchup against Lebron is looming.
its setting up nicely for the biggest first round upset since Bdiddy and the warriors over the mavs!
He's answered a lot of questions this year.
But the 1 question he has left to answer is the biggest one. Can he perform in the playoffs? So far he has struggled, but it's a different Harden this year and I hope that means different results in the playoffs.
Rondo's going to make Harden work for it though. The refs allow Rondo to play very physical and he did a decent job on Harden this year because of it. But Harden should still be able to roast Rondo. He needs to.
I fucking hate the Mavs. Outside of the Eagles/Cowboys/RedSox, they might be #1 on my hate-list. I respect Dirk but despise everything else about that franchise. The Rockets should be favored but I think it's still a toss-up series because of the Mavs' experience and coaching advantage.
LAC vs. Spurs should be a fun one. The Warriors really lucked out getting these 2 teams to face off in round 1. Arguably the 2nd and 3rd best teams in the league. Should be a war, gotta give the Spurs the edge due to depth.