Well, round one is in the books. It went more or less as expected, with a couple of disappointing performances (looking at you, Sixers) and a couple of exciting showings (i.e. Luka’s arrival on the playoff scene). It’s time to take a look at round 2.
Eastern Conference
(1) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (5) Miami Heat
Let’s be clear right off the bat with this one – we’re still not sold on the Bucks being as good as their regular season record suggests. They have sort of a Lob City Clippers feel to them – great in the regular season, but inevitably disappointing in the playoffs. Milwaukee was also the only eastern conference team to advance that did not sweep its round one series, having lost game one to the Orlando Magic. The Miami Heat, on the other hand, brushed aside an Indiana Pacers side that looked like it would be at least an interesting opponent in the first round. There’s something in the water in Miami (or maybe in Jimmy Butler’s $20 coffee); this team just seems to have that confidence. They play loose. They play together. They play with the belief that they can beat anyone. Combine all that with Jimmy Butler’s late-game playmaking ability, and this matchup is one that’s ripe for an upset.
Prediction: 4-2, Miami Heat
(2) Toronto Raptors vs (3) Boston Celtics
Alright so full disclosure – this was published after game one of the series took place. But here’s the thing; that isn’t going to alter what our prediction for the outcome of this matchup is. Toronto has looked surprisingly good this year following the departure of Kawhi Leonard to LA in free agency, and Boston has also proven to be better than many thought they would be prior to the season. Both teams play rhythmic, flowing basketball with young, developing stars at the helm. All that said, we’ve been waiting for the Raptors to come back to Earth after winning the championship last year, and this series could be the one in which that happens. The Celtics present a number of key defensive and offensive issues for Toronto: defensively, Boston has the length, speed, and awareness to cover the ball-movement oriented Canadian side; and offensively, the Celtics can score quickly, either on fast breaks or by getting hot from beyond the arc. We’re not dismissing Toronto in this series – in fact, we think this will be a more competitive matchup than the Bucks-Heat will be – but we think Boston has what it takes to stifle the Raptors.
Prediction: 4-2, Boston Celtics
Western Conference
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs (4) Houston Rockets
After watching Houston and the Oklahoma City Thunder play a great seven game series, we’re not sure this matchup will be as interesting as we thought it would have been. OKC was a fun team to watch this year – and they played well in the series against the Rockets – but Houston didn’t look like the scoring juggernaut they’ve had the reputation of being the past couple of seasons. Now, the Lakers have also not looked spectacular so far in these playoffs – they’ve looked completely beatable, but we’re not convinced Houston is structured to take advantage of that. But you never know. If James Harden can get cooking early and often, this could be a short series for LA. We think LeBron and Anthony Davis will be too much, though.
Prediction: 4-1, Los Angeles Lakers
(2) Los Angeles Clippers vs (3) Denver Nuggets
This matchup figures to be a bit of a letdown after watching the Dallas Mavericks play the Clippers in the first round; aside from Jamal Murray, Denver was unimpressive in its first round win over the Utah Jazz. The Nuggets – while never a serious title contender, in our opinion – don’t look nearly as good as their third-seed status suggests they would be. The Clippers haven’t looked amazing either, but they’ve still got Kawhi to lean on when needed, and as far as contingency plans go, that’s a pretty good one. It’ll take a couple big games from Murray and at least one or two of his teammates for Denver to keep this series close, and we’re not convinced that’s a likely scenario. LA is a solid defensive team – a great one, when it gets in rhythm – and they have arguably the best player in the world in Leonard. All of this spells trouble for Denver, and spells an intra-city showdown in the conference finals for LA.
Prediction: 4-1, Los Angeles Clippers