Round one is upon us! I’m here to make my official picks so that when I go 8-0 I have proof. Check out Happy Hour Hoops, our NBA podcast below, and skip ahead to 45:00 in the video/podcast for the start of our breakdown on the show. The still shot for YouTube perfectly describes the chaos.
Now for my picks!
#1 Milwaukee Bucks vs #8 Miami
#2 Boston Celtics vs #7 Atlanta Hawks
#3 Philadelphia 76ers vs #6 Brooklyn Nets
#1 Denver Nuggets vs #8 Minnesota Timberwolves
Advance the higher seeds and don’t even think twice about it. Bucks in 5. Nuggets in 5. Celtics in 4.
You might question Philly here. Don’t. Brooklyn is 11-13 since the deadline. Middy God Bridges might steal a game from the team who traded him on his draft night but don’t overthink it. Sixers in 5.
The rest of the series will be ranked by how much fun they will be. To watch, to talk about, to read about, to meme about. You like fun, don’t you?
#2 Memphis Grizzlies vs #7 Los Angeles Lakers
Now we’re talking. The Lakers won against Minnesota on Tuesday in a game, let’s just say, not many were fond of staying up late to watch.
Memphis has been through a season of turmoil. You all know about the Ja situation. They’ll be without Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke, leaving a gaping hole in their interior defense. They still have Dillon Brooks. Everything’s trending down.
Meanwhile, the Lakers are 21-11 in 32 of the last 35 games. What’s the commonality in those games?
A) the trade deadline passed
B) Anthony Davis returned
There was a slight SNAFU when LeBron got hurt right after the deadline, but Davis has been so damn good and the trades reinforced their roster to create a legitimate contender.
No, I’m not picking against LeBron James in favor of the guy suing a teenager.
Lakers in 6.
#3 Sacramento Kings vs #6 Golden State Warriors
No lie, I started writing Golden State as the 3 seed before correcting myself, which perfectly describes the vibe of this series.
Sacramento is the best story in the NBA, snapping professional sports’ longest playoff drought (we won’t talk about who now owns it). They’re the league’s highest-scoring team. Sabonis and Fox are legitimate MVP and All-NBA candidates. They have one of the deepest rosters in the NBA and their coach was Steve Kerr’s right-hand man, theoretically knowing the ins and outs of the Warriors’ schemes.
And on the flip side, Golden State was inconsistent all year, barely won 10 games on the road and started the season with two players with hundreds of millions of dollars punching one another. It’s been a mess.
The bright spot for this series is that Andrew Wiggins will return, after missing time to care for his father as he’s been ill. But Wiggins’ first game action in months is game 1 and they need him to return to last year’s form, when he was legitimately Robin to Curry’s Batman en route to a championship.
The Kings have had a resurgence and one of the best regular seasons in franchise history. The Warriors have had one of their most dramatic seasons, from start to finish.
I can’t believe that I’m doing this.
But I’m taking the Sacramento Kings in 7 games.
#4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs #5 New York Knicks
My favorite team of all time against my mortal enemies: New York City franchises (except the Mets, LGM).
The Cavs are one of the best teams in the NBA statistically but they have one Achilles heel. Their 3-point defense. They are bottom 10 in the NBA in defending the 3-ball. It’s been an issue all year.
They have had great metrics because it’s almost impossible to score at the rim against them due to Mobley and Allen, but it’s a distinct weakness that good teams will take advantage of in a series.
But unfortunately for New York, Julius Randle will most likely miss the start of the series. Jalen Brunson has been incredible and is a true lead guard, but it’s a lot to ask of him to take on Mitchell/Mobley/Garland/Allen carrying the scoring load himself.
That’s no knock on Immanuel Quickley who’s going to get a BAG this summer. But the combo of Quickley/Toppin/Barrett/Robinson doesn’t feel like enough to keep up with Garland/Mobley/Allen/Okoro if Mitchell and Brunson cancel each other out as scorers.
And to be honest, it’s not going to be a cancel-out situation. This is Donovan Mitchell’s series. Facing his hometown Knicks, a year after he thought he would be traded there, it’s time to make a statement.
I expect greatness from Mitchell and I expect more consistency from the Cavs’ supporting cast than I do the Knicks (with or without Randle). Cavs in 6.
#4 Phoenix Suns vs #5 Los Angeles Clippers
If Paul George were healthy, this would be a closer series.
But the fact is the Clippers will miss him immensely when trying to defend Durant and Booker. Even with Kawhi (who’s not the same defender he used to be), they are going to struggle to stop the Suns. Why? Because everyone has.
The Suns are damn near unbeatable it seems with Kevin Durant on the roster.
The Clippers are deep, well-coached and have a Finals MVP carrying the scoring load. They’re not going down without a fight.
But I think the Suns are going to overwhelm them, a theme for the next couple of months.
Suns in 5.
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