NBA Playoff Brackets preview by Harout.
Greetings to all of you! One of my most anticipated times of the year is finally here, the NBA Playoffs. As promised, now that the seedings/matchups for the first round are confirmed, I will be giving you all my previews/predictions for this postseason of the NBA.
Eastern Conference, Playoff Preview:
(1) Indiana Pacers VS. Atlanta Hawks (8)
It was fortunate for both teams to achieve what it was they were striving for in stretch to close out the season; the Hawks secrued the last and final seed, and the Pacers clinched the Conference’s best seed. At first thought, its safe to assume who wins this series, but the question is – how easy will it be for the Pacers? Do they get a sweep, or will this one require extra games before the decision? Believe it or not, I have the hawks to match-up pretty well with the Pacers. Last season when the Hawks played Indiana in the playoffs, they had a legitimate chance to win the series. They were tied 2-2 after four games and the Hawks lost deciding game six by eight points, trailing by three with less than three minutes left in regulation. If Teague continues to score at will, and Carroll and the rest of the players can limit george, they will make a much more anticipating series. Of course, I am not predicting this series to go to 7 games, but it definitely will take a collaborative effort from the Pacers to close this series out early. I think Atlanta can defend at least a minimum of one game in this series, and I say that because the Pacers have not been too impressive on the road this season compared to the other elite teams in the league. However, a steal in either game 3 or 4 is more than likely, and if the pacers can do that, this one will be over in 5 when they head back to the Fieldhouse in Indiana.
(4) Chicago Bulls VS. Washington Wizards (5)
There were many scenarios that could have taken place yesterday, and we could have had a completely different matchup in this No.4 and No. 5 seed series, but after a Bulls defeat and a Wizards victory (as well as a loss from the Brooklyn Nets), Chicago and Washington will complete in a series that will certainly be intriguing. Washington has the better offense going into this series, but the Bulls have a solid defense and more playoff experience. This will give Chicago an edge in this series, however I do believe that this matchup will be competitive regardless. Bradley Beal and John Wall make up a lethal scoring backcourt duo. Both guards are young and very talented to say the least. However, given the defensive style of the Bulls, perimeter guards such as Jimmy Butler, and Kirk Hinrich should not have a tough time containing the Wizard’s offense. Nene Hilario, D.J. Augustin and Taj Gibson are all going to play very important roles this series. I like Chicago’s bench for the simple fact that Augustin is the leading scorer on the team and he doesn’t even start. He is also the second leading assist man on the team. Tom Thibodeau is one of the best coaches in the NBA and he gets the most out of his players. Even with Derrick Rose going down with another injury and Luol Deng getting traded, the Bulls still managed to earn the No. 4 seed in the East. At the end of it all this series has the potential to go to 7 games, and we will see a battle of a Defensive Minded Team (Bulls) VS. Offensive Minded Team (Wizards).
(3) Toronto Raptors VS. Brooklyn Nets (6)
I sniff an “upset” coming in this series. Even though the raptors have drastically improved this season after the roster changes they made earlier in the year, I still think they are to inexperienced to have any success as a post season team. The raptors are a solid team that performed well during the season, but they are nothing more than that. The nets roster is filled with many veteran players such as Pierce, Garnett, Williams, and Joe Johnson to name a few, and these are all players who are very seasoned and have had a lot of experience in the league. Despite the seeding in this series, I would favor the nets to win this one. The additional game on the home court might be a disadvantage, but there are so many other aspects that benefit the Nets in this spot, and regardless of where they are playing, the Nets have a very experienced roster to handle business against the Raptors. I have the Nets winning this one in 6.
(2) Miami Heat VS. Charlotte Bobcats (7)
This is the worst case playoff scenario for the bobcats. The do not match up well against the Heat, and despite where the Heat ended up in the standings, there is no other opponent that the Heat would rather face in this seeding. The same Miami Heat team that went 4-0 against them in the regular season and Miami gets Dwyane Wade back healthy just in time to make a run. It’s a far cry from a matchup with Toronto the Bobcats could have slid into if they could have held on to their late season push for the six seed. They’ll be substantial underdogs against the heat here in this series, and the only thing the bobcats can hope for is to get at least one win and save themselves the embarrassment. I have the Heat to win this one in 4, maybe 5 if the bobcats play one of their games to perfection, but I am being generous. Get the brooms out for this one.
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