The NBA Playoffs first round continues this week for 10 of the 16 teams in the Association’s postseason. While those teams must still battle it out, three NBA franchises are through to the second round after dominant performances. The Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors and New Orleans Pelicans have qualified for the next stage, and a possible upset in the next round could be brewing in both conferences.
Philadelphia 76ers – +900 to win the NBA Championship
Philadelphia was brilliant in its four games to one series win over the Miami Heat. The 76ers pasted the Heat in all four wins and put up 104 points or more in those games.
The decisive game five saw the team’s big stars rise to the occasion. Joel Emiid registered a double-double with 12 rebounds and 19 points. The big man only played 29 minutes. Ben Simmons had his own double-double with 10 boards and 14 points and J.J. Redick was the 76ers high-point man with 27.
Philadelphia is young and exciting, and the team is everything the NBA needs this season to freshen up the league. On April 10, ZCode System’s NBA blog featured a playoff simulation. Which NBA team won it? The 76ers, of course. The team Philadelphia played in the final of our simulation was the New Orleans Pelicans.
The 76ers will play the Boston Celtics or Milwaukee Bucks in the second round. Both teams are beatable.
New Orleans Pelicans – +4000
The Pelicans finished the NBA season 22-8 following DeMarcus Cousin’s season-ending injury in February. The team wasn’t expected to make the postseason, nor did anyone believe New Orleans could knockoff the No. 3 seed Portland Trail Blazers.
New Orleans not only beat Portland, but the Pelicans swept its rivals in dominant fashion. Only one game against Portland saw the Pelicans score fewer than 100 points. New Orleans now play the No. 2 seed Golden State Warriors, a team the Pelicans lost to three out of four times during the regular season. That one win came following Steph Curry’s injury.
Golden State Warriors – +110
Golden State pushed past an over the hill San Antonio Spurs team in the first round rather easily. The Warriors’ series against New Orleans will be more of a test. The Pelicans are younger and hungrier, and could spoil another trip to the finals for the Warriors.
Ahead of Golden State’s game 4 against San Antonio, coach Steve Kerr stated star point guard Steph Curry “wouldn’t return anytime soon”. That doesn’t mean Curry won’t play in the second round, but fans – and bettors – shouldn’t expect the guard back yet.
The Warriors have great players without Curry on the court. However, the guard is the glue that keeps the team together. His 26-plus points a game are missing from the line-up, and the Warriors will need to find someone to step up to fill the void as the playoffs get more difficult.
ZCode System NBA Playoffs Simulator
A new ZCode System NBA Playoffs Simulator once again picked the New Orleans Pelicans and the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Finals. The big difference in this simulation and our previous simulation was the outcome. The simulator predicts the Pelicans to win their first ever NBA Championship over the 76ers.
P.S. Upgrade to Zcode VIP Club and Unlock All Winning Picks. Instant Access.
