By With the NBA regular season over and the playoffs starting this weekend here are my 1st round playoff predictions, regular season award winners. So I’ll start with my playoff predictions in the eastern conference.
Eastern Conference 1st Round
#1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. #8 Detroit Pistons– This should be a fast series for the Bucks who are the prohibitive favorites to come out of the East. The Pistons could steal 1 game at home but their season will end in round 1 as the Bucks will win this series 4-0 and their quest to the finals continues.
#2 Toronto Raptors vs. #7 Orlando Magic– I’ll try to be as unbiased as possible here but this will be another quick series. Although the Magic are a good story and pleasant surprise, the Raptors are simply too much for the Magic to compete with and this is another 4-0 series in favor of the Raptors.
#3 Philadelphia 76ers vs. #6 Brooklyn Nets– This series could be one of the interesting ones in the first round. This match up will be a test for the 76ers and their chemistry, can Embiid, Butler, Simmons, Redick and Harris truly come together and live up to their potential?
For the Nets who were another good story and surprise especially the rise of D’Angelo Russell whose play in the 2nd half of the regular season was incredible. Russell and the Nets will make this a series but the 76ers will win this in 6 games.
#4 Boston Celtics vs. #5 Indiana Pacers– This series is a classic 4 vs. 5 as the Celtics go against the Pacers. This series is pivotal to the Celtics who have been a roller coaster of team this season along with not living up to their Year preseason expectations that many thought were possible.
However this Pacer team is tough and resilient despite not having star player Victor Oladipo for most of the season due to injury, this series could go either way but I’m going to trust the Celtics get it together and win this series in 7 games. Now we go to the very competitive western conference bracket that may have some surprises in the first round.
Western Conference 1st Round
#1 Golden State Warriors vs. #8 Los Angeles Clippers– The Warriors quest for a three peat starts against a team from Los Angeles but it’s not the Lakers, it’s the clippers.
This blue collar clipper team led by coach Doc Rivers, the Clippers is going to make the defending champs work for every game. In the end the Warriors get a wake call and win this series in 5 games and advance.
#2 Denver Nuggets vs. #7 San Antonio Spurs– Probably the biggest surprise of the season was the Denver Nuggets and the ascension to the top of western conference.
But their opponents the Spurs are a surprise as well not expected to make the postseason are trading star player Kawhi Leonard but the Spurs are in the playoffs again to play the spoiler this time.
Clearly experience is in favor of San Antonio, and the talent favors Denver, as much as I enjoy the nuggets and all-star Nikola Jokic this season I think the Spurs end this fairy tale like season by winning the series 7 giving what maybe only major upset in the first round.
#3 Portland Trailblazers vs. #6 Oklahoma City Thunder– This series could be another upset in the making. The Blazers coming into this postseason on a 10 game playoff losing streak and have a challenging Thunder team waiting.
This series will come down to composure and efficiency which I give the advantage to Trailblazers, this postseason is crucial for the thunder’s future but Westbrook’s horrible shooting efficiency and lack of secondary scoring will not match up to the scoring ability of the Blazers backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum who will come of age this series as the blazers win this in 6 games.
#4 Houston Rockets vs. #5 Utah Jazz– In my opinion this is the most exciting series of the first round, as the Rockets and Jazz face off. This could be a “Irresistible Force meets the immoveable object” kind of match up with Rockets superstar James Harden and his out of this world scoring goes against the tough Jazz defense and on the flip side Jazz rising star Donovan Mitchell continue his ascent against a crafty Rockets defense.
Despite Harden amazing record breaking regular season and Chris Paul’s leadership it will be a disappointing season for Houston as Mitchell and the Jazz surprisingly win this series in 7 games.
With my playoff predictions out of the way I can get to my regular season award winner predictions, so here we go.
Most Valuable Player– For me this year the MVP has been a no brainer and it’s Giannis Antetokounmpo who has been a dominant force all season averaging 28 points, 12.5 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 1.5 blocks per game this season as well as shooting 64% from the field while only playing 32 minutes! As great of an offensive/scoring season James Harden put together he will be a close 2nd as Antetokounmpo wins the first of possibly many MVPs.
Defensive Player of the Year– Paul George had an amazing season but his defense is what stands out. Leading the league in steals with 2.3 which helped the thunder lead the whole league in team steals and third in team defense rating.
Averaging 7 defensive rebounds a game and in the top 5 in deflections per game George is deserving of defensive player of the year for without his defensive impact the thunder would not be a playoff team.
Rookie of the Year– I haven’t been shy with my thoughts of Luka Doncic, Doncic has been the rookie of the year all season although Hawks rookie superstar Trae Young had an amazing 2nd half of the regular season Doncic has been incredible all season. Leading rookies in scoring with 21 points a game, 2nd in rebounding for rookies with 8 a game and assists with 6 Doncic along with 24 double doubles and 8 triple doubles makes him a no brainer to win rookie of the year.
Sixth Man of the Year– This was a 3 man race all year with 2 of 3 being on the same team which is unusual. But the sixth man of the year goes to Lou Williams of the Los Angeles Clippers; Williams averaged 20 points a game playing 27 minutes a night.
This will make Williams’ second straight sixth man of the year and third overall.
Most Improved Player– My choice for most improved player can be considered biased but is a no contest and well deserving. Pascal Siakam has without question improved leaps and bounds in his game, performance and role on a playoff contending Raptors team. Siakam averaged 17 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal a game and shot 59% from the field, a respectable 30 % from 3 and 74% at the free throw line make Siakam the clear choice for this award.
Coach of the Year– This season’s coach of the year award is a tough decision. This intriguing race comes down to 5 coaches; Clippers coach Doc Rivers, Raptors coach Nick Nurse, Nuggets coach Mike Malone, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer.
My answer is Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer who made a 44 win team into a 60 win team that are number one in the east and the best record overall making the Bucks a title contender this season.
This weekend begins one of the more exciting times in sports with the playoff, let’s how it all unfolds and enjoy every minute of it.