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Well, it’s the most wonderful time of the year! What more can I ask for than the NBA playoffs and Wrestlemania weekend?! There will be NXT Stand and Deliver, Wrestlemania night one and two predictions up at ringside.raylentless.com if you want to check that out. Still, here on Attack the Glass, I will give you my first round match-up predictions and 11 intriguing playoff guys for this postseason. So, I will start with the Western Conference matchups, which will have great excitement out of the box.
Western Conference First Round
#1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. #8 Memphis Grizzlies or Dallas Mavericks
Honestly, it doesn’t matter who gets the eight seed because the Thunder will easily dispatch them (unless you want the Mavericks fan base to suffer more from Nico Harrison if they win tonight and steal a game in the series, which would give him more delusional validation for the Luka trade). OKC will easily win this series in four games, beginning their potential dominant run to the finals.
Winner: Thunder in four games
#2 Houston Rockets vs. #7 Golden State Warriors
The Rockets and Warriors face off again. A young and hungry Rockets team faces the battle-tested Warriors, who are coming into the playoffs a little banged up. I know some basketball fans want Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green to pull the upset, but a Rockets team led by tough coach Ime Udoka will make a statement by defeating the Warriors in a very intense seven-game battle.
Winner: Rockets in seven games
# Los Angeles Lakers vs. #6 Minnesota Timberwolves
This match-up will be one of the marquee series to kick the playoffs off, as the Lakers and T’Wolves go at it. I would love for this to be the start of Luka Doncic’s revenge tour as he helps the Lakers make a run to the finals, but Anthony Edwards will not go quietly because he feels he is the best player in the series. Despite the lack of size, it is hard to bet against LeBron, Luka, and Austin Reaves to overwhelm Minnesota, who will fall short, losing the series in six games, and the Lakers will advance to the next round.
Winner: Lakers in six games
#4 Denver Nuggets vs. #5 Los Angeles Clippers
Now to the series that is impossible to decide on, the Nuggets are coming into the playoffs a bit of a mess, firing their long-time coach and GM a week before the playoffs, while the Clippers seem to be peaking at the right time. Jokic, having another historical season doing everything he can, is enough to take Denver seriously. Still, the Clippers are well-coached and have the length required to make the series difficult for Jamal Murray, and if Kawhi Leonard can remain healthy, everything changes. I am going against my gut feeling and picking the Clippers to pull this series out, winning in six games and hopefully exercising some of the recent demons haunting Leonard and James Harden.
Winner: Clippers in six games
Eastern Conference First Round
#1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Atlanta Hawks or Miami Heat
The other one-versus-eight matchup will also be an easy series for Cleveland, which has had an excellent season on par with Oklahoma City. So, I am picking the Cavs to win this series in a five-game gentleman sweep.
Winner: Cavs in five games
#2 Boston Celtics vs. #7 Orlando Magic
The defending champions begin the quest to get back to the finals. Unfortunately, they face one of their more physical matchups in the Orlando Magic. Orlando always plays Boston tough, but the Magic offense still struggles in late-game moments. I’m picking the Celtics to win this physical five-game series.
Winner: Celtics in five games
#3 New York Knicks vs. #6 Detroit Pistons
The Knicks’ quest to make a deep playoff run begins against the young, combative, and surprising Detroit Pistons, who make their long-awaited return to the postseason. The Pistons were one of the big surprises of the regular season, and this series certainly will resemble the 1990s/ Early 2000s playoffs. Detroit has had a promising season that should not be considered a disappointment, losing in the first round against the Knicks, who will win the series in six games.
Winner: Knicks in six games
#4 Indiana Pacers vs. #5 Milwaukee Bucks
Pacers and Bucks square off again in the playoffs, where the narratives for each team are a little different. Indiana quietly was a top-four team in the East this season, which could make another surprise rerun to the conference finals, while the Bucks’ success this postseason will decide what is next for the team this summer. The Pacers have a deeper core but I just can’t bet against Giannis especially a pissed off Giannis, so I am taking a gamble and taking the Bucks to win in seven games.
Winner: Bucks in seven games
With the predictions done, I now get to the most intriguing guys for this postseason. I have 11 guys based on categories. These categories should be pretty straightforward, so here are my most intriguing playoff guys!
“I AM HIM!” Star Playoff Guy: Luka Doncic
*This is for the superstar player who will make the statement that they have arrived as an undeniable guy in the NBA*
This was not an easy choice, but I went with Luka Doncic to make a powerful and loud statement to the world, specifically, Nico Harrison and the Mavericks front office, by helping the Lakers make a finals run and potentially win a title. The other choices were Jayson Tatum, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Donovan Mitchell, but some revenge “Luka Magic” would be awesome.
Guy at a Crossroads: Karl-Anthony Towns
*This category is for the player and their career’s perception will be changed based on their performance this postseason*
Now I have been pretty clear on where I stand with Karl-Anthony Towns, but this season he did precisely what was needed, leading to an all-NBA season, but the postseason is a different breed of cat for Towns. So, if Towns has another meltdown or no-show performance, I think it is time to reevaluate Towns’ career properly.
“He is a DAWG!” (Defensive Menace) Guy: Lu Dort
*This category is for the defensive player with a breakout performance.*
OKC had a historic season based on their incredible perimeter defense, which was led by potential defensive player of the year Lu Dort. Dort will have the chance to showcase his defensive versatility to a larger audience this postseason, where people will see how much of a menace Dort is to some of the league’s top stars. Amen Thompson, Evan Mobley, and Tari Eason were the other considerations for this claim, but Dort was the pick.
Feel Good for this Guy: Donovan Mitchell
*This category is for the star player you want to feel good about during these playoffs*
There are so many players that we want to be happy for and have a feel-good story for their postseason journey. I went with Donovan Mitchell, whether it is Stephen Curry, LeBron James, SGA, Jokic, Jayson Tatum, Luka, or Giannis. Mitchell has taken some unfair criticism during his playoff career, and this season, Mitchell made the sacrifices that have put this Cavs team in serious title contention. Even if it’s a memorable deep playoff run, it is time for Donovan Mitchell to get some good fortune this postseason.
Hot Seat Coach: Tom Thibodeau
*This is for the head coach who is on the hot seat going into the postseason*
This was an easy choice for me because how the Knicks perform in these playoffs will decide whether the team will move on from Coach Thibodeau or not. Thibodeau is an old-school battle axe coach, a defensive genius, but perhaps he has done the best he can with this Knicks team, which is why the Knicks’ success/performance will be the deciding factor of Thibodeau’s tenure in New York.
Hot Seat Guy: Ja Morant
*Like the previous category, this is for the player who is on the hot seat with his team coming into the playoffs*
This next choice may be a little unfair, but depending on how tonight goes, it will be hard to ignore that hot seat underneath Ja Morant staying in Memphis. A lot of the whispers grew louder this season, and the recurring antics may have finally grown old with the fans, where if the Grizzlies get eliminated tonight, mainly if Morant performs poorly at home, then it may be time for us to prepare those long-awaited trade rumors involving the young star.
Legacy on the Line Guy: Jayson Tatum
*This category is for the next star whose legacy is on the line during these playoffs*
Jayson Tatum certainly is one of the top players in the NBA, but his legacy remains in question league-wide and Celtic lore. Coming off their championship last year, which was a statement more for Jaylen Brown than Tatum, this postseason, Tatum has to take charge and cement his place as the top man in Boston. Leading this Celtic team back to the finals and potentially going back-to-back would certainly put him in the conversation of Celtic greats with Russell, Bird, and many others.
Big Leap Guy: Chet Holmgren
*This is for the player who will make a giant leap and level up this postseason*
The guy I believe will make the big leap is Chet Holmgren for the Thunder. At some point in this playoff run, I expect Holmgren to have some moments where he impacts a series and becomes the co-star to potentially go along with Gilgeous-Alexander to win a championship this year.
Shams Reports! (Next Star to be in trade rumors): Giannis Antetokounmpo
*This category is for the next superstar to potentially spark some trade rumors this summer based on the outcome of these playoffs*
How this postseason pans out for the Bucks will lead to an exciting and uncomfortable summer in Milwaukee. If the Bucks go out in the first round or some embarrassing fashion, it will be time for the Giannis trade rumors to begin officially. If this does happen, it will be a sad end to an era for the Bucks and part of Antetokounmpo’s hall of fame career, because there are not many options for the Bucks to improve this team around Giannis while he is still in his prime. The Knicks and Nets should be the strong front-runners for a potential Giannis sweepstakes, but never count on the potential desperation that the Warriors and Heat could be in this offseason as well.
Wildcard Guy: Austin Reaves
*Our last category is dedicated to the player who either put his team over the top and won a title or was the reason for disappointment and exit in the postseason*
For me, this was another easy choice. Austin Reaves has come on the scene this season before and after the huge Luka trade. Reaves must be considered a serious third option that every team that plays the Lakers must respect, but his defensive shortcomings and lack of playoff experience can be used to expose him, which is a big flaw with this Lakers team.
