Power rankings system devised and compiled weekly by Stemshul. “Expert” analysis by paradroid.
Ok, the first round is in the books! Did I get my predictions right? Almost! The only one I missed was the only upset I predicted (Utah over Dallas). That’s right, every higher seed won their matchup. Not very exciting, and what’s more, almost every series was over in either 5 or 6 games. No dominating sweeps and no game sevens, except for what was the popular upset pick, Boston/Brooklyn. That was indeed dominating, but I wonder if that says as much or more about Brooklyn than being indicative of the beginning of a deep playoff run for the Celtics. On to the picks. We’ll start out east once again.
#1 Miami Heat vs. #4 Philadelphia 76ers
Miami dispatched the Hawks without too much trouble, dropping just one game in Atlanta on a Trae Young floater with 4.4 seconds left. The Heat remain star deficient, but play really tough defense and share the ball well. Their coach, Erik Spoelstra, has also won two title, albeit with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh in starring roles. I would be tempted to give the edge to Philly thanks to their two dominant players, but now they’re down to just James Harden. Joel Embiid suffered a broken orbital bone and a concussion due to an inadvertent elbow in the 4th quarter of game 6 while the team was well ahead, which begs the question: why was he still in? He’s historically been injury prone, and while this was a freak occurrence, it severely reduces their odds to move on. I’m going with the Heat.
#2 Boston Celtics vs. #3 Milwaukee Bucks
This one boils down to one player: Giannis Antetokounmpo. Can he single-handedly solve the mighty Boston defense? Khris Middleton is likely out for the entire series with a MCL sprain, and although there are other good players on the team, Middleton is their second leading scorer and also a great playmaker (5.4 APG). The Celtics are basically back at full strength, but can they stop Giannis? I think this one goes to a game 7, but I have to give the edge to Boston thanks to their advantage in both health and home court.
#1 Phoenix Suns vs. #4 Dallas Mavericks
Another injury to keep an eye on is Devin Booker, who came back for game 6 for the Suns and didn’t quite look like his usual self. Luka Doncic returned for the Mavs, so both teams are theoretically ready to go. Phoenix had way more trouble than I thought they would against the Pelicans, but they eventually got it done. Dallas ruined my perfect record by disposing of the Jazz, who now face real roster construction decisions after their latest playoff failure. I think Phoenix is a better balanced team, so I’ll go Suns here.
#2 Memphis Grizzlies vs. #3 Golden State Warriors
Here’s where I find my upset this round. The Grizzlies were great this year, but I think they require a little more seasoning before they make the Conference Finals. The Warriors have found a new death lineup, this time with (the usual in their death lineups) Draymond Green at center to go with Klay Thompson and Steph Curry combined with Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins. This version has a little less size than previous versions, but more shooting. I think their experience will help, but this is the first time all year their top five players are all healthy. I’ll pick Golden State.
Ok, we’ll be back for the conference finals with more picks!
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