Here are my predictions for the Semifinals of the 2017 NBA Playoffs.
Eastern Conference
(E4) Washington Wizards vs (E1) Boston Celtics: This should be a very entertaining series between two very good teams in the East. The Celtics are coming off a six game series win over the Chicago Bulls after dropping their first two home games of the series. The Wizards are coming off a six game series win over the Atlanta Hawks. The point guard matchup between John Wall and Isaiah Thomas is the main storyline here and that should be fun to watch. The Celtics struggling against the Bulls was a bity worrisome to me, but Thomas was dealing with the death of his sister and they caught a huge break when Rajon Rondo broke his hand. The Wiz played well for the most part against the Hawks, but their defense is worrisome to me. That said, I'm picking the upset. Wall is the best player in this series and he'll lead them to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in a long time.
Prediction: Wizards in six games.
(E3) Toronto Raptors vs (E2) Cleveland Cavaliers: Here we have a rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals from a year ago. The Cavaliers are coming off a four game sweep over the Indiana Pacers. The Raptors are coming off a six game series win over the Milwaukee Bucks. The Raptors are a better team now than they were a year ago thanks to more depth and the trade for Serge Ibaka. The Cavs may have pulled off a sweep, but they came darn close to losing Game 1 at home and they had to come back from 26 points down to win Game 3. That said, I think the Cavs will pull this one out in which I believe will be a great series.
Prediction: Cavaliers in seven games.
Western Conference
(W5) Utah Jazz vs (W1) Golden State Warriors: This series should actually be somewhat interesting. The Warriors are coming off an impressive four game sweep over the Portland Trail Blazers considering they didn't have Kevin Durant for two of the games due to injury. The Jazz are coming off an impressive seven game series win over the Los Angeles Clippers considering they didn't have Rudy Gobert for a few games due to injury. It certainly helped their cause that Blake Griffin was hurt for the Clips as well. That said, I believe with Durant back, the Warriors should go to their third straight conference finals although I believe the Jazz can steal a game or two because they area pretty decent defensive team and very well coached.
Prediction: Warriors in five games.
(W3) Houston Rockets vs (W2) San Antonio Spurs: This is perhaps the best matchup of the second round due to the fact we have two MVP candidates going up against eachother in Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. The Spurs are coming off a six game series win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The Rockets are coming off a five game series win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. This should be a tremendous series, but I like Leonard and the Spurs to move on to their first Western Conference Finals in three seasons.
Prediction: Spurs in seven games.
No comments:
Post a Comment