The NBA playoffs are right around the corner and I broke down the five matchups that all NBA fans would love to see.
The smell of lofty hopes and dreams are in the air this Spring. March Madness is ending and the playoffs are just around the corner. The NBA playoffs are a wonderful time of the year. No more resting players or coasting through games (looking at you LeBron). The playoffs are where we see the best 16 teams in basketball duke it out to determine who will be the ultimate champion of the league.
Young players, such as Giannis Antetokounmpo or Nikola Jokic, are leading their young teams towards the playoffs and it will be interesting to watch them in their big challenge of the year. The MVP candidates are also all set to win by whatever means necessary. The top MVP candidates, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, will lead their troops into battle with the goal of beating the best in the West — the Warriors. The Warriors are bracing for impact after Kevin Durant returns and will have to fix their offense back to what it was before Durant was injured.
As NBA fans, we would all love to see Spurs and Warriors in the first round. But, that dream matchup will have to wait until, probably, the Western Conference Finals. Patience is a virtue, my friend. Even though we will not get the matchup of our dreams in the first round, there are still plenty of good games to watch as we venture down the path to the Finals.
5. Spurs – Grizzlies
If the playoffs started today, the Spurs would be playing the Grizzlies in a heated matchup that has always caused sparks to fly.
Last year, the Spurs swept the Grizzlies 4-0 in their playoff series. This year could be different, though. The heart of the Spurs — Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Tony Parker — is mostly the same, but the Spurs bench has drastically changed. Their two big rookies, Davis Bertans and Dejounte Murray have proven their worth to the Spurs this season. They acquired David Lee, Dewayne Dedmon, and Pau Gasol in the offseason who have added depth at the center position after Duncan retired. The energizer bunny, Patty Mills, is now splitting minutes with the aging Tony Parker. The Spurs are very different than last year.
The Grizzlies have also changed. They fired Dave Joerger and hired Miami Heat assistant coach, David Fizdale. The Grizzlies signed Mike Conley to the biggest contract in NBA history over the summer. They also signed Chandler Parsons, who has underperformed and will be out for the remainder of the season after undergoing a meniscectomy. Marc Gasol is attempting more 3-pointers this season, and has become one of the best stretch bigs in the league.
The only thing that remained constant for these two teams since they met in the playoffs last season was their logos. This will be one matchup to look out for.
4. Wizards – Pacers
The fact that these two teams would play one another if the playoffs started today would be incredible.
Both of these teams are starting to click at just the right time. The Wizards are arguably the second best team in the Eastern Conference and the Pacers are finally starting to gel after a rocky start to their season.
The Wizards are benefitting from the emergence of their young small forward, Otto Porter. Porter is leaps and bounds better than what he was last year. To illustrate this, you only have to look at one of his stats, his Box Plus-Minus — a box score based estimate of a player’s net impact per 100 possessions. Last year, Porter’s BPM was +1.8 and this year it is up to 4.8. He has made amazing strides on the offensive end this season and his defense has only gotten better since last year. He has set himself up for a max contract this season.
The Wizards are also benefitting from John Wall and Bradley Beal, who were being questioned as a duo heading into this season. Undoubtedly, both have squashed the notion that they are not compatible together.
The Pacers are finding their footing just in the nick of time. Their two big free agent acquisitions, Jeff Teague and Thaddeus Young, both had high expectations when they entered Indiana but have played better alongside Paul George as the season has gone on. Myles Turner took over the center position from Ian Mahinmi. Turner is definitely one of the young bright spots on this team along with Glen Robinson III. Although the team is not perfect, they have the tools to try and compete with Washington.
The difference when the Pacers and the Wizards play in the playoffs is that everyone will be healthy. Thaddeus Young will be available, barring he does not get injured. This will be a series to watch if it happens.
3. Jazz – Clippers
Ohhhhhhhh boy! What could be more exciting than the Clippers and the Jazz? (Well maybe a couple other games but that’s beside the point).
The intriguing matchup every game is the young French center, Rudy Gobert, versus one of the best centers in the game, DeAndre Jordan. Both are extremely gifted on the defensive end and have been phenomenal for their respective teams. Jordan earned his first All-Star selection this year and Gobert earned his first All-Star snub this season. Both players are similar — rim-runners on offense and rebounders and rim protectors on defense. Watching the two battle for control of the pain should be fascinating.
Chris Paul and Gordon Hayward will both be X-factors and will have to give their teams the certain edge needed to win. Being that these teams are so evenly matched, this could be a fascinating series to watch.
2. Cavs – Heat
These teams will always play their heart out against one another. There has been a weird dynamic between the Cavaliers and the Heat since LeBron left the Cavaliers to win a championship with the Heat and Dwyane Wade. But the past is the past and it’s time to look forward to this potential playoff matchup. They have played each other three times and will play once more on April 10. That will be the game to watch for because that will be right before playoff time and Kevin Love will be back from injury.
Now let me explain why this is a marquee matchup.
Every time the Cavaliers have played the Heat this season, there has been an asterisk by the game. The December game, you can argue that the Heat were still trying to figure things out. In both of the 2017 games, you can argue that Kevin Love was injured so those games don’t count. These teams have not been able to duke it out with each other when their at their best.
Look at the previous games that they have played against one another. They’re all close, except for the December game but that was before the massive run that the Heat went on. Since the All-Star break, the Heat have been on a run that includes wins against the Rockets, Warriors, and some of the other top teams in the league.
Normally a No. 1 seed versus a potential No. 1 seed is a fodder for a sweep. With the way the Heat are playing and the weird history between these two teams, fans are in for a sweet treat.
1. Rockets – Thunder
We should really be calling this Russell Westbrook versus James Harden. The allure of the two top MVP candidates playing against each other has got to be good for ratings.
The Houston Rockets are trying to make a deep run into the playoffs and they have the team to do so. With James Harden in his prime and a very good supporting cast. how is the time for Houston. Harden is a top MVP candidate and wants to lead his team to success in the postseason.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have had a weird season. Even though they had one of the best individual seasons from one of their players, Russell Westbrook, they are stuck at the No. 6 seed. The problem? The supporting cast. Westbrook is putting the team on his back night after night and the players around him need to step up their game or else they could be in serious trouble once the playoffs start.
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This series will be a seriously fun one to watch as we all drool over the matchup of Harden and Westbrook going after one another, play after play. May the basketball gods bless us all with these matchups.