#8 Atlanta Hawks v.s. #1 Indiana Pacers
Both of these teams enter the postseason struggling to find their offense so don't expect too many of these games to be played in the 100's. The Hawks come into the postseason with a costly injury. Their starting center Al Horford will miss this entire playoff run with torn pectorals. Staring in his place is Pero Antic who is still in his rookie season. In order for the Hawks to be a serious challenge to Indiana, they will need huge production offensively from their guards Jeff Teague, Lou Williams, and Kyle Korver along with Paul Millsap down low. With Indiana having a huge advantage inside, the Hawks will need to shoot the lights out from deep.
The Pacers, who hold the East's top spot, have been playing under .500 for the last couple of weeks. This is a good matchup for the Pacers because of their size advantage and having a deeper team. Hibbert and West should have a field day inside but the real key is for Hill and Stevenson to match the production of the Hawks guards. I don't believe that the Hawks have anybody who can stop Paul George either and he is going to be the best player on the floor both offensively and defensively. In the end, the Pacers being at home and playing their style of defense will be way too much for a beaten up Atlanta Hawks team.
My Prediction: Pacers win series 4-1
#5 Washington Wizards v.s. #4 Chicago Bulls
Probably the most interesting first round matchup in the East features a young and talented Wizards squad and a defensive juggernaut in the Bulls. The loss of Derrick Rose for this matchup is huge because of the guard on the other side and his rise in stardom, John Wall. Wall along side Bradley Beal gives Washington a steady backcourt that can create tons of problems for a Bulls squad who's biggest weakness is scoring at the guard position. The Bulls get a bulk of their scoring down low with Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer, and Taj Gibson. Their energy defensively, positive rebounding margin, and ability to score will create problems for the Wizards and give the Bulls an edge in that area. However, the Wizards do have some capable big men that can compete with the Bulls in Marcin Gortat and Nene. In a matchup of offense v.s. defense, experience v.s. inexperience, and home court everything points to the Bulls winning this series. Especially when you have an MVP candidate in Joakim Noah who is playing the best basketball of his career. Call me crazy but I actually believe Washington will take this series. Yes, their inexperience scares me, but their athleticism along with their three point shooting should be enough to beat a tough and gritty Bulls team.
My Prediction: Wizards win series 4-3
#6 Brooklyn Nets v.s. #3 Toronto Raptors
If you told me at the start of the season that the Toronto Raptors would be the Atlantic Division champs, I would have laughed right at you and said very funny. Looks like I'm the one looking stupid as the Raptors finished the regular season 48-34 good enough for third in the conference. Their first round matchup is against their division rival Brooklyn Nets. The Nets have way more playoff experience with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Joe Johnson, and Deron Williams leading the way. Even though the Raptors have home-court, this is a huge factor in favor of Brooklyn. The one main advantage Toronto has in this series is athleticism. Fast break points and rebounding are two areas in which the Raptors should control over the course of the series. While the Raptors use a philosophy of "big guys by committee," the Nets relied heavily on Brook Lopez for offensive production until he had a season ending injury which keeps him out of the postseason. The Nets are going to need vintage KG along with Andray Blatche and Mason Plumlee to keep pace with Toronto inside. I see this series being long with very close finishes and many twists and turns. In the end, Toronto's perimeter defense is going to stifle Brooklyn and a home game 7 with a raucous crowd will prove to be the difference.
My Prediction: Raptors win series 4-3
#7 Charlotte Bobcats v.s. #2 Miami Heat
Sure, Miami beat Charlotte all four times this year so we should just expect them to roll over the Bobcats in the playoffs too right? Not exactly.... The Miami Heat come into the playoffs, just like the Pacers, struggling. They finished their last 25 games under .500 and only two teams have ever won the title while doing that. Charlotte on the other hand comes into the playoffs red hot, finishing the regular season 18-8. The Miami Heat are definitely the better, more experienced team but the reason I believe Charlotte will compete is because Miami's weaknesses are Charlotte's strengths. The PG and C positions are the Heat's main weaknesses since they are a really small team. This helps the Bobcats because their best players who can carry this team are center Al Jefferson and point guard Kemba Walker. They also have a young, athletic SF in Michael Kidd-Gilchirst who can try and contain Lebron. The health of Dwayne Wade will also be crucial because if he's at 100% then Miami is a totally different team. Expect the Heat to pull through in this series, but they will be tested by big Al and company.
My Prediction: Heat win series 4-2
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