2011 NBA Playoffs Predictions: Who'll Win Every Series Through the NBA Finals
All eight of the NBA's first-round playoff matchups are officially set. And with all 16 teams in place, it's time to predict how each will fare (not just in the first round, but all the way to the end).
Which teams can score an early upset? Which teams have a legitimate shot at a title?
Does the recent play of the Lakers or Celtics mean anything? Will LeBron James finally get the playoff monkey off his back?
These questions and many more will be answered over the next couple months.
Here are predictions for each series from now through the finals...
Eastern Conference: Round 1
1 of 20
Team Matchups
Pacers at Bulls
2 of 20
Individual Matchups
PG: Darren Collison vs. Derrick Rose
SG: Paul George vs. Keith Bogans
SF: Danny Granger vs. Luol Deng
PF: Tyler Hansbrough vs. Carlos Boozer
C: Roy Hibbert vs. Joakim Noah
Bench: Bulls
Do the Pacers have a chance to win this series? My heart and my head say no—but nothing's impossible, right?
Derrick Rose should have his way with Collison all series long, and Chicago's frontcourt will dominate Indiana's young duo of Hansbrough and Hibbert.
Prediction: Bulls win 4-0
76ers at Heat
3 of 20
Individual Matchups
PG: Jrue Holiday vs Mike Bibby
SG: Jodie Meeks vs Dwyane Wade
SF: Andre Iguodala vs LeBron James
PF: Elton Brand vs Chris Bosh
C: Spencer Hawes vs Zydrunas Ilgauskus
Bench: 76ers
The Big Three's first playoff series together should be a good warmup for them. I think Philly has a better bench, point guard and center, but James, Wade and Bosh are simply going to be too much to handle.
Iguodala can slow LeBron down about as well as anyone. But that's all he can do...slow him down.
Philadelphia may win one game at home, but this series is definitely going to the Heat.
Prediction: Heat win 4-0
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Knicks at Celtics
4 of 20
Individual Matchups
PG: Chauncey Billups vs. Rajon Rondo
SG: Landry Fields vs. Ray Allen
SF: Carmelo Anthony vs. Paul Pierce
PF: Amare Stoudemire vs. Kevin Garnett
C: Shelden Williams vs. Shaquille O'Neal
Bench: Celtics
The Celtics may have beaten the Knicks last night, but neither team was playing anything like they're going to when this series starts.
Boston may appear to be the clear favorite on paper, but I see Anthony and Stoudemire finally playing well at the same time in this series. And I expect Chauncey Billups to hit some big shots as well.
Each team will go the home team until the Knicks pull off a huge Game 7 upset.
Prediction: Knicks win 4-3
Hawks at Magic
5 of 20
Individual Matchups
PG: Kirk Hinrich vs. Jameer Nelson
SG: Joe Johnson vs. Jason Richardson
SF: Marvin Williams vs. Hedo Turkoglu
PF: Josh Smith vs. Brandon Bass
C: Al Horford vs. Dwight Howard
Bench: Magic
When the Hawks acquired Kirk Hinrich at the deadline, I wrote that I thought Atlanta would upset Orlando in the first round.
Well, things have changed, and I have a hard time seeing the Hawks winning this series.
The key here is the Magic bench. Atlanta doesn't have enough reserves to offset the contributions that Orlando's J.J. Redick and Ryan Anderson will make (especially Anderson).
Prediction: Magic win 4-2
Western Conference: Round 1
6 of 20
Team Matchups
Portland Trailblazers at Dallas Mavericks
Memphis Grizzlies at San Antonio Spurs
7 of 20
Individual Matchups
PG: Mike Conley vs. Tony Parker
SG: Tony Allen vs. Manu Ginobili
SF: Sam Young vs. Richard Jefferson
PF: Zach Randolph vs. Tim Duncan
C: Marc Gasol vs. Antonio McDyess
Bench: Spurs
The Spurs are clearly the better overall team in this series, but the Grizzlies have won a few big games this year.
Their frontcourt is stronger than the San Antonio's, but they're outmatched in just about every other way.
Prediction: Spurs win 4-2
New Orleans Hornets at Los Angeles Lakers
8 of 20
Individual Matchups
PG: Chris Paul vs. Derek Fisher
SG: Marco Bellinelli vs. Kobe Bryant
SF: Trevor Ariza vs. Ron Artest
PF: Carl Landry vs. Pau Gasol
C: Emeka Okafor vs. Andrew Bynum
Bench: Lakers
The Lakers will take a couple games off in this series, but in the end, they'll win with relative ease.
New Orleans could have made things a little more competitive if David West hadn't torn his ACL a few weeks ago, but even then, they would have been outmatched.
Prediction: Lakers win 4-2
Portland Trailblazers at Dallas Mavericks
9 of 20
Individual Matchups
PG: Andre Miller vs. Jason Kidd
SG: Wesley Matthews vs. Rodrigue Beaubois
SF: Gerald Wallace vs. Shawn Marion
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge vs. Dirk Nowitzki
C: Marcus Camby vs. Tyson Chandler
Bench: Mavericks
Tons of people are already predicting more first-round woes for the Dallas Mavericks. But this squad has a completely different mentality than the ones that have failed in the past.
Shawn Marion and Tyson Chandler have transformed Dallas into a more defensive-oriented team, and they still have plenty of offense with Nowitzki, Terry and Barea.
This will be an extremely competitive series though. Each game will be close, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Portland come out on top.
Prediction: Mavericks win 4-2
Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder
10 of 20
Individual Matchups
PG: Ty Lawson vs. Russell Westbrook
SG: Arron Afflalo vs. Thabo Sefolosha
SF: Danilo Gallinari vs. Kevin Durant
PF: Kenyon Martin vs. Serge Ibaka
C: Nene vs. Kendrick Perkins
Bench: Nuggets
I'm looking forward to this series more than any other the first round has to offer. Both teams are young, exciting and play with a lot of passion.
Oklahoma City's starting lineup is certainly better than Denver's, but the Nuggets' bench will keep things very interesting.
In the end, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook will be too much for Denver to handle.
Prediction: Thunder win 4-3
Eastern Conference Semifinals
11 of 20
Team Matchups
Orlando Magic at Chicago Bulls
New York Knicks at Miami Heat
Magic at Bulls
12 of 20
Individual Matchups
PG: Jameer Nelson vs. Derrick Rose
SG: Jason Richardson vs. Keith Bogans
SF: Hedo Turkoglu vs. Luol Deng
PF: Brandon Bass vs. Carlos Boozer
C: Dwight Howard vs. Joakim Noah
Bench: Magic
Chicago has clear advantages at both forward spots, but the point guard matchup may not be as much of a wipeout as you think.
Jameer Nelson has a great deal of playoff experience and always seems to play his best basketball in big moments.
Dwight Howard will have a few issues with Noah, but he'll still put up huge numbers (if he can stay out of foul trouble).
The bench is the key for Orlando again.
If they can knock down a good chunk of their threes, it will be hard for Chicago to keep up with them (they simply don't have as many weapons on offense).
Considering Chicago's defense this year, that's assuming a lot.
I can see this series going either way, but I think Orlando's experience will win out in the end.
Prediction: Magic win 4-3
Knicks at Heat
13 of 20
Individual Matchups
PG: Chauncey Billups vs. Mike Bibby
SG: Landry Fields vs. Dwyane Wade
SF: Carmelo Anthony vs. LeBron James
PF: Amare Stoudemire vs. Chris Bosh
C: Shelden Williams vs. Zydrunas Ilgauskus
Bench: Heat
This is going to be an extremely exciting series. Don't be surprised if things get a little chippy the way they did between these two organizations in the late 90s.
The Knicks have advantages at a few matchups, but LeBron and D-Wade are going to extremely difficult to shut down.
Right now, New York simply doesn't play the kind of defense required to win a championship, and Miami does.
Prediction: Heat win 4-3
Western Conference Semifinals
14 of 20
Team Matchups
Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs
Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Lakers
Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs
15 of 20
Individual Matchups
PG: Russell Westbrook vs. Tony Parker
SG: Thabo Sefolosha vs. Manu Ginobili
SF: Kevin Durant vs. Richard Jefferson
PF: Serge Ibaka vs.Tim Duncan
C: Kendrick Perkins vs. Antonio McDyess
Bench: Spurs
On paper, the Spurs appear to be a slightly better team than the Thunder. They're pretty deep, and they have tons of experience
But I think the speed and athleticism of Oklahoma City is going to cause all kinds of problems for San Antonio.
Their slashing guards will have a hard time scoring on the stellar interior defense of Ibaka and Perkins, and they don't have anyone that can keep up with Kevin Durant.
In this series, I see youth and energy topping experience (barely).
Prediction: Thunder win 4-3
Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Lakers
16 of 20
Individual Matchups
PG: Jason Kidd vs. Derek Fisher
SG: Rodrigue Beaubois vs. Kobe Bryant
SF: Shawn Marion vs. Ron Artest
PF: Dirk Nowitzki vs. Pau Gasol
C: Tyson Chandler vs. Andrew Bynum
Bench: Lakers
Dallas is finally going to escape the first round, but that's probably where their championship road is going to end.
These two teams actually match up pretty well, but the toughness of Bynum, Bryant and Matt Barnes off the bench will get the best of Dallas.
The most interesting matchup in this series is the one between Dirk and Pau. Dirk is clearly the better offensive player but can't compete with Gasol as a defender or a rebounder.
Plus, the Lakers as a team have that killer instinct that Dirk and the Mavs have never been able to develop.
Prediction: Lakers win 4-3
Eastern Conference Finals: Orlando Magic at Miami Heat
17 of 20
Individual Matchups
PG: Jameer Nelson vs. Mike Bibby
SG: Jason Richardson vs. Dwyane Wade
SF: Hedo Turkoglu vs. LeBron James
PF: Brandon Bass vs. Chris Bosh
C: Dwight Howard vs. Zydrunas Ilgauskus
Bench: Magic
Dwight Howard and the Magic pulled off an upset of LeBron's top-seeded Cavaliers when almost no one expected it in 2009.
The biggest problem for Cleveland back then was trying to deal with the matchup problems that Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis created.
But Turkoglu isn't the same player he was then, and Brandon Bass is not the kind of player Lewis was then. Plus, Chris Bosh is significantly better than Anderson Varejao.
Orlando could recreate some of that old magic if Stan Van Gundy would finally start Ryan Anderson over Brandon Bass, but that's not going to happen at this point in the season.
This is going to be a very tight and intense series, but I don't see Orlando overcoming the home-court advantage in Game 7.
Prediction: Heat win 4-3
Western Conference Finals: Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Lakers
18 of 20
Individual Matchups
PG: Russell Westbrook vs. Derek Fisher
SG: Thabo Sefolosha vs. Kobe Bryant
SF: Kevin Durant vs. Ron Artest
PF: Serge Ibaka vs. Pau Gasol
C: Kendrick Perkins vs. Andrew Bynum
Bench: Lakers
The Lakers and Thunder had a very exciting first-round series last year. Things are different now. The Thunder were an overachieving bunch of youngsters in 2010, but now, they're legitimate contenders.
The addition of Kendrick Perkins has made Oklahoma City a lot better inside, but Los Angeles should still be in control around the rim Gasol and Bynum.
Plus, the versatility of Lamar Odom off the bench is going to cause major headaches for Ibaka, Nick Collison or whoever else tries to guard him.
And let's not forget about Kobe. I think we'll see that old familiar look return to his eyes as Los Angeles gets deeper into the playoffs.
The Thunder do have a shot at winning this series, but winning a Game 7 in Los Angeles is extremely hard if you're not the Lakers.
Prediction: Lakers win 4-3
NBA Finals: Lakers at Heat
19 of 20
Individual Matchups
PG: Derek Fisher vs. Mike Bibby
SG: Kobe Bryant vs. Dwyane Wade
SF: Ron Artest vs. LeBron James
PF: Pau Gasol vs. Chris Bosh
C: Andrew Bynum vs. Zydrunas Ilgauskus
Bench: Lakers
Coach: Phil Jackson vs. Erik Spoelstra
Miami dominated Los Angeles in the regular season, but we all know the Lakers are a much different team in the playoffs.
More than any other squad in the league, they seem to have the ability to "flip a switch" as they say.
Even though he'll still hit a few big shots, Derek Fisher is probably the worst starting point guard in the playoffs. Bibby's way past his prime as well, but Miami has the advantage here.
I give Kobe the slightest of edges over D-Wade because it is the finals where Kobe is king. And Dwyane Wade won't get the same calls against the Lakers that he got against Dallas in the '06 finals.
I don't even think we need to discuss the small forward matchup. Ron Artest and Matt Barnes will get into LeBron's head a little bit, but ultimately, he'll still have a great series.
Perhaps the most intriguing matchup is Gasol and Bosh. I give the edge to Pau because of his length, rebounding, defense and fundamentally sound offensive game.
The centers aren't even close. Andrew Bynum will utterly dominate anything Miami throws at him (assuming he's still upright by this point).
The Lakers have a huge advantage in terms of benches and coaching as well. Lamar Odom will likely win the Sixth Man of the Year Award and Phil Jackson is an 11-time NBA champion.
If Los Angeles plays to the best of their abilities (which the only seem to do in June), not even Miami's vaunted Big Three will be able to stop them.
Prediction: Lakers win 4-3
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