2013 NBA Playoffs Brackets: First-Round Series That Are Destined to Go Seven
With the 2013 NBA playoff bracket nearly set, the matchups are also pouring in and this year's postseason showdowns appear to be on the horizon.
Get ready for an old-fashioned brawl.
Both conferences have rivalries, injuries and poor play that could affect their playoff chances, while the majority of the teams also have plenty to draw on after managing to make it to the top 16 of the NBA pinnacle this season (depending on what happens at the bottom of the West on Wednesday).
That in mind, it won't be hard to look ahead at this year's first-round matchups and start seeing what kind of first round we're really in for. While the top seeds figure to move on, you never can tell in the NBA anymore, in large part because the talent is so great league-wide.
Below, we'll look at how things sit in each conference with respect to the bracket, and take a brief look at three series that could go all the way to seven games—and not even be out of the first round yet, to boot.
2013 NBA Seeding (as of 4/17/13)
| Western Conference | Eastern Conference | |
| 1 | Oklahoma City Thunder-xyz | Miami Heat-xyz |
| 2 | San Antonio Spurs-yz | New York Knicks-yz |
| 3 | Denver Nuggets-z | Indiana Pacers-yz |
| 4 | Los Angeles Clippers-yz | Brooklyn Nets-z |
| 5 | Memphis Grizzlies-z | Chicago Bulls-z |
| 6 | Golden State Warriors-z | Atlanta Hawks-z |
| 7 | Houston Rockets-z | Boston Celtics-z |
| 8 | Los Angeles Lakers | Milwaukee Bucks-z |
Note: Utah Jazz (No. 9 in West) clinch No. 8 seed with Lakers loss and win on Wednesday night.
*x=clinched conference
y=clinched division
z=clinched playoff spot
2013 NBA Playoff Schedule
What: Best-of-seven format (all rounds)
When: Playoff series begin Saturday, April 20 (view what we know courtesy ofSportsMediaWatch.com)
Where: Home court advantage to higher seed, 2-2-1-1-1 format for first three rounds, 2-3-2 format in NBA Finals
Watch: ABC, ESPN, TNT, NBA TV (Check local listings after matchups are official)
2013 NBA First-Round Series That Will Go the Distance
No. 2 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 7 Houston Rockets (if Houston stays at No. 7)
For starters, San Antonio is limping coming into the postseason.
Already without starter Boris Diaw and key sixth man Manu Ginobili, the Spurs are unable to ride Tim Duncan's stellar play with heavy minutes because Gregg Popovich knows how vital the future Hall of Famer is to any playoff hope this team has.
On the other side, the Rockets are a dangerous team.
Led by James Harden and Jeremy Lin, Houston has played San Antonio close in four games this season, only holding a 1-3 record, but that one win is the most recent meeting of the two teams and Houston took San Antonio to overtime in another thrilling matchup of these two Texas rivals.
Throw in former Rocket Tracy McGrady joining up with the Spurs (h/t USA Today), and the stage is set for a classic Texas battle.
The Rockets aren't set in the No. 7 seed against the Spurs. Houston will have to beat Los Angeles (Lakers) on Wednesday night to cement this matchup, otherwise the Lakers will get the chance to take down the injury-depleted Spurs.
However, it's been foolish to count Popovich's teams out over the years, and this year is no exception. The Spurs still managed to navigate the NBA schedule to the tune of 58 wins (prior to Wednesday) and a spot near the top of the Western Conference.
The Rockets pose a threat to the Spurs because of their athleticism and ability to match up in key spots (Ginobili and Tony Parker are both beat up), as well as the fact that Houston holds one of the league's most potent offenses (106.1 points per game).
With the Spurs coming in limping as losers of six of their last nine, any opponent that lands a first-round match with San Antonio will already have the confidence that usually isn't there when looking at seeding. The Spurs will not lay down—making this matchup one sure to go the distance.
No. 3 Indiana Pacers/No. 4 Brooklyn Nets vs. No. 5/6 Chicago Bulls
While the results against the Pacers (1-3) haven't been as kind, the Bulls have been stellar (4-0) against the Nets this year.
Either team faces a tough draw with a healthy Bulls team.
Of course, that certainly hinges on a healthy Derrick Rose, who as recently as last week noted that he wasn't ready to rule out a potential return to the Bulls' lineup for a postseason run (h/t Chicago Tribune).
While a healthy Rose might or might not make the Bulls the favorites in any series, the rest of the lineup will give teams problems—no matter the opponent.
Luol Deng has played like an All-Star all year, carrying the brunt of the scoring on his back and making up for the fact that Rose is out of the lineup. Carlos Boozer has been better, too, while the emergence of young starter Jimmy Butler has kept Chicago afloat while dealing with injuries to Rose, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson (among others).
Good coaching and defense go a long way in the playoffs.
That's why it would be foolish to rule out the Bulls as a potential first-round upset candidate, as well as the potential for a late Rose return to the lineup. While both are unlikely when you look at the season's body of work, don't forget that the Bulls swept the Knicks and also went 2-2 against Miami.
Add up their record against the top four seeds in the East, and it sits at 11-9—right around seven-game territory for a first-round series, no matter the opponent.
No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 5 Memphis Grizzlies
It went seven games last season, and the Clippers and Grizzlies are set to lock horns again in '13.
This time, the Grizzlies are the underdogs coming in, and the Clippers will have the upper-hand with another year's worth of experience and cohesiveness with its starting unit. Throw in big-time bench players Jamal Crawford and Matt Barnes and savvy veterans Grant Hill and Chauncey Billups, and there's plenty of talent to choose from on the best team from LA this year.
Memphis is no slouch, either.
Although Rudy Gay is in Toronto these days, the additions of Austin Daye and Tayshaun Prince have been high-quality adds that more than made up for the loss of Gay in the lineup around Mike Conley, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol.
"Steady" is a good way to describe the Grizzlies these days.
Now more focused on the inside-out game than ever before, the Randolph-Blake Griffin and Gasol-DeAndre Jordan matchups will help decide this series, while both team's depth will come into question in playoff time.
It's cliche to predict this one going down to the wire again, but that's just the strength of the West this year.
Gear up, NBA fans—we might see more series go to seven games than ever before after the talent pool has widened out more this year than—you guessed it—ever before.
