NBA Playoffs 2015: 1st-Round Predictions and Odds for All 16 Teams
The NBA regular season has come to an end, but the best basketball is yet to be played. The 2015 playoffs are finally upon us, as the 16 remaining teams prepare to duke it out in the first round.
The Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs are the three heavily favored teams to bring home the elusive Larry O'Brien trophy. However, each team has to overcome tricky hurdles and tough matchups in order to even get to the NBA Finals.
The Western Conference has been as competitive as ever this season, although tough injuries for several dark-horse contenders have softened the field for the streaking Warriors and Spurs.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference has appeared as a two-team race all season long, with the Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland leading the way. The Chicago Bulls are perhaps the most significant threat to shake up the East with key players returning to their lineup.
Before any team can start dreaming about winning the title, it will have to get through its first-round matchup. A lot of intriguing series will be worth watching when the festivities tip off on Sunday. Some of them are predicted to be one-sided sweeps, while others could go either way.
East: Atlanta Hawks (1) vs. Brooklyn Nets (8)
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Odds: Atlanta (1-10), Brooklyn (10-1)
The Hawks head into this series as heavy favorites, and understandably so. Head coach Mike Budenholzer has crafted an offensive system that caters to all of his players while adding defensive stability that Atlanta can rely on.
The Hawks rank sixth and eighth in offensive and defensive efficiency, respectively, per ESPN's Hollinger stats. That's the type of balance a true contender needs to have. Thabo Sefolosha's unfortunate season-ending injury following an off-court altercation is a huge blow to Atlanta's perimeter defense, but it remains one of the most dangerous teams in the East.
The Brooklyn Nets managed to squeeze their way into the playoffs on the last day of the regular season but aren't exactly poised for an extended run. They are a below-average team on both ends of the floor and lack the stability of their first-round opponent.
Brook Lopez has been terrific the last couple of months, and Brooklyn's offense has to operate almost exclusively through his post-ups. If the Hawks can limit his touches, they should have no problem disposing of the Nets without too much hassle.
Prediction: Hawks win 4-1.
East: Cleveland Cavaliers (2) vs. Boston Celtics (7)
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Odds: Cleveland (1-41), Boston (19-1)
The Cavaliers might have had a rocky start to their season, but they enter the playoffs with a ton of confidence. Kevin Love hasn't quite found his place within the team, yet the Cavs are a true offensive powerhouse behind LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.
Cleveland ranks just 20th in the league defensively this season, and that remains the biggest question mark regarding this team. James will presumably show up on that end of the court in the playoffs, but he has many defensive liabilities around him.
The Boston Celtics, on the other hand, weren't really supposed to make the playoffs. They are at a rebuilding stage, but things have clicked well under head coach Brad Stevens. The Celtics managed to leapfrog several other playoff contenders, although major injuries to the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers played a major part in that being a reality.
Cleveland is understandably a huge favorite here. Boston is gritty and has several young and feisty players, especially sixth-man dynamo Isaiah Thomas, but the star power is lopsided in this matchup. The Celtics might steal a game on their home court but will ultimately use this trip to the playoffs as valuable learning experience for their young core.
Prediction: Cavaliers win 4-0.
East: Chicago Bulls (3) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (6)
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Odds: Chicago (2-13), Milwaukee (11-2)
The Chicago Bulls' season appeared to be over when Derrick Rose was forced under the knife for yet another knee surgery earlier this season. Now that the starting point guard is back in the fold, the Bulls are a formidable threat in the East.
Pau Gasol has been a double-double machine, Nikola Mirotic has shined in his limited minutes, and Jimmy Butler has taken a step toward stardom.
The Milwaukee Bucks have been one of the most positive surprises this season. With a new head coach in Jason Kidd at the helm and a bunch of young talent on the roster, they've surpassed all expectations. Few could honestly say that they expected this roster to make the playoffs.
Yet here they are, right at .500, despite the midseason turmoil with Larry Sanders and the blockbuster trade that sent Milwaukee's best player, Brandon Knight, packing.
The Bucks are a feel-good story this year, yet they are a couple of seasons away from being a legitimate contender. Milwaukee is terrific defensively but simply doesn't have enough offense to threaten the seasoned Bulls in a seven-game series.
Prediction: Bulls win 4-1.
East: Toronto Raptors (4) vs. Washington Wizards (5)
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Odds: Toronto (4-6), Washington (8-5)
The Toronto Raptors' season has been a roller-coaster ride. They have seemingly bounced back from the abysmal 10-game run in February and March, during which they went 1-9 and only managed to beat the Philadelphia 76ers. But Toronto is still a disaster defensively (ranked 23rd in the league) and relies on its explosive, albeit occasionally stagnant, offense to win games.
Unlike several top contenders in the East, the Washington Wizards boast an elite defense yet lack an efficient offense. John Wall is fantastic, but the team's collective infatuation with mid-range jumpers (which has been well-documented at this point) is its biggest downfall.
As the game slows down in the playoffs, the Wizards might be able to hide their lack of offensive firepower, especially against a jumpy defensive team like Toronto.
This is a truly exciting matchup that will feature two contrasting styles, and it could go either way. Toronto swept the season series against Washington and has home-court advantage in the series, but these teams are evenly matched.
Prediction: Raptors win 4-3.
West: Golden State Warriors (1) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (8)
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Odds: Golden State (1-9), New Orleans (19-1)
The Warriors have been mesmerizing. Head coach Steve Kerr has managed to uncork the talent that was already present last year, and Golden State has put together a historically great regular season.
Behind Klay Thompson's and Stephen Curry's stellar shooting, the Warriors have a tight core with few flaws. At certain points of the campaign, Golden State has ranked first in both offensive and defensive efficiency, an incredible accomplishment.
The Warriors are expected to feast on the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round, who squeezed into the postseason by holding off the Spurs 108-103 in their regular-season finale, thus ending the Oklahoma City Thunder's playoff dream. The Pelicans maintained their composure and were solid when the stakes were high, and they are deserving of a postseason appearance.
New Orleans managed to steal a game in the regular season against Golden State, thanks to an incredible buzzer-beater by Anthony Davis, but lost the other three contests.
Davis is bound to go berserk in at least one of the games in this series and single-handedly win the Pelicans something, but the Warriors should cruise into the second round with relative ease.
Prediction: Warriors win 4-1.
West: Houston Rockets (2) vs. Dallas Mavericks (7)
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Odds: Houston (3-8), Dallas (27-10)
The Houston Rockets haven't been healthy this season, but James Harden's MVP-deserving campaign has kept the team relevant. Unfortunately, Houston enters the postseason short-handed.
There is still hope that starting point guard Patrick Beverley might return to the lineup following wrist surgery, assuming the Rockets manage to stay alive that long. Meanwhile, Donatas Motiejunas, the team's most reliable post scorer, is out for the year following back surgery.
The Dallas Mavericks were an unstoppable offensive force early in the season but have had trouble adjusting since moving Rajon Rondo into the starting point guard spot. As other teams have stepped up in time for the playoffs, the Mavs have seemingly regressed.
Untimely injuries have been painful, but Dallas has been a mess overall, ranking below league average in both offensive and defensive efficiency since the All-Star break, per NBAMedia.com.
Houston beat Dallas 3-1 in the regular season, but the Mavs were on back-to-backs in all of those games, and the two teams have looked evenly matched. It should be a close matchup, with the Rockets getting the slight edge thanks to having home-court advantage.
Prediction: Rockets win 4-3.
West: Los Angeles Clippers (3) vs. San Antonio Spurs (6)
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Odds: San Antonio (11-17), Los Angeles (13-8)
The Warriors might have taken over the regular-season throne in the West, but the Spurs have yet again heated up at the right time. San Antonio has been on fire since the All-Star break, ranking first in offensive and second in defensive efficiency. No team has outscored its opponents by more points per 100 possessions than the Spurs have in that time span, per NBAMedia.com.
The Los Angeles Clippers is another team that has found its groove at the right moment. The Clips are streaking into the playoffs, having closed the regular season 14-1 in their last 15 games, with a single close loss to the Warriors during that run.
The team survived Blake Griffin's absence and marches into the postseason with one of the healthiest rosters in the West. The Clippers might have fallen under the radar a little bit during the season, but they are very much a top contender in the conference.
Calling a winner in this series is brutally tough. It will feature an excellent coaching battle between Gregg Popovich and Doc Rivers, plus a ton of star power on the court. The Clippers will have home-court advantage, but San Antonio's recent form and playoff-proven roster are hard to bet against.
Prediction: Spurs win 4-3.
West: Portland Trail Blazers (4) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (5)
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Odds: Memphis (6-4), Portland (7-4)
There isn't a single playoff team in the West that is more banged up than the Portland Trail Blazers. LaMarcus Aldridge has been playing hurt, Wesley Matthews is out for the season, Arron Afflalo will miss time with a shoulder injury, and Nicolas Batum, who hasn't been right all season long, picked up a right knee contusion recently.
In other words, circumstances are less than ideal for Portland. Even if several players return to the lineup, they will hardly be at 100 percent. It's unfortunate, as the Trail Blazers were an interesting contender, but a first-round exit seems the most probable outcome this year.
The Memphis Grizzlies have nagging injuries across their roster too but should be able to field a full team once the playoffs tip off. The Grizz remain one of the more frustrating playoff matchups in the West. They are gritty and tough and boast one of the best defenses in the league.
Memphis has added Vince Carter and Jeff Green to the wing since last year, but they haven't really bolstered the offense in the way the team might have hoped. Still, the Grizz have a balanced roster that is capable of a deep postseason run.
Even though the Trail Blazers are the higher seed, they won't have home-court advantage, and it feels like the deck is stacked against them this year.
Prediction: Grizzlies win 4-2.
Odds are courtesy of OddsChecker.com.
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