NBA Playoff Bracket 2015: Round-by-Round Guide to the Postseason
This is exhausting.
30 NBA teams, 16 playoff squads, 82 games played per team over a span of about six months, and still it took the final evening of basketball to decide seven of the eight NBA playoffs matchups. But now we know.ย
Manu Ginobili, all is settled. You can relaxย now.
Actually, don't get too comfortable just yet.ย Ginobili is just about as familiar as anyone with this time of year. His San Antonio Spurs have made it into the postseason in 18 consecutive seasons, winning 50 games in 17 of them (and the one time they didn't was during the strike year of 1998-99 when they went 37-13 all the way to an NBA title).ย
The defending champion Spurs enter the playoffs winners of 14 of 16. They seem back on track, stuck on an inevitable path to a date with the No. 1-seeded Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. But there's a reason they play the games.
It's time to say our goodbyes to the regular season and everything that comes with it, including Derek Fisher's tight suits, Russell Westbrook's triple-doubles, Andrew Wiggins' high-flying dunks, DeMarcus Cousins' outbursts, Melvin Hunt's irrationally flamboyant celebrations and Nerlens Noel's blocked shots.ย
We can, though, welcome in at least four more games from 16 teams who've earned the privilege to keep playing ball.
The Matchups and Schedule
1 of 11
(NOTE: Teams with home-court advantage host Games 1, 2, 5 and 7. Teams without it host Games 3, 4 and 6.)
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Atlanta Hawks vs. No. 8 Brooklyn Nets
Game 1โSunday, April 19, 5:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 2โWednesday, April 22, 7 p.m. ET, NBA TV
Game 3โSaturday, April 25, 3 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 4โMonday, April 27, TBD
Game 5โWednesday, April 29, TBD
Game 6โFriday, May 1, TBD
Game 7โSunday, May 3, TBD
No. 2 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 7 Boston Celtics
Game 1โSunday, April 19, 3 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 2โTuesday, April 21, 7 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3โThursday, April 23, 7 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 4โSunday, April 26, 1 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 5โTuesday, April 28, TBD
Game 6โThursday, April 30, TBD
Game 7โSaturday, May 2, time TBD, game scheduled on TNT
No. 3 Chicago Bulls vs. No. 6 Milwaukee Bucks
Game 1โSaturday, April 18, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 2โMonday, April 20, 8 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3โThursday, April 23, 8 p.m. ET, NBA TV
Game 4โSaturday, April 25, 5:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5โMonday, April 27, TBD
Game 6โThursday, April 30, TBD
Game 7โSaturday, May 2, time TBD, game scheduled on TNT
No. 4 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 5 Washington Wizards
Game 1โSaturday, April 18, 12:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 2โTuesday, April 21, 8 p.m. ET, NBA TV
Game 3โFriday, April 24, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Game 4โSunday, April 26, 7 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5โWednesday, April 29, TBD
Game 6โFriday, May 1, TBD
Game 7โSunday, May 3, TBD
Western Conference
No. 1 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 8 New Orleans Pelicans
Game 1โSaturday, April 18, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 2โMonday, April 20, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3โThursday, April 23, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 4โSaturday, April 25, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 5โTuesday, April 28, TBD
Game 6โFriday, May 1, TBD
Game 7โSunday, May 3, TBD
No. 2 Houston Rockets vs. No. 7 Dallas Mavericks
Game 1โSaturday, April 18, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 2โTuesday, April 21, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3โFriday, April 24, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 4โSunday, April 26, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5โTuesday, April 28, TBD
Game 6โThursday, April 30, TBD
Game 7โSaturday, May 2, TBD
No. 3 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 6 San Antonio Spurs
Game 1โSunday, April 19, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 2โWednesday, April 22, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3โFriday, April 24, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 4โSunday, April 26, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 5โTuesday, April 28, TBD
Game 6โThursday, April 30, TBD
Game 7โSaturday, May 2, TBD
No. 5 Memphis Grizzlies vs.ย No. 4 Portland Trail Blazers
Game 1โSunday, April 19, 8 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 2โWednesday, April 22, 8 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3โSaturday, April 25, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 4โMonday, April 27, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5โWednesday, April 29, TBD
Game 6โFriday, May 1, TBD
Game 7โSunday, May 3, TBD
No. 1 Atlanta Hawks vs. No. 8 Brooklyn Nets
2 of 11
60-22 Atlanta Hawks vs. 38-44 Brooklyn Nets
Season series: 4-0, Hawks
What to Watch For
Just wait for the Hawks to destroy the Nets. I'm talking rocking them.
Brooklyn couldn't find a way to defeat Atlanta all year, and though it played the Hawks to three points when the two teams met at Barclays Center only a couple weeks ago, that differential in the final score was more reflective of all the open shots Atlanta missed down the stretch.ย
In reality, Atlanta is just the kind of team the Nets would struggle most to beat, and that's shown not just in the 4-0 season-series result, but also in the 17.3-point average margin of victory Atlanta had in that quartet of games.
What's the Plan?
Does it seem like the Nets can never stop the Hawks? Well, that's because they haven't been able to do it.
Brooklyn allowed 126.1 points per 100 possessions to Atlanta during the regular season. That's historically bad. Think about it for a second: Your average NBA game is about 94 possessions. Actually, the Hawks averaged more points per 100 against the Nets than they did any other team in the league.
This isn't just coincidence.ย
Nets coach Lionel Hollins isn't exactly known for his mid-game adjustments, while Mike Budenholzer, the man who is sitting on the other bench, has the exact opposite reputation. The Nets D is often slow to rotate, and when that happens, it ends up getting killed against the same play over and over again.ย
Brooklyn got crushed with the same pick-and-roll action against the Charlotte Hornets, Celtics and Hawks this year. It couldn't find any sort of remedy, often sticking with the same D over and over again. Add in how poor the Nets are at covering guys off the ball (guarding Kyle Korver is going to be a real chore for them), and it seems like the drive-and-kick game is going to rule this series for Atlanta. All the Hawks have to do is prod the D, wait for a mistake and then pounce, a trait at which they excel.
The Hawks haven't played great of late, but they won't need to in order to come out victorious in the first round.
Prediction
Brook Lopez acts as the Nets' only hope, but Brooklyn doesn't stand a chance against the far superior Hawks.
Hawks sweep, 4-0
No. 2 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 7 Boston Celtics
3 of 11
53-29 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 40-42 Boston Celtics
Season series: Tied, 2-2
What to Watch For
It's Brad Stevens' first playoff series. That's right, his first, and he's fortunate enough to go up against another coach who hasn't experienced NBA postseason basketball either: David Blatt.ย
Blatt has honed his style over the second half of the season, helping propel the Cavs from a 19-20 start to a 34-9 finish, but Stevens has cemented himself as one of the best young coaches in the league, someone who might be able to steal a playoff game just on his own. The evolution of Stevens will be fascinating to observe throughout this series, especially since he's going up against the best player in the world.
But then you look at the talent on either side and think, "How the heck can Boston stack up against the Cavaliers' roster?"
What's the Plan?
Oh, that's right. LeBron James is here.
The Cavs have themselves a pretty cushy matchup, even if Stevens has turned into one of the best schemers around the NBA. We know Cleveland has more talent. We don't even need to consider arguing against that. But the juxtaposition of styles could make this series even tougher for Boston.
Boston may have a respectable defense, but one thing it doesn't have is a rim protector. Even late in a must-win game against the Raptors on Tuesday, Stevens was using Brandon Bass to man the paint.
Brandon Bass! Bass is a nice player, but he's not deterring or realigning anyone else's shot.
That's going to be a tad of a problem when you have to go up against Kyrie Irving (layup extraordinaire) and LeBron (size of truck, speed of Ferrari, quickness of hovercraft). No matter how hard they try, even if Jae Crowder, Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley each have a stupendous series defending those twoโand let's not forget about the sleeping giant that is Kevin Loveโit doesn't seem conceivable that the Celtics can keep Cleveland's penetrators out of the paint.
Prediction
The Celtics win one in Boston purely based on Cleveland boredom and Stevens' brilliance, but they don't do any more damage.
Cavaliers win 4-1
No. 3 Chicago Bulls vs. No. 6 Milwaukee Bucks
4 of 11
50-32 Chicago Bulls vs. 41-41 Milwaukee Bucks
Season series: 3-1, Bulls
What to Watch For
Bucks vs. Bulls...it sounds like we're at a rodeo.
Derrick Rose is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2012, when he tore his ACL in Game 1 of the Bulls' first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Second-year Milwaukee sensation Giannis Antetokounmpo is in them for the first time. Maybe if he plays well enough, someone will finally learn how to spell his name so we can stop referring to him simply as "Greek Freak" in our nerdy Gchat conversations.ย
Rose's presence is going to receive most of the attention here, but Milwaukee has a bunch of guys who have chances to make names for themselves: "Greek Freak" and upcoming free agent Khris Middleton, who is about to get paiiiiiiid (with seven i's), are just a couple of them.ย
What's the Plan?
If I were to ask you who played better defense this season, the Bulls or the Bucks, who would you say? You'd think Chicago, right?
The Bulls always have a dominant D. They house the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Joakim Noah. They employ one of the league's go-to great defensive coaches in Tom Thibodeau. But the Bulls defense actually faced some relative struggles this year.
Chicago ranked 11th in points allowed per possession, respectable but not up to Chicago's usual standards. Noah struggled playing in a slightly different role, one that pushed him a little further from the basket with the added presence of Pau Gasol, who had a revived season. Taj Gibson, a major defensive contributor for years, also experienced a down season operating inside the three-big rotation. Now, look across the room at Milwaukee...
The Bucks ranked second in points allowed per possession this year. They're long, athletic and have the ability to switch on everything as well as any team in the league not named Warriors. Sean Sweeney, coach Jason Kidd's defensive mastermind on the bench, will come up with a brilliant game plan for this series against the Bulls. You just know it's going to happen.
So, what do the Bulls do? They can pound down low with Gasol. They can operate out of the high post with Noah. They can try to rely on Jimmy Butler against this War and Peace-long defense. They can drive-and-kick with Rose, whose role could become diminished when the Bulls need to win most. Just don't play too much one-on-one basketball, and make sure to take advantage of one of the most aggressive defenses in the league when possible.
Chicago's talent should push it past Milwaukee, but this series won't be the cakewalk many may expect.
Prediction
The Bucks' collective length proves to be an issue for Chicago, but the Bulls' talent is too much for Milwaukee, and they take the win.
Bulls win, 4-3
No. 4 Toronto Raptors vs No. 5 Washington Wizards
5 of 11
49-33 Toronto Raptors vs. 46-36 Washington Wizards
Season series: 3-0, Raptors
What to Watch For
The ugliness: That's all there is for us to view, the utter hideousness that is the East.
The Raptors have gone 25-26 since starting the year 24-7. The Wizards have traveled down a similar path, going 17-23 in their last 40 games after a 29-13 beginning to the year.ย
Nobody beats the Wiz...except for everyone.ย Welcome to the Eastern Conference playoffs!
Kyle Lowry's been banged up. Bradley Beal clearly isn't healthy. Randy Wittman has exhausted his team in meaningless, end-of-season games to such a degree that questions to John Wall about if the 'Zards were going to rest in their final matchup of the regular season elicited answers like this one (h/t to Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post): "I hope so."
What's the Plan?
The Raptors need a healthy Lowry, something they haven't really had in the second half of the season. If we had voted for All-NBA teams at the All-Star break, the Raptors point guard probably would've found his name somewhere on that list. Now, he's not even someone to consider.
Lowry has averaged justย 15.2 points and 5.9 assists on wretched 37-33-81 shooting over his past 37 games played. He was dropping 20.7 and 7.7 before that. He's looked poor in recent contests after returning from a back injury, though he did go for 26 in the Raptors' season finale Wednesday evening.ย
If Toronto wants to pull out a series victory, it'll need a more-than-typical performance from DeRozan, who has been superb of late, averaging 27.9 points onย 49-39-81 shooting over his past seven. But aside from the Rockets, the Raptors haven't played any high-quality defenses over that stretch. It's possible the fourth-ranked Wizards D can slow him down a tick.
If anyone can match potential Lowry production, it's John Wall, who has become one of the NBA's five or so best point guards, and who is one of the league's most unstoppable pick-and-roll threats. That's where the Wiz might be able to exploit a weakness, too.
Jonas Valanciunas, though he's slowly getting better, is hardly a defensive anchor. Wall, meanwhile, finds rolling and popping big men like maybe no other facilitating guard in the Eastern Conference. That's a rough matchup for the Raptors, who rank 23rd in points allowed per possession.ย
It's going to be ugly either way, but if Wall can throw a playoff coming-out party for himself against one of the worst defenses in this year's postseason, he could dominate enough to carry his team to a victory.
Prediction
Wall goes nuts on both ends of the floor, and DeRozan doesn't do enough to carry the Raptors to victory.ย
Wizards win, 4-2
No. 1 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 8 New Orleans Pelicans
6 of 11
67-15 Golden State Warriors vs. 45-37 New Orleans Pelicans
Season series: 3-1, Warriors
What to Watch For
There's so much star power here, I can't stand it.ย
There may not be a more fun tandem in basketball right now than the Splash Brothers. Stephen Curry goes for 45 one night. Then Klay Thompson drops 26 in a quarter (37 in a half) only a few evenings later. I'd call them a video game, but video games are more realistic than that.ย
The Warriors are just fun to watch. They might have one of the most nationally liked rosters of any 60-win team during the Internet era, a time when fans love to defame the famed.ย
Yet, Golden State may not even have the best player on the floor in the series. And that's where this matchup gets even more enticing.
Sure, we're missing out on some Westbrook triple-doubles, but we're getting playoff Anthony Davis for the first time. Postseason brow: We haven't witnessed this before, and it could be tremendous. It could be like nothing we've seen before.ย
What's the Plan?
It'll be fascinating to watch how Golden State defends Davis. The Warriors have arguably the NBA's best defense, made up of a variety of skill sets. They'll need each one of them to go up against one of the toughest matchups in the world.
Golden State can throw Defensive Player of the Year candidate Draymond Green at him, even though Davis has a height and length advantage on the Michigan State alum. It can use Bogut just to bully him down low for a bit if Davis gets too comfortable in the paint. It can get creative with Andre Iguodala or even Shaun Livingston.ย
In the end, there's no conceivable way to defend A.D. with just one guy. The Warriors defensive schemes, which call for loads of switching and intense communication, will come in handy. The team's versatility is a real asset against someone like Davis. But we still could see him go off, even if it doesn't mean much in the end. (Hat tip to Curry and Thompson for the wins.)
Prediction
Davis becomes a nationally recognized top-five player in dominating the series, but Curry, Thompson, Green and the rest of the crew are too much for the Pels' one-man banding.
Warriors win, 4-1
No. 2 Houston Rockets vs. No. 7 Dallas Mavericks
7 of 11
56-26 Houston Rockets vs. 50-32 Dallas Mavericks
Season series: 3-1, Rockets
What to Watch For
It's time either to prove or disprove the theories on if Houston's style can hold up in the postseason.ย
The Rockets, James Harden especially, shoot more free throws than any other team in the playoffs. Of course, there's a contingent that says that you can't win that way in the postseason when the referees are more prone to swallow their whistles. That had some truth in last year's playoffs, when Harden's free-throw rate plummeted during the Rockets' first-round series. It decreased negligibly two postseasons ago. Will the trend continue again this year?
Houston has some injuries on its roster. Patrick Beverley and Donatas Motiejunas are done for the year, and then there's that starting center they have (who we'll get to in a few).ย
Ultimately, this series comes down to one question: Who the heck are the Mavericks? Are they the team that started the year 30-13 or are they the one who fell off after trading for Rajon Rondo?
What's the Plan?
The Mavs rank just 18th in points allowed per possession, and they've been even worse of late. Dallas has slid, and now it has to deal with the shooting guard who is arguably the MVP of the league.
Dallas has one strategy here, and though it doesn't necessarily have defensive personnel outside of Tyson Chandler, it does have one of the league's craftiest coaches in Rick Carlisle. The Mavs need to get the ball out of Harden's hands...somehow.
The D can trap him around pick-and-rolls. It can send defenders flying at him whenever he puts the ball on the ground. Whatever it does, though, it needs to make sure Harden's time with the rock is limited.
Pretty much everything Houston does on offense is predicated around Harden. He might be the most indispensable offensive player in the league.
The free throws come off of his penetration. The threes come from him drawing defenders into the lane and then kicking to shooters. So, you need to do something to slow him down.
Try everything. Get the ball out of his hands on offense. Have whomever he is guarding on the other end run off screens constantly just to tire him. Get ultra physical. Do something.
Somehow, I still haven't mentioned Dwight Howard, who remains banged up. Even if Howard has participated in nine games since returning from his knee injury, he hasn't looked like the DH12 we saw early in the year. Actually, he didn't hit the 30-minute mark in any of those contests.
But if Dwight can bounce back and at least give his team a similar per-minute jolt to what he provided last postseasonโwhen he averaged 26.0 points, 13.7 rebounds and 2.8 blocks against the BlazersโHouston should hit cruise control early in this series.
Prediction
The Rockets, who are too strong for the Mavs' second-half shellacking, beat them early and never look back.
Rockets win, 4-1
No. 3 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 6 San Antonio Spurs
8 of 11
56-26 Los Angeles Clippers vs. 55-27 San Antonio Spurs
Season series: Tied, 2-2
What to Watch For
This immediately becomes the premier series in the Western Conference playoffs.
You want stars? You've got Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard, Manu Ginobili, Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan.
You want brilliant coaching? You've got Gregg Popovich and Doc Rivers.
You want winning basketball? You've got all the Spurs.
These aren't just two of the best teams in the league. They're also two of the hottest. The Spurs just ripped off an 11-game winning streak, snapped on the final day of the regular season by the Pels, a loss that shot them down to the No. 6 seedโa development that couldn't have worked out worse for the Clippers. The Clips, meanwhile, enter the playoffs winners of 14 of 15.ย
This one should be fun.
What's the Plan?
How many brilliant individual matchups do we have in this series? Duncan vs. Griffin? Paul vs. Parker? Pop vs. Doc? It's out of control. In the end, the Spurs likely hold the advantage, though, and not just because they're the defending champs.
The Clippers are most comfortable getting offense in two ways: operating out of the pick-and-roll (whether that's with Jordan or Griffin setting screens) and finding holes in a defense with J.J. Redick running off picks. The Spurs, though, have the rare combination of defenders that allow them to man both those strategies at the same time.
They can stick Danny Green on Redick, let Green bounce off picks with him and make Redickย about as uncomfortable as anyone else can. Meanwhile, since the Clippers lack a wing who can handle the ball, San Antonio can hide Parker on Matt Barnes (especially in crunch time), while throwing Leonard on CP3.ย
Leonard isn't just a nightmarish matchup for Paul because the Clippers point guard struggles against length or because Leonard might be the best defender in the league right now. Leonard's size also allows him to go under ball screens against Paul, taking away rolls from D.J. and Griffin while still possessing stretchy-enough arms to contest those pull-up, mid-range shots C.P. loves so much.
Then, there's the Clippers' bench, which may be the worst reserve unit of any playoff team. Actually, let's not talk about that. This is the playoffs. We should be discussing good basketball. We'll just say San Antonio has the advantage and move on from there...
Prediction
This could be the best series of the first round, not just for fun factor, but also for caliber of play. By Game 7, though, L.A. won't have enough to clip the champs.
Spurs win, 4-3
No. 5 Memphis Grizzlies vs. No. 4 Portland Trail Blazers
9 of 11
55-27 Memphis Grizzlies vs. 51-31 Portland Trail Blazers
Season series: 4-0, Grizzlies
What to Watch For
You might be asking yourself, "Why is this the only series that has the lower seed listed first?" Well, the answer is that the NBA's playoff structure is unnecessarily complicated.ย The Blazers get guaranteed the No. 4 seed because they won their division. Home-court advantage, however doesn't come with that.
So, the four-games-better Grizzlies get to start their first-round series in Memphis even though they're the No. 5 seed, and that's just the start of the good. Are the Blazers, who have gone just 10-12 since stud wing defender Wes Matthews went down for the season with an Achilles injury, too undermanned even to compete?
What's the Plan?
Portland is just 25th in points allowed per possession since the Matthews injury (it was top 10 before). It can't seem to stop anyone, especially when it uses two defensive liabilities like Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum in its backcourt at the same time.
Still, the Blazers have a chance to take a few games from the Grizz. In some ways, it would be silly to say they can't win this series if only because we saw the postseason success LaMarcus Aldridge is capable of a year ago, but things don't look pretty for Portland.
Memphis is slowing down in its own right. Marc Gasol looks like something is off with his recent play, though he did just drop 33 and 13 in the season finale against the Pacers to propel the Grizz into the fifth slot in the West. There's a chance he continues that high-impact basketball into the Portland series, too. Robin Lopez is a high-quality defensive center, but Gasol is most effective in the high post, an area Lopez isn't as comfortable guarding as down low.
Portland is going to rely on its two stars for offense, and will pray the Grizzlies continue their recent shooting slumps on the other end. If Memphis isn't hitting open shots, and the Grizzlies are prone to long stretches of misses, then it negates some of the flaws the Blazers have as stoppers on the wings.ย
Courtney Lee's hand injury will be magnified, as will the inconsistent play of Jeff Green. In the end, though, the Grizzles have the defensive personnel in Tony Allen, Mike Conleyย and Marc Gasolย to match up with the Blazers' strengths. And it'd be a surprise if Portland pulled out a series win.
Prediction
The Blazers take one game because of a hot Aldridge and another because of a hot Lillard, but can't get to four victories.
Grizzlies win, 4-2
Biggest Storylines
10 of 11
Can the Warriors Become an All-Time Great Team?
Golden State is only the 10th team in history to get to 67 victories in a single season. Each of those squads, except for the '07 Mavericks (lost in Round 1 to the Warriors) and the '73 Celtics (lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to the New York Knicks) went all the way.
We're talking about one of the best regular-season teams ever when we mention the Warriors right now. Golden State finished the year in the top two in both points scored and points allowed per possession. That kind of dominance on both sides of the ball isn't something we see. Yet, it happened with this team.
What if the Warriors have another gear? What if they trample everyone in the postseason on the way to earning their first rings? Is this a dynasty in the making, considering all the youth they've brought together? And would they become one of the five or 10 best teams ever?
Can LeBron James Go to the Finals for a 5th Straight Season?
Yes he plays in the little brother conference. And, yes, he's always ran alongside fellow All-Stars. And, yes, five straight Finals appearances would become slightly less meaningful if he came away with just two rings. But playing basketball into June for a fifth consecutive season would be a superb feat for James.
That's something Duncan never did. Or Kobe Bryant. Or Hakeem Olajuwon. Michael Jordan never did it, either (though revisionists like to throw on an asterisk and say MJ won six straight rings with a retirement between them, even though he came back in March 1995 only to see his Bulls lose to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference semis).ย
Basically, if you have the King, he's going to give you a pretty good chance of wearing the crown, too. What more could anyone want?
Can You Win Without Stars in Today's NBA?
I'm looking at you, Hawks.ย
Atlanta is filled with "stars." Actually, we elected four Hawks to a team that we define as having "all-stars" back in February. But Budenholzer's boys don't necessarily boast the conventional superstar.
It's like every player in Atlanta is making a run at the Hall of Very Good, from Al Horford to Paul Millsap to Korver to Jeff Teague to DeMarre Carroll. Yet the Hawks really are capable of being dominant, even if they slipped during the second half of the year. This is still a 60-win team that had the No. 1 seed locked up by the break.
So, can an engine that runs purely on ball movement, player movement and communication defeat the star-studded Cavs? The last team we saw win a Finals without a bona fide superstar was the 2004 Pistons. Could it happen again?ย
Can Duncan, Ginobili and Popovich Go Out On Top?
It feels like we ask this question every year, right? Come this time of spring, the Spurs are always at or around the top of the Western Conference, and we find ourselves wondering if this is, in fact, the final year of seeing the whole band together.
Winning the 2015 title would mean more than "just another championship" for the Spurs. It would make Kawhi Leonard the best player on two separate championship teams before his 24th birthday. It would mark the first time San Antonio repeated during this double-decade dynasty.
On top of that, it would give Duncan his sixth ring, tying him with Jordan and slipping him one piece of jewelry past Bryant. Wouldn't it be perfectly in character of the unassuming Duncan to win another title and then quietly turn the lights off forever?
Predictions for All Rounds
11 of 11
First Round
Hawks defeat Nets, 4-0
Cavaliers defeat Celtics, 4-1
Bulls defeat Bucks, 4-3
Wizards defeat Raptors, 4-2
Warriors defeat Pelicans, 4-1
Rockets defeat Mavericks, 4-1
Spurs defeat Clippers, 4-3
Grizzlies defeat Trail Blazers, 4-2
Conference Semifinals
Hawks defeat Wizards, 4-1
Cavaliers defeat Bulls, 4-3
Warriors defeat Grizzlies, 4-1
Spurs defeat Rockets, 4-2
Conference Finals
Warriors defeat Spurs, 4-3
Cavaliers defeat Hawks, 4-2
Finals
Warriors defeat Cavaliers, 4-3
Follow Fredย Katzย on Twitter @FredKatz.
All quotes obtained firsthand. Unless otherwise noted, all statistics are current as of April 16 and are courtesy ofย Basketball-Reference.comย andย NBA.com.
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