NBA Playoff Bracket 2015: Updated Review of Postseason Picture, Contending Teams
Every NBA regular-season game is officially in the books—all 2,460 of them. And with that, the complete playoff picture, which has been impossible to figure all season long, is finally set.
Several playoff positions took until the final day to be settled. The Indiana Pacers, who entered Wednesday as the final playoff seed in the Eastern Conference, failed to qualify after a loss and a Brooklyn Nets win. The Western Conference playoff slate, which was messy in the middle, is set, featuring marquee matchups across the board—none of those matchups featuring Russell Westbrook's Oklahoma City Thunder, who were eliminated with a New Orleans Pelicans win on Wednesday.
With the postseason set to tip off this Saturday, we'll take the time to go over first-round scenarios for some of this year's title hopefuls.
Full Postseason Picture
| Sunday, April 19 | (8) Brooklyn Nets at (1) Atlanta Hawks | 5:30 p.m. |
| Wednesday, April 22 | (8) Brooklyn Nets at (1) Atlanta Hawks | 7 p.m. |
| Saturday, April 25 | (1) Atlanta Hawks at (8) Brooklyn Nets | 3 p.m. |
| Monday, April 27 | (1) Atlanta Hawks at (8) Brooklyn Nets | TBD |
| Wednesday, April 29* | (8) Brooklyn Nets at (1) Atlanta Hawks | TBD |
| Friday, May 1* | (1) Atlanta Hawks at (8) Brooklyn Nets | TBD |
| Sunday, May 3* | (8) Brooklyn Nets at (1) Atlanta Hawks | TBD |
| Sunday, April 19 | (7) Boston Celtics at (2) Cleveland Cavaliers | 3 p.m. |
| Tuesday, April 21 | (7) Boston Celtics at (2) Cleveland Cavaliers | 7 p.m. |
| Thursday, April 23 | (2) Cleveland Cavaliers at (7) Boston Celtics | 7 p.m. |
| Sunday, April 26 | (2) Cleveland Cavaliers at (7) Boston Celtics | 1 p.m. |
| Tuesday, April 28 * | (7) Boston Celtics at (2) Cleveland Cavaliers | TBD |
| Thursday, April 30 * | (2) Cleveland Cavaliers at (7) Boston Celtics | TBD |
| Saturday, May 2 * | (7) Boston Celtics at (2) Cleveland Cavaliers | TBD |
| Saturday, April 18 | (6) Milwaukee Bucks at (3) Chicago Bulls | 7 p.m. |
| Monday, April 20 | (6) Milwaukee Bucks at (3) Chicago Bulls | 8 p.m. |
| Thursday, April 23 | (3) Chicago Bulls at (6) Milwaukee Bucks | 8 p.m. |
| Saturday, April 25 | (3) Chicago Bulls at (6) Milwaukee Bucks | 5:30 p.m. |
| Monday, April 27* | (6) Milwaukee Bucks at (3) Chicago Bulls | TBD |
| Thursday, April 30* | (3) Chicago Bulls at (6) Milwaukee Bucks | TBD |
| Saturday, May 2* | (6) Milwaukee Bucks at (3) Chicago Bulls | TBD |
| Saturday, April 18 | (5) Washington Wizards at (4) Toronto Raptors | 12:30 p.m. |
| Tuesday, April 21 | (5) Washington Wizards at (4) Toronto Raptors | 8 p.m. |
| Friday, April 24 | (4) Toronto Raptors at (5) Washington Wizards | 8 p.m. |
| Sunday, April 26 | (4) Toronto Raptors at (5) Washington Wizards | 7 p.m. |
| Wednesday, April 29* | (5) Washington Wizards at (4) Toronto Raptors | TBD |
| Friday, May 1* | (4) Toronto Raptors at (5) Washington Wizards | TBD |
| Sunday, May 3* | (5) Washington Wizards at (4) Toronto Raptors | TBD |
| Saturday, April 18 | (8) New Orleans Pelicans at (1) Golden State Warriors | 3:30 p.m. |
| Monday, April 20 | (8) New Orleans Pelicans at (1) Golden State Warriors | 10:30 p.m. |
| Thursday, April 23 | (1) Golden State Warriors at (8) New Orleans Pelicans | 9:30 p.m. |
| Saturday, April 25 | (1) Golden State Warriors at (8) New Orleans Pelicans | 8 p.m. |
| Tuesday, April 28* | (8) New Orleans Pelicans at (1) Golden State Warriors | TBD |
| Friday, May 1* | (1) Golden State Warriors at (8) New Orleans Pelicans | TBD |
| Sunday, May 3* | (8) New Orleans Pelicans at (1) Golden State Warriors | TBD |
| Saturday, April 18 | (7) Dallas Mavericks at (2) Houston Rockets | 9:30 p.m. |
| Tuesday, April 21 | (7) Dallas Mavericks at (2) Houston Rockets | 9:30 p.m. |
| Friday, April 24 | (2) Houston Rockets at (7) Dallas Mavericks | 7 p.m. |
| Sunday, April 26 | (2) Houston Rockets at (7) Dallas Mavericks | 9:30 p.m. |
| Tuesday, April 28* | (7) Dallas Mavericks at (2) Houston Rockets | TBD |
| Thursday, April 30* | (2) Houston Rockets at (7) Dallas Mavericks | TBD |
| Saturday, May 2* | (7) Dallas Mavericks at (2) Houston Rockets | TBD |
| Sunday, April 19 | (6) San Antonio Spurs at (3) Los Angeles Clippers | 10:30 p.m. |
| Wednesday, April 22 | (6) San Antonio Spurs at (3) Los Angeles Clippers | 10:30 p.m. |
| Friday, April 24 | (3) Los Angeles Clippers at (6) San Antonio Spurs | 9:30 p.m. |
| Sunday, April 26 | (3) Los Angeles Clippers at (6) San Antonio Spurs | 3:30 p.m. |
| Tuesday, April 28* | (6) San Antonio Spurs at (3) Los Angeles Clippers | TBD |
| Thursday, April 30* | (3) Los Angeles Clippers at (6) San Antonio Spurs | TBD |
| Saturday, May 2* | (6) San Antonio Spurs at (3) Los Angeles Clippers | TBD |
| Sunday, April 19 | (4) Portland Trail Blazers at (5) Memphis Grizzlies | 8 p.m. |
| Wednesday, April 22 | (4) Portland Trail Blazers at (5) Memphis Grizzlies | 8 p.m. |
| Saturday, April 25 | (5) Memphis Grizzlies at (4) Portland Trail Blazers | 10:30 p.m. |
| Monday, April 27 | (5) Memphis Grizzlies at (4) Portland Trail Blazers | 10:30 p.m. |
| Wednesday, April 29* | (4) Portland Trail Blazers at (5) Memphis Grizzlies | TBD |
| Friday, May 1* | (5) Memphis Grizzlies at (4) Portland Trail Blazers | TBD |
| Sunday, May 3* | (4) Portland Trail Blazers at (5) Memphis Grizzlies | TBD |
Contending Teams
Chicago Bulls
After bringing Jason Kidd on to coach a roster that was nearly completely left over from a 15-win 2013-14 season, the Milwaukee Bucks were one of the NBA's most surprising teams this year. At 41-41, they managed to finish at .500 after posting the league's worst record in 2014.
Kidd will surely be a Coach of the Year candidate, reaching the playoffs for his second straight season as a head coach. Several Bucks made significant strides, namely Giannis Antetokounmpo in the frontcourt and Khris Middleton and Michael Carter-Williams, who has shot the ball more efficiently as a Buck, in the backcourt.
Led by the league's third-most efficient defense, according to Basketball-Reference.com, Milwaukee finished in the top 10 in steals and blocks, allowing just 102.2 points per 100 possessions. Going up against the Chicago Bulls, the Bucks may have a slight advantage on the defensive end, but Chicago finally has the offensive firepower to compete in the postseason.
After finishing top-six in defensive efficiency over the previous four seasons, Tom Thibodeau's squad came in 11th in 2014-15 but skyrocketed from 28th in offense to 11th.
Derrick Rose's 18 points and five assists over 51 games played a part, but the unexpected emergence of both Jimmy Butler and 34-year-old Pau Gaso are the key reasons why Chicago finished with such a favorable seed.
Butler finished with a career-high 20 points per game on 46 percent shooting while Gasol averaged a double-double: 18.5 points and a career-high 11.8 rebounds to go along with two blocks a game.
Milwaukee has several young, athletic players who use long wingspans to jump passing lanes and get out in transition. According to NBA.com, 15.8 percent of Milwaukee's total plays came in transition, ranking sixth, whereas the fast break made up just 11.9 percent of the Bulls' plays, ranking 24th.
Thibodeau seems to understand the type of team Milwaukee has evolved into. It's simply a matter of stopping it.
The Bulls won three out of four against the Bucks in the regular season, with the loss coming most recently, on April 1. With three of the four contests being decided by double digits, this series has the makings of a competitive one. Milwaukee has the youth and athleticism to disrupt Chicago, but it may not have the offensive capabilities to combat Butler and Gasol—and Rose, if he's playing at full strength.
Don't expect Milwaukee to bow down quietly. It proved this season that it's a resilient group that can win a few games in unfamiliar territory, finishing with the 14th-best road record. But if the Bulls are operating at full strength, the young Bucks should fall just short.
Prediction: Bulls in seven games
San Antonio Spurs
The good news for the Clippers: They finished on a 14-1 run to end the regular season, locking up the third seed in the Western Conference. The catch: The defending champion Spurs loom as the sixth seed, equally hot.
Over that 15-game stretch to end the season, however, Los Angeles faced only five teams over .500; the one loss came to first-place Golden State. San Antonio enters as a winner in 14 of its last 16, with only four of those opponents being under .500.
The two sides split their four contests, each winning a game at home and on the road. L.A.'s January 31 victory was by a 20-point margin, but the other three tilts were separated by an average of five points.
Despite finishing three seeds apart, the Spurs finished just a game behind Los Angeles in the standings—going 55-27 to the Clips' 56-26. L.A. finished with the league's most efficient offense at 112.4 points per 100 possessions though San Antonio wasn't far behind in seventh place. The Spurs clocked in at second defensively while the Clippers finished 16th.
Blake Griffin averaged 25.3 points against San Antonio in the regular season—the most he posted against any playoff team this year. DeAndre Jordan put up 12 points and 15 boards against the Spurs but, more importantly, shot 33 free throws—the second-most out of any Clippers opponent in 2015. He made just 13 of them.
This stems from Gregg Popovich's "hack-a-DeAndre" tactic in which San Antonio intentionally fouls Jordan until the final two minutes of a half, restricting L.A. from running an actual offense. Popovich has spoken about how much he personally dislikes the strategy but how it's beneficial for him to rely on it.
"It was God-awful," Popovich said following his team's February 19 loss to L.A., according to the San Antonio Express News' Jeff McDonald. "If given the choice, would I rather have a certain individual shoot FTs or chase Chris Paul around all night long? You do what you do to try to win games, within the rules."
It's still within the rules, so expect San Antonio to deploy the tactic often throughout the series.
It'll be important to monitor Kawhi Leonard's output a year after emerging as a star during the Spurs' Finals run. Leonard flew relatively under the radar this season, battling nagging injuries over the first few months. But over the last 23 games, dating back to February 28, he's averaged 19 points and seven rebounds on 54 percent shooting, including 40 percent from three.
The Spurs won't have home-court advantage in this series, but playing on the road didn't bother them over the regular season—they finished 22-19 on the road this season. The Clips could run into issues should one of their stars face foul trouble or an off shooting night, as their bench unit—aside from Jamal Crawford—is incredibly unreliable. San Antonio has a clear advantage in depth; eight Spurs finished with player efficiency ratings over 15, according to Basketball-Reference.com.
It will surely be a wildly entertaining first-round matchup, as both teams are scorching, well-coached and have the star power to outlast several opponents deep into games. But while the Clippers have historically struggled in tough opening-round series, you get the feeling that San Antonio still hasn't peaked yet this season.
Prediction: Spurs in six games
