NBA Playoffs 2016: Latest Postseason Bracket, Standings and Title Picks
Are you enjoying the NBA playoffs yet?
A lot of the action so far may not have been entertaining, but we have seen some tight games in the first round. And obviously, a lot of juicy matchups are still on the horizon in the remaining three rounds.
Let's review what has happened so far in the postseason, then make predictions for what will happen in all of the future matchups. After that, we'll go into more detail on why two specific teams will make the Finals, then break down their championship-round matchup.
If you like the visual element of a bracket, check out the automatically updated one NBA.com published.
| Matchup | Standing | Next game |
| No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 8 Detroit Pistons | Cavaliers win 4-0 | - |
| No. 4 Atlanta Hawks vs. No. 5 Boston Celtics | Hawks win 4-2 | - |
| No. 2 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 7 Indiana Pacers | Raptors lead 3-2 | 4/29 |
| No. 3 Miami Heat vs. No. 6 Charlotte Hornets | Hornets lead 3-2 | 4/29 |
| Matchup | Standing | Next game |
| No. 1 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 8 Houston Rockets | Warriors win 4-1 | - |
| No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 5 Portland Trail Blazers | Blazers lead 3-2 | 4/29 |
| No. 2 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 7 Memphis Grizzlies | Spurs win 4-0 | - |
| No. 3 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 6 Dallas Maverics | Thunder win 4-1 | - |
| Matchup | Prediction |
| Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Detroit Pistons | Cavaliers in 4* |
| Toronto Raptors vs. Indiana Pacers | Raptors in 7 |
| Miami Heat vs. Charlotte Hornets | Heat in 7 |
| Atlanta Hawks vs. Boston Celtics | Hawks in 6* |
| Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets | Warriors in 5* |
| San Antonio Spurs vs. Memphis Grizzlies | Spurs in 4* |
| Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Dallas Mavericks | Thunder in 5* |
| Los Angeles Clippers vs. Portland Trail Blazers | Trail Blazers in 6 |
| Matchup | Prediction |
| Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Atlanta Hawks | Cavaliers in 5 |
| Toronto Raptors vs. Miami Heat | Raptors in 7 |
| Golden State Warriors vs. Portland Trail Blazers | Warriors in 5 |
| San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder | Spurs in 6 |
| Matchup | Prediction |
| Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors | Cavaliers in 5 |
| Golden State Warriors vs. San Antonio Spurs | Warriors in 7 |
| Matchup | Prediction |
| Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | Warriors in 5 |
Why the Warriors Will Win the West
If you're a Golden State Warriors fan, you breathed a little sigh of relief Wednesday when ESPN's Marc Spears released the following information:
Remember, the original prognosis was he would be out two weeks and then be re-evaluated at that point. The fact he's already made a few strides in his recovery is a great sign for the reigning champions.
All that is to say that the Warriors should be able to do just fine in his absence. They'll either face the inexperienced Portland Trail Blazers or the Los Angeles Clippers without their two best players (likely Portland), and Golden State looked very formidable in their final six quarters without Curry against the Houston Rockets in Round 1.
In that game-and-a-half, Golden State outscored Houston 179-119 and went 25-of-49 from three-point range. Granted, the Rockets looked totally out of it, but even a level of play close to that should be better than what the Trail Blazers or Clippers can muster.
In the conference finals, either the San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder will be waiting. With that matchup looming more than two weeks away, it's probably a safe assumption Curry will be back on the floor for Game 1.
San Antonio would not make things easy with their combination of star power (Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge), great depth and amazing coaching. However, Golden State's athleticism as a team is something the older Spurs would have a hard time stopping over a seven-game series.
The Thunder have consistently disappointed in crunch time this season, while the Warriors have shown that they're almost guaranteed a victory if the score is within a few points heading into the last couple of minutes. Golden State would also prey on an Oklahoma City defense that can get lazy.
Why the Cavaliers Will Win the East
LeBron James picked up steam during the final months of the season, and Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving are healthy. That alone should pretty much guarantee a spot in the Finals for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Round 2 will see them go against the Atlanta Hawks, a team they swept last season without Love and with Irving only participating in a portion of the series. Granted, Atlanta is also healthier this time around, but the Hawks have proved capable of going on long offensive droughts this season, ranking 26th in offensive efficiency after the All-Star break, per NBA.com.
Despite Atlanta's fantastic defense, Cleveland's ability to play both ends of the floor and rebound significantly better should be the Hawks' undoing.
Cleveland would then face either the Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat or Charlotte Hornets in the conference finals.
The Raptors have not looked at all like the 56-win team that put pressure on the Cavs all season, struggling to separate themselves from the average Indiana Pacers in the first round. This team's All-Star guard tandem of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan has disappointed for the second straight postseason. Toronto likely doesn't have the fortitude on either end of the floor to stop James or his star teammates.
The Heat and Hornets are simply not talented enough to get more than one game on the Cavaliers. Miami would be a different story if Chris Bosh were playing, but both teams' inconsistency in the first round is certainly a telling sign that they are no match for the beast of the East.
Why the Warriors Will Win the NBA Title
By the time the NBA Finals roll around, Curry should be close to 100 percent and clicking with a Warriors team that came together in his absence. On the other side, LeBron and Co. will be fresh off an offensively dominant Eastern Conference Finals and poised to redeem themselves in a championship-round rematch with the Warriors.
The problem is, they can't.
While we presume Love and Irving will be around this time, you can actually make the argument Cleveland matches up worse against Golden State with the two offensive stars in the lineup.
Draymond Green was the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up and excels at guarding finesse big men like Love. On the other end, Love will prove completely ineffective at keeping up with Green's energy and screen-and-roll game.
Irving will make Curry work on defense, but it's the other end where trouble awaits Cleveland. Remember all the fuss people made about Matthew Dellavedova being the "Curry Stopper" last year in the Finals? Well, his scrappiness is not something Irving will duplicate, and Steph is even better this season.
Andre Iguodala also proved to be a potent antidote to LeBron James last year, and finally, the Warriors have a deeper group of reliable bench contributors than the Cavaliers do.
Golden State will validate its 73-win season by taking home its second straight championship.
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