NBA Playoffs 2016: Full Round 1 Bracket Results and Semifinal Predictions
The 2016 NBA playoffs will officially reach the end of the first round following Sunday's duo of Game 7 matchups in the Eastern Conference.
Still to be decided before the full semifinals field is set are opening-round rubber matches between the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat, followed by the Toronto Raptors and Indiana Pacers on Sunday evening.
It was a tight playoff race in the East for the Nos. 3 through 6 seeds, but the gap between Toronto at No. 2 and the seventh-seeded Pacers was wider. Although the Raptors have home-court advantage, they face a ton of pressure in Sunday's decider, whereas Miami has experience to draw on in Dwyane Wade.
Here's a look at the first-round bracket to date, along with a look ahead at the semifinals.
| Cleveland Cavaliers (1) def. Detroit Pistons (8) | 4-0 |
| Toronto Raptors (2) vs. Indiana Pacers (7) | 3-3 |
| Miami Heat (3) vs. Charlotte Hornets (6) | 3-3 |
| Atlanta Hawks (4) def. Boston Celtics (5) | 4-2 |
| Golden State Warriors (1) def. Houston Rockets (8) | 4-1 |
| San Antonio Spurs (2) def. Memphis Grizzlies (7) | 4-0 |
| Portland Trail Blazers (5) def. Los Angeles Clippers (4) | 4-2 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder (3) def. Dallas Mavericks (6) | 4-1 |
Semifinals Preview, Predictions
| Cleveland Cavaliers (1) def. Atlanta Hawks (4) | 4-1 |
| Miami Heat (3)* def. Indiana Pacers (7)* | 4-2 |
| Golden State Warriors (1) def. Portland Trail Blazers (5) | 4-1 |
| San Antonio Spurs (2) def. Oklahoma City Thunder (3) | 4-1 |
Provided the Heat can take care of business against the underdog Hornets, they have the look of a conference finalist.
In addition to Wade, Miami has an X-factor on the front line in Hassan Whiteside. Although he's prone to foul trouble and has struggled to defend Charlotte's Al Jefferson at times, the elite rim protector is averaging an easy double-double and 3.2 blocks in the playoffs entering the Heat's Game 7.
With experienced, versatile players on the wing in Joe Johnson and Luol Deng, along with a capable off-dribble creator in Goran Dragic, there's reason to believe in Miami moving forward.
In a hypothetical matchup with the Pacers, it has the defensive chops (101.5 rating in the regular season) to hang tough and limit Indiana star Paul George, who presents about the only sure offense his squad can count on.
The other East series is already set with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks butting heads in a rematch of last year's conference finals.
Cleveland swept Atlanta in the 2015 playoffs and should come close to doing so again. The Hawks needed six games to close out a Boston Celtics team bereft of talent and figure to struggle mightily to win more than once against the Cavs based on that result and what happened versus Cleveland last postseason.
NBA.com's John Schuhmann is among those who don't believe the Hawks are up for the challenge:
Also worth bearing in mind is the fact the Cavs easily beat Atlanta last year without Kevin Love, who's now healthy and presents another dimension the Hawks have to account for.
Despite beating the Detroit Pistons 4-0 in the first round, Cleveland head coach Tyronn Lue noted how the intensity the Cavs' underdog opponent brought will help them be sharp after a week off.
"I thought Detroit did a great job of playing," Lue said, per Cleveland.com's Chris Haynes, "but just their physicality and the way they guarded us, attacked the basket, the way they posted the basketball, I think that gives us a little edge going into the second round of these playoffs, which is good for us."
As for the West, the conference semis have already tipped off—and in spectacular fashion for the San Antonio Spurs at that.
San Antonio rolled over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 on Saturday by a score of 124-92. Venerated as the veteran Spurs trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are, the catalysts for the rout were the new faces of the franchise in LaMarcus Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard.
Aldridge and Leonard combined for 63 points on 28-of-36 shooting to give San Antonio a decisive upper hand.
A blowout of such epic proportions is bound to light a fire under Thunder superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. They should be able to take care of business on their home floor at least once, but stealing a road win against a Spurs team that went 40-1 at home this season seems like a long shot.
The obvious question surrounding the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors is whether Stephen Curry will be healthy enough to contribute down the road.
Curry is dealing with a sprained MCL and is bound to miss a good chunk of the impending series with the Portland Trail Blazers, whose backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum is the closest any other team has to the Dubs' Splash Bros tandem.
The good news is Curry's backup, Shaun Livingston, presents tremendous length for Lillard to deal with, while McCollum will be locked down by a 2.0 version of himself in Klay Thompson. As long as Golden State contains those two, it shouldn't have a problem advancing sans Curry.
Whether the Warriors have the goods to knock off the Spurs without a fully fit Curry in a prospective conference finals clash is another matter entirely—much less in a possible NBA Finals rematch with Cleveland.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
