NBA Playoffs 2019: Breaking Down Potential First-Round Matchups
As the 2018-19 NBA regular season winds down, a handful of potential first-round playoff matchups are starting to come into play.
The top five teams in the Eastern Conference are set, and it looks like the first-round series between the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds has the potential to match the intensity of a championship series.
Over in the Western Conference, the playoff picture is still a bit congested with teams jockeying for position.
Although the playoff lineup in the West is far from set, we have an idea of which franchises could end up opposing each other when the postseason begins April 13.
NBA Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Milwaukee (57-20)
2. Toronto (54-23)
3. Philadelphia (49-27)
4. Boston (45-32)
5. Indiana (45-32)
6. Detroit (39-37)
7. Brooklyn (39-38)
8. Miami (38-38)
Western Conference
1. Golden State (52-24)
2. Denver (51-25)
3. Houston (49-28)
4. Portland (48-28)
5. Utah (46-30)
6. Los Angeles Clippers (47-31)
7. San Antonio (44-33)
8. Oklahoma City (44-33)
Potential 1st-Round Matchups
Boston vs. Indiana
Even though Boston and Indiana have five games left on their respective schedules, they are close to locked into a first-round series against each other.
Since Philadelphia has pulled away with the No. 3 seed by opening up a 4.5-game advantage on Boston, the Celtics and Pacers are left to fight for home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference No. 4 versus No. 5 matchup.
We'll get a second preview of what a series between the two sides could look like Friday, as the Pacers welcome the Celtics to Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Friday's game in Indianapolis comes a week after Boston eked out a two-point win at TD Garden over its closest playoff rival.
Kyrie Irving won the 114-112 contest with a last-second layup that helped set the tone for the games to come between the two franchises.
Boston should have the advantage on the floor with Irving, Gordon Hayward, Al Horford and Jayson Tatum leading the way, but the Pacers are capable of making the series closer than the Celtics want it to be.
Bojan Bogdanovic and Thaddeus Young kept the Pacers competitive Friday by combining for 45 points, but having two scoring threats may not be enough to fend off the Celtics and set up a second-round matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Of course, this potential series would've been much more intriguing if Victor Oladipo was healthy, but the Pacers will at least try to draw inspiration as the underdog that has been counted out of the Eastern Conference Finals discussion without their top player.
The X-factor in the series could be Hayward, who put together a string four double-digit point performances in the last week, and he made over 50 percent of his shots in the last three games.
If Hayward wreaks havoc on the Indiana defense, he'll open up more space for Irving, Tatum and Jaylen Brown to score, which could spread the Pacers too thin.
Houston vs. Los Angeles Clippers
On paper, the Houston Rockets should storm through the Los Angeles Clippers.
However, the Clippers enter the postseason with nothing to lose after exceeding expectations by just qualifying for the playoffs.
Just like the potential Celtics-Pacers series, we'll get a glimpse into what a Rockets-Clippers postseason matchup would look like Wednesday, as the two teams square off at Staples Center.
Since the Clippers boast a 2.5-game advantage over San Antonio and Oklahoma City for the No. 6 seed, they'll likely be the opponent for the third-seeded Rockets, even if they lose at home Wednesday.
Shutting down James Harden is going to be a difficult task for any team in the postseason, but if the Clippers can limit the production of Houston's supporting cast, they'll stand a chance to push the series to six or seven games.
In Danilo Gallinari and Ivica Zubac, the Clippers have a pair of paint players who can challenge Clint Capela from the tip, while Lou Williams and Patrick Beverley won't be intimidated by matchups against Chris Paul and Harden.
The one concern to have about the Clippers is their youth behind Williams and Beverley on the depth chart, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Landry Shamet will be participating in their first NBA postseasons.
But the one thing the Clippers have going for them is their recent run of form, as they won 13 of their 15 games in March to improve their playoff standing.
All of the pressure will be on the Rockets to get back to the Western Conference Finals to take on Golden State once again, and if the Clippers play with no fear, they could force the Rockets to play tighter than expected in a few games.
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