NBA Playoff Picture 2019: Bracket, Early Odds and Predictions for Final Teams
The 2018-19 NBA regular season reached its conclusion on Wednesday. For the 16 teams that made it into the postseason—which kicks off on Saturday—the past 82 games mean far less than the ones that are about to be played.
Which of these teams have a realistic hope of lifting the Larry O'Brien Trophy this year? They all have a chance because they are in the dance, but not all playoff teams are equal. The Detroit Pistons, for example, narrowly beat out the Charlotte Hornets for the final slot in the Eastern Conference. They're being "rewarded" with a Round 1 matchup against the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks.
Getting out of the first round will be a tough challenge for low-seeded teams like Detroit. Getting to the NBA Finals is an extreme long shot.
Here you will find a run-down of the opening-round matchups, the latest championship odds—according to Oddschecker—a closer look at some of the Finals favorites and predictions for the postseason's final four teams.
2019 NBA Playoffs, Round 1
Eastern Conference
1. Milwaukee Bucks vs. 8. Detroit Pistons
2. Toronto Raptors vs. 7. Orlando Magic
3. Philadelphia 76ers vs. 6. Brooklyn Nets
4. Boston Celtics vs. 5. Indiana Pacers
Western Conference
1. Golden State Warriors vs. 8. Los Angeles Clippers
2. Denver Nuggets vs. 7. San Antonio Spurs
3. Portland Trail Blazers vs. 6. Oklahoma City Thunder
4. Houston Rockets vs. 5. Utah Jazz
Latest Championship Odds
Golden State Warriors: 10-21
Milwaukee Bucks: 6-1
Toronto Raptors: 9-1
Houston Rockets: 10-1
Philadelphia 76ers: 12-1
Boston Celtics: 16-1
Oklahoma City Thunder: 25-1
Denver Nuggets: 30-1
Utah Jazz: 60-1
Portland Trail Blazers: 80-1
San Antonio Spurs: 80-1
Los Angeles Clippers: 180-1
Indiana Pacers: 210-1
Brooklyn Nets: 240-1
Orlando Magic: 250-1
Detroit Pistons: 250-1
Golden State Warriors: 10-21
The Golden State Warriors are once again overwhelming favorites to win the NBA title. This isn't a major surprise, as they have won two championships in a row and three of the past four.
They're armed with a plethora of top-tier talent, and they will hold home-court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs.
Barring some unforeseen meltdown, the only thing likely to keep Golden State out of the Finals is injury. This is why fans had to be more than a little concerned when Stephen Curry rolled his ankle in a meaningless Tuesday night game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Thanks to the likes of Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, the Warriors could likely survive a series or two without Curry, but if he were lost for the postseason, it could spell trouble. Fortunately, the ankle injury doesn't appear to be significant at all.
"He's good," head coach Steve Kerr said of Curry shortly before Wednesday's season finale, per Ali Thanawalla of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Golden State remains the team to beat until another franchise takes the crown from them.
Milwaukee Bucks: 6-1
If a team from the East is going to knock off the Warriors, it's probably going to be the Milwaukee Bucks. They have perhaps the best individual player in basketball in Giannis Antetokounmpo and a vastly underrated supporting cast.
What's more, head coach Mike Budenholzer has his squad playing team ball as well as anyone in the NBA. The big question is whether they can beat the Warriors four times in a seven-game series if they meet in the Finals.
Golden State and Milwaukee each won one head-to-head matchup in the regular season.
Like the Warriors, the Bucks are dealing with an injury to one of their key players—in their case, forward Nikola Mirotic. Budenholzer, though, remains hopeful he will return to the lineup sooner rather than later:
Expect Milwaukee to have little trouble with the Pistons in the opening round.
Houston Rockets: 10-1
A one-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday saw the Houston Rockets slip to the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. This means they will face the Warriors in Round 2, assuming both teams advance.
While this doesn't necessarily bode well for Houston's chances of reaching the Finals, it also means there could be an early upset of Golden State in the playoffs.
Despite being the No. 4 seed, Houston is equipped to handle the Warriors—probably better than any other team in the league.
Led by James Harden and Chris Paul, the Rockets have given the Warriors everything they can handle over the past couple years. They took them to Game 7 in the Western Conference Finals in 2018 and won three of the teams' four regular-season matchups this season. The Rockets should be thinking about an upset in Round 2.
"This one is over, and now we prepare for something big," Harden said after the season finale, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
But Houston has to get past the fifth-seed Utah Jazz first.
Predictions for Conference Finals
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Toronto Raptors
Golden State Warriors vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Finals Prediction
Golden State Warriors vs. Milwaukee Bucks
