NBA Playoff Bracket 2019: Final Standings, Postseason Picture and Predictions
Sixteen teams will attempt to catch a second wind as the 2018-19 NBA playoffs start Saturday. We're going to see the separation between good regular-season clubs and legitimate title contenders.
We hear about a team's ability to "flip a switch" in the postseason, which suggests that club may have gone through the motions over the past six months. The Boston Celtics fall into this category.
With LeBron James going west, many thought the Celtics would take over the Eastern Conference with a young core, a star player in Kyrie Irving, a healthy Gordon Hayward and upstart head coach Brad Stevens.
However, Boston's performances lacked cohesiveness, which resulted in a decent but unexceptional 49-win campaign and a No. 4 seed.
Will we see the same lukewarm Celtics team in the postseason? Can this group shift into another gear?
The Orlando Magic are back in the playoffs for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign as Southeast Division champions. They have a tough first-round draw with the Toronto Raptors, who nearly matched their franchise-high 59 wins from the last season with a 58-24 record under head coach Nick Nurse.
One Western Conference series features two clubs that exited the playoffs in the first round in the two previous terms. While both squads should feel pressure to advance, one player will dominate the headlines.
Should we consider the Denver Nuggets a legitimate contender? Will they advance past the opening round?
After a final check on the standings, we will go through the most intriguing playoff series, pick an upset and take a detailed look at a team to watch throughout the postseason.
Final 2018-19 NBA Standings
Eastern Conference
1. Milwaukee Bucks (60-22)
2. Toronto Raptors (58-24)
3. Philadelphia 76ers (51-31)
4. Boston Celtics (49-33)
5. Indiana Pacers (48-34)
6. Brooklyn Nets (42-40)
7. Orlando Magic (42-40)
8. Detroit Pistons (41-41)
9. Charlotte Hornets (39-43)
10. Miami Heat (39-43)
11. Washington Wizards (32-50)
12. Atlanta Hawks (29-53)
13. Chicago Bulls (22-60)
14. Cleveland Cavaliers (19-63)
15. New York Knicks (17-65)
Western Conference
1. Golden State Warriors (57-25)
2. Denver Nuggets (54-28)
3. Portland Trail Blazers (53-29)
4. Houston Rockets (53-29)
5. Utah Jazz (50-32)
6. Oklahoma City Thunder (49-33)
7. San Antonio Spurs (48-34)
8. Los Angeles Clippers (48-34)
9. Sacramento Kings (39-43)
10. Los Angeles Lakers (37-45)
11. Minnesota Timberwolves (36-46)
12. Memphis Grizzlies (33-49)
13. New Orleans Pelicans (33-49)
14. Dallas Mavericks (33-49)
15. Phoenix Suns (19-63)
1st-Round Playoff Predictions
East Matchups
No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 8 Detroit Pistons: Bucks in four games
No. 2 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 7 Orlando Magic: Raptors in four games
No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 6 Brooklyn Nets: Sixers in four games
No. 4 Boston Celtics vs. No. 5 Indiana Pacers: Celtics in four games
West Matchups
No. 1 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 8 Los Angeles Clippers: Warriors in four games
No. 2 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 7 San Antonio Spurs: Spurs in six games
No. 3 Portland Trail Blazers vs. No. 6 Oklahoma City Thunder: Thunder in six games
No. 4 Houston Rockets vs. No. 5 Utah Jazz: Rockets in seven games
Most Intriguing Series: No. 3 Portland Trail Blazers vs. No. 6 Oklahoma City Thunder
The Portland Trail Blazers and Oklahoma City Thunder have a matchup that puts the stars of each squad under a microscope.
Damian Lillard leads the charge in Portland. Oftentimes, he's viewed as an underrated All-Star guard because of the collection of talent in the West. Will that perception shift if he exits the first round for a third consecutive year?
Lillard can't win these series alone, but he must raise his level of play from last year. During the 2017-18 campaign, he averaged 26.5 points per game, and that number dropped to 18.5 in a 4-0 series defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans in April 2018.
The Blazers would endure a huge blow to their playoff psyche if they take another early exit as a No. 3 seed. They won't have center Jusuf Nurkic, who suffered compound leg fractures in a March contest against the Brooklyn Nets. After missing 10 contests with a popliteus strain in his left knee, guard CJ McCollum suited up for two games but shot 8-of-26 from the floor after his return to the court Sunday.
If the Lillard-McCollum tandem falls short again, the front office will need to consider a notable upgrade in the frontcourt.
In Oklahoma City, meanwhile, guard Russell Westbrook will face immense pressure because he hasn't experienced playoff success without Kevin Durant. This year, he's going into the postseason with enough help to win at least one series.
Through the 2018-19 campaign, Paul George averaged a season-high 28 points per game and often closed contests with the ball in his hand. He hit the game-winning shot against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday:
Westbrook can defer to George if necessary; he also has a strong supporting cast. Forward Jerami Grant has put together his best year averaging 13.6 points and 5.2 rebounds while converting nearly 50 percent of his shots from the floor. Center Steven Adams provides an interior presence that the Blazers can't match in the paint and on the glass.
Lillard and Westbrook will capture headlines. But one of these teams will find a breakthrough, and the other will need to do some offseason soul-searching.
Upset Pick: No. 7 San Antonio Spurs def. No. 2 Denver Nuggets in 6 Games
The Nuggets return to the playoff scene for the first time since the 2012-13 campaign, and they are giving up a tremendous edge in experience. The San Antonio Spurs secured a postseason berth for a 22nd consecutive season under head coach Gregg Popovich.
Nonetheless, talent wins games. The Nuggets' starting lineup features a rising star in center Nikola Jokic, who's arguably the best passing big man in the league. Denver also has multiple guards between the first and second units who can shoot from a distance, including Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Will Barton and Malik Beasley.
Collectively, the Nuggets are still average from three-point territory in terms of shooting percentage (35 percent) and the number of triples made per contest (11); they rank 18th in both categories.
Denver's inability to pull away from San Antonio with three-point shooting will likely result in close contests. It's fair to expect Popovich to win late-game chess matchups against Mike Malone.
San Antonio will need to wrap up the series in six games against a club with the best home record in the league (34-7). If Popovich's group steals one of the first two outings at Pepsi Center, expect the Spurs to advance and play the Thunder in the semifinal round.
Team to Watch: No. 2 Toronto Raptors
The Raptors fired Dwane Casey, the 2018 Coach of the Year, and brought in Nurse last summer. They added Kawhi Leonard along with Danny Green in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a protected 2019 first-round pick in a blockbuster deal in July.
Despite the major changes and guard Kyle Lowry's drop-off in production, the Raptors haven't skipped a beat. Nurse has molded forward Pascal Siakam into a consistent contributor in the starting lineup; the 25-year-old is the second-leading scorer on the roster and averages 16.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per contest.
Nurse elaborated on Siakam's impressive growth through the 2018-19 campaign and why he deserves consideration for Most Improved Player, per Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press (h/t NBA.com).
"I don't know who else is even really up for it, who the voting's between, all that stuff. I know that if anybody's done more than this kid, has improved more, has impacted the team more and continued to improve from even geez, 20 games ago. He just keeps taking another step forward, there has been no steps back."
The Raptors acquired center Marc Gasol before the trade deadline. The 34-year-old's scoring average dropped from 15.7 to 9.1 points per game during his transition from the Memphis Grizzlies and Raptors. On a positive note, he's still a solid facilitator and efficient from the floor, shooting 47 percent.
Assuming both teams advance twice, the Raptors will face their toughest challenge in the Celtics. Nurse can go deep into his bench to match Boston's talented roster. Role players such as Green and Fred VanVleet can check into the game and change the complexion of the contest with their long-distance shooting.
Green knocked down 46 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc this season; VanVleet converts 38 percent from three-point territory and serves as a secondary distributor, averaging 4.8 assists per game.
This could be the year the Raptors break through the conference finals glass ceiling to represent the East in the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.
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