NBA Playoff Predictions: Breaking Down All the Potential First Round Matchups
The home stretch of the NBA season has officially begun. Teams are fighting to get into the playoffs or to move up in the rankings.
The Miami Heat are in the midst of a "crygate" scandal and have just lost their fifth straight game to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Los Angeles Lakers appear to be peaking, coming off a huge win against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls appear to be on cruise control and are looking to secure the top two spots in the East.
With the playoffs right around the corner, it is time to begin predicting first-round match-ups.
Eastern Conference
1 of 10
Boston Celtics (1) vs. Indiana Pacers (8)
Chicago Bulls (2) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (7)
Miami Heat (3) vs. New York Knicks (6)
Orlando Magic (4) vs. Atlanta Hawks (5)
Boston Celtics (1) Vs. Indiana Pacers (8)
2 of 10
So far this season the Celtics and Pacers have played two games, with the Celtics winning both games comfortably. They have two more games coming up before the end of March, one in Boston, and one in Indiana.
Indiana will certainly limp into the playoffs with a losing record, and if the Charlotte Bobcats still had Gerald Wallace, they could have made a run at the eight-seed.
It is almost unnecessary to preview this match-up as the Celtics will likely sweep the Pacers.
The Celtics have won eight of their last ten games, and even with the trade of Kendrick Perkins appear to be on pace for a deep run into the playoffs.
The Pacers are a young team that is on the rise, but they stand no shot of knocking off the Celtics in the first round.
Prediction: Boston in four.
Chicago Bulls (2) Vs. Philadelphia 76ers (7)
3 of 10
Chicago isn't the dominant team that Boston is, but they always find a way to get the job done. Expect them to hold off the Miami Heat for the two seed and face off against the Philadelphia 76ers, whom appear to be locked in at the seven spot.
These teams have played each other twice so far, and have split the season series. They each defended their home court and will meet one more time this season in Chicago.
The 76ers would need a huge series out of Elton Brand, Jrue Holiday, and Andre Iguodala to keep up with Chicago in a seven-game series.
Chicago is getting healthy at the right time and beginning to mesh. While this won't be as easy as playing against the Pacers, Chicago should be able to win comfortably.
With Derrick Rose having an MVP caliber season and having the likes of Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah, and Luol Deng all healthy, the Bulls are poised for a deep run into the playoffs.
Prediction: Chicago in five.
Miami Heat (3) Vs. New York Knicks (6)
4 of 10
Every sportswriter wants this matchup—it's the perfect first round matchup for the media. Carmelo vs. Lebron and the "Big Three" vs. "The Big Two," superteam vs. superteam—the possibilities are endless.
However, the best part of this series is going to be watching every game come down to the wire. These two teams are very evenly matched and should provide the most entertaining series in the Eastern Conference.
In the only matchup of the season that really matters, the Knicks walked into Miami and defeated them 91-86. Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 29 points, while Amare Stoudemire had an off night, only scoring 16.
Chris Bosh, LeBron James, and Dwayne Wade combined for 59 points, with James leading the way scoring 27.
Don't expect a lot of defense this series as both teams will be pushing the tempo early and often.
Look for an up and down, back and forth battle that could go all seven games. This matchup has upset potential written all over it, and if Miami can't figure their problems out between now and April, Miami will be going home early.
Miami doesn't run complicated offensive sets, and they try to beat you with pure talent alone. Talent alone is not enough in the playoffs and New York will find a way to slow them down. Erik Spoelstra is not the coach that Mike D'antoni is, and it will show in this series as the Knicks knock off the Heat.
Prediction: New York in seven.
Orlando Magic (4) Vs. Atlanta Hawks (5)
5 of 10
The two most inconsistent contenders in the Eastern Conference will go head-to-head in a seven game series.
Orlando has been on the verge of breaking through for the past few seasons, and the Hawks have been looking for one more player to push them over the top the past two seasons.
Orlando shook up their roster this year, moving Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis out of town, while bringing in Jason Richardson and Gilbert Arenas. These moves have yet to fix Orlando's erratic play, which will likely continue for the rest of the season.
Atlanta shipped Mike Bibby out of town and brought in Kirk Hinrich. While Hinrich is an upgrade over Bibby, he is not an elite level point guard and does not drastically improve the Hawks.
Atlanta actually leads the season series 2-1, however, that is not likely to translate over into the playoffs. Orlando has the playoff experience and leadership needed to win this series, and they have a star player in Dwight Howard.
This will be an interesting series and both teams will need to be in it for the long haul, but in the end the Magic have too much firepower.
Prediction: Orlando in seven.
Western Conference
6 of 10
San Antonio Spurs (1) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (8)
Dallas Mavericks (2) vs. Denver Nuggets (7)
Los Angeles Lakers (3) vs. New Orleans Hornets (6)
Oklahoma City Thunder (4) vs. Portland Trailblazers (5)
San Antonio Spurs (1) Vs. Memphis Grizzlies (8)
7 of 10
Unfortunately, without the Los Angeles Lakers finishing in first place this season we miss out on what would have been a fun matchup between Marc and Pau Gasol.
The Spurs have been rolling over every team in the league this season and currently boast a league best 51-12 record. However, the Grizzlies haven't been too shabby themselves this year and will be looking to win their first playoff game as a franchise.
Memphis hung around against San Antonio in their first two match-ups this season and were able to finally breakthrough in their third matchup, defeating the Spurs by a score of 109-93.
Zach Randolph has led the Grizzlies offensively this season, and the Grizzlies have a lot of depth at the guard position (after the botched trade of O.J. Mayo). Mike Conley and Marc Gasol are both having solid seasons, and if the Grizzlies can keep this core of players together, they may become a force in the Western Conference in the next few seasons.
However, this won't be the season for Memphis.
San Antonio is just too good offensively and even better defensively. They are battle-tested and have come together very well this season. The Spurs are not invincible, but they will not be knocked off in the first round.
Predicion: Memphis wins their first ever playoff game, however, they lose the series in five games to the Spurs.
Dallas Mavericks (2) Vs. New Orleans Hornets (7)
8 of 10
New Orleans started off this season very promising, but they have come back down to reality since their 11-1 start.
Dallas, on the other hand, faltered in the middle of the season without their star player Dirk Nowitzki. The Mavericks have been nearly unstoppable with their star player in the lineup, and this may be their best chance to make a run at an NBA title.
New Orleans plays a two-man game on offense with David West and Chris Paul as the two main contributors, which will not be enough to keep up with Nowitzki and the Mavericks.
The Mavericks are playing much better defense this season than they have in the past, and they have a lot of scorers on the offensive side of the ball.
Chris Paul will have to wait until he gets to New York to think about winning a championship.
Prediction: Dallas in five.
Los Angeles Lakers (3) Vs. Denver Nuggets (6)
9 of 10
The Denver Nuggets have played very well since trading their star player, Carmelo Anthony, to the New York Knicks. Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler have both played well for their new team, and they still have some time to mesh before the playoffs.
Raymond Felton has not played as well in Denver as he did in New York, but it is only a matter of time before he comes alive in Denver's system. Once Felton can find his game, the Nuggets will have one of the best point guard duos in the game, featuring two former North Carolina Tar Heel point guards, with him teaming up with Ty Lawson.
The Lakers are having what has been considered a down season, however, they are 46-19 for the season and only a game behind the Mavericks for second place in the Western Conference.
Kobe Bryant is still the most clutch player in the game today, and with Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol still teaming up inside, they will continue to be a force when the playoffs come around.
Denver has a good, young team, but they will not be able to keep up with the Lakers in this series.
Prediction: Los Angeles in six.
Oklahoma City Thunder (4) Vs. Portland Trailblazers (5)
10 of 10
Two of the best young teams in basketball get to square off in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs.
Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant lead the way for the Oklahoma City Thunder, combining for over 50 points per game. With the addition of Kendrick Perkins, the Thunder have added an inside presence on the defensive side that should really help them to contain LaMarcus Aldridge.
Brandon Roy is one of the best young players in the game, but is constantly limited by his fragile knees. Thankfully for the Blazers, they went out and acquired Gerald Wallace and were able to keep Nicholas Batum.
The Blazers don't have the star power that the Thunder have, however, they have more depth and should be able to push this series to seven games.
This will be the most entertaining series in the Western Conference, and should be a see-saw battle that will come down to the wire.
Prediction: Oklahoma City in seven.
