The NBA regular season has finally ended. The playoffs begin on April 13, let’s look at each Western Conference matchup.
(1) Golden State Warriors vs (8) Los Angeles Clippers
The Warriors are the gold standard of the NBA right now. They have Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and Demarcus Cousins; the other team does not. It really is that simple for this series. The Warriors will have the five best players in this series going by position and talent usually wins out in the course of a playoff series. This is not the Warriors team people expected nor is it the dominant Warriors team we have seen in the past, but the potential is there, and they still were able to win 57 games. For the Clippers, this is merely an audition and it is a shame they were not able to climb higher in the playoff rankings to avoid the Warriors in the first round because they can give other teams a hard time. The Clippers are trying to show the world and the upcoming free agents that they are legitimate, that they have a strong base waiting for a superstar or two to join them. Personally, I will be looking out to see who gets the first technical in the series between Green and Patrick Beverly. Can the Clippers do enough to show a superstar they are worth it? Time will tell, but they will ultimately lose this series to the Warriors; let’s go Warriors in five.
(2) Denver Nuggets vs (7) San Antonio Spurs
The Denver Nuggets were the surprise team in the NBA this season. Sure, many thought they would make the jump from playoff contenders to playoff locks, but you would be hard pressed to find someone who thought they would be the number 2 seed in the West. We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that they were the number 1 seed for quite some time this season. Their opposition is this year’s version of the been there, done that San Antonio Spurs. I often times get stuck with wanting new teams to become forces in the league, but I have such a hard time picking against a team led by Coach Pop. The Nuggets have a talented roster filled with minimal playoff experience while the Spurs roster is nothing to sneeze at and has playoff experience up and down the roster. As with many Western Conference series, this is a tough one to pick. On one hand Jokic should be able to do whatever he wants on the floor but on the other hand, I think we will see an extremely motivated Demar Derozan. After all, Derozan’s old team is the second seed in the East after trading him this past summer. I think the Nuggets should win this series, so I’ll roll with them in a tougher than many may think 6 game series.
(3) Portland Trail Blazers vs (6) Oklahoma City Thunder
The Portland Trail Blazers rested virtually everybody the last game of the season in an effort to avoid this matchup. Clearly it did not work, and I think that is all you need to know about this series. This matchup is turning into quite the rivalry and will be the series to watch in this first round. The Thunder swept the Blazers 4-0 in the regular season and are looking to do the same here. This series presents two different styles and ways of winnings; the Blazers are offensively focused, and the Thunder have a more defensive style to them. Aside from the regular season success, the Thunder have the two best players in the series when healthy in Paul George and Russel Westbrook. The health is a big concern as Paul George has not looked right since the All-Star break and is certainly playing nowhere near the level that had him in the MVP conversations. Nevertheless, the Trail Blazers proved to be a better team through 82 games and look to learn from getting swept by the Thunder in the regular season and also by the Pelicans in last year’s playoffs. I believe in being due and storylines, so if not now, when will it be the Blazers’ time to prove they belong with the Western Conference elite? I think we will have to wait another year to find out as I am going with the Thunder in seven games.
(4) Houston Rockets vs (5) Utah Jazz
Houston could not have had a worse draw if they tried for this postseason. After they played their last game of the regular season, they were locked into the 3rd seed at best, but the Trail Blazers come from behind win in a game they didn’t even want to win, made the Rockets fall to the four seed to set up this matchup with the Utah Jazz. If this sounds familiar, that’s because these two teams matched up in last year’s playoffs. The key to this series is Rudy Gobert and if he can stay on the floor. Harden and Chris Paul will do their best to isolate him on switches and cause utter havoc. If Gobert can hold his own in those situations, the Jazz will win that chess match. The tough, physical defense the Jazz rely on will cause problems for the Rockets, but in the end, the Rockets have James Harden and the Jazz do not. Harden has a had a storybook regular season and it is time that he continues that into the postseason and shows the world once and for all that he is a force to be reckoned with when the games matter most. Donovan Mitchell’s crew will not make it easy, but the Rockets will end up winning this series in six games.
