NBANews365’s Playoff Preview
It has been a long, and historic, regular season. Records have been broken and legends have walked away from the game. But the most important part of the annual NBA campaign is just underway, where teams are remembered and legends are born. Great rosters aren’t remembered by their wins in the standings but by the rings on their fingers, something we may all understand when this year’s champion is crowned.
Eastern Conference
First Round
Cleveland: 4
Detroit: 1
Atlanta: 2
Boston: 4
Toronto: 4
Indiana: 3
Miami: 4
Charlotte: 1
Semi-Finals
Cleveland: 4
Boston: 1
Toronto: 3
Miami: 4
Conference Finals
Cleveland: 4
Miami: 2
By playoff time, that is when LeBron is at his best. People will forget all the disturbances that shook Cleveland over the past 6 months and will finally remember how much more talented his team is over the rest of the Eastern Conference. Detroit and Boston will be able to squeak out a few wins, but really won’t be nearly as big obstacles to LeBron and co. as many may predict. Then there’s the Heat, who I have upsetting the Raptors in the Conference Semi-Finals, a Toronto squad most thought of as Cleveland’s biggest competitor. Despite Chris Bosh’s absence, Toronto is a team that year in and year out fails to live up to expectations come playoff time, and the Heat’s abundance of experience should take advantage. That will set up a memory driven series between LeBron and his former counterparts from South Beach, where the Heat’s age will be exposed into a 6-game beatdown and 6th straight Finals appearance for LeBron James.
Western Conference
First Round
Golden State: 4
Houston: 0
LA Clippers: 4
Portland: 2
San Antonio: 4
Memphis: 1
Oklahoma City: 4
Dallas: 1
Semi-Finals
Golden State: 4
LA Clippers: 1
San Antonio: 4
Oklahoma City: 2
Conference Finals
Golden State: 3
San Antonio: 4
This is probably the most anticipated Conference Finals matchup in recent memory. OKC may give the Spurs a minor scare, but other than that both Golden State and San Antonio will walk into the series we’ve all been waiting for. This time, though, every player on both rosters will play. No sore knee for Tim Duncan or sprained ankle for Andre Iguodala, as both teams should be fully equipped for an all out war. In any other season, a 73-win team would be expected to reach the NBA Finals without a problem. But not this year, where Gregg Popovich’s Spurs tied for the 7th best winning-percentage of all time to go along with their 67-15 record. Not only that, but I expect the Spurs to win and beat the Warriors, ending Golden State’s run as the best team ever and restoring their own place atop the Western Conference. Despite the Warriors’ historic run at history, this really isn’t the major upset one may think it would be when a team north of 70 wins goes down. This is probably the best Spurs team to date as well, one worthy of a championship just as much as the Warriors.
NBA Finals
San Antonio: 4
Cleveland: 3
My overall prediction from January has not changed; that the 2015-16 San Antonio Spurs will be crowned NBA champions. The headlines have been dominated by Golden State’s record-breaking regular season, Russ’s Triple Doubles, Cleveland’s inconsistency, and Kobe’s retirement. Behind all that was Greg Popovich and Tim Duncan’s best team to date, one worthy of title consideration just as any other. Their opponent shouldn’t be a surprise to them, a Cavaliers team led by the same player they saw in 2007, 2013, and 2014. Two out of those three matchups led to Spurs victories, and you can add one more to that list. Kawhi Leonard will play as good defense as you can on LeBron just like he did 2 years ago, and the Spurs will finally make the headlines when they win their 6th title in franchise history.
MVP: Kawhi Leonard
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