The NBA regular season is finally over and we can move our attention to the games that matter. The first round has a number of fascinating series across both conferences, with several upsets possible.
Here is a preview of the first round match-ups in the Western Conference.
Oklahoma City Thunder (1) versus Houston Rockets (8)
A star gets traded to an opposing team and then in the playoffs he gets a chance to show his original team that they made a big mistake. It is hard to think of a better first round narrative.
On talent alone the Thunder should win this series easily. From top-to-bottom they have one of the most talented rosters in the league, headlined by All-Stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
The Thunder won 60 games this season and at times looked like the best team in the league. Nevertheless, I expect that the Rockets will make them work in this first round series regardless of the result.
The Rockets were one of the big surprises this year. On the eve of the season they traded for reigning sixth-man of the year James Harden of the Oklahoma City Thunder. It was one of those rare occasions when a team trades a player that they do not want to lose.
Harden blossomed into one of the league’s best players, finishing fifth in scoring and third in win shares. He partnered with Jeremy Lin to form one of the most enjoyable backcourts to watch this season.
For the Thunder, the biggest concern is Russell Westbrook.
Brilliant one minute and perplexing the next he has the ability to drive the Thunder to a title or see them fail to return to the finals.
For mine, Westbrook needs to get the ball in Durant’s hands more often and there is really no reason why Westbrook should ever shoot more than Durant.
This promises to be entertaining series that hopefully will not be weighed down too much by an excessive number of free throws.
I think that when it is over most will believe that the Thunder should have kept Harden at the expense of Westbrook.
I expect the Rockets to be competitive but it’ll be the Thunder in five.
San Antonio Spurs (2) versus Los Angeles Lakers (7)
At various points in the season this match-up seemed impossible. It took the Lakers almost the entire season to play decent basketball but they finished with a rush to take the seventh seed.
By comparison, the Spurs have been far from impressive throughout April losing six of their nine games. Although the Spurs have been resting starters throughout this period the numbers and poor play should be a concern for the Spurs.
Although the Lakers lost Kobe Bryant to a torn Achilles tendon, they hit the playoffs playing their best basketball of the season.
I prefer the Lakers when they run their offence through Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard and I think that playing inside-out is their best approach to beating the Spurs. A big concern for the Lakers is whether Steve Nash can get his body right.
The biggest issue the Spurs are going to face in the playoffs is the health of their stars Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
All three have suffered injury scares over the second half of the season and the Spurs will need all three to be at their best if they hope to return to the finals for the first time since 2006/2007.
If you were basing your decision on how each team has played in April you would have to side with the Lakers; however, the Spurs are the consummate professionals and I expect them to be back to their best for the first round. Combine that with the Lakers inability to defend anyone and I expect the Spurs to win comfortably.
Spurs in six.
Denver Nuggets (3) versus Golden State Warriors (6)
The Nuggets and the Warriors are two of the bigger surprises this season and this promises to be an entertaining first round match-up.
Denver is one of the most even teams across their roster, with eight players averaging over nine points per game this season. They have quality talent at all positions, with no one particular player dominant in scoring, rebounding or playmaking.
The Nuggets will look to Ty Lawson to be the team’s leader, while I expect second year forward Kenneth Faried to overcome an ankle injury to have a good series.
For Golden State, their success or failure rests on the shoulders of their baby-faced assassin Stephen Curry. In the final game of the regular season Curry broke Ray Allen’s mark for the highest number of three point shots made during a season.
His outside shooting is the Warrior’s greatest strength and if they are to upset the Nuggets he will need to be scoring heavily.
Australian fans should not expect to see much of Andrew Bogut, who has struggled throughout an injury-interrupted season.
Beyond some Curry heroics I see this series as a relatively easy win for the Nuggets. Defensively the Warriors remain questionable and the Nuggets are good enough to exploit this throughout the series.
Nuggets in five.
Los Angeles Clippers (4) versus Memphis Grizzlies (5)
Remarkably the LA Clippers won their first division title this season after posting a 56-26 record. It points to the Lakers remarkable dominance of the LA basketball scene and the miserable record of owner Donald Sterling.
The key for the Clippers is their point guard Chris Paul. He is the best point guard since Magic Johnson and his vision and ability to control the game’s tempo will be necessary if the Clippers want to work their way through the Grizzlies suffocating defence.
There are fantastic match-ups at almost every position in this series: Paul versus Mike Conley, Blake Griffin versus Zach Randolph and DeAndre Jordan versus Marc Gasol. This is one series where we are going to see quality inside and outside basketball. It should be a treat.
For the Grizzlies, their focus should be on defence and getting the ball down low to Randolph and Gasol. I think that the Grizzlies can get the better of the Clippers in the bigman battle and that could turn the series in its favour.
For me this is the hardest series to tip but when in doubt I always side with the best defensive team.
Grizzlies in seven.
Build your own ultimate team! Pick your key players and take a shot at big cash prizes every day with Draftstars. For great odds on NBA games every day head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
A Serbian, a Canadian, a Slovenian and a Greek fellow walked into a bar … Well, they’ve actually walked into the NBA and now…
Nikola Jokic has scored 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead defending NBA champions Denver past LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers…
There will undoubtedly be upset results here and there in the NBA playoffs but there’s an overwhelming sense of fait accompli that Boston will…
LeBron James is going back to the Olympics for the first time in 12 years. Steph Curry is headed to the games for the…
The only realistic threat to Boston’s chances of strolling through the Eastern Conference is a team that could still end up in the play-in…
Australian guards Dante Exum and Josh Giddey have both come up big for their NBA clubs in crucial wins in the lead-in to the…
