Another postseason is upon us and, like most years, there aren’t a ton of questions to consider. The Warriors are the best team in the NBA and the Spurs are slightly behind them. It took until late in the season for the Warriors to actually overtake the Spurs in SRS. Ultimately, the Warriors did get there and they now rate out with the sixth best SRS of all-time at 10.38. But the Spurs are actually seventh at 10.28. This is a long way of saying that the Spurs do have a legit shot at beating the Warriors. It isn’t likely but the Spurs have a shot. Alas, the Spurs have to beat a very good Thunder team before the Warriors. Seems like too tough a road.
In the East, the LeBron James is looking at his sixth straight Finals appearance. The only legit challenge is the Raptors. Toronto is not as good as the Cavs but they are best Eastern Conference challenger to LBJ’s reign since James and the Heat faced off with the pre-injury Derrick Rose Bulls back in 2010-11. Toronto has been very competitive with the Cavs this year too. Still, like the Spurs, the Raps’ chance is a proverbial “puncher’s shot” at knocking off Cleveland. With all that being said, here are our abbreviated playoff predictions:
First Round
Eastern Conference
-Cavaliers v. Pistons: Cleveland wins 4-1
-Raptors v. Pacers: Raptors win 4-1
-Heat v. Hornets: Hornets win 4-2
-Hawks v. Celtics: Hawks win 4-3
Western Conference
-Warriors v. Rockets: Warriors win 4-1
-Spurs v. Grizzlies: Spurs win 4-0
-Thunder v. Mavericks: Thunder win 4-1
-Clippers v. Trail Blazers: Clippers win 4-2
Second Round
Eastern Conference
-Cavaliers v. Hawks: Cavaliers win 4-2
-Raptors v. Hornets: Raptors win 4-2
Western Conference
-Warriors v. Clippers: Warriors win 4-2
-Spurs v. Thunder: Spurs win 4-3
Conference Finals
Eastern Conference
-Cavaliers v. Raptors: Cavaliers win 4-3
Western Conference
-Warriors v. Spurs: Warriors win 4-3
NBA Finals
-Warriors v. Cavaliers: Warriors win 4-2