By DaVince “Dino” Wright
NBA Playoffs at a Glance
This year’s playoffs so far have been one for the fans to watch. In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder swept the Memphis Grizzlies 4-0. While the Denver Nuggets have a 3-2 lead over the Los Angeles Clippers. The Golden State Warriors have a 3-2 lead over the Houston Rockets and in a huge shock to the conference, the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the breaks off of the Los Angeles Lakers in a 4-1 series win. In the Eastern Conference, the Indiana Pacers closed out their first round series 4-1 over the Milwaukee Bucks in one of the biggest shockers of the first round. The Boston Celtics bounced the young Orlando Magic 4-1. In the Knicks and Pistons series, New York is up 3-2 while the Cleveland Cavaliers swept the Miami Heat. Let’s take a closer look at the remaining series of the first round.
Western Conference
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Memphis Grizzlies Series: OKC 4-0
Oklahoma City Thunder swept the Memphis Grizzlies in 4. The Thunder will play the winner of the Denver Nuggets and LA Clippers series.
Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets Series: Warriors lead series 3-2
Houston is a good team that can hang with any team in the NBA, but they lack of veteran leadership which will be the downfall for them. I picked Golden State to win the series after they won their play-in game. Golden State will move to the next round after Friday night. The winner of the series will face the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Lakers Series: Timberwolves won the series 4-1
No one saw this coming. Everyone automatically picked the Lakers to knock out the Timberwolves in 5 or 6 games. Well, the shoe is one the other foot. The Timberwolves after 5 games closed out the Lakers in LA. The Lakers stars struggled on the defensive end. Anthony Edwards is growing up right before our eyes. Now Minnesota is waiting Golden State or Houston to start the next round of games.
Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Clippers Series: Denver leads the series 3-2
The Denver Nuggets proved that they can win without former Head coach Mike Malone. The Nuggets have matched the Clippers on both ends of the floor and the game winning dunk proved that they will never give up. The Clippers can and will take this series to 7 games if they spread the ball around and create turnovers in the 4th quarter. The key will be Norman Powell; he’s the x-factor for the Clippers. The winner of this series will face the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Eastern Conference Playoffs
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Miami Heat Series: Cavaliers 4-0
The Cleveland Cavaliers are one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference and proved to the world that they are ready to win another title for the city this year. They are waiting to start their next round series with the Indiana Pacers on May 4. This series will be action packed from start to finish. Keep an eye on Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell. He will be the x-factor for the Cavaliers.
New York Knicks vs Detroit Pistons Series: NY leads series 3-2
New York will win the series, but Detroit will put up a fight. Keep an eye on this series because of the physical play for both teams. The Pistons in a few years will be a beast in the East. Pistons Cade Cunningham will be a household name in a few years. Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson will push the Knicks into the second round. The winner of this series will face the Indiana Pacers.
Indiana Pacers vs Milwaukee Bucks Series: Pacers win 4-1
This one was a huge shock to me. I picked the Bucks in 6, but Indiana took the Bucks best shot and sent them on a quick vacation. The Indiana Pacers are averaging 119 points per game and giving up 103 to their opposition. The Pacers will face the Cavaliers on May 4 to begin their second round series on the road.
Boston Celtics vs Orlando Magic Series: Celtics win 4-1
The Boston Celtics are looking to repeat as champions. They took care of business by sending the Miami Heat back to the beach! Jalen Brown and Jayson Tatum will be a headache for young and inexperienced players on the opposite team. The Orlando Magic have a great upside heading into the future. All they need is a veteran to lead them on the floor. Boston will face the winner of the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons series.
