With all four Conference Finals set, it is time to discuss matchups, make predictions, and choose who you are rooting for.
Western Conference Semifinals
Jeje Gomez posted an excellent diagnosis of what we can expect, mentioning hoe the series will look with and without Anthony Edwards as his chance of playing looks sooner than later.
I’m agreeing with Jeje’s prediction and taking the Spurs in 5.
The other Western Conference Semifinals matchup includes the defending NBA Champion Oklahoma City Thunder
and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers are missing their best player in Luka Doncic. LeBron was impressive in the final game of their first round series, but long ago are the days where LeBron alone can take over the game. He needs a strong supporting cast. Yet no matter how well they play, OKC is just too dominant to give the Lakers a fighting chance, especially if SGA continues to get the benefit of the doubt that sends him to the line with unprecedented frequency.
The Thunder owned the Lakers to the tune of 4-0 during the regular season, and they will repeat that in this series. Thunder in 4.
Eastern Conference Semifinals
On Saturday, the Philadelphia 76ers upset the Boston Celtics. The Celtics had been considered the frontrunner for representing the East in the NBA Finals, especially since the return of Jayson Tatum. Tatum looked as if he hadn’t missed a beat. Without him in Game 7 due to a knee injury, Boston could not string together the 48 minutes necessary to knock off their long time rival.
The 76ers will face the New York Knicks. They split the four games during the regular season, ironically losing on their home courts each time. This one promises to be a slugfest. There’s a lot of muscle in the paint, both teams feature fearless, paint-slashing point guards, and each team has formidable role players.
I’m so torn on this one that I have to guess this series goes the full seven games.
Who do you have in this series?
On the other end of the conference, the top-seeded Detroit Pistons will host the Cleveland Cavaliers. Both teams experienced Game 7s on Sunday. Detroit ran away in the 2nd quarter and never looked back. In the same way, Cleveland and Toronto were tied at halftime. Literally tied for the entire series, each time had 718 total points on 47% shooting at the end of six-and-a-half games. Cleveland found the extra gear they needed and left Toronto in the dust in the last 24 minutes.
Detroit looked out of sorts in during the first round. They did come back from 3-1, a feat only accomplished 15 times in NBA history. But I don’t think the Pistons have enough left in the tank to push through.
I’m going with Cleveland in 6 games.
Any predictions for this series?
Game 1 of the Spurs and Timberwolves starts at 8:30 PM tonight. The 76ers face the Knicks at 7:00 PM.
It’s about to go down.
Go Spurs Go!
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