First Round Playoff Predictions

March Madness is the most wonderful time of the year, but the NBA Playoffs might be fourth or fifth on that list. This hasn't been the most exciting season of NBA basketball (what season is exciting actually) but the Playoffs always brings the passion and energy from players that we rarely see during the regular season. With that, here are my predictions for each first round series. 

EAST 

1 Celtics vs 8 Bulls 

The Bulls are actually the trendy upset pick in the East given the Celtics' lack of playoff experience, but let's remember how bad the Bulls are this year. If the Bulls do anything in this series, it will be because they use their length to disrupt Isaiah Thomas. Still, this is a 1/8 matchup for a reason, and I expect it to play out normally.

PREDICTION: Celtics in 6

4 Wizards vs 5 Hawks

I said yesterday that I'm adopting the Washington Wizards for this year's Playoffs, so of course I have them winning easily against the Hawks. I think Washington will be the team to break the LeBron steak in the coming years by making the Finals, and this will be a major step toward that. Also I'm not sure if Atlanta really wants to be here. 

PREDICTION: Wizards in 6

3 Raptors vs 6 Bucks

I really love Giannis Antetokounmpo, I really do. But this just isn't his time yet. The Raptors have the most dangerous backcourt in the East with Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. The addition of Serge Ibaka will also prove valuable in this series as the Bucks are without Jabari Parker. Wait three years, and I'll believe in the Bucks. 

PREDICTION: Raptors in 5

2 Cavaliers vs 7 Pacers 

The Pacers and Bulls are two similar teams: they both are receiving unwarranted and undeserved recognition for underwhelming seasons. Sure the Pacers have Paul George, but that's really it. Lance Stephenson isn't going to blow LeBron away like last time. The Cavaliers haven't been in their best form as of late, but we have to remember that they have the LeBron factor. 

PREDICTION: Cavaliers in 4

WEST

1 Warriors vs 8 Trail Blazers

I'm not expecting anything competitive out of this series, but I do think Damian Lillard will steal a game at home. The most interesting part of this series is predicting how many times the announcers will say that Damian Lillard got snubbed from the All Star Game. 

PREDICTION: Warriors in 5

4 Clippers vs 5 Jazz

It's cool to see Gordon Hayward get his day in the sun, but I think he's going to be sunburned by the end of the series. We've seen this type of thing in countless tournaments and playoff series. The old dog vs the new cat. Usually it's the old dog who wins, and I expect nothing less here. The Jazz actually match up well against the Clippers for the most part, but the point guard differential (Chris Paul vs George Hill) will push the Clippers over the edge. 

PREDICTION: Clippers in 7

3 Rockets vs 6 Thunder

At last we get the grand matchup of the first round: Harden v Westbrook. Honestly I'm not that excited for this series, since the games won't be entertaining. People forget how bad the Thunder are aside from Russell Westbrook. The Rockets actually have valuable assets outside of James Harden. I expect Harden and Westbrook to cancel each other out, leading to Eric Gordon and the rest of the gang to win the series. 

PREDICTION: Rockets in 5

2 Spurs vs 7 Grizzlies

I'm always sad when I see that the Grizzlies have to play an absolute powerhouse in the first round. I think their core of Mike Conley Jr, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph are all great people off the court, and they never seem to catch a break. The Spurs are the only team in my mind that can beat the Warriors, so I don't think the Grizzlies will give them too much of a contest in this one. 

PREDICTION: Spurs in 4