Sports : NBA Playoffs Thread

NBA Playoffs Thread

East:
1. Bucks
2. Raptors
3. Celtics
4. Pacers
5. Heat
6. 76ers
7. Nets
8. Magic

West:
1. Lakers
2. Clippers
3. Nuggets
4. Rockets
5. Thunder
6. Jazz
7. Mavericks
8. Trail Blazers

Eastern First Round Predictions:
Bucks over Magic in 4 game sweep

Heat over Pacers in 7 game series. The Heat have pretty much had the Pacers' number this season, but this is still going to be a back-and-forth kind of series.

Raptors over Nets in 5 game gentlemen's sweep. The Raptors are just a really fucking good team. The Nets are ok, but this isn't going to be a fun one for them. The Raptor's will probably gift them Game 2, though.

Celtics over 76ers in 5. The 76ers are just a mess. The Celtics are a cohesive unit built around Tatum, who's proven to be an exceptional performer in the playoffs.

Western First Round Predictions:
Lakers over Trail Blazers in 6 or 7. This is going to be a tightly contested series. Damien Lillard is just some kind of God-tier player and the Lakers' offense has been struggling a bit since the restart. But the Lakers will persevere and they will win the series.

Thunder over Rockets in 7. This is a pick 'em kind of series.

Clippers over Mavericks in 6. There'll be a few close games, but the result shouldn't be in doubt. Clippers have a far more experienced team and will be led by Kawhi Leonard.

Jazz over Nuggets in 7. Just going to go with the Jazz because I want to see that team in the playoffs more. Not that I have anything against the Nuggets, I'm just a fan of watching Donovan Mitchell play.

Eastern Semifinals:
Bucks over Heat in 6. Bucks just have the best team in the NBA. The Heat will put up a good effort to get the series to a 6th (or maybe 7th), but the Bucks are winning this one.

Raptors over Celtics in 7. Two really damn good teams going head to head in probably the best and most exciting series these playoffs will produce outside the *spoiler alert* inevitable Lakers/Clippers showdown in the WCF.

Western Semifinals:
Lakers over Thunder in 5 or 6. I figure the Lakers will get their groove back at this point. Should be a fun series, but I don't think there'll be much drama.

Clippers over Jazz in 5. I don't think this is going to be a very close series. As much as I like the Jazz, the Clippers are just a much better team.

ECF:
Bucks over Raptors in 6. Should be a really fun and exciting series. Don't think the Raptors will win it, since Kawhi was really the only reason they won last year, but I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they did.

WCF:
Lakers over Clippers in 7. It's a bit of a pick 'em series in my book, but holy shit, this series is going to be insane.

NBA Finals:
Bucks over Lakers in 7. The Bucks are the better team. They have the best defense and the best offense. They have the best player in the league. But the Warriors had the better team in 2016, and that didn't stop LeBron from willing the Cavs to the victory. This Finals will probably go down in history as one of the better ones.

I live. I die. I live again.

Re: NBA Playoffs Thread

I'm a little concerned about the Lakers in the first round. They have looked terrible, while the Blazers have been one of the hottest teams in the league. If Lillard keeps it up, the Lakers will lose. Playoff Lillard is almost as bad as playoff Harden, so I also wouldn't be surprised if it was a Lakers sweep. If they can pull that off, they would have some momentum going up against the Rockets in the next round, and then the Clippers. I predict a Lakers vs Raptors finals. Lakers win in 5.

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It’s time. It’s time for the Clippers to end.

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Opposing defenses should give Giannis enough space, and let him beat them with the 3… Everyone knows the playoffs are more half-court oriented.

I think we'll see surprises. No home-court, key guys out not just for injuries, but COVID/Protest (Avery Bradley).

I was hoping Memphis would lose just to see a do or die today, but there's been some fine games. Seems like almost every Blazers game went down to the wire. I wanted Pelicans to get in, and just saw Alvin Gentry get fired.

Speaking of fired, Bulls fired Jim Boylen. I wonder if they'll try to find a THIRD coach with the same name.

https://www.scribd.com/document/382737647/MortSahlFan-Song-List

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Heat will beat the Bucks.

That’s my upset special.

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I think the Heat have been the most surprising team. They needed leadership and got it with Jimmy Butler, who plays on both ends (like EVERY player should). Bam is awesome, and they have a ton of good shooters.

https://www.scribd.com/document/382737647/MortSahlFan-Song-List

Re: NBA Playoffs Thread

I agree. I have them in the Finals but tbh predicting the final four in the East is impossible. We just watched the Celtics eviscerate the raptors but how consistently can they ball like that?

I’m not a believer in the Bucks after seeing how a great defense can collapse on Giannis.

The Heat have that defense. We will see how much he learned from the Raptors series last year.

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Eastern Semifinals:

Celtics over Raptors in 7.

ECF:
Bucks over Raptors in 6.

Re: NBA Playoffs Thread



I live. I die. I live again.

Re: NBA Playoffs Thread

First Round:
Bucks over Magic in 4
Raptors over Nets in 5
Celtics over Sixers in 6
Heat over Pacers in 6
Lakers over Blazers in 6
Clippers over Mavs in 5
Nuggets over Jazz in 5
Rockets over Thunder in 7

Second Round:
Heat over Bucks in 7
Celtics over Raptors in 7
Lakers over Rockets in 6
Clippers over Nuggets in 5

Conf Finals:
Heat over Celtics in 7
Lakers over Clippers in 7

Finals:
Lakers over Heat in 6

The East is a crapshoot tbh. I could see any of the top 4 seeds making the Finals

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You have a lot of faith in Miami. I don’t think they get past indiana.

"You had me at Elk Tartare"
-Erin Wotherspoon

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It’s a risk no doubt. I’m not gambling on them tho. I think most people, including those in this thread, have way too much faith in Milwaukee. The battle of LA will most def determine the champion.

Bucks Clippers is the favorite finals matchup by most people, but I don’t see this incredibly strange playoffs going chalk due to lack of home court advantage

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There will be a few big upsets due to the sheer novelty of the season circumstances and players being pulled for testing positive.

"You had me at Elk Tartare"
-Erin Wotherspoon

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Indiana looks great

Heat bout to fuck all y’all up.

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Yup you were right on this one.

"You had me at Elk Tartare"
-Erin Wotherspoon

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Well holy shit. Look what we got here!!!!!

I live. I die. I live again.

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I’m aware. I picked the Bucks too. We were equally wrong.

"You had me at Elk Tartare"
-Erin Wotherspoon

Re: NBA Playoffs Thread

And you had the Pacers over the Heat.

Point is, I'm still pretty educated with this sports shit compared to you. I remember having a discussion with you where you said that you don't see Giannis becoming the second player to ever win the DPOY, MVP, and Finals MVP in the same season, saying how hard it is for anyone to do that. To which I responded "well, of course. There's a reason it's only ever happened one time. But the question was if Giannis could pull it off, and he could."

I also remember your defense of the Patriots' success during the regular season last year saying that they play who is in front of them and they're still a great team with a great defense even though all they were doing for the first half of the season was playing shit offenses.

And I think I even explained to you how the East in the 90s was no better than the East of the 2010s, and people are only talking up those runner-ups in the ECF each time the Bulls went to the Finals because of nostalgia purposes, which is pretty fuckin accurate.


So yeah, I'm a smarter at this shit than you are and I know all the sports things. My pick em record for the playoffs this year hasn't been all that great, but that doesn't mean I'm not a gooder as others with the sports predictions.

I live. I die. I live again.

Re: NBA Playoffs Thread

Take a deep breath there, Cowboy. Your anti-patriot opinions are well documented due to the fact that you always thought Tom Brady was overrated despite being almost universally considered the GOAT with history and statistics to substantiate it even among his own NFL peers ….so I don’t expect you to hold any unbiased patriot opinions.
We’ve had this conversation about 85 times since the soapbox days.

And yes of course running the table on NBA accolades is difficult ….which was the entire point , not to disparage Giannis as a player. This isn’t a contest. I’m Only giving you shit for taking shots at me on my “appreciation” Thread.

"You had me at Elk Tartare"
-Erin Wotherspoon

Re: NBA Playoffs Thread

Your anti-patriot opinions are well documented due to the fact that you always thought Tom Brady was overrated despite being almost universally considered the GOAT with stats and statistics to substantiate it even among his own NFL peers
He's considered the GOAT by many because of his Super Bowl rings and only because of that. The total of championship rings greatly inflates people's opinions of players.

Stats and statistics, eh? Is there a difference between the two?

Statistically speaking, Tom Brady is about on par with Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and Aaron Rodgers. His career passer rating is 97.0, just .5 points higher than Manning, and is 1.4 points lower than Brees, and 5.4 points lower than Rodgers. He has less interceptions than Brees and Manning, but Manning and Brees average(d) more attempts per season than Brady does.

Playoffs wise, Brady is 2.4 points higher than Manning and 22.8 higher than Brees for passer rating, 10.2 points lower than Rodgers. Not going to count totals here because Brady's played in 14 playoff games more than Manning did.

So, statistically speaking, he's not all that much better than those three other QBs.

so I don’t expect you to hold any unbiased patriot opinions.
The numbers don't lie, kid.
And yes of course running the table on NBA accolades is difficult ….which was the entire point , not to disparage Giannis as a player.
But you said you don't see it ever happening, even though the question was if it did happen, which player could do it?

So yeah, there's another one for Rocket.
I’m Only giving you shit for taking shots at me on my “appreciation” Thread.
And because of that I will have your head on a pike by day's end!!!!!!



I live. I die. I live again.

Re: NBA Playoffs Thread



"You had me at Elk Tartare"
-Erin Wotherspoon

Re: NBA Playoffs Thread

First Round:
Bucks over Magic in 5
Raptors over Nets in 4
Celtics over Sixers in 6
Pacers over Heat in 6
Lakers over Blazers in 4
Clippers over Mavs in 6
Nuggets over Jazz in 5
Rockets over Thunder in 6

Second Round:
Bucks over Pacers in 5
Raptors over Celtics in 6
Lakers over Rockets in 5
Clippers over Nuggets in 6

Conf Finals:
Bucks over Raptors in 6
Lakers over Clippers in 6

Finals:
LeBron over Bucks in 4

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Finals:
LeBron over Bucks in 4


I live. I die. I live again.

Re: NBA Playoffs Thread

Sorry. Let me fix that.

LeBron over Magic in 4.

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I can see that happening. The Magic are a much better team than I gave them credit for. They have what it takes to get all the way to the Finals and get swept by the Clippers.

I live. I die. I live again.

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You had the Bucks getting out of the second round too, eh? That’s incredible!!!!!!!!!!!!1!1!1!1!!

I live. I die. I live again.

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I picked them because you made such an enthusiastic speech when you picked them. Just makes you wrong twice, mate.

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Good predictions. The Blazers are going to test the Lakers , I could see that going 7. I have Rockets over Thunder in 7 and ultimately the Clippers coming out of the west to play the Bucks in the finals.

Bucks in 7.

"You had me at Elk Tartare"
-Erin Wotherspoon

Re: NBA Playoffs Thread

Honestly, the smart money is on Clippers beating the Lakers. They're deeper and Kawhi is one of two players in the league who can shut down LeBron (the other being Jimmy Butler). But I have the Lakers winning because LeBron is capable of doing some god-like shit in the playoffs, and it would be nice to see him win another, even if he's not on the Cavs anymore.

I live. I die. I live again.

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Da Bucks!

🔥 🔥 🔥

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Bucks gave them that one. Plus, it helps the Magic have home court throughout the series. Bucks are going to put 130+ on the Magic on Thursday though.

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Yea they’ll win the series. Hardly a ballsy prediction. But The Bucks aren’t winning the title. I’ll stake my left nut on it

Lebron & Kawhi are both better than Giannis.

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Honestly, whether LeBron and Kawhi are still better than Giannis is simply based on subjective preferences at this point. Dude's at their level offensively, and might be better than Kawhi is defensively. All they have over him at this point is experience in critical games. Dude has very limited experience in critical games/situations in the playoffs. However, if the Heat do advance and they face the Bucks in the second round, he'll finally have the opportunity to prove himself.

If they beat the Heat, they're winning the championship.

I live. I die. I live again.

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You can keep your left nut, mate. You’re pretty much a God at this sheit.

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Let them play ball!
In an empty stadium 😑

Hello

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Lucky fucking 3s. Total bullshit.

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I didn't watch the game. Not surprised at all that the Blazers took this one. The Lakers haven't been playing well since the restart, whereas the Trail Blazers have been.

I'm going to have to revise my predictions of a Bucks/Lakers Finals now. It's going to be Magic/Trail Blazers with Trail Blazers in 4.

I live. I die. I live again.

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Lmfao. The Blazers have no size when Nurkic is on the bench.They can’t out rebound or outmuscle the Lakers in the paint. They will lose in 6 or 7 if Dame and Mccollum have a few big nights with 60+ between them.

"You had me at Elk Tartare"
-Erin Wotherspoon

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Dirk Nowitzki

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Bucks do exactly what I predicted — though Middleton is still struggling mightily. Luckily Brook Lopez stepped up.

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Celtics sweep the 76ers. Time to blow up that team, bros. I predict Simmons will be traded to the Clippers for Beverly, one of the Morris brothers, a second-rounder in this year's draft, and a first-rounder in next year's draft. Horford will likely be dealt to the Trail Blazers, Jazz, or Rockets for a couple role players and/or picks. I know the Rockets are going small ball, but I really don't think they'll continue with that experiment next year.

Also, my confidence in the Clippers is waning. If Playoff P keeps up playing like an absolute bum, then they aren't going very far in the playoffs. I mean, Jesus Christ, dude had 9 points on 3 for 14 shooting (1 of 7 from deep), and is averaging 15 points per game.

I live. I die. I live again.

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Can we take a second to appreciate Luka Doncic? The guy has ice water in his veins.

You really think the Sixers should blow up the team and start over? I don’t see them making that move after an unprecedented season with unforeseen issues like this one . Maybe if they lose early next year.

"You had me at Elk Tartare"
-Erin Wotherspoon

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I think it's pretty clear Simmons and Embiid don't work well together, and adding Horford wasn't a good idea, since he just hasn't seemed to find a way to mesh with the team… which is why Brett Brown had him coming off the bench in the latter half of the season. It's time to move some stars and rework the roster.

Don't really know why I said Clippers for Simmons since there's no way he'd be able to coexist with two other ball-dominant players. Probably should trade him to Utah, San Antonio, or Miami, if he's who they decide to trade.

But yeah, Doncic is a cold-blooded assassin. Can't believe the leap he's taken in his second year. Dude's going to be a better overall player than Nowitzki ever was.

I live. I die. I live again.

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Yes, I agree. Dirk was a scoring machine but not nearly as well rounded as Luka has grown to be. When he reaches his prime he will be better than Dirk.


Horford hasn’t worked anywhere but in Boston since he left ATL. Teams keep trying this experiment with him but he isn’t worth it.

"You had me at Elk Tartare"
-Erin Wotherspoon

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Horford hasn’t worked anywhere but in Boston since he left ATL. Teams keep trying this experiment with him but he isn’t worth it.
By teams you mean the 76ers, right? Dude hasn't been a part of any other franchise outside the Celtics, Hawks, and 76ers.

I live. I die. I live again.

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Yes. But remember, other teams have flirted with signing him because they expected his ATL production.

"You had me at Elk Tartare"
-Erin Wotherspoon

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Ok. But you said that other teams kept trying this experiment and he’s never had any success outside of Boston and Atlanta.

Idk, the dude just didn’t work out with the 76ers. I have a feeling when he’s on another team next season, he’ll rebound greatly.

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Luka is a beast and @ the Clippers.

They were never going to beat the Lakeshow. Honestly Houston has the best chance tbh.
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