NBA Free Agency Winners Ranked

After an action packed day three of the NBA free agency, there are five teams that truly upgraded their rosters. Below are the rankings of the teams who I believe have improved the most during since July 30th:

1. Brooklyn Nets: 

After adding Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and DeAndre Jordan, I have the Nets as the biggest winner following the first three days of the free agency. They had a solid season last year finishing 6th in the East, led by D’Angelo Russell. Russell had a breakout year,

Photo: ESPN.com

but was unable to lead them past the Sixers due to their lack of depth. Although Durant is out for the season, the Nets will be lead by Irving and Jordan who will be eager to prove their worth to the league. Assuming their new additions mesh in the locker room and stay healthy, I see the Nets being a contender in the Eastern Conference for the next 1-4 years. There is no denying that the Nets won the free agency circus.

2. Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers had a decent season finishing third in the East, but fell short after getting defeated by the league champions. They had a good run, but there was some fine tuning they could do to become more of a legitimate title threat. Their management

Photo: 94wip.radio.com

had a choice between Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris due to cap space. After committing to Harris, they went on to pick up veteran Al Horford and Josh Richardson. These are not the biggest names, but they are guys who will make a team better. Horford has playoff experience and will serve as a mentor to Embiid. Richardson averaged about 17 points per game last season while shooting a high percentage. The 76ers’ free agency moves will make them a solid team in the East and a real title threat next season.

3. Utah Jazz

Despite not getting a ton of media coverage, the Utah Jazz quietly made some big moves to make them a force in the Western Conference. They added veteran Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanonvic. The Jazz were already one of the better defensive teams (allowing

Photo via Utah Jazz Twitter

106.5 PPG) in the league and can only get better with these moves. Conley will be a great mentor for a promising star in Donavan Mitchell. I don’t think the Jazz will win the title next year, but I think that most teams would prefer to not have to face them in the first round of the playoffs.

4. Boston Celtics

With the additions of Kemba Walker and Enes Kanter, the Celtics may have actually benefitted from losing Kyrie Irving and Terry Rozier. Irving was unable to lead the Celtics to the promised land last season while failing to bond with head coach Brad Stevens. Rozier had a great season last year, but is ready for a starting role. Adding Kemba may hurt their defense, but his offensive spark and ability to bring teams together will surely make up for his weaknesses. The Celtics managed to sign Kanter for a 2 year, $10 million dollar contract, which might be one of the best bargains in the league. He averaged about 13 points and 9 boards per contest last season. The Celtics will be more of an “under the radar” team who most likely exceed peoples’ expectations next season.

5. New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans did an amazing job rebuilding their team and getting the most they possibly could for Anthony Davis. After drafting a potential hall of famer (Zion Williamson) and trading for three former Lakers, they knew that shooting was an area that they lacked in. JJ Redick was the

Photo: yardbarker.com

perfect fit for this team and his style of play (shooting 39.7% from the 3 point line) will be the missing piece to the puzzle. Not to mention they managed to make a trade for Derrick Favors, an above average bench player to help with rebounding. This is an up and coming young team who will have solid depth for several years to come. 

 

Early Western Conference Predictions

Photo via The San Francisco Examiner

#1) Golden State Warriors- After finishing 58-24 in the regular season, the Warriors were almost defeated by the Houston Rockets in the playoffs. With the Warriors replacing JaVale McGee with Demarcus Cousins, they should be a lock in for the number 1 spot in the West assuming they stay healthy. There is no guarantee that “Boogie” will be the same player after his injury, but I believe that will not be a deciding factor. If they could succeed with Zaza or Bogut at the 5, they should be just fine with or without Boogie.

#2) Houston Rockets- The Rockets may have made a few mistakes getting rid Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute who are two of their best defensive players. They also failed to land Lebron James while adding an aging Carmelo Anthony. Who knows how Mike D’Antoni and Melo will mesh together given their poor history. I am not a fan of the Melo signing, but we will have to see what type of role he takes on. I think they have enough to take the second spot in the stacked Western Conference this season, but they will have their hands full in the playoffs when facing The Warriors and The Lakers.

#3) Los Angeles Lakers- As a Laker fan, it is hard to not be biased when making these predictions. After finishing 35-47 last season, the Lakers can only improve after adding arguably the best player to ever play the game who still has a decent amount of game left in him. The Lakers will probably take some time to learn how to play together, but any team with Lebron on the roster is automatically a championship threat. It will be interesting to see how their young core and recent additions contribute to “LaGoat” on his quest to win his 4th championship.

Photo via Sportsnet.ca

#4) Utah Jazz- I really like the new look Utah Jazz style of hard defense and team basketball. Although they tied The Oklahoma City Thunder last season with 48 wins, I still give them the edge over them in the upcoming season. With a year of experience under their belt, they can only get stronger from here on out. They also drafted Grayson Allen who could also contribute to their solid starting five led by Donovan Mitchell. There is nothing pretty about the Utah style of basketball, but I believe they will be a team that most do not want to face in the first round of the playoffs.

#5) Oklahoma City Thunder- After getting rid of the burden of Carmelo Anthony, I think that the Oklahoma City Thunder got stronger. They did a good job adding Dennis Schroder who is one of the most underrated point guards in the league. However, I am still not fully

Photo via Daily Express

on board with their style of basketball. The reason for this is because they tend to play a lot of isolation ball and watch Russell Westbrook chuck up some nearly impossible shots in the last minute of games. Paul George seems to like it in OKC and must enjoy playing next to Westbrook.We will see if they are able to prove me wrong and finish better than a fifth seed in the West.

#6) San Antonio Spurs- With one of the best coaches in the history of the NBA (Gregg Popovich) it is hard to ever rule out the Spurs. Although they only finished in 7th place last season, I believe they will have a better season this year. After acquiring DeMar DeRozan from the Toronto Raptors, they got a lot in return for a player that they believed would leave their team once his contract expires. They are not one of the favorites to come out of the West this season, but the combination of DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge should be enough to make the first round of the playoffs.

#7) Denver Nuggets- When healthy, I think that the Denver Nuggets have one of the deepest rosters in the league. After finishing just one game behind the

Photo via howtheyplay.com

Timberwolves last season, the Nuggets will have a chip on their shoulder to prove their worth. Although they lost Wilson Chandler, they signed Isaiah Thomas and drafted Michael Porter Jr. I think that these additions will be enough to make the playoffs in the West assuming they are able to stay healthy.

#8) New Orleans Pelicans- The New Orleans Pelicans had a very solid season last year finishing in the 6th spot in the Western conference. They lost “Boogie” Cousins, but gained Julius Randle and Elfrid Payton. Adding Randle means that Nikola Mirotic will be coming off the bench to add to their depth. I think that their team got stronger this season, but I do not think they will finish above an 8th seed due to the amount of talented teams in the West.

 

Written by Evan Pine, NBA Perspectives Writer

Lakers Early Season Player Review

28 games into the 2017-2018 NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers have been improving as a team, slowly but surely. After having a dreadful season last year, finishing with just 26 wins, the Lakers are showing many signs of improvement in various areas. The most obvious sign that indicates that they are heading in the right direction is their record. They are currently 11th in the dominant Western Conference and are only 3 games out of the 8th playoff seed. Not only are they still in the playoff race, they also are keeping games relatively competitive, which is something that most Lakers fans (including myself) are not used to. 

In terms of player production, here are the various letter grades that the core of the team has earned themselves so far:

Brandon Ingram (S.I.com)

Brandon Ingram: Ingram is deserving of an “A” letter grade due to his ability to put up 16 points per game while averaging 5 boards and 3 assists. He has been the most improved player from last season, and coach Luke Walton is rewarding him with the playing time that he deserves. The statistic that has stood out the most is his .453 shooting percentage compared to .402 last year. Due to his narrow frame and huge wingspan, he has drawn some comparisons to Kevin Durant. Many fans stopped believing that he actually had the ability to develop into a Durant-type player, but this season he has given them a reason to keep believing it could happen. 

Kyle Kuzma: With little expected of him coming in to the 2017-2018 season, Kuzma has earned himself an “A-” at this point of the season. Being the 27th pick in the draft has actually worked in his favor because of the low expectations that people had for him. His 16 points per game and 6 rebounds per game have helped him secure a solid spot on the roster. Offensively he has been providing solid energy and consistent scoring. Defensively, he has not been phenomenal, but he has held his own up to this point. He has been the most pleasant surprise for the Lakers this year, and I would not be surprised if he is a part of their plans in the years to come.  

Larry Nance Jr.: One of the most liked Lakers players on the current roster has earned himself a “B+” so far this season. Although he only averages about 9 points and 7 rebounds per game, he has been playing some of the best basketball of his career. He is the type of player who does not have any plays called for him, but still manages to make an impact. Whether it is deflecting a shot or hustling for a loose ball, Nance has proven to be one of the more consistent starters on the team and Walton has been rewarded for that.

Lonzo Ball: Ball has not been performing nearly as well as people around the league anticipated, but has still earned himself a “B-” letter grade thus far. It is not always easy to show signs of excellence immediately when entering the NBA. However, other rookies such as Ben Simmons, Donovan Mitchell, and Jayson Tatum have managed to do so. This

Coach Luke Walton and Lonzo Ball   (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)

does not mean Ball is a complete bust, but it does mean that Ball has some work to do in order to live up to the hype. He is averaging roughly 9 points, 7 assists, and 7 boards per game, which is not bad for a rookie. His .332 shooting percentage from the field does draw some concerns about his offensive game in the future. However it is too early to give up on a player 27 games into his career.

Julius Randle/Jordan Clarkson: Randle and Clarkson have both earned themselves a “C+” up to this point in the season. They are not playing terrible basketball, but they have just not shown many signs of improvement from last season. Clarkson’s numbers have been almost identical to last year’s. He has done a good job scoring the ball off the bench this year, which is the majority of his game. Randle is in “the dog house” this year due to the excellent play of Nance. His minutes have dropped from around 27 to 22 because Walton and his staff have made it clear that he is not in their plans for the future. Although he may be one of the most talented players on the roster, it would not be surprising if he gets traded soon in order to pave the way for acquiring player like LeBron James or Paul George. 

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: Caldwell-Pope is not exceeding his expectations nor underperforming this season, which is why he gets a “C” so far this year. There is nothing wrong with a player who averages about 14 points per game, 5 boards, and a few assists per contest. That being said, his off-the-court issues with the DUI case will cause him to miss the next several games away from Staples Center. This will give players like Josh Hart and Jordan Clarkson more opportunities to prove their value. Caldwell-Pope needs to show there is more to his game than just scoring in order to get an extension on the team.

Brook Lopez: Lopez has not been performing up to par this season, which is why he has earned a “C-” up to this point. I never expected to put him this far down on the list, but

Players Brook Lopez and Tyler Zeller (nydailynews.com)

his 13 points per game (career low), 4 boards, and 1.6 blocks per game give me no reason to grade him higher than this. Lopez has not meshed well with the current young core, but has provided the ability to match up with other 7-footers on defense. This has been the only positive to his horrendous 2017 campaign. Unless he magically turns around his play, I would be shocked if the Lakers kept him on the roster next season. 

 

 

Written by Evan Pine, NBA Perspectives/Forward Mile writer

Peace Out Metta and Hello Magic

—Evan Pine

With the Los Angeles Lakers’ forgettable season coming to an end, it was time for 37-year-old Metta World Peace to hang up his jersey. President of Basketball Operations, Magic Johnson said that the Lakers ‘probably’ won’t bring him back next season. World Peace then announced his retirement via Twitter thanking the entire Lakers organization. He seemed satisfied with the way the organization has treated him over the course of 6 seasons and did not appear to have any hard feelings about the business decision. 

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Despite only playing 6 minutes and averaging about 2 points per contest, World Peace provided veteran leadership that numbers can’t measure. With young talent including D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson and Brandon Ingram, the Lakers are in desperate need of some type of veteran leadership for the upcoming 2017-2018 season.

In terms of Metta’s future, it would not be surprising to see him continue to contribute to the team off the court. His memorable 3-pointer to help secure the 2010 Championship and his passion for the game do not hurt his case for remaining with the Lakers organization.

Looking forward to the future, the Lakers hope to land a 3-three draft pick in the upcoming draft. Although the odds of landing a 3-three pick are only 47 percent, many Laker fans seem optimistic of this happening. The team has been in the rebuilding phase for the last four seasons and have been surpassed as L.A’s favorite team to the Dodgers according to a survey.

Newly hired Magic Johnson plans on changing their culture and bringing back their winning tradition. “We’re going to look at every scenario. We’re going to look at every option. This town and this team — the Lakers — have always had a superstar. And that’s what we’re going to try to bring in here,” said Magic on Rodney Peete and Fred Roggin on AM 570.

The team is missing the sense of excitement that previous teams had brought to Los Angeles. As time the clock keeps ticking, Laker fans are starting to get impatient. Will the Lakers draft a franchise player and/or will they acquire a big name through a trade? Only time will tell.

 

 

Keys to the Bulls Surprising 2-0 Series Lead

—Joshua Pope

We are two games into the Bulls/Celtics series and I think it is safe to say we are in a much different place than most people expected. The #8 seed Chicago Bulls have taken the first two games from the Celtics at The Garden in Boston. Fans who have watched the Bulls this season have seen an inconsistent team that has not been able to fully gel together or establish normal rotations. Fans who have watched the Celtics this season has seen a team with great continuity, a feisty defense, and great coaching. Because of this, I think most people predicted a quick series for the Celtics. I am going to dive deeper into the series and see what has made the Bulls so successful thus far.

 

Rajon Rondo

It would be remiss of me to talk about the Bulls and not mention the play of Rajon Rondo in the first two games. Once a thorn in the side of the Bulls and a locker room distraction, Rondo has turned his game around in the second half of the season. He has made 46% of his threes since the All Star Break and just posted an 11 pt 14 ast and 9 reb game in game 2 (ESPN.com). It started near the end of the first half of the season when coach Fred Hoiberg removed Rondo from the starting lineup and benched him completely. After a while, he was put in the second unit to run with the young guys where he experienced a lot of success. Through injuries and other rotation changes, Rondo found himself back in the starting lineup.

The benching seemed to light a fire under Rondo and he started to play with the same level of intensity game after game. That was the problem with Rondo; it was never about his skill, but his level of effort and focus he put in. I believe that is precisely why he is doing so well in the playoffs. #PlayoffRondo is a real thing and playing against his old team that boo’s him every time he touches the ball only intensifies this “big game only” focus he seems to have. Rondo, who has usually been portrayed as “the bad guy” since leaving Boston, seems to respond to negative feedback in a way most players don’t. I truly believe the boo’s fire Rondo up more than anything and help his focus.

Rondo has always had limitations, but when he is playing with this level of focus and intensity he is hard to stop. He plays to his strengths of dribble penetration and seeing the floor, which aids him in hiding his weakness of poor shooting. I believe Rondo keeping up his level of play is key to advancing for the Bulls.

 

Better Floor Spacing

         During this season, the Chicago Bulls shot 34% from three, which was good for 24^th in the league. You could see improvements start to form in the second half of the season, but it has really taken over during the playoffs. The players do deserve credit for being more serviceable from deep, but I think Hoiberg actually deserves most of the credit. Hoiberg has found better combinations of lineups to provide space for the players that cannot space the floor themselves (and the Bulls have a lot of those). Even though the Bulls have still not been a great shooting team, they have a flawed roster and Hoiberg is starting to make the most out of what he’s got.

I don’t agree with Wade and Rondo both in the starting lineup for all of the same lack-of-spacing problems, but now that they are both healthy Hoiberg will not bring one of them off the bench. His status as a young coach, the pride/ego of those players, and maybe even Gar Forman and John Paxson (the general manager and vice president) won’t allow that to happen. This used to hurt the Bulls in the regular season. Now you see Hoiberg taking Wade out fairly early in the first quarter. He has Niko Mirotic out there, and replaces Paul Zipser for Wade. Mirotic and Zipser can both space the floor; they open up the court for Rondo and Jimmy to act as playmakers and Robin Lopez to do the dirty work behind the scenes. Not only has this allowed Rondo to move around and find open teammates, but Jimmy gets more breathing room as well. Hoiberg then will transition to Wade with and all bench lineup of shooters and floor-runners, allowing Wade to make plays for that group.

Hoiberg has showed that he is now willing to shorten up his rotation and make changes when he sees the momentum slipping away. These were all things he proved unwilling to do during the regular season. At the end of the day the Bulls do not have many floor-spacers on the roster, but Hoiberg is learning how to utilize the ones they do.

 

A Defensive Plan

For the first time in the two years that Hoiberg has been the coach, it seems like the Bulls actually have a defensive plan. For the past year and a half, the Bulls always seemed unsure about what they wanted to do on defense. Some guys would automatically switch pick and rolls, while others fought through screens. Sometimes defenders would force ball handlers dramatically left with no help defense in sight. Lack of communication and lack of continuity caused the Bulls to look lost on that end of the court.

In this series you can see the Bulls have a solid defensive plan that they have done a pretty good job of executing. Hoiberg has decided they are going to blitz pick and rolls involving Isaiah Thomas. Point guards have given the Bulls fits throughout the regular season, even though they have tried this tactic before.

The difference to me is the recovery by the rest of the team. After blitzing the pick and roll, Thomas will usually try to pass out of it. This is where the big guy who helped out (usually Lopez) either needs to go back to his man, or someone has to rotate over. In both instances the Bulls are running hard to recover and getting there before the ball. If someone needs to slide over and help, then the rest of the team is sliding to the next guy to “help the helper”. These are all things the Bulls tried to do but didn’t during the regular season. They were consistently late switching over, or not recoving to the big man rolling to the basket. That means a lot of open 3’s and layups for the other team.

The reason they are not making those mistakes anymore seems to be increased effort and focus. These Bulls are exerting more energy throughout the game and staying locked in; that is what the playoffs will do for you. In the playoffs, every possession is huge. Especially as the #8 seed the Bulls came into this series knowing that they could not afford to give quarters or games away. That increased focus is helping them execute for a full 48 minutes.

 

***Offensive Rebounding

I wanted to note that offensive rebounding is also a huge factor to the Bulls’ success. I am not going in depth about it because it has been the Bulls strong suit for most of the season. On top of that, the Celtics are a fairly small team who have had trouble with defensive rebounding.

(A good Bulls offensive rebounding team) + (a bad Celtics defensive rebounding team) = offensive rebounds for the Bulls

 

Moving Foreword

The Bulls have been a pretty mediocre, if not bad, team for most of the season. I want to caution Bulls fans from getting overly optimistic and thinking this series is a lock for the Bulls. The Celtics have been the better team all year and are still the better team from top to bottom. The Bulls can definitely win this series, but Hoiberg will have to continue making the right moves in this chess match with Celtics’ Coach Brad Stevens and the Bulls players will need to keep up the energy and intensity for every minute of the rest of this series.

 

Los Angeles Clippers vs Utah Jazz

 

—Spencer Mittin

Overview

The Clippers tend to have a knack for running into big, strong, hard-nosed teams while in the playoffs (aka Memphis and San Antonio) and with that being said, the Utah Jazz are no exception. Although many, including myself, were expecting an intense repeat of Game 1, tonight’s Game 2 featured nothing but complete and utter domination. The Clippers led for all 48 minutes and the Jazz never stood a chance. The three-headed monster consisting of Blake Griffin, CP3, and DJ combined for 63 of the teams 99 points, meanwhile the Jazz’s dynamic duo of George Hill and Gordon Hayward could only scrape up a combined 32 of the teams 91. Let’s not forget that the absence of Rudy Gobert (knee) had massive ramifications throughout the game. The Clippers grabbed 8 offensive boards, compared to the Jazz’s 3 and the Clips also managed to outscore the Jazz 18-0 in the paint. The series is now tied 1-1 and it will be interesting to see what happens Friday in Salt Lake.

JAZZ KEYS TO WINNING

First and foremost, the Jazz MUST get Rudy Gobert back. Gobert finished the 2017 season fourth in the league in rebounds per game (12.8), second in field goal percentage (.661), and first in blocks per game (2.6). Utah needs their big man back  and they will continue

Ryan Aston-FANSIDED

to get destroyed inside the paint without  him. Additionally, the Jazz need to do a better job of containing  Chris Paul. CP3 is the heart of the Clippers roster and has torched  Utah in both games played. Deandre has zero offensive game  aside from catching alley oops    and Blake struggles without  Chris Paul as his go to. In  other words, if you take Chris Paul out of the game, you  take the Clippers out of the game. Lastly, the Jazz need to  get their stars to play better. George Hill looks like a ghost  of himself after having a career year in points (16.9) and  Gordon Hayward has been struggling from the field  lately. Utah has been getting some qualities minutes from  guys such as Joe Johnson, Derrick Favors, and Boris Diaw,  but if they want to beat LA and advance to the next round, Hill and Hayward have to step up, especially with Gobert out.

 

 

CLIPPERS KEYS TO WINNING

Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

The Clips have done a pretty good job so far of holding the Jazz in check. Albeit, Joe Johnson’s buzzer beater in Game 1 was a punch to the gut, it just goes to show that anything can happen in the playoffs. Nonetheless, a major key to stopping this Jazz team is to smother them on defense. The Jazz could not get a good look tonight on offense and part of it was because of the great defense that was being played. The bench also needs to contribute more if the Clips want to advance onto the next round. Blake, CP3, and DJ can’t do everything. Guys like Jamal, JJ Redick, and Mo Speights were brought in to be complementary pieces and thus they need to prove their worth. Last but certainly not least is the fact that the Clippers can’t take this series too lightly. I think we all remember during the 2015 playoffs, the Houston Rockets came back from a 3-1 series deficit and ended up winning the series in 7. This Jazz team is extremely deep with tons of depth so the Clippers need to be completely focused and treat each game as if it is their last.

 

MY PREDICTION

Jazz in 7, contingent upon Gobert returning by Game 4! If not, I say Clippers in 6. I think the Jazz’s roster is one of the most underrated rosters in the league. With Rodney Hood, Joe Johnson, Boris Diaw, Derrick Favors, and Shelvin Mack coming off the bench, they have so much depth and experience I think it will be too much depth for the Clippers to handle. They simply don’t have enough bodies to compete. LA is paying Paul, Jordan, and Blake $63 million combined per year and the experiment just isn’t working out. The fact that the series is 1-1 heading to Utah, with Gobert not playing in either game, it only bolsters my argument and makes me that much more confident in my prediction.

 

Boston Strong

 —Joshua Pope

As the NBA playoffs are about to commence in Boston, the main narrative of the Celtics/Bulls series has taken an unexpected turn. Last night 22-year-old Chyna Thomas, sister of Celtics superstar Isaiah Thomas was killed in a car accident. On the eve of the Celtics first playoff game as the 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, Thomas decided to play. He was announced in the starting lineup to a standing ovation with a thunderous applause, and shown with tears running down his face while the arena had a moment of silence for Chyna.

This really shows the value of team sports. It shows the value in having a team as a support system, and how the up’s and down’s you are forced to endure together create a unique bond. Isaiah Thomas chose that the best place for him to be was with his team fighting to achieve the goals they set at the beginning of the season. ABC showed Thomas being consoled by his longtime friend and teammate Avery Bradley.

Moments like these are tragic in sports, but that is when the team, and really the entire league come together and show unity. That is not something you see in many other industries around the world. Once news like this breaks in the NBA support starts flowing in from everywhere. Whether its statements made by management or posts form players on social media, even enemies on the court put that aside to support. This is not just in the NBA; you see this among all the major team sports in the United States I think this stems from the team culture that everyone who’s involved with the league deals with. Players would do anything for a teammate and in times of tragedy everyone in the league comes together as one team. And that’s really what they are. At the end of the day basketball is just a game, and these guys are being paid A-LOT to play a game. It’s times like this that people realize the value in team sports is being part of a team, not any fame and fortune that results from it.

Evan’s First Round NBA Playoff Predictions

Eastern Conference:

(1) Boston Celtics/ (8) Chicago Bulls:
Isaiah Thomas, who has drawn some comparisons to Allen Iverson, is currently averaging a career high 28.9 points per game and 5.9 assists (ESPN.com). Thomas, along with a solid supporting cast, will be too much for the Bulls to contain. They did split the season series, however, so the Bulls will likely be putting up a fight. Although Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder are known for great defense, they will have a tough assignment in containing Jimmy Butler who is averaging 23.9 points per game (ESPN.com). Overall, I think the Celtics offense will be too much for the Bulls to handle; I see this series going to five or six games.

—Celtics in 6 games

(2) Cleveland Cavaliers/ (7) Indiana Pacers:
Most NBA teams would agree that facing the reigning champs is not ideal for a first round matchup. With a rested Lebron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, the Pacers will have their work cut out for them. Keep in mind the Pacers only won one of the four of their regular season match ups. Paul George will need to play his best basketball and the rest of his team will have to be flawless to win this series. I do not see this series going more than five games.

—Cavaliers in 5 games

(3) Toronto Raptors/ (6) Milwaukee Bucks:
With Kyle Lowry coming off of wrist surgery, I think this series will be very close. Despite having playoff experience and one of the best backcourts in the league (Kyle Lowry and Demar Derozan), the Raptors will not have an easy time defending Giannis Antetokounmpo      one of the league’s most talented young players. The Bucks’ lack of playoff experience makes them an unpredictable team coming into the playoffs. They are viewed as a dark horse team by many, which could be a great underdog story. I think the Raptors will win this series in six games, but Lowry’s wrist could be an issue for him later on in the playoffs.

—Raptors in 6 games

(4) Washington Wizards/ (5) Atlanta Hawks:
It’s never easy to  predict the winner of a playoff series between a four and five seed. As a Lakers fan, I would love to see Dwight Howard crumble in the playoffs. However, I think that the Hawks have the advantage in this one despite losing the season series three games to one. The Hawks are a much better defensive team and seem to be more well rounded as well. With players like Paul Milsap, Dennis Schroder, and Dwight Howard, the Wizards are going to need big performances from their splash brothers (John Wall and Bradley Beal). This series is really anyone’s game, but my gut tells my the Hawks will take it in the end. I see this series going into seven games.

—Hawks in 7 games

Western Conference:

(1) Golden State Warriors/ (8) Portland Trail Blazers:
With all of the attention ESPN gives to the Warriors, it is pretty tough to root for them. Not to mention they are basically an overpowering super team with all of the big names they have on their roster (Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green). Anything less than a championship is a failure for them. They swept the Portland Trailblazers during the regular season and I think they would beat them nine out of ten times in a ten game series. A worn out Damian Lillard (foot) and C.J. McCollum (hand) should just be appreciate that they made the playoffs and enjoy playing four to five games in the postseason.

—Warriors in 4 games

(2) San Antonio Spurs/ (7) Memphis Grizzlies:
With two of the league’s three best defensive teams facing off, this will not be the most exciting series to watch. However, these two teams are very well coached and value each possession. The Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard is putting up a career high in 25.5 points per game and 3.5 assists per game to go along with his 5.8 rebounds per game (ESPN.com). His improvement has caught the eyes of many and he is currently in the MVP talk. With the help of LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol I think the Spurs should not have a problem winning this series. However, point guard Mike Conley who makes $28.53 a year and Marc Gasol should not be overlooked. I have this series going to five or six games in the Spurs’ favor.

—Spurs in 6 games

(3) Houston Rockets/ (6) Oklahoma City:
This is the first round series I am most excited for. With 2 of the most heavily favored MVP candidates (Russell Westbrook and James Harden), this series will not lack entertainment. Westbrook averaged a historic 31.6 points per game, 10.7 rebounds per game, and 10.4 assists per game with almost no help (ESPN.com). Meanwhile, Harden is averaging 29.1 points per game, 8.1 rebounds per game, and 11.2 assists per game with a better record (54-27). Seeing the two superstars square off should be a battle in itself. I think OKC will take this series in seven games, but it will come down to which team heats up at the right time.

—Oklahoma City in 7 games

(4) LA Clippers/ (5) Utah Jazz:
Initially I thought that this would be a really close series, however; when I realized that the Clippers had beat the Jazz in all three of their regular season games, I was sold on the Clippers — not to mention they will have home court advantage. Time is ticking for superstars Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan to win a title. The Jazz are a team that is not familiar with the playoffs and does not have a lot to lose. Their young core consisting of Gordon Hayward, Rudy Gobert and Rodney Hood will be excited to showcase their playoff abilities. As a Laker’s fan I hope the Clippers lose, but I do not see it happening in the first round. As usual they will give “Clipper Nation” false hope and lose in the second or third round of the playoffs. I have the Clippers winning this series in five possibly six games.

—Clippers in 5 games

Feel free to share your first round predictions.