NBA Playoffs 2018

It’s playoffs time in the NBA, the most awaited time of the year for the millions of basketball fans around the world. It’s the time to say thanks for the regular season and get excited up for the real basketball to get going: playoff basketball. Will Golden State defend their title? Will the Cleveland Cavaliers make it back to the NBA Finals?

Out in the West, people are already pointing to a Golden State-Houston showdown for the Western Conference Finals. It makes sense considering that these are top teams in the league today, regardless of conference. Meanwhile, the East is a wide open race with any of the top five teams having a legitimate shot at winning the Eastern Conference title. Let’s check out some first round match-ups. The defending champs are “only” #2 in the West and are up in their series against the San Antonio Spurs. They’re favored to eliminate the Spurs who are still without Kawhi Leonard. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Spurs win a game or two but they simply don’t have the firepower to overcome Golden State. Steph Curry is still out recovering from his injury, but could see action in the next round (if needed) where they’re seeded to face either Portland or New Orleans. Meanwhile, top seed Houston is expected to cruise past Minnesota. The duo of James Harden and Chris Paul has so far worked out well in the regular season, but you never know. The “bad news” about the duo is that they don’t have good track records come playoffs time. Third seed Portland is being pushed against the wall by #6 upstart New Orleans. Is an upset on the table here? Fourth seed Oklahoma is up against the #5 Utah Jazz and should come out on top, but not after losing a game or two as well. I don’t want to spoil the party, but a Houston-Golden State clash for the Eastern Conference title sure looks like an NBA Finals already to me.

The wide open race in the East is due to the perfect timing of so many things happening at the same time: injuries for all teams, Cleveland’s getting new players and knack for losing games of late, Boston’s surprisingly excellent performance without its top two players and Toronto’s steady play.

Top seed Toronto has done a great job in the regular season without fanfare and away from the limelight. The lights are flashed on the big names/highlights in the East: Lebron and the Cavaliers; Philadelphia’s steady play and Boston’s surprising run; Kyrie Irving’s move to Boston and Dywane Wade’s homecoming in Miami. The Raptors are probably the only top seed in recent history that isn’t more popular than most of the teams seeded below. But I’m sure they’re fine with that. Up against the Washington Wizards, they shouldn’t have any major problems. Second seed Boston is a team that never ceases to amaze everyone. After losing big-time acquisitions Gordon Hayward early in the year and Kyrie Irving recently to injuries, the Celtics were supposed to roll over and fade away. But it looks like they didn’t get the memo as they still find ways to win. At the rate they’re going, they can make it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. Third seed Philadelphia is undergoing a major litmus text with its young leaders taking charge. Can Ben Simmons lead the team all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals? Or are they still too young and not yet ripe? Against Miami, the 76ers are having difficulty, but for as long as they truly “trust the process,” Simmons and company will be fine. Cleveland finds itself in a very peculiar situation. They’re not favored to win the East. Believe it or not! They had a roller-coaster ride in the regular season and lost their opening playoffs match to Indiana at home. That doesn’t sound right, does it? Have they lost the killer instinct to win? Are they getting old? How are the mid-season transferees faring (including Fil-Am Jordam Clarkson)? The Cavs will still live and die with LeBron James. No more, no less. I think they’ll overcome Indiana but Toronto in the second round is a totally different thing. I see Toronto making it to the Eastern Conference Finals but against which team is tough call. If Philadelphia can play mature ball beyond its youth, they’ll make it. But if Boston continues to play the way they do, how can you not like seeing a well-deserved Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals?

Aside from the playoff games per se, there are so many stories/developments that we’ll be following. Can James Harden finally score a breakthrough with the help of Chris Paul? Will Cleveland rediscover itself before it might be too late? Is Ben Simmons for real and can Joel Embiid take over a game in the playoffs? How far can Boston go with its current line-up? Will DeMar Derozan and Kyle Lowry finally bring the Raptors to an NBA Finals? Can Russell Westbrook work with Paul George and Carmelo Anthony in the playoffs, i.e. share the ball and shots taken? Is this Dywane Wade’s curtain call? And last but surely not the least: Are the Warriors in good shape to win it all again?

Welcome to the NBA Playoffs!