Oklahoma City Thunder vs Dallas Mavericks
Game 1: Tuesday, May 7th at 9:30 ET
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and co. can cement themselves as true contenders in this matchup against two battle tested superstars, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. This series will be about whether or not Kyrie and Luka can carry this Dallas team past the deeper, but younger, Thunder team. Irving and Doncic both completely bought in last round against the Clippers, winning in six games, while dominating their individual offensive matchups, and giving maximum effort on defense. Luka averaged 29.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 9.5 assists, and Kyrie averaged 26.5 points. The big problem with the Mavs is when thinking about the ‘other guys.’ Forward P.J. Washington is the only other player who averaged double digit points, with 10.8 points. They are now also without Maxi Kleber, as he dislocated his AC joint, and will reportedly miss the rest of the playoffs. Tim Hardaway Jr. is dealing with an ankle injury that forced him to miss the final four games of the Clippers series. Another key backup Dante Exum really struggled all series, but he might be the Mavs best defensive answer against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Mavs might be too thin to keep up with the youth of Oklahoma City. The Thunder also have great defensive options like Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren who can all help slow down the Mavs superstar duo and lessen the load Shai is forced to carry offensively. Luka and Kyrie will need to average at least 30 a piece for the Mavs to have a chance of keeping up with the Thunder, and even so it might not be enough.
Prediction: Thunder in Six
Minnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets
Game 1: Tonight, May 4th, at 7:00 ET
Easily the most anticipated series of this round showcases superstars Anthony Edwards and Nikola Jokic leading all star casts against each other. Will Anthony Edwards continue his ascent towards being the best player in the world by knocking off another former MVP or will Jokic continue his reign over the Western Conference? Minnesota is the biggest threat to the Nuggets repeating as champions, as they are one of the few teams that have the necessary size to slow down ‘The Joker.’ These teams split the regular season series, but Jokic dominated, averaging 33.3 points per game. Karl Anthony-Towns did miss three of those games with his meniscus injury, and Gobert was sidelined for one game as well, in which Jokic scored 35. Minnesota is now at full strength, firing on all cylinders, so it’s possible they can finally slow him down. If they can, it will open the door for ‘Ant-Man’ Anthony Edwards to become the face of the NBA. He has already slayed one Goliath when he took out Kevin Durant and the Suns. If he averages 31.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists like he did in the first round, they could be on their way to their second Western Conference Finals ever, first since 2004. I expect this to be the closest series of the semifinals, but I think it’s Anthony Edwards time to shine.
Prediction: Timberwolves in seven
Boston Celtics vs Winner of Cleveland Cavs/Orlando Magic
Game 1: Tuesday, May 7th at 7:00 ET
No matter who wins game 7 of the Magic and Cavaliers series, they are bound to be overmatched against the Boston Celtics. Boston has been the best team in the league all year, and easily cruised past Miami in the first round. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are playing the best basketball of their careers, and their stardom paired with the defense of Al Horford, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday make this team look unbeatable at times. The only concern for the Celtics is the health of Kristaps Porzingis. He suffered a scary calf injury against the Heat in game four, and it is being reported that he will miss the entire second round. Without him, the Cavaliers frontcourt of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen might cause some problems defensively and on the glass, but Allen’s lack of scoring ability, and Mobley’s tendency to stay out on the perimeter, they should be able to sneak by with Horford and Tatum. If the Magic are the team to advance, their size on the wing and the emergence of star forward Paolo Banchero could make it a competitive series. Banchero might be the only player in the East capable of going toe to toe with Tatum, but it might be too much to ask of the 21 year old to carry his team past this juggernaut of a team in his first career playoff run. It is hard to envision either of these young teams having enough talent to knock off the Celtics this year, so I expect the Celtics to continue their cruise into the Eastern Conference Finals.
Prediction: Celtics in Five
New York Knicks vs Indiana Pacers
Game 1: Monday, May 6th at 7:30 ET
My 76ers vs Bucks prediction was a huge whiff, mostly because of the stardom of Jalen Brunson and the injuries to the Bucks stars. Brunson is the leading scorer in the playoffs, after averaging 35.5 points per game against the Sixers, including 41, 40, 47, and 39 in the last four games of the series. He is a legit superstar. Anytime the 76ers started to take momentum Brunson hit a big shot to take it right back. He has the clutch gene in spades, and the Knicks need him to continue this lights out run if they want to beat the Pacers. Indiana has the highest scoring offense in the league, and one of the deepest teams left in the playoffs. In their series against the Bucks, six players averaged double figures, with Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner, and Tyrese Haliburton leading the way averaging just 22.3, 19.2, and 16.0 points per game, respectively. Aaron Nesmith and Andrew round out their starting lineup, and do a great job of complimenting Haliburton and Siakam’s games. Will this deep Indiana team be enough to stop the stardom of Brunson from carrying the Knicks to the Eastern Conference Finals? I don’t think so.
Prediction: Knicks in six
Photos by Clemente Almanza, David Zalubowski (AP Photo), and Michael Dwyer (AP Photo)
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