The 8 seed-in games wrapped up yesterday, with the Portland Trail Blazers holding off the Memphis Grizzlies 126-122. Damian Lillard, who was named the MVP of the bubble games, scored 31 points and had 10 assists. CJ McCollum was clutch down the stretch and had 29 points, while Carmelo Anthony added 21. For the Grizzlies, Ja Morant had 35 points and 8 assists.
The Blazers will now face the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, a much anticipated matchup between the hot shooting backcourt of Lillard and McCollum and the dynamic duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Here are my thoughts and picks for the first round:
Eastern Conference
1 Milwaukee Bucks vs 8 Orlando Magic
Bucks will sweep. They were only 3-5 in the bubble (Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t play the last three games, the last of which was due to a suspension for head butting the Wizards Moritz Wagner), but the East’s top seed is primed for their first Finals appearance since winning it all in 1971. With no Kawhi Leonard to worry about in the conference this year, Antetokounmpo is the clear best player in the conference, and the Bucks simply outmatch an Orlando team that will miss Jonathan Isaac’s length and defense in the series.
2 Toronto Raptors vs 7 Brooklyn Nets
The Nets were impressive in the bubble. going 5-3 and scoring at a high clip, never scoring less than 108. When many people expected them to drop in the standings, they impressively held on to the number seven seed. Caris LeVert averaged 25 points on 48% shooting in the seed-in games and nearly sent the Blazers home on Thursday with a 37 point, 9 assist and 6 rebound performance. The 25-year-old Columbus, Ohio native has greatness in his genes - he is the third cousin of O'Jays lead vocalist Eddie LeVert, whose son is R&B legend Gerald LeVert - and is good enough I believe to get the Nets one game in this series.
3 Boston Celtics vs 6 Philadelphia 76ers
The Celtics went 5-3 in the seed-in games, including an impressive 122-100 win over the Raptors on August 7. Offensively, they can score with anyone in the league (their 113.7 points per game this season ranked 9th), and defensively they are one of the best (107.3 points allowed per game ranked 2nd). Marcus Smart is one of the great guard defenders in the league, and starting point guard Kemba Walker will not have a minutes restriction going into the playoffs like he did in the seed-ins. The onus will be on Joel Embiid, who will need to put in a dominant series if the 76ers are to win. Without Ben Simmons, they lack playmaking and passing. Shake Milton and Josh Richardson will need to step up, as will Al Horford against his former team. Celtics in 6.
4 Miami Heat vs 5 Indiana Pacers
This figures to be the most fiery of all first round match-ups, with no love lost between Jimmy Butler and TJ Warren. In the regular season, the Heat won 3 of their 4 games vs the Pacers, winning by 22, 14 and 1. The Heat are a team built for the playoffs, with a championship-winning head coach and grizzled veterans like Jae Crowder and Andre Iguodala to bring a defensive presence on the wing. Duncan Robinson is a lights out shooter, and Bam Adebayo is one of the best young big men in the game. The Pacers are well-coached in their own right, and Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner are solid down low. If TJ Warren can give them anything close to what he has over the last six games (four games of over 30 points including a game of 53 on 20 of 29 shooting), the Pacers could upend the Heat. They also have a strong backcourt with Malcolm Brogdon and Victor Oladipo. Heat in 7 is my pick.
Western Conference
1 Los Angeles Lakers vs 8 Portland Trail Blazers
This is the 1-8 match-up that everyone wanted, the star power and scoring prowess of Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum and Carmelo Anthony against the best player in the game and the game's best power forward. Having said that, I don't see this series having the sizzle that others do. The Blazers have bigs down low, but they'll have trouble defending Anthony Davis on the perimeter and off the dribble, and Dwight Howard and Javale McGee will more than hold their own on the glass. The electricity of the Blazers' offense can get them a game, but their defense leaves a lot to be desired. Lakers in 5.
2 Los Angeles Clippers vs 7 Dallas Mavericks
I anticipate the Clippers will have issues guarding Kristaps Porzingis, who although was 8 of 30 combined in the first two games against the Clippers this season, came alive in their last meeting, going 9 of 19 for 30/9/5. Luka Doncic is a top playmaker in the league, but Kawhi Leonard is built for the postseason, and Paul George needs to turn it up to erase the stigma of being a poor playoff performer as of late (in 2017-18, while averaging 24.7 points, he shot just 41% from the field and was 2 of 16 for just 5 points in the final game of that series against the Utah Jazz). This will be a competitive series, but the Clippers. like the Lakers, have a team built for the stretch run. Clippers in 6.
3 Denver Nuggets vs 6 Utah Jazz
The Nuggets have one of the best young cores in the NBA, with Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic and now the emergence of Michael Porter Jr. Will Barton and Gary Harris have already been ruled out for Game 1, but the Nuggets had no issues scoring in the seed-in games, averaging 118.5 points per game. Porter Jr, who was going to be the number one pick in the draft had he not gotten injured, had consecutive games of 37 and 12, 30 and 15, and 27 and 12. Jokic also had four games of 10 or more assists. The Jazz were just 3-5 in the bubble, and will be without Mike Conley for an undetermined amount of time as he left the bubble for the birth of his son. Donovan Mitchell can score, as can Joe Ingles, and Rudy Gobert is one of the game's best rim protectors. I expect him to be nullified some by Nikola Jokic, though. Nuggets in 6.
4 Houston Rockets vs 5 Oklahoma City Thunder
The most compelling first round series in my opinion. Russell Westbrook versus his former team, and Chris Paul versus his former team. With Westbrook dealing with a quad injury and expected to miss a couple games, James Harden will need to put the Rockets on his back. It will be a mismatch in the paint with the smaller PJ Tucker guarding Steven Adams, who is a legitimate center listed at 6 foot 11 and 265 pounds. Paul has galvanized the entire Thunder team, and has propelled himself this season into the MVP conversation, even though their best guard may be Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The outcome of this series will hinge on the health of Westbrook, who will miss Game 1 with Eric Gordon starting in his place. If Westbrook misses a large portion of the series, I could see the Thunder winning. But I anticipate Westbrook playing even if not at 100%, because that is the type of competitor he is. Because he'll miss some games, I think this series goes the distance. Rockets in 7.
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