The Western Conference playoffs should be fun to watch and hopefully the NBA will have their games on at East Coast friendly times.
No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers vs No. 8 Portland Trail Blazers
About a month ago, I said that Portland would beat the Lakers if they got the 8 seed. Soooo… here we are.
What a like a Portland are the guys inside. Zach Collins and Jusuf Nurkic returning match up well with Los Angeles. Collins got hurt in Saturday’s game against Memphis and his health is key. Why? Because it looks like Hassan Whitehead is back to his uninspiring self.
The Lakers were a fragile build around two stars. As dominant as LeBron James and Anthony Davis can be, the dependence on Kyle Kuzma, Dion Waiters, and JR Smith is troubling. Not having Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley could spell doom for LA even if they get out of the first round.
Prediction: Portland in 7
No. 2 Los Angeles Clippers vs No. 7 Dallas Mavericks
The Clippers are striving to get healthy. Lou Williams is back and playing after his escapade and Montrezl Harrell is back in the bubble.
Dallas has become the lovable Euros for “I don’t like NBA” guy. They certainly have good starter pieces in Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis but that’s not nearly enough.
Prediction: Los Angeles in 6
No. 3 Denver Nuggets vs No. 6 Utah Jazz
Will the Denver Nuggets grow into the 80s Milwaukee Bucks and 2000’s Sacramento Kings? That lovable team that just doesn’t have enough. Only time will tell but they definitely have as much depth of anyone in the league.
For Denver, health was an issue in the bubble. But what their injuries allowed them to do is let Michael Porter Jr. get big minutes and he produced.
Prediction: Denver in 6
No. 4 Houston Rockets vs No. 5 Oklahoma City Thunder
It’s a different year but same Houston. This year, the narrative is, James Harden should be rested enough not to do his annual no-show appearance. Russell Westbrook’s health is still up in the air but, as of right now, he will miss the beginning of the series.
Thunder have been a nice surprise. After Harden ran Chris Paul out of town, the thought was he wouldn’t be in Oklahoma City long. That hasn’t been the case as Billy Donovan has done an A+ coaching performance again.
Prediction: Oklahoma City in 7
