In our preview for the playoffs, the overwhelming feeling was that Golden State Warriors’ elimination at the hands of Sacramento Kings had signalled the rise of a new era, but nothing could have prepared us for what was to come in the first round. With the Sixers, Heat, Lakers, Clippers, Suns, and Bucks all suffering early eliminations, we have seen a somewhat official passing of the torch from the old guard to the new kids on the blocks. While we hit on an impressive 12 of our 16 picks, we never could have imagined a world where some of the greatest players in the history of basketball like Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, Dame Lillard, James Harden and Devin Booker would all be watching the conference semifinals of the playoffs from their couches like I am. After four games in each conference semis, it has been tight across the board, except for the Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers series, where the 17-time champs have taken a commanding 3-1 lead. Here’s our take on what to expect. Our Picks
**Eastern Conference** New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers (Tied 2-2) The Knicks’ grit carried them through the first round, where they ousted 2023 MVP Joel Embiid’s Sixers. Despite Embiid battling multiple injuries and Bell’s palsy, credit must go to the Knicks and their determination to seal the deal. Sadly for them, fortune has taken a sour turn for them as injuries now plague their roster. It’s no news that Julius Randle (shoulder) is out for the season. But, since the playoffs began, they’ve lost Bojan Bogdanovic to a foot injury (also out for the season), while Mitchell Robinson and OG Anunoby face weeks on the sidelines with ankle and hamstring issues, respectively. As a result of this, heavy minutes have fallen on key players, particularly Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, and Josh Hart, who logged a staggering 48.2 minutes per game in the five games leading up to Sunday’s blowout loss. Hart even played 11 consecutive quarters without a break, not because of his strong will, but simply due to the dearth of options on the bench. As for the Pacers, having taken advantage of an injured Bucks team missing Giannis Antetokounmpo in the last round, they seemed to be on the verge of doing the same here before Tuesday’s blowout loss, inspired by Jalen Brunson. Though they went down 2-0, they bounced back with two straight wins, including Sunday’s 121-89 win in which they led by 42 points in the third quarter. They may be the 2nd youngest team in the playoffs, with seven players on their roster experiencing the postseason for the first time. But that hasn’t stopped them from delivering. In fact, the young and fresh legs have been an advantage until game 5. Yes, they’re one game from elimination, but the Knicks will know not to underestimate them anymore.. Our bet of the day is for the Knicks to qualify for the Eastern Conference finals and somehow progress against the Boston Celtics.
**Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (Celtics Leads 3-1)** The Boston Celtics have shown why they are widely considered the best team in the NBA this season. As we predicted, they easily dispatched the Miami Heat - despite the Game 2 hiccup - and are on the verge of doing the same to the Cavaliers. They’ve held 20-point leads in 6 of their 7 playoffs wins thus far, and have simply overwhelmed opponents with their offense. If there is any criticism of the Celtics, it’ll be that they are guilty of taking their foot off the gas at home. Over the last three seasons, they are 14-14 in home games and have mostly done their damage on the road. This season, they’ve won all four away games, but hold a 3-2 record at the TD Garden. Nevertheless, the series appears all but wrapped up. Throughout the NBA’s 77-year history, only 13 times has a team overcome a 3-1 deficit in the playoffs, making it highly unlikely, especially with key Cavs players Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen sidelined with injuries. Boston Celtics’ small Forward Jayson Tatum has stepped up to the public challenge to score more points with consecutive 30-point games, while his deputy, Jalen Brown has been the team’s highest scorer this postseason. When those two are in such scoring form, there are few teams in the league capable of stopping them. We believe they’ll end this in Game 5.
**Western Conference** **Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Dallas Mavericks (Tied 2-2)** After seizing home court advantage in Game 2, the Mavericks couldn’t fully capitalise, succumbing to a 100-96 defeat in Game 4. Despite star guard Luka Doncic notching a triple-double, his missed free throw with seconds left on the clock swung the game in OKC’s favour. However, given his ongoing battle with a knee injury throughout the series, we might want to cut him some slack. The Mavs’ struggles from the free-throw line proved costly in this game, converting just 12 of their 23 attempts. As a result, their 54-43 halftime lead slowly faded, allowing the Thunder to seal the game with a 20-10 run. Surely, they can’t shoot that poorly from the line again, right? Credit must also go to OKC for their resilience. Despite being the #1 seed in the West, they are the youngest team in the playoffs and have put up a good fight so far, with mature displays well beyond their age. MVP runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander erupted for 22 of his game-high 34 points in the second half, while rookie teammate Chet Holmgren contributed 18 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks. When those two are firing that way, they almost always win. That said, we strongly feel that over the coming few games, Dallas’ experience will be the deciding factor. When a series gets to its latter stages, Luka Doncic always comes alive. He boasts impressive averages of 30.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 8.8 assists in five career Game 6s, and an even more astounding 40.5 points, 9 rebounds, and 8.5 assists in Game 7s. While we expect a fiercely contested series that should go the distance, we believe the Mavs will ultimately seal it in Game 7, and we have the best odds on this for our online betting community.
**Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (Tied 2-2)** This series has been nothing short of box office material. It’s been that spectacular. Fresh from sweeping the Phoenix Suns in the previous round, the Timberwolves swiftly secured a 2-0 lead in this series, both wins snatched in Denver. Winning in Denver is no small feat; before this season, the Nuggets hadn’t lost a playoff game at home in well over a year. So, when Anthony Edwards led his teammates to two convincing victories there, playing a fierce style of defense reminiscent of the early 2004 Detroit Pistons, NBA pundits got caught up in the moment, with many prematurely declaring the Nuggets "finished". Denver have promptly reminded the world why they’re defending champions. Led by three-time MVP Nikola Jokić, they clinched Games 3 and 4 in Minnesota to level the series and then dominated game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead. What’s more impressive is how convincingly they did it. Jokic was a standout, and he played like he wanted to test himself against the new DPOY. So, what happens next? That’s hard to say. One thing I believe is that the Nuggets have taken notes from their errors. In the last couple of games, Nikola Jokić has been the best player on the basketball court, proving why he is still the best player in the game. Meanwhile, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr wait in the wings, ready to pounce on any space granted by the attention drawn by the Serbian. There’s a reason they’re the reigning champions, and I expect them to handle business moving forward, even though I also expect the Timberwolves to put up a strong fight till the end.
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