It's time for the NBA playoffs! It's all set and ready for the NBA postseason, the best time of the year. The first games are on the schedule for Saturday. Let's take a look at the Eastern Conference playoff picture and then some possible scenarios for all series, starting from the top seeds - the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Eastern Conference playoff picture:
Boston Celtics (1) - Chicago Bulls (8)
Cleveland Cavaliers (2) - Indiana Pacers (7)
Toronto Raptors (3) - Milwaukee Bucks (6)
Washington Wizards (4) - Atlanta Hawks (5)
Boston Celtics - Chicago Bulls
The Boston Celtics had a terrific regular season, finishing at the first spot, while Chicago Bulls have been struggling all season long.
Boston coach Brad Stevens is one of the best coaches in the league, while Chicago's Fred Hoiberg looks like he doesn't know how to arrange his roster. Isaiah Thomas has some amazing scoring skills for the Celtics and their defense looks strong. But still, the playoff time is time for the all star players with individual qualities and experience and Chicago team have the two of those - Jimmy Butler and Dwayne Wade. Although, Wade is far away from his best days, but he can still play a big role if he is healthy and motivated. I'm not saying that the Bulls will win this series, but the things shouldn't be that easy for the Celtics, especially if Thomas can be stopped. Rajon Rondo can also be a key player for Chicago, because of his defensive abilities.
The first game is at 6:30 pm, on Sunday.
Prediction: Boston Celtics - Chicago Bulls 4-3
Cleveland Cavaliers - Indiana Pacers
It has surely been some tough end of the season for the Cavaliers, as they threw away the first seed, but you most understand it has nothing to do with the playoffs. They will definitely step up and play at their maximum.
The Cavs are still the best team in the East and LeBron James is still the best player in the world. So, what can the Pacers do here? Not much. They have an all star player Paul George, solid guard Jeff Teague and energetic center Myles Turner. They don't have much scoring options on their bench and the coach Nate McMillan is not a tactical genius.
It will be an interesting matchup between Lebron James and Paul George, but nothing more than that. The Cleveland's offensive arsenal should be enough to sweep the Pacers and give them the maximum time for recovery. The first game is at 3:30 pm, on Saturday.
Prediction: Cleveland Cavaliers - Indiana Pacers 4-0
