Apr 14, 20177 min read

NBA: First Round Preview

The 2016-17 NBA Regular Season is complete, which means it's time for the NBA Playoffs to begin. Our NBA Staff, consisting of Tunde Aduroja, Caleb Henderson, Charles Post, Blake Stoll, Chinedum Wejinya, and Chase Zayac. Here are our First Round predictions.

No. 1 Golden State Warriors (67-15) vs. No. 8 Portland Trailblazers (41-41):

Any chance that the Blazers have in this series will rest on their ability to score in the paint. We know about the Blazers' backcourt, but the Warriors have a plethora of really good defenders with Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Andre Igoudala, and Shaun Livingston, all who promise to make things tough on the Blazer guards. Jusuf Nurkic's health will be paramount to any possible upset for Portland. He's been dealing with a fracture in his right fibula. While having him back would be huge for Portland, seeing as he was a giant part of getting Portland to the playoffs in the first place, there's almost no way he'd be healthy enough to be the same guy he was before he got hurt. On the flip side, everyone should keep a close eye on Durant's health. He was the Warriors' best player while healthy. The question still remains: Do the Warriors run their offense through him or Steph Curry? If anything, the Warriors' motion-based, off-ball screen offense should be able to leverage the scoring ability of both of them. This series should serve as good practice. While C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard are both great scorers who promise to give the Dubs some headaches, the Warriors are simply a better team.

-Tunde Aduroja

Even though Damian Lillard said "Blazers in six," I'm not going to foolishly take Portland. They might steal one in Game 3 or Game 4 but there is no way they are going to upset Golden State. Stephen Curry (25.3 points per game) and Kevin Durant (8.3 rebounds per game) are far too talented, and they'll be able to space the floor and spread out the Trailblazers. Warriors advance in five games.

-Charles Post.

Tunde Aduroja: Warriors (4-1)

Caleb Henderson: Warriors (4-0)

Charles Post: Warriors (4-1)

Blake Stoll: Warriors (4-1)

Chinedum Wejinya: Warriors (4-1)

Chase Zayac: Warriors (4-1)

No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers (51-31) vs. No. 5 Utah Jazz (51-31):

The tempo will be a key factor. While they don't necessarily play fast, the Clips do well when they get out in transition. On the flip side, the Jazz are the NBA's slowest team pace-wise. This series will be fun. Rudy Gobert is a sensational rim protector. He's also improved his ability to move his feet, which will be key against a team with athletic bigs like Blake Griffin. Gordon Hayward is a star who continues to gain more mastery of Utah's offense every year. Watching him run pick and rolls has been extra fun, and Joe Ingles continues to play well and be fun to watch. At the end of the day, though? The Clippers have the best two players in the series in Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. I can't get past that.

-Tunde Aduroja.

Oh, the Clippers. They're here every single year, and yet have never clinched a spot in the Western Conference Finals. Will this be the season they finally do it? Hell no. But Los Angeles should be able to beat Utah. Chris Paul (9.2 assists per game) is one of the best point guards of this generation, he better not let his team lose to the Jazz in the opening round.

-Charles Post.

Tunde Aduroja: Clippers (4-3)

Caleb Henderson: Clippers (4-2)

Charles Post: Clippers (4-3)

Blake Stoll: Jazz (4-3)

Chinedum Wejinya: Jazz (4-3)

Chase Zayac: Clippers (4-3)

No. 2 San Antonio Spurs (61-21) vs. No. 7 Memphis Grizzlies (43-39):

We get to see the Gasol brothers in this one! Pau has moved into a 6th man role for the Spurs, while Marc continues to be a fantastic passer and the anchor for the Grizzlies' defense. Chandler Parsons would be perfect for the Grizz in this series as an extra wing scorer to complement Gasol and star PG Mike Conley, but he's been hurt all year. Memphis will sorely miss him. The LaMarcus Aldridge-Kawhi Leonard combo will get the Grizzlies out of here in short order.

-Tunde Aduroja.

Memphis was in the No. 5 or No. 6 spot for most of the season, and was going to get a shot at upsetting the Clippers or Rockets in the First Round, but because of a 3-9 slide to end the year, they'll be tasked with the difficult job of facing the Spurs. Kawhi Leonard (25.5 points per game) is an MVP candidate for a reason, and he'll carry San Antonio to a quick series, especially since Memphis' Tony Allen is out.

-Charles Post.

Tunde Aduroja: Spurs (4-1)

Caleb Henderson: Spurs (4-1)

Charles Post: Spurs (4-0)

Blake Stoll: Spurs (4-0)

Chinedum Wejinya: Spurs (4-1)

Chase Zayac: Spurs (4-0)

No. 3 Houston Rockets (55-27) vs. No. 6 Oklahoma City Thunder (47-35):

There's more here than just the James Harden-Russell Westbrook matchup. The deciding factor in this series might be each team's ability to play to their strengths. OKC is an excellent offensive rebounding team, and there's a significant chance that they do lots of damage to Houston there. They also possess two excellent on-ball defenders in Victor Oladipo and Andre Roberson, the latter of which should make 1st team All-Defense, which will prove difficult due to Houston's cadre of scorers and shooters. It's totally possible that Russell Westbrook goes supernova and leads the Thunder out of this round, but Houston simply has too many scorers to match.

-Tunde Aduroja.

Alright, here we go. This is the series that we're all waiting for. Please let it go the distance. James Harden (29.1 points per game) and Russell Westbrook (31.6 points per game), the only two true MVP candidates, will be going head-to-head. Westbrook will take home the hardware, but Harden's team will move on because his supporting cast is stronger. Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson are going to play key roles in this series and they'll outplay the likes of Victor Oladipo and Steven Adams.

-Charles Post.

Tunde Aduroja: Rockets (4-2)

Caleb Henderson: Rockets (4-3)

Charles Post: Rockets (4-2)

Blake Stoll: Thunder (4-3)

Chinedum Wejinya: Thunder (4-3)

Chase Zayac: Thunder (4-2)

No. 1 Boston Celtics (53-29) vs. No. 8 Chicago Bulls (41-41):

This is one of the more intriguing 1-8 matchups that I've seen in recent memory. The Bulls will have best player on the floor in Jimmy Butler. His ability to create perimeter shots for himself and attack the bucket is impressive. Boston has a ton on excellent wing defenders in Marcus Smart, Jae Crowder, Avery Bradley, and Jaylen Brown. Dwyane Wade looked healthy in their last couple of games. He returned recently from a fractured elbow. He might be able to tilt the direction of this series. Boston doesn't rebound the ball particularly well, which might be an issue, considering Chicago's Robin Lopez is a monster on the offensive glass. Add that to the Jimmy Butler problem, and you have a recipe for an upset... Except for Chicago's lack of shooters on the outside. The Bulls fall just short here.

-Tunde Aduroja.

Remember when we were excited about Chicago's free agent pick-ups of Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade this past summer? t hasn't quite panned out. However, Boston's signing of Al Horford has. Isaiah Thomas (28.9 points per game) is the best fourth quarter scorer in the league, and he's not going to allow the Celtics to bow out in the Round of 16.

-Charles Post.

Tunde Aduroja: Celtics (4-2)

Caleb Henderson: Bulls (4-3)

Charles Post: Celtics (4-1)

Blake Stoll: Celtics (4-0)

Chinedum Wejinya: Celtics (4-0)

Chase Zayac: Celtics (4-1)

No. 4 Washington Wizards (49-33) vs. No. 5 Atlanta Hawks (43-39):

Atlanta was a top-5 defensive outfit over the season, and they'll need to bring that level of play into this series. John Wall has an incredibly impressive ability to get in the lane and read the floor, and his ability to tilt the floor to get his teammates clean looks is rivaled by few in today's game. Otto Porter and Kelly Oubre have shot the ball very well from beyond the arc this season due to Wall's brilliance, while Bradley Beal has continued to be an excellent offensive player. Washington has the 2 best guards in the series, and Atlanta's only hope to win this series will be stopping Washington's shooters from getting clean looks. That will also require stopping John Wall from getting in the paint. That's not happening.

-Tunde Aduroja.

This one is going to be a fun one, too. John Wall (23.1 points per game) was the biggest reason why the Wizards returned to the playoffs after a one-year hiatus and with home court advantage, I expect them to slip by the Hawks. But Atlanta will win multiple games, they always seem to every season.

-Charles Post.

Tunde Aduroja: Wizards (4-1)

Caleb Henderson: Wizards (4-1)

Charles Post: Wizards (4-2)

Blake Stoll: Wizards (4-2)

Chinedum Wejinya: Wizards (4-2)

Chase Zayac: Wizards (4-2)

No. 2 Cleveland Cavaliers (51-31) vs. No. 7 Indiana Pacers (42-40):

Cleveland is simply the better team here. They didn't look good at all to end the regular season, but they still have a dearth of offensive weapons that the Pacers just can't match. Paul George ended the season on a tear, and I'm giving the Pacers a game here based on my respect for him, but that's it.

-Tunde Aduroja.

Cleveland is struggling. Cleveland is hobbled. Cleveland can't repeat. Blah blah blah. Lebron James (26.4 points per game) and the Cavaliers will be just fine. You really think a team complied of Kyrie Irving, James, Kevin Love, and Tristan Thompson will lose to the Pacers? Not a chance.

-Charles Post.

Tunde Aduroja: Cavaliers (4-1)

Caleb Henderson: Cavaliers (4-0)

Charles Post: Cavaliers (4-0)

Blake Stoll: Cavaliers (4-1)

Chinedum Wejinya: Cavaliers (4-1)

Chase Zayac: Cavaliers (4-1)

No. 3 Toronto Raptors (51-31) vs. No. 6 Milwaukee Bucks (42-40):

This is the series I hemmed and hawed on the most. Giannis Antetokounmpo will probably be the best player in the series, and Khris Middleton will help spread the floor for him to attack the bucket and create for everyone. Milwaukee is long and athletic, and they should pose problems on the defensive end. Add Greg Monroe's post scoring off the bench, and you have a really dangerous team. However, Toronto has the experience and scoring necessary to win this series. Kyle Lowry's health will be huge here. If he's fully recovered and in game shape, I expect the Raps to pull out a hotly contested series.

-Tunde Aduroja.

We're going to get to see the Greek Freak in the playoffs, which is extremely enticing, but it may be short lived. DeMar DeRozan (27.3 points per game), alongside a healthy Kyle Lowry should be able to surpass the Bucks. Give me the Raps in a trilling Game 7.

-Charles Post.

Tunde Aduroja: Raptors (4-3)

Caleb Henderson: Bucks (4-2)

Charles Post: Raptors (4-3)

Blake Stoll: Raptors (4-2)

Chinedum Wejinya: Raptors (4-2)

Chase Zayac: Raptors (4-3)

Also, here is our two cents on who should be taking home the NBA's hardware.

Aduroja:

MVP: James Harden (Rockets)

Rookie of the Year: Malcolm Brogdon (Bucks)

Coach of the Year: Gregg Popovich (Spurs)