With the NBA playoffs starting this weekend, it’s only necessary to talk about how each team will fare this year. Between the red hot Warriors, the Cavaliers who are getting better every game, the underdog Hawks, and the always present Spurs, it is sure to be a playoff for the ages. Virtually every first round matchup in the West will be up in the air every night, while in the East, not so much. Regardless, here are my thoughts heading into the first round of the 2015 NBA playoffs.
Obviously the story in the East is none other than the Atlanta Hawks. Massively improving from a 38-44 record and the 8th seed from last year, the Hawks took the East by storm this season. Playing a style that is very similar to that of the San Antonio Spurs, they’ve come to find great success in playing an unselfish brand of basketball. Boasting 4 All-Stars in their starting lineup, they are a force to be reckoned with. With the way the Hawks play, I see them having no trouble advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.
To beat the Hawks, you have to somehow manage to stop the ball from swinging around their team and finding the open shot. They don’t have one guy who can take over the game, but at the same time, you can’t leave anyone of them free for more than a second. The only way I see the Hawks go down in the playoffs this year is by the hand of none other than LeBron James. You either hate him or you love him, but when it gets down to business, he’s one of the best players in the league and has a plethora of playoff experience.
However, one player doesn’t make an entire team. Despite a rough start, the Cavaliers have had a great second half of the season and they’re coming into the playoffs with all pistons firing. Along with LeBron, they have Kyrie Irving, one of the best guards in the league, and Kevin Love, who when at the top of his game can go for 20-15 like it’s nothing. Not to mention the supporting cast they have behind them; with players like JR Smith who has given the team an offensive jolt off of the bench, and Timofey Mozgov who has come in and been the big man that LeBron has always wanted. With this juggernaut clicking at the right time, beating the Cavaliers will be a tough task.
I firmly believe that there are only two teams in the East that can bring down the Cavaliers. The Hawks and the Chicago Bulls. Let’s not lie to ourselves here, the Eastern Conference is obviously the weaker of the two conferences in the NBA. There are three teams in the playoffs this year that are either at .500 or below. If the talks about changing the playoff format to the top 16 teams come to fruition, which would mean that the Nets would’ve been left out this year in place of the Thunder, who had a better record than both the Bucks and Celtics.
With all of that being said, the Bulls are the only other threat to the Cavs due to their size and the potential for high scoring games. When healthy, the Bulls have a three headed monster in Noah, Gasol, and Mirotic. All of these guys have the potential to put up 20 and 10 every night if they get hot. And let’s not forget about the backcourt of Rose and Butler. The playoff hopes for the Bulls rest on the knees of their MVP point guard. With Tom Thibodeau at the helm, they certainly have the defense to hold the Cavaliers in check, it’s just a matter of whether or not they can beat them on the offensive side of the ball.
If the Warriors can manage to win the championship this year, they are bound to go down as one of the greatest teams of all time. Posting the 4th best record of all time, a 39-2 home record, leading the league in both offensive and defensive efficiency ratings, and in FG% as well as assists per game. Rather just being compared to the Warrior teams of the past, known for their 3 point shots, the Warriors have reinvented themselves under first year coach Steve Kerr. With a background in playing for both Phil Jackson and Gregg Poppovich, who he was also an assistant for, Kerr combined the best from both of these hall of fame coaches to create this offense that the Warriors have destroyed the league with. Although it seems as if no one will be able to bring this team down, there is one team in the West that can do so.
The San Antonio Spurs shocked the world last year by ending the dynasty of the Miami Heat and doing it in a dominating fashion. In doing this, they also inspired other teams in the league to start to adopt their brand of basketball that they play. While they didn’t have the best first half of the season, they have come on strong when it has mattered the most. Kawhi Leonard is now healthy and is locking down every player that he is facing; he had the highest defensive rating in the league (first since a non-PF/C since Pippen in ’94).
One of the greatest coaches of all time, Gregg Poppovich, knows how and when to get his team to peak, hence the reason he is seeking is 6th NBA title. The manner in which the Spurs offense is conducted is like watching an artist paint a masterpiece. The ball moves seamlessly through whatever defense they’re facing and the players know exactly where to go at exactly the right moment. With the fluid offense along with the multitude of playoff experience on the Spurs roster, I wouldn’t be surprised if they ended up facing LeBron James in the Finals for the 3rd year in a row.
Obviously the story in the East is none other than the Atlanta Hawks. Massively improving from a 38-44 record and the 8th seed from last year, the Hawks took the East by storm this season. Playing a style that is very similar to that of the San Antonio Spurs, they’ve come to find great success in playing an unselfish brand of basketball. Boasting 4 All-Stars in their starting lineup, they are a force to be reckoned with. With the way the Hawks play, I see them having no trouble advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.
To beat the Hawks, you have to somehow manage to stop the ball from swinging around their team and finding the open shot. They don’t have one guy who can take over the game, but at the same time, you can’t leave anyone of them free for more than a second. The only way I see the Hawks go down in the playoffs this year is by the hand of none other than LeBron James. You either hate him or you love him, but when it gets down to business, he’s one of the best players in the league and has a plethora of playoff experience.
However, one player doesn’t make an entire team. Despite a rough start, the Cavaliers have had a great second half of the season and they’re coming into the playoffs with all pistons firing. Along with LeBron, they have Kyrie Irving, one of the best guards in the league, and Kevin Love, who when at the top of his game can go for 20-15 like it’s nothing. Not to mention the supporting cast they have behind them; with players like JR Smith who has given the team an offensive jolt off of the bench, and Timofey Mozgov who has come in and been the big man that LeBron has always wanted. With this juggernaut clicking at the right time, beating the Cavaliers will be a tough task.
I firmly believe that there are only two teams in the East that can bring down the Cavaliers. The Hawks and the Chicago Bulls. Let’s not lie to ourselves here, the Eastern Conference is obviously the weaker of the two conferences in the NBA. There are three teams in the playoffs this year that are either at .500 or below. If the talks about changing the playoff format to the top 16 teams come to fruition, which would mean that the Nets would’ve been left out this year in place of the Thunder, who had a better record than both the Bucks and Celtics.
With all of that being said, the Bulls are the only other threat to the Cavs due to their size and the potential for high scoring games. When healthy, the Bulls have a three headed monster in Noah, Gasol, and Mirotic. All of these guys have the potential to put up 20 and 10 every night if they get hot. And let’s not forget about the backcourt of Rose and Butler. The playoff hopes for the Bulls rest on the knees of their MVP point guard. With Tom Thibodeau at the helm, they certainly have the defense to hold the Cavaliers in check, it’s just a matter of whether or not they can beat them on the offensive side of the ball.
If the Warriors can manage to win the championship this year, they are bound to go down as one of the greatest teams of all time. Posting the 4th best record of all time, a 39-2 home record, leading the league in both offensive and defensive efficiency ratings, and in FG% as well as assists per game. Rather just being compared to the Warrior teams of the past, known for their 3 point shots, the Warriors have reinvented themselves under first year coach Steve Kerr. With a background in playing for both Phil Jackson and Gregg Poppovich, who he was also an assistant for, Kerr combined the best from both of these hall of fame coaches to create this offense that the Warriors have destroyed the league with. Although it seems as if no one will be able to bring this team down, there is one team in the West that can do so.
The San Antonio Spurs shocked the world last year by ending the dynasty of the Miami Heat and doing it in a dominating fashion. In doing this, they also inspired other teams in the league to start to adopt their brand of basketball that they play. While they didn’t have the best first half of the season, they have come on strong when it has mattered the most. Kawhi Leonard is now healthy and is locking down every player that he is facing; he had the highest defensive rating in the league (first since a non-PF/C since Pippen in ’94).
One of the greatest coaches of all time, Gregg Poppovich, knows how and when to get his team to peak, hence the reason he is seeking is 6th NBA title. The manner in which the Spurs offense is conducted is like watching an artist paint a masterpiece. The ball moves seamlessly through whatever defense they’re facing and the players know exactly where to go at exactly the right moment. With the fluid offense along with the multitude of playoff experience on the Spurs roster, I wouldn’t be surprised if they ended up facing LeBron James in the Finals for the 3rd year in a row.