Category: Basketball

Quick fire preview of the NBA Conference Finals

We are down to the final 4 in the NBA. Both the Conference Finals have been set. The top 2 seeds in the East made it and the top 2 in the West both got eliminated. With the finalists of last season- Milwaukee and Phoenix, both going out in game 7s (in VERY different game 7s). I predicted the Heat to make it past Philly in 6, Boston to get past a Middleton-less Milwaukee in 7, Golden State to get past Memphis in 6, in my previous article (https://chaiandchill.com/nba-playoffs-2nd-round/). I did think the Phoenix Suns would get past the Dallas Mavericks in 6, but Luka and coach Kidd put on a masterclass, and Chris Paul after game 2 of the series, just fell off a cliff, and the Mavericks have made it to their first Conference Finals since 2011.

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

Miami Heat (1) vs Boston Celtics (2)

This series is such a fascinating one. Two incredibly deep teams, two very VERY good defenses, two very well coached teams. Miami plays with a chip on their shoulder. They are the #1 seed, and most people still look elsewhere in the East when they talk about potential champions. The Heat play with a point to prove and you can see it. They play hard on defense, aggressive on offense, and are very disciplined. Boston have had a helluva run upto this point. Swept KD, Kyrie and the Nets. Eliminated the defending champions in Giannis and the Bucks in a fantastic 7 game series. Round after round, game after game they show their athleticism, defense, offensive firepower, and brilliant coaching.

My prediction for this series- Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat in 7

I see this series going the distance. Coach Spo for the Heat, and Coach Udoka for the Celtics will play out a tough and closely contested battle. I give the edge to Boston because of their talent. I think they have just that little bit more to offer. We know the role players on both sides will have their good and bad days. We know that Jimmy Butler will do his thing. He’s their closer. But Boston has two of those players in Tatum and Brown. Tatum, this post season, has shown that he is now in that category of NBA superstars. And when it comes down to it, I think that the extra talent on the Boston roster will pull through. Although, I will say that Kyle Lowry being fit and healthy will be a major factor and could sway the series in Miami’s favour.

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

Golden State Warriors (3) vs Dallas Mavericks (4)

After an injury riddled 2 years, the Golden State Warriors are back to the Conference Finals. Their 6th appearance in 8 years. Only Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls have done that before. The Warriors come into this series after getting through Memphis in 6 in a very physical and difficult series. But in those crucial, clutch moments, you could see the experience of the side pull them, will them to victory. They are my favourites to win the West, and the NBA Championship. The last time that we saw Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green all healthy and on the court together- they went to 5 straight NBA Finals. And until somebody beats them, they are my pick. It’s your crown until someone takes it. The Dallas Mavericks are coming off of a 7 game series against the #1 seed Phoenix Suns. And that game 7 was something else. Luka Doncic with 27 at the half, matching what the whole Suns roster could put out. It was a capitulation on another level. Luka and the crew, and coach Jason Kidd were absolutely fantastic. But the game felt like one where the Mavericks AND the Suns beat the Suns. Everybody knows how special Luka Doncic is (especially in elimination games). So, to see Dallas go into Phoenix and win a game 7 was not a shock result. But the way it all went down was mind blowing. And thanks to his performance, the rest of the team stepped up, and coach Kidd’s brilliant tactics, they find themselves in their first Conference Finals since 2011- the year they went on to win the championship. Also, the last time these two teams faced off in the playoffs was in 2007 where the 8th seed “We Believe” Warriors knocked out the #1 seed, 67 wins Dallas Mavericks. And it feels like a bit of a reversal of that situation this time around.

My Prediction for the series- Golden State beat the Dallas Mavericks in 6 As special as Luka and Dallas had been in that game 7, I don’t see it carry on to this series. Luka will continue to be special. But the rest of the guys will have to step up big time. Offensively, nobody can guard Luka Doncic. He is going to get his. It’s about limiting the others. And that is how Golden State has approached their opponents in the playoffs, in years gone by and even this season. They let Nikola Jokic be the dominant scorer and shut off the help around him. They employed the same strategy against Ja Morant and his Grizzlies. And I don’t see that strategy changing. They will obviously try to limit Luka to a degree- have Green, Wiggins, Klay, and Kuminga guard him. But they know that he will get his shots one way or another. It’s about stopping the likes of Brunson, Bullock, Dinwiddie, Finney-Smith and co. This Dallas team is very similar to the Houston teams led by James Harden. One primary ball handler and scorer, and a 5 out offense where everyone on the court can shoot. And we saw the Warriors get past that Houston team successfully every time, so we know they can beat that system. On the defensive side of things for Dallas, they will have a lot of running around and chasing to do when they guard the Warriors. That is another area where Luka might be targeted to wear him down a little. Even if they trap Steph, the off-ball movement of the Warriors will be a handful. And in the end, I think the movement and fluidity on offense, along with the defensive switch that Golden State can turn on late in games will be the difference and see them

Quick fire preview of the 2nd round of the NBA Playoffs

WEST

Phoenix Suns (1) vs Dallas Mavericks (4)

Both these teams are coming off 6 game series, with The Suns beating the Pelicans, and Dallas getting past Utah. Both these teams also closed out their series wins on the road. And they’re both led offensively by their superstars who are coming back from injury. Neither series going to a game 7 is good because it allows the teams to have just that little bit of rest and recovery period.

My prediction for this series- Phoenix wins it in 6. I think this will be a VERY closely fought series. Luka will obviously carry the offensive load on the Maverick’s side. Everybody knows that. Stopping it is another matter. And the rise of Brunson will definitely keep the Suns defense honest. On the Suns’ side, CP and Booker will be huge of course. But the wing depth and the size inside the paint is where I think the Suns will take this series. Their centers aren’t one dimensional like Rudy Gobert for Utah, who Dallas just took out of the game

Golden State Warriors (3) vs Memphis Grizzlies (2)/Minnesota Timberwolves (7)

Golden State got past a depleted Denver Nuggets team in 5. Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic was incredible this series for Denver, but it was just too much to overcome. The emergence of Jordan Poole, playing his first playoff series, has been a revelation. And the 3rd iteration of the Warriors death line-up seems set, and ready to go. Steph, Klay, Poole, Wiggins, and Draymond at the 5. They play very small (got out rebounded 50-37 by Denver in game 5). But their offense is lethal. The 3 guards can shoot lights out. Wiggins has had a career year from beyond the arc. And the constant movement with Dray running point means endless opportunities to cut to the rim. The Memphis-Minnesota series is pretty much shaping out to be as expected- 2 very young and inexperienced teams who play with a lot of energy, make highlight plays, make stupid mistakes, and nobody can predict what’s going to happen next. Explosive talents on both sides. Minnesota should have won the series 4-1 but instead Memphis leads in 3-2 and go to Minnesota looking to close it out.

My prediction for the Warriors second round series- Firstly, Golden State will be hoping that whoever they face, the other series goes 7 games. You want your opponents to be as mentally and physically exhausted as possible. Whoever comes out of the Griz-Wolves series will dominate the paint against Warriors (Memphis led the league in rebounds). They have the talent and depth (Memphis even more so) to go toe to toe against Golden State. But they play rash and make bad decisions. I think this is where the experience of the Warriors will come through and they take the series in 6. Homecourt comes into play (if they play Memphis), but the Warriors will look to split the first 2 against Memphis and neutralize that.

EAST

Miami Heat (1) vs Philadelphia 76ers (4)

Miami have been excellent throughout the regular season. Despite injuries to their stars, they convincingly claimed the 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Yet most people around the league will pick Milwaukee, Boston, and Philly above them to represent the East. And Miami play like they have a point to prove. They dispatched Trey Young and his Atlanta Hawks in 5. Defensively they completely nullified Trey like nobody had before. Offensively, they are unique. Jimmy Buttler leads the way but the playmakers and shooters around him in Kyle Lowry, Herro, Duncan Robinson, Struss and co compliment each other nicely. Defensively, PJ Tucker, Jimmy Buttler, and Bam Adebayo are brilliant. It will be interesting to see how Bam and Miami defend Embiid though. They can’t switch everything like they usually do because Joel Embiid will put the game away by pounding the paint. Bam vs Embiid will be fun. Philly on the other hand are more superstar driven than system driven. Embiid, and especially James Harden, have to play great. They dodged a bullet and a potential collapse against Toronto and closed the series in 6. But their superstars have to perform better.

My prediction for this series- Miami Heat in 7. I think this series goes the distance. It is system vs star power. Will Miami’s system be able to contain Philly’s stars? Will the “others” on the 76ers be able to take on and hold off the depth and talent of the Heat? Embiid will get his. Jimmy will get his. Which one of them has a better supporting cast will dictate the series.

Boston Celtics (2) vs Milwaukee Bucks (3)

Boston will be the most confident team remaining in the playoffs. The only team to sweep their opponent. And for the opponent to be the KD and Kyrie led Brooklyn Nets? They will believe that they can go all the way. And with good reason. They are by far the best defensive team in the league. They can switch everything. Jason Tatum has taken his game to another level and is now a superstar in the league. Jaylen Brown has been fantastic and a brilliant 2nd option. They’re both among the best 2 way players. Add the Defensive Player Of the Year point guard Marcus Smart to the mix? That defense looks formidable. Rob Williams, Al Horford, Daniel Theis are all solid bigs. Milwaukee though will feel like they have enough to shut down teams and to score a ton too. Jrue Holiday is a defensive savant. Giannis is a wall to get past. And he is unstoppable offensively. Apart from game 2 of their first round series where Demar DeRozan went OFF to carry the Chicago Bulls to a win, every other game was a comfortable and dominant win for the Bucks. Giannis is growing from strength to strength and is the best player in the league right now, without question.

My prediction for this series- I’m saying that the Boston Celtics win it in 7. Khris Middleton being out of the entire series due to injury is a massive blow for the Bucks. I think if he was available, Milwaukee win it. But he is such a loss on both ends of the floor. And Giannis isn’t going to have enough to power the Bucks to the conference finals. They are the defending champions though, so I am not going to say that Boston will have it easy. I think this goes 7 games and right down to the wire.

The blockbuster James Harden-Ben Simmons trade that might be one of the truly genuine win-win trades in league history

The trade that everybody was talking about has been completed. And it went down to the very end of the trade deadline. It just had to be dramatic to the very end, huh? Philadelphia and Daryl Morey got their man in James Harden. Harden and Daryl Morey have had a solid relationship from the duos time together in Houston with the Rockets. So, it really was no surprise that once there was talk of potential interest from the 76ers to bring The Beard over to the City of Brotherly Love, and pair up him and Joel Embiid, that it was a matter of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’.

Let’s look at the specifics of the deal. Philadelphia receives James Harden. The Brooklyn Nets receive Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, and Andre Drummond.

The Sixers get that much needed bonafide superstar partner to their very own Joel Embiid. James Harden is having a poor season by his standards. Due to not being happy in Brooklyn, due to the Kyrie-vaccination situation, and the hamstring injuries- BUT the man’s still averaging 22.5 points, 10.2 assists, and 8 boards. And is an All-Star for the 10th time… all this in a poor season… He is a true superstar of the league, and this move will prove it. A move that surely puts Phily right up there as a genuine contender to come out of the East, and one that will have the team confident against any of the other teams vying for top spot. They already had arguably the best big man in the league in Embiid, and now have the shooting and passing of James Harden to provide a new level of creativity and offense beyond the arc. They always have the defense of Matisse Thybulle- a player that Brooklyn GM Sean Marks also tried to acquire as part of the deal. The Harden-Embiid duo also has the potential to be one of the games greatest pick and roll duos. Embiid hasn’t really used the pick and roll as a go to weapon for his offense. But that isn’t for a lack of ability. Now that one of the greatest scorers this game has ever seen is on the team, I am certain that the pick and roll will be run a lot more often by coach Rivers. There is just too much fire power to not utilize it. The fans in Philadelphia are in for some special basketball for the second half of the season.

On the Nets’ side of things, GM Sean Marks has done a fantastic job in my opinion. Just like the Sixers, they offload a player who does not want to be there, AND he brings in some valuable pieces that will make an immediate impact on this Brooklyn team. Ben Simmons is an all-world defender. He can guard 1 through 5 and is the ideal passing big/center come playoff time. He can focus on defending (a good thing for someone who finished second in the Defensive Player Of the Year standings last season eh?) and on getting his teammates involved on offense. He can be the Nets’ version of Draymond Green. Not too bad. Top level defending and playmaking INSTANTLY improves the Nets in a way that they desperately needed. And with Joe Harris out, adding Seth Curry (who has been fantastic shooting from beyond the arc and with his mid ranges too) is a brilliant move. It also leaves Philly a little thin in that department and making a title rival in the same division get a little weaker is always welcome. Drummond might not stand out, but he is a more than serviceable big man. And come playoff time, the more bodies you have to throw at the bigs in the East- Embiid, Giannis, Vucevic, Allen, Mobley, Bam- the better. He brings a good veteran presence to the locker room. And you need that know how of a player who’s been in the league, especially when you run with a young but talented (and sometimes volatile) group of players. And just like Harden with Philly, Simmons, Seth Curry, and Drummond are here to make an instant impact and make the Brooklyn Nets stronger right now.

The East needed a proper rivalry. The last true rivalry goes back to the 90s battles between MJ’s Chicago Bulls and Ewing’s New York Knicks. But with this trade? The nature of the moves, the drama that led to this, the players involved, the cities involved (the atmosphere in the Wells Fargo Arena in Philly will be something else when these two face off)? We’re in for some fireworks. In a season where the East is already packed, you have the Miami Heat (the most complete team in the East in my opinion), the defending champions Milwaukee Bucks, the electrifying Chicago Bulls with their resurgence, the surprise Cavs from Cleveland… THIS, this rivalry and spice is what we needed to take this thing to the next level! Bring on All-Star break, and the home stretch before the playoff basketball begins. This summer might get a whole lot hotter than we previously thought.