Kevin C. Cox / Associated Press
The NBA playoffs will begin in four days and 15 of the 16 teams on the field have been decided.
The final place will go to the Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns, who will take part in a play-in tournament to decide the eighth and final seed of the Western Conference. Memphis will play Portland if the Trail Blazers defeat the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday or Phoenix if the Trail Blazers lose.
The play-in tournament winner will face four-time NBA MVP LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, who own the number 1 seed of the Western Conference.
Reigning NBA MVP (and likely back-to-back MVP) Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks lead the East. I’m a place ahead of reigning NBA champion Toronto Raptors, who finished in second seed despite losing top scorer and reigning NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard to free agency Los Angeles Clippers.
Speaking of Leonard’s Clips, they are second to the west and could organize a battle in Los Angeles for the right to advance to the NBA Finals.
At this point, however, it is very far. A play-in tournament and a couple of post-season rounds must take place in advance.
Here’s a look at what we know about the NBA playoff schedule so far, along with quick sneak peeks and picks for the best team in the league for winning and losing records in the Bucks and defending champions in the Raps.
NBA Playoff Schedule Dates
August 15: Memphis Grizzlies vs. Phoenix Suns or Portland Trail Blazers, 2:30 pm ET on ABC
August 16: Memphis Grizzlies vs. Phoenix Suns or Portland Trail Blazers, 4:30 PM ET on ESPN (if needed)
August 17: first round Start
August 31: scheduled start date for the conference semifinals
15 September: conference finals targeted start date
September 30: NBA Finals targeted start date
October 13: Game 7 of the NBA Finals (if needed)
Eastern Conference matches
1. Milwaukee Bucks vs. 8. Orlando Magic
2. Toronto Raptors vs. 7. Brooklyn Nets
3. Boston Celtics vs. 6. Philadelphia 76ers
4 or 5. Miami Heat vs. 4 or 5. Indiana Pacers
Western Conference matches
1. Los Angeles Lakers vs. 8. Portland Trail Blazers / Phoenix Suns / Memphis Grizzlies
2. Los Angeles Clippers vs. 7. Dallas Mavericks
3. Denver Nuggets vs. 6. Utah Jazz
4 or 5. Houston Rockets versus 4 or 5. Oklahoma City Thunder
First round program
Quadrupleheaders will be held Monday and Tuesday, with games at 1:30 PM, 4:00 PM, 6:30 PM and 9:00 PM ET.
ESPN will broadcast matches on Monday and TNT will do the same on Tuesday.
ESPN, TNT, ABC and NBATV will broadcast the postseason on television. ESPN will manage the Eastern Conference Finals and TNT will do the same for the Western Conference Finals. ABC will broadcast the NBA Finals.
Picks for the best contenders in the East
1. Milwaukee Bucks vs. 8. Orlando Magic
The Milwaukee Bucks were once 52-8 but will hobble into the playoffs with a 56-17 record.
Is it a cause for concern across the board? It could be that the other Eastern Conference teams played much better in the post-season round.
But that shouldn’t be a problem against the Orlando Magic, who made the playoffs despite being eight games under .500.
All-Star big man Nikola Vucevic is expected to win the battle below with big man Bucks Brook Lopezand guards Evan Fournier and Terence Ross can warm up from three points and help Magic’s attack keep up.
But no one in Magic (or the league) has an answer for arguably the game’s greatest talent in Antetokounmpo, which is a nightmare match. The same goes for Lopez, who may not be as skilled as Vucevic but can hit from three deep points and block shots in droves.
Add in All-Star winger Khris Middleton and a group of tough guards who excel in defense, including Eric Bledsoe and Donte DiVincenzo, and you’ve got a team that shouldn’t have much trouble in Round 1.
Orlando’s X-factor for changing this narrative is Aaron Gordon, who needs to step forward as the side scorer of the team behind Vucevic. At his best, Gordon can shed points, grab lots of boards and fly up and down the court for dunks that defeat the opponent. If that Gordon appears in the playoffs, then the Magic might have a chance to steal a game or two, especially since there’s no real home court advantage at Disney World.
The guess here is that Orlando will be good enough to win a game against a lethargic Bucks team, just as the Magic won a race against the eventual Raps champion in their first-round streak last year. But Giannis and the Bucks are simply too strong and should win the series for no more than five games.
Choose: Dollars in 5
2. Toronto Raptors vs. Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets are 5-2 on the NBA campus despite a lack of many talent including top scorer Kyrie Irving, second top scorer Spencer Dinwiddie, great man DeAndre Jordan and others. The Nets remade their roster for the bubble and, led by interim manager Jacque Vaughn, it all came together as Brooklyn beat some top teams, including the Bucks and Clippers.
The assumption here is that it’s not a fluke.
The Nets beat the Lakers away in the last game before the league was suspended for more than four months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sure, that team had Dinwiddie, Jordan, and others that didn’t make it to Florida, but this team clearly plays hard for Vaughn, who is pulling everything off his roster as he excels in the face of insurmountable odds.
The problem with the Nets is that they may face the best team in the league in the Raptors, who are well-rounded, deep, battle-tested and qualified.
They simply have no weaknesses and are strong on both ends. They perform a tight rotation, but the players on the back of the bench have acted at times, like when Chris Boucher dropped a random stat of 25 points, 11 rebounds against the Bucks in the bubble.
Toronto should take the series, but it won’t be easy. Look for the networks to grab a couple of games and make it interesting. Eventually, it will be impossible for the Nets to do anything other than make Vaughn their full-time coach.
Choose: Raptors in 6
.
