The NBA Playoff begins tomorrow, Sunday! And this year's final games of the regular season was extra special for the Western Conference as teams was still tied up from 3rd to 8th spot. Only the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors were locked on to their spots, while the rest are scrambling for homecourt advantage.
When the dust settled, the Portland Trail Blazers snatched the No.3 seed by beating the tired Utah Jazz. 4th seed is my son’s favorite and my “darkhorse”, the Oklahoma City Thunder (48-34). The Thunder were actually tied with 5th seed Utah Jazz and 6th seed New Orleans Pelicans but OKC has won 3 of 4 against Utah and had the best record in games involving the three.
The Pelicans avoided a match-up against Houston or Golden State by beating the San Antonio Spurs at home and could have gone to 5th seed had the Jazz won. The Spurs fall to 7th seed and are deemed to lose Round 1 of the playoff , but I would not take this team lightly. The veterans Manu Ginobilli and Tony Parker are still dangerous and they have been pacing the Spurs for the whole season just for a chance for one last dance. The Spurs are facing the second seed Golden State Warriors without Steph Curry, so let us see the scattered.
The Timberwolves, on the other hand, will need a miracle to get past James Harden and the Houston Rockets, which I think is going to make a run to the finals. But the Rockets will have to get over the hump against the defending champion Golden State.
Moving over to the Eastern Conference, there's not much excitement if not for the Philadelphia 76ers, who wrapped up their season with 16 straight wins and sitting comfortably at 3rd seed. Although Toronto Raptors are seeded No. 1, they are bound to meet Cleveland in the second round of the playoffs. And the Raptors face a tall order as Lebron James will make sure that the Cavs will make it to the next round.
The Boston Celtics, on the other hand, are going nowhere with Kyrie Irving sidelined for the rest of the playoffs. They have to beat the Milwaukee Bucks to move into the second round, but it will be an uphill battle for them against the Sixers. For the East, finals bet would be a showdown between the Cavs and the Sixers.
On a personal note, I would love my old Spurs back in the finals for their final dance but if ever they make it to the Western ginals, Houston or OKC will be a major stumbling block. But in reality, the finals arrow is pointing towards a Golden State-Houston battle royales. And if my crystal ball is correct, Houston will win if the West finals reaches seven games and Warriors will win via a sweep or a 4-1 mark. And whoever wins the West finals, will also win 2018 NBA finals. But I might be wrong. So sit down, relax and let the games begin!