2021 NBA Playoffs: First Round

The Play-In tournament was a success and is here to stay, regardless of what LeBron says. Now, the real games begin. Here’s a quick rundown of what to expect in the first round.

Eastern Conference:

(1) Philadelphia vs. (8) Washington.

• After a pathetic performance against Boston in the first play in game, the Wizards clinched the 8 seed with a drubbing of Indiana. Their reward? One of the most complete and battle tested teams in the entire NBA. Still, Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook are two of the best guards in the NBA and should make this a competitive series. The Wizards need to play perfectly if they want to make this a real test for Philadelphia.
• Philadelphia has built a really good team this year and Doc Rivers does what Doc Rivers does. He coaches tough, gritty, defensive minded teams that will make opponents lives living hell. Philly is going to make Washington work for every single point.
• Sixers in 5 (maybe 6, maybe 4)

(2) Brooklyn vs. (7) Boston.

• The Nets are getting healthy at just the right time and that’s scary for every team in the playoffs. Brooklyn is so skilled offensively and Boston seems to have forgotten how to play defense. Gone are the days of Al Horford and the swarming D of the Celtics. These Celtics are disjointed and hard to figure out. Could they get hot and steal a game or two? Sure. Anything more than that I’d be surprised.
• Nets in 5.

(3) Milwaukee vs. (6) Miami.

• Arguably the best matchup in the first round. The defending Eastern Conference Champions vs. the team they upset in last year’s Playoffs. Giannis Antetokounmpo chose to stay in Milwaukee the Bucks are once again a legit title contender this year. Jrue Holiday was a fantastic pickup for the Bucks and should give Miami’s guards hell all series long.
• Miami had a weird year but got hot at just the right time. Jimmy Butler is once again willing his team to glory and that’s a scary thought for the Bucks. Bam Adebayo may decide the series. He’ll need to be great both offensively and defensively for the Heat to upset Milwaukee.
• Bucks in 6

(4) New York vs. (5) Atlanta.

• Grit vs. finesse. That doesn’t really roll off the tongue but it’s the best way to describe this series. New York is a tough and gritty team centered around defense while Atlanta relies on scorching hot scorers to stay in games. Julius Randle is playing like an MVP candidate and has New York believing in the Knicks once again.
• The tricky part about defending the Hawks is that so many different guys can hurt you. Trae Young is a walking bucket, Bogdan Bogdanovic has a flame thrower and Kevin Huerter can knock it down too. However, Atlanta’s bigs are going to have to step up for the Hawks to beat New York. If Clint Capela and John Collins can dominate the paint, this will be a long series for New York. Still, I think the Knicks outlast Atlanta in a fun series.
• Knicks in 6

Western Conference:

(1) Utah vs. (8) Memphis.

• The Jazz have been one of the best teams in the league all year long but still many people (myself included) aren’t convinced Utah is the real deal. Too many times this Jazz team underperforms when the bright lights of the playoffs come on. However, Utah should cruise past Memphis in the opening round. Ja Morant led the Grizzlies past Steph Curry and the Warriors in the play-in tournament and is a terrifically exciting player to watch.
• Jazz in 4

(2) Phoenix vs. (7) Los Angeles Lakers.

• Is this the best 7 seed in NBA history? Probably. Tequila drinking LeBron James missed a chunk of games and the Lakers slipped to the 7 seed. Now healthy, he and the Lakers are once again title contenders. It’s unfortunate that Chris Paul has to go up against the Lakers in the first round. Phoenix has been so so good this year and deserves to play someone less Thanos-y than King James and the Lake show.
• Still, the Suns are extremely good and Devin Booker is a maniac. The Lakers are going to have their hands full defending him but I think the Lakers bigs will have a field day with Ayton.
• Lakers in 6

(3) Los Angeles Clippers vs. (6) Dallas.

• Similar to how people want Utah to “prove it” in the playoffs, I want the Clippers to prove it. Last season they were all talk and no walk. They put up posters, talked trash and then blew a 3–1 lead to Denver in the playoffs. This season? They’ve gone quiet which is good and scary. Kawhi Leonard is still one of the best players in the league and Paul George is having another terrific season.
• Dallas is fun because of Luka Doncic. Luka is truly a magician on the basketball court and makes every game a joy to watch. However, his supporting cast is suspect. Mark Cuban normally builds solid teams but this group is kind of a stinker. Tim Hardaway Jr. is an exceptional scorer and when hot, he’s phenomenal. Kristaps Porzingis is a maddeningly confusing player. Is he the Mavs 2nd star? Or is he an overhyped, whiny weirdo? For Dallas to upset the Clippers, Kristaps will need to be amazing.
• Clippers in 5.

(4) Denver vs. (5) Portland.

• A sneaky great first round matchup. Denver lost Jamal Murray to a season-ending knee injury but the Nuggets didn’t miss a beat. Michael Porter Jr. is probably the best anti-vaxxer basketball player on planet earth(LeBron would like a word) and Aaron Gordon was a terrific signing for Denver. Oh, and the Nuggets have the league’s MVP in Nikola Jokic. Joker’s game is unbelievably complete. He’s probably the best passing big man, he’s a great shooter and has the softest touch down low.
• For the Blazers, it’s deja vu all over again. Doesn’t it seem like this Portland team has been the same since 2015? It kind of has and there’s something nice about that. Portland just keeps running it back with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum and I think that’s great! It’s a small market team that is consistently in the playoffs, relevant and exciting. Isn’t that the point of running an NBA team? So many organizations would have blown up the CJ/Dame experiment but it’s wonderful that didn’t happen. Nurkic and Kanter are going to have their hands full with Joker and their success or failure will likely decide the series.
• Denver in 7.