So here we go again! Don’t let the rest of the holidays fool you. The NBA playoffs are the best time of the year and nothing is better than this, the very beginning, when all teams still believe they have a chance at glory. I’ll get more in-depth in each of the playoff matchups next week, after we have a few storylines develop, but for now here are my picks for each of the first-round matchups of the 2018 NBA Playoffs!

Eastern Conference

#1 Toronto Raptors vs #8 Washington Wizards

The Raptors, though they didn’t quite get to that victory #60, they were the most stable team in the East and the way they changed their playing style was amazing when you consider the main guys from last year are still the main guys this year. The Wizards seem to be the opposite of a stable team and though they too returned with their main guys, landing in the eighth seed can only be considered disappointing. I don’t think their misery will last long. Raptors win in 5 games, 6 would a shock.

#2 Boston Celtics vs #7 Milwaukee Bucks

First off, I must say that the way the Bucks laid down in their season finale against the Sixers makes me pull against them from having any postseason success this year. To ensure they would play the Celtics, who are now with Kyrie Irving for the playoffs (knee), the Bucks played an absolutely awful game. It may backfire on them because with or without Irving or Hayward, who they lost early this season, the Celtics are still formidable and will pose a tough challenge for the Bucks – a team that has been up and down all year. Be careful what you wish for Bucks. It’s the Celtics in 6 games.

#3 Philadelphia 76ers vs # 6 Miami Heat

Whether you believe that Ben Simmons is the undisputable Rookie of the Year or not, (or even a rookie at all) there’s no denying the impact that this young player has had on this franchise and city. Joel Embiid should return early in the series to reform one of the most exciting and potential-laden tandems in the NBA today. I just don’t believe it’s time for their ascension yet. The Miami Heat, with it’s hard to figure out who to stop attacking style in combination with the experience and quality of its coaching staff will give the Sixers more than they can handle right now. And oh yeah, that old guy Dwyane Wade still has a few games left for his Hall of Fame level resume’. It will be very competitive and the kids are more than alright, but the Heat win it in 7 games.

#4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs #5 Indiana Pacers

The Cavs are the most difficult team to figure out, but LeBron James is the only player there should be no doubt about. The ups and downs of this drama-filled season cannot overshadow the fact that at 33, King James played all 82 games for the first time in his career and looks as unstoppable as he ever has. With the steady hand of Kevin Love and some timely chip-ins by the new Cavs, who mostly look like some old Lakers, the Cavs will try to make to the finals for the fourth consecutive year. Victor Oladipo has turned into the player that the Magic and Thunder thought he was and it’s mostly about confidence and steady improvement from year to year. He led the Pacers to a surprisingly successful season. However, it won’t be enough to keep the Cavs from advancing past the first round with relative ease. Not even blowing in the King’s ear can change that. Cavs in 5 games.

 

Western Conference

#1 Houston Rockets vs #8 Minnesota Timberwolves

James Harden just finished an MVP season and Chris Paul just proved doubters wrong by being able to share the ball with such a ball-dominant player as successfully as a 65-win season indicates. So why is there so much pressure on both this postseason? Because neither one has had success in the NBA playoffs to match their talent level and CP3 STILL has not made it to a Conference Finals, let alone an NBA Finals. Rockets fans this just may be the year of the Beard. The T-wolves will play plenty tough and Jimmy Butler will remind people that he is a superstar level, but he and Karl-Anthony Towns with a splash of Andrew Wiggins won’t be enough to hold back that D’antoni offensive onslaught and the Rockets get the first round done. Rockets in 6.

#2 Golden State Warriors vs #7 San Antonio Spurs

Both teams start the playoffs without an injured superstar player, but the only problem is the Warriors have a few to spare and the Spurs only had the one. The coaching of Greg Popovich is the only thing that can keep the outmanned Spurs in a competitive series against the defending champs, as it doesn’t look like Kawhi or his camp is interested in returning from the injury that cost him basically the entire season. The Warriors have looked bored for the last quarter of the season and their temperament is sometimes highly questionable, but even with all that the Spurs will endure the old gentlemen’s sweep. Golden State wins it in 5 tough games and await the return of Stephen Curry.

#3 Portland Trailblazers vs #6 New Orleans Pelicans

Damian Lillard is for real and he shouldn’t have to keep reminding people of that fact, but he must once again. That’s because Anthony Davis and his Pelicans team have been in playoff mode since Demarcus Cousins went down earlier this year and this matchup will be one of the most competitive in the entire playoff. Barring one team not showing up, this will come down to the wire and we all know that’s when it’s Dame time. Trailblazers win in 7 games.

#4 Oklahoma City Thunder vs #5 Utah Jazz

This COULD be a case of one team overachieving and the other doing the opposite. The Jazz, with their rookie star Donovan Mitchell, have been a bright spot in an already very bright Western Conference. After Gordon Heyward left, it was expected that they would flounder and head straight to the draft. Mitchell said not so fast and has propelled his team to the playoffs in his very first NBA season. On the other side of ring, OKC added Paul George and Carmelo Anthony and was expected to fight for one of the top spots in the West. It didn’t happen quite that way as the team struggled to find consistency for much of the season. None of that matters now though, because the team somehow found its way to homecourt for the first round and Russell Westbrook is still the most unstoppable player this side of LeBron. Good first-round matchup. OKC in 6 games.