I woke up this morning hoping to catch some first-round playoffs games. No dice! Turns out postseason play starts tomorrow morning (Australian time). To kill time and unwind, I decided to pen some semi-bold predictions for this postseason. Feel free to drop a line, chew the fat and share your predictions and playoffs desires.
5. Da Brow will explode onto the playoffs scene
I'm aware that Anthony Davis has visited the playoffs before, but the Pelicans were facing the Golden State juggernaut in 2015! (Note: AD still averaged 31 and 11 against the Warriors.)
Fast forward three years and Da Brow is back in the playoffs and facing a team that will have few answers for AD's stat-stuffing game. I don't want to poke the Trailblazers' whining battler, Dame Lillard, but who is going to slow down AD?
Even with Boogie Cousins on the sidelines, AD is taking all that potential we saw at Kentucky and making opposing teams sweat on both sides of the ball.
Something else I appreciate about AD was summed up perfectly by Jrue Holiday in a recent interview:
"One of the reasons I signed back was because I knew Anthony had no ego. Obviously, we all know that Anthony is the best player on our team, and he shows it on the court, but off the court, he’s just a real person. He’ll give you anything. I’ve asked him for shoes or whatever and (Holiday snaps his fingers) he makes it happen. He’ll give you the shirt off his back, really, and those are the type of people in my life, outside of basketball, that I like to surround myself with."
When you take his mentality and leadership into account, it's no wonder that AD is in the MVP discussion. Here are his season averages: 36 minutes, 28 points, 11 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, 1.5 steals, 53% from the field, 83% from the stripe.
At the end of the day, I expect home court to put the Blazers over the top. What I am hoping, though, is for a renaissance to take place in Louisiana, one that harks back to Shaq making national noise at LSU.
4. Ben Simmons will put Australia on the playoffs map
My love affair with Ben Simmons started before he pulled on an LSU jersey. I heard rumblings about a stud Aussie baller years ago and almost shat myself.
If Bogut being drafted #1 was a big deal in 2005, then this is next level. I honestly believe Ben Simmons could become Australia's finest international athlete.
What can I say about Simmons that hasn't already been said?
How about this: Simmons could legitimately average a triple-double in a regular season and playoffs. Throughout his rookie season, he's averaged 8 rebounds and assists per. Add to this the fact that the game is yet to slow down for Ben and it's frightening to think about what this fella could achieve.
Let's rewind to the 76ers game against King James and the Cavs, April 7:
- Simmons almost amassed a triple-double in the first half.
- Simmons went off for 27, 15, 13, 1, 4.
- Simmons shot 12/17 from the floor.
- Simmons dictated the speed and tempo for much of the match.
I'm not saying Simmons will replicate this kind of domination in the playoffs, when the game tends to sloooooow down, but I am saying the (self-proclaimed) King's days are numbered. The Prince is doing things LBJ could only dream about doing in his rookie season.
Watch for Simmons to get to the rim at will against some stout Heat defenders. What I will be watching for is how Simmons goes (without Embiid) in the half court offence that often dominates playoff basketball.
I hope the Heat's depth and team identity doesn't smother the hottest team in the league going into the playoffs. I have Simmons and the Sixers advancing in six games.
3. Melo will turn back the clock
Melo hating has taken off this season. I actually thought his departure from the bright and intoxicating lights of NYC would help. Turns out vitriol is hard to shake, no matter where you apply your trade.
Look, some of the criticism is fair. The OKC 2.0 experiment hasn't been a raging success. Inconsistent play, something you don't often associate with a mature roster, has haunted the organisation. There had to be teething problems, but Melo's numbers are hauntingly poor. Take his scoring efficiency: 40% from the field on 15 attempts and scoring 8 points below his career average. *The only bright spot is that Melo is dropping two 3s per.*
What I want to suggest is that we might see an improved and even clutch Melo against the Jazz. The game will slow down, especially if the Jazz bigs have anything to say about it, and Melo will be able to go to work in an old-school half court offence. What the Thunder will be hoping for is a consistent Melo on both ends of the floor.
I don't know if my love for 'Cuse Melo is blinding me, but I'm buying Anthony stock this postseason and believe the Thunder will edge the Jazz in Game 7. I'll let Melo have the last word:
“I think now it's kind of just bringing my experience to this
team and to the playoffs and kinda just knowing what to expect in a postseason.
Knowing how the games are going to be, knowing different situations in the
playoffs, the emotions that goes along with playing in the playoffs and kind of
just keeping everybody together when things don't go our way, a couple
possessions or a game don't go our way That's where my experience comes in at.”
2. The Raptors will shake off their postseason blues
O Canada!
Has any team struggled in postseason play like the Raptors have in recent years?
No.
I expect DeMar DeRozan to take his Kobe-esque game to the next level this postseason. His season averages aren't as eye-popping as last year, but I've been getting the feeling that he's more focused on the playoffs. He's ready to test his much-improved three ball on centre stage, and his efficiency and Mamba-like fitness mean he won't need much rest. I expect DeRozan to prove Toronto's doubters wrong. That means he will lead the Raptors past King James and the Cavs and on to the Conference Finals!
There's also the added bonus of Toronto's elite supporting cast: Fred Van Fleet, OG Anunoby, Jakob Poeltl, Norman Powell, Pascal Siakam, C.J. Miles and Delon Wright. I expect all these fellas to play some crucial minutes and make some critical plays off the bench.
The ? is still Kyle Lowry, who continues to give Canadians headaches. Will the All-Star calibre point guard show up? Or will his ugly cousin return? We'll find out early as he's received an early test in the form of John Wall and Bradley Beal. For what it's worth, I think the Raptors' sustained success and supporting cast will help #7 avoid the temptation of doing too much.
My prediction is that the Raptors will tinker and tweak their way past the Wizards, before dispatching of King James and the inconsistent Cavs, putting an end to years of torture. This means the pride of Canada will meet the people's choice (76ers) in what will be a wild Conference Finals.
1. The Rockets will lift the Larry O'Brien trophy
I cried tears of joy when I was able to attend my first NBA Playoffs game in Houston in 2013. The emerging Rockets - led by the recent signing of James #FearTheBeard Harden - were facing the established contenders, OKC Thunder. I don't think anyone in Houston thought we were going to win the series, but we were going to give the team a massive lift in the Toyota Center. We ended up winning the game in OT, and it was clear that James Harden's signing was a masterstroke.
Fast forward five (frustrating) years and the Rockets have finally topped the Warriors in the regular season and head to the playoffs with the #1 seed and home-court advantage. The Toyota Center will be rocking when the Rockets welcome the Cinderella Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston native Jimmy Butler.
The Rockets swept the Timberwolves during the season, and I expect Harden and CP3 to put on an offensive masterclass against the defensively challenged Wolves. Sorry, Coach Thibs, but I expect the Rockets to make quick work of your young-guns. I also expect the Thunder and Jazz to slog it out in their first-round series, which means the Rockets will receive a battered and bruised opponent in the second round. Fingers crossed it is the Jazz, as I don't want to see Russ, PG and Melo shift into a postseason groove.
If Steph Curry's dodgy ankle keeps him out of the first-round and forces him to attempt less of the freewheeling magic that led him to back-to-back MVPs, then I expect the Rockets to topple the champs - not before Durantula gives Houston's plethora of forwards fits - and make their first Finals appearance since The Dream lit Houston alight in the 90s.
PS. Harden is the MVP. Crown him.
