Watch Colin Cowherd fill out his entire playoff bracket and crown an NBA Finals champion with the postseason officially set to begin Saturday.
Key Predictions in the East:
On Cavaliers/Knicks First Round: “Julius Randle may miss the start of that series. I just think ‘buckets’, and the Cavs can shoot the three, and they can drive and score. The Knicks are allowing 13 made threes a game, and the Cavs can shoot the three, top 12 in the league. Cavs got too many buckets.”
On 76ers/Celtics Second Round: “Boston dominated them in the regular season. The only game they didn’t beat Philadelphia is when Jaylen Brown and Robert Williams didn’t play. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are the high-scoring duo in the NBA. They can both hit their free throws late, they’ll both defend, I kind of know what I’m getting. I like Boston a lot.”
On Bucks/Celtics Eastern Conference Finals: “I think Boston matches up pretty well with them if Robert Williams is healthy. That’s a real question because playoff basketball is more physical and it’s more physically demanding. Giannis averaged 29 a game against Boston, but they held out Robert Williams a lot this year, they bubble-wrapped him to get him healthy for the playoffs. This is a go-either-way series. The winner of this series wins the NBA championship. I feel like Milwaukee just has a guy or two more that can hit a basket.”
Key Predictions in the West:
On Suns/Clippers First Round: “I don’t think it’s a great matchup for the Clippers. They’re under .500 without Paul George. If they had Paul George it’s a different series and I think it goes seven. Suns are 8-0 with KD, he’s exactly what they needed— length defensively, a shot maker who doesn’t need the ball in his hands. Phoenix wins convincibly.”
On Kings/Warriors First Round: “It will be feisty but you’re talking about a team who never gets to the playoffs, and one that gets there every year. The Warriors’ issue is how many minutes do you get from Wiggins, and Payton. Sacramento probably wins the opener, but I get the better coach, the better roster, and more experience. Officiating will be a factor in this series because the Warriors need to get throwing around bodies to win.”
On Lakers/Grizzlies First Round: “Go either way, I’d probably take the Lakers. The Grizzlies are the second-youngest team in the playoffs. They don’t have Steven Adams. LeBron is 14-1 for his career in the first round.”
On Suns/Nuggets Second Round: “This is going to be a good series. I would take the Suns over the Nuggets. When KD plays they allow 105 points per game, that’s the number one scoring defense in the league. People forget how good of a defender Kevin Durant is. They’re a better defensive team than Denver, they’re equal offensively, so I’d take the Suns.”
On Warriors/Lakers Second Round: “This won’t be close. They’ll just throw the Lakers around. Austin Reaves against Payton, Poole, Klay… they’re going to throw so many bodies. You’re going to need LeBron to play 40 minutes in these games. They don’t have the depth of players and eventually the Warriors throw too many bodies and too many three-point shooters. Lakers don’t have one elite three-point shooter on the team.”
On Suns/Warriors Western Conference Finals: “This is epic, I don’t even know who I like. I just don’t know how the Wiggins thing, and the Gary Payton Jr. taking minutes from Jordan Poole thing is going to work out in the locker room. I’d take the Suns. With KD they match up well. For the Warriors, you can’t be that bad on the road and have that many injuries, insert people in the playoffs, and get to the Finals. They’re going to meet their ceiling.”
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