NBA Playoffs 2014: Round 1- Predictions and Analysis

For some, NBA playoff month is one of the best months in all of sports. The NBA's elite 16 teams all fight together for the right to be called "Champion". All the teams have their fare share of strengths and weaknesses and their opponents will be looking to explore them. So, lets get to the SBCHive Playoff Predictions. I will continue my predictions once Round 2 starts.

Eastern Conference Round 1:

#1 Indiana Pacers vs. #8 Atlanta Hawks

The first game we will discuss is the first seed, Indiana Pacers, taking on the 8th seeded Atlanta Hawks.
The Pacers started off their season on an incredible hot streak. In the first month of the season the Pacers put the whole NBA on notice with their NBA best record of 15-1 at the end of November. The Pacers excel on the defensive side of the ball where they are the best defensive team in the NBA. They hold teams to an NBA low 42% shooting percentage per game. On the other side, we have the Atlanta Hawks who pretty much made the playoffs due to a weak Eastern Conference. Their leading scorers are Jeff Teague and Al Horford and will try to push the ball inside and also try to shoot the 3. With Millsap and Horford, Atlanta relies on getting to the paint, but that will be what dooms them in the end due to lockdown D by the Pacers.

Prediction: IND 4-1


#2 Miami Heat vs. #7 Charlotte Bobcats

The next game we will look into is the Miami Heat versus the Charlotte Bobcats. The Bobcats, changed the losing culture that they had had for most of their short existence, by making the playoffs this year. Say what you want about the weak Eastern Conference, but Charlotte is a surprisingly tough matchup for the Miami Heat. The two positions that Miami is weakest at are Point Guard and Center, and those happen to be the Bobcats best positions. With Kemba Walker playing point and Al Jefferson roaming the paint, the Bobcats could give the Heat fits, especially if LeBron isn't on his game. The only thing unfortunate for the Cats is that don't have anyone to guard LeBron and do not have the bench to keep up with the Heat. We know the Heat will spread the court and expect LeBron to have a big series here. Charlotte just does not have enough to pull off the upset.

Prediction: MIA 4-2


#3 Toronto Raptors vs. #6 Washington Wizards

This series could be one of the most evenly matched and most exciting playoff series in this years playoffs. We have the 3rd seed Raptors taking on the 6th seed Wizards in a series that will be all about Offense. The Raptors, behind Kyle Lowry and Demar Derozan will attack the glass and shoot from outside and the Washington Wizards will try to attack with Wall and feed big men, Gorat and Nene in the paint. The series will very likely go to 7 games, but the Raptors will have the edge with DeRozan. Demar is a star in the making and will prove why he is during this series.

Prediction: TOR 4-3


#4 Chicago Bulls vs. #5 Brooklyn Nets

The picture above says it all. This series could go either way and home court advantage will play a huge part in the outcome of this series. Both teams are about average on the road, but excel at home. Chicago will be without star Derrick Rose, but have gotten an MVP caliber season from Joakim Noah. Noah is a triple-double machine and could give the Lopez-less Nets fits. But, the Nets have the back court advantage and are coming into the playoffs with a head of steam and may be one of the most confident teams heading into the playoffs. With recent wins on Eastern Conference power houses, Miami and Indian, Brooklyn will continue their hot streak and roll by the Bulls.

Prediction: BRK 4-2



Western Conference! Round 1


#1 San Antonio Spurs vs. #8 Dallas Mavericks 

The San Antonio Spurs are playing some of the best basketball they have all year and seem to play even better every single year in the playoffs. Maybe its the veteran culture and leadership on the team or maybe its Coach Popovich, or maybe it is a little of both. No matter what it is it seems to work very well for the Spurs. Last year, the Spurs were a Ray Allen 3 away from securing the 2013 Championship and there is no reason that they can't achieve the Championship this season. In my opinion, the Mavericks are catching the Spurs at the worst time and they don't have enough talent on their team to even win a game in this series.

Prediction: SAS 4-0


#2 Oklahoma City Thunder vs #7 Memphis Grizzlies 

The Thunder will be led by MVP Kevin Durant and the Grizzlies will be led by Marc Gasol. That should honestly be the deciding factor. Durant has been on a tear the whole season and it looks like there will be nothing to do to stop him on his quest to get his first NBA Championship of his very bright career. Memphis is a strong team, but like many other teams in the playoffs they just do not have the talent and athleticism to hang with the Thunder and this series will be very short, but exciting to say the least.

Prediction: OKC 4-0

#3 Los Angeles Clippers vs #6 Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors may be one of the most underrated teams heading into this years playoffs. In 4 meetings this year, the series was split 2-2 with both teams winning their respective games at home and the series could very well turn out like that. In my opinion, the x-factor of this series is Warriors Point Guard and Superstar Stephen Curry. Curry has destroyed the Clips in the 4 games they have played this season and the Dubs matchup with the Clippers well. Yes, the Warriors will be without their best rim protecter and rebounder Andrew Bogut, but the warriors played 2 games without Andre Iguodala and lost both of the games. With "Iggy" in the lineup the Warriors will run the court and this will be a very competitive and hard fought series.

Predictions: GSW 4-3

#4 Houston Rockets vs. Portland Trail Blazers

This is a very hard series to predict. On both sides we have teams with great backcourts and they can shoot the lights out of the ball. These teams along with many teams in the Western Conference are contenders to take home the Championship. I think this series comes down to an important game 7 in Houston and Dwight Howard dominates the series and the final game of the series and the Rockets advance.

Prediction: HOU 4-3



Hope you guys enjoyed. Feel free to comment and be ready to read my round 2 predictions in a couple weeks.

Yankees Can’t Buy Win Against Astros

Despite their multimillion-dollar off-season acquisitions, the New York Yankees suffered an upsetting 6-2 loss at Minute Maid Park to the Houston Astros this past Tuesday on Opening Day.

 

The Yankees’ Payroll amounts to an astronomical $203,445,586 this year, placing them behind the Los Angeles Dodgers as the second highest-paying team in Major League Baseball. Center Fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, Right Fielder Carlos Beltran, and Catcher Brian McCaan are three marquee purchases for the New York Yankees, collectively earning nearly $54 million this season.

 

Although the entire game was dismal at best for New York, it was especially depressing to witness these significant acquisitions flounder on their first night in a Yankee uniform. Jacoby Ellsbury could not muster a single base hit in five at-bats, Carlos Beltran went 1 for 4 as did Brian McCaan.

 

The Astros took a 6-0 lead after two innings of play, due in large part to a shaky New York defense. Houston base runners took full advantage of uncharacteristic wild pitches, overthrown balls and a Carlos Beltran fielding error in right field. This Yankee defense felt unnatural and out of sync.

 

The lackluster performance cannot be placed solely on the shoulders of the New York newcomers. The Astros generated their entire offense in the first two innings while facing Yankee Ace, C.C. Sabathia. Sabathia continued to leave pitches high in the strike zone and the Astros jumped on each mistake. Houston Center Fielder Dexter Fowler came out of the gate with a long double and was quickly driven in by an RBI single off the bat of Second Baseman Jose Altuve. Altuve proved to be a legitimate threat to the New York Yankees, having finished 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs.

 

The Houston Astros continued the damage as First Baseman Jesus Guzman hit a two-run homerun and was later followed up by a solo blast from Right Fielder L.J. Hoes.

 

Scott Feldman, who pitched 6.2 shutout innings with 3 strikeouts, got his first win on the campaign. He only allowed two hits off the bats of Carlos Beltran and First Baseman Mark Teixeira, who went 2 for 3 with a base on balls.

 

The Yankees manufactured two runs in the top of the eighth, which did little to combat the Houston lead. Brian McCaan was able to drive in Jacoby Ellsbury who reached base on a walk; and Mark Teixeira brought in Shortstop Derek Jeter.

 

Tuesday, April 1, marked the final Opening Day for Captain Derek Jeter. Jeter, who is  regarded as one of the most beloved Yankees of all time, announced his retirement following the 2014 season. He received a warm reception from the Houston fans and finished the night 1 for 3 after being hit by a pitch in his first at-bat.

Pacers or Heat?

     This year in the NBA, there is a notable difference between what teams are better in the NBA eastern and western conferences. It is very clear that the West is much better. The fourth seed in the western conference, the conferences are so unbalanced this year that the third seed in the west The Los Angeles Clippers have the same record as the first seed in the east, the Indiana Pacers. The Indiana Pacers, sitting atop the eastern conference have already clinched a playoff appearance with their 52-22 record, the first team in the eastern conference to do so. The Pacers started the year scorching hot as they jumped out to a 9-0 start and looked as if they were going to win it all. As of late, the Indiana Pacers have struggled since their last win coming against the Miami Heat as they outlasted them and won 84-83. Since this game, the Pacers have gone on a two game losing streak to teams coming to ok teams that you would expect the Pacers to beat. These losses came from the Wizards and the Cavaliers, both teams that you would expect the Pacers to beat.
The Miami Heat, currently the second seed in the East. This comes as a surprise to the Heat as you would expect the two time defending champs to sit on top of the rest of the conference looking down but its quite the opposite as the Pacers are two games ahead of the Heat. Although the Pacers beat the Heat by one point in their last encounter I think that the Heat will be crowned the eastern conference champions once again.  

     I believe that the Heat will beat the Pacers if it ends up being these two teams in the eastern conference finals if these two teams make it. One of those reasons being that Lebron James and Paul George are both top five players in this league but Lebron James is better. Another reason that I believe the Heat will beat the Pacers is because in the NBA to win a championship you have to have a coach with Championship experience which the Heat have with Erik Spoelstra but the Pacers don't have this with Frank Vogel. Not only do you have to have a coach with championship experience but you have to have players with championship experience as well which the Pacers don't have. Ultimately, if these two teams are to meet in the eastern conference finals again which tye are most expected to I believe that the Heat will win.