On Monday, the NBA postseason got underway, and we published an article with predictions for each of the first-round series. The Eastern Conference is interesting because there does not seem to be a clear front-runner at this time. The Toronto Raptors were the hottest team in the East entering the postseason, but can Kyle Lowry keep the team on his back? The Milwaukee Bucks had entered the postseason with a historic win-loss record during the season, but they didn’t look all that solid during the “bubble” games. Philadelphia looked like an intriguing spoiler until Ben Simmons went down for the rest of the season.
Let’s take a look at each team’s shot at making the NBA Finals as you plan your futures basketball betting.
NBA Betting:
Eastern Conference: Early Winner Predictions
Milwaukee Bucks (1)
Giannis Antetokounmpo averaged 33.2 points, 15.3 boards and 6.3 assists for each of his team’s 75 possessions. Khris Middleton put up 24.0 points, 7.1 boards, 4.9 assists and 2.7 three-balls over the same metric. He shot 49.7 percent from the floor, 41.5 percent from downtown and 91.6 percent from the charity stripe. George Hill shot 46.0 percent from behind the arc. Brook Lopez blocked 3.1 shots per 75 possessions for a defense that was the team’s unsung strength. Eric Bledsoe scored 19.0 points per 75 possessions. Donte DiVincenzo became a lockdown defender on the perimeter. So this is a deep, talented team.
Will they play like it in clutch games?
Toronto Raptors (2)
Did the Raptors collapse after seeing Kawhi Leonard head to Los Angeles? No — in fact, they may have gotten better. Fred VanVleet, Norman Powell, O.G. Anunoby and Kyle Lowry all piled up more wins over replacement this year than they did in their championship year. Pascal Siakam made the All-Star team. Marc Gasol has turned back the clock and is an active defender.
Serge Ibaka has re-emerged as a major stretch big man.
Boston Celtics (3)
The Boston Celtics are second in the NBA in net rating and are the only NBA team in the top four on defense and offense. They have two elite scorers in Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum. Tatum shot 46.3 percent from three-point land from February 1 until the end of the “bubble” games. Gordon Hayward, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown can defend at three positions and can create open shots.
Robert Williams III is a center who can defend the rim but can also distribute.
Indiana Pacers (4)
The Pacers went 6-2 in the “bubble” despite not having Domantas Sabonis. T.J. Warren put up 31.0 points, 6.3 boards, 3.7 three-balls and 1.2 blocks per game. Plus, Victor Oladipo got back out onto the floor, which gave the team options. Not having Sabonis inside to defend the rim and to score on the block, the team won’t be as tough inside, and they won’t have that inside-out vibe going on offense.
Miami Heat (5)
With Duncan Robinson, Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler in the game, the Miami Heat posted a +290 rating over the season. Robinson broadens the floor while Adebayo and Butler crash the rim. Adebayo looks set at the 5, while Jae Crowder is turning back the clock at the 4. He can knock down enough shots to merit attention, and his defense is plus as well.
This team could make Milwaukee sweat hard in the conference semifinals.
Philadelphia 76ers (6)
I had Philadelphia as a sleeper to take down the Bucks — but then Ben Simmons went down and needed knee surgery. Now there’s no lockdown defender to put on Jayson Tatum in the first round, and things will just get worse after that. The team will have to rely on Joel Embiid to have any shot at all, and an attack with Embiid and four sharpshooters will be fun to watch — but not enough to take down Boston, let alone make the Finals.
Brooklyn Nets (7)
Brooklyn does not have Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving or DeAndre Jordan — but that didn’t matter. Caris LeVert scored 25 points per game in the “bubble,” and Joe Harris scored 20 points per night — and shot 54.1 percent from behind the arc. Neither one of those players took the floor against Milwaukee on August 4, a game in which the Bucks were favored by 19 points. Even so, the Nets won behind 26 points from Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, posting the biggest upset in the NBA since 1993, in terms of size of point spread.
Even so, it’s hard to envision the Nets winning four of seven against the Raptors, let alone negotiating their way out of the East bracket.
Orlando Magic (8)
Jonathan Isaac returned to the Magic for “bubble” play, but it only took 31 minutes of action for him to blow out his ACL. After that, Orlando lost five games in a row and tumbled to the eighth seed. I do expect Nikola Vucevic to put up some numbers, and Aaron Gordon will generate some highlights defending Giannis.
However, they won’t make it out of the first round.
Xbet Predictions
Early Eastern Conference Picks
Smart Pick to Win:
Toronto Raptors | Check the Odds
Safe Pick to Win:
Milwaukee Bucks | Check the Odds
Sleeper Pick to Win:
Boston Celtics | Check the Odds
Dark Horse Pick to Win:
Miami Heat | Check the Odds
