Binge Media Sports: The NBA Playoffs (and another fan vote!)

No Lakers. No Celtics. No Knicks. No problem. The NBA Playoffs begin this weekend and even without some of the most storied franchises and big name players, there is certainly no shortage of stories entering the two month battle to crown a champion.  The first round is full of intriguing matchups, so let’s take a quick look at each series, and as I did with the NHL playoffs, I’d like to give you the chance to pick the winners, so stick around and cast your votes. Let’s start in the East.

The Eastern Conference was certainly down this year. With the Sixers and Bucks combining to win 34 games, a few teams being in rebuilding mode, and the Knicks just being…well, the Knicks, the only thing the East could really brag about was winning the All-Star game. However, it is the home of the two-time defending champions, plenty of future Hall of Famers, and some up and coming players and teams. So let’s get into it.

(8)Atlanta Hawks v. (1)Indiana Pacers

Indiana certainly isn’t coming into the playoffs on a hot streak, but they still managed to take the top seed in the East, which will certainly help in the later rounds. They’re a much better team at home, winning 35 of 41, while they were only one game over .500 on the road. If they end up running into Miami in the conference finals, this will be an advantage. As far as this series is concerned, I really don’t see Atlanta doing too much. They managed to hold off New York for the final playoff spot, but still enter the playoffs with a 38-44 record. They may get one at home, but they’re no big threat to the Pacers.

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(7)Charlotte Bobcats v. (2)Miami Heat

Good for Michael Jordan and the Bobcats (soon to be Hornets again, thank God). For the second time in their ten year history, Charlotte has made the playoffs. The problem is that they run into the two-time defending champion Miami Heat.  Can the Heat three-peat? Certainly. But the bigger question may be whether or not this is the last run for the Big Three. We won’t know the answer until after the season, which certainly won’t be soon. LeBron and company should have no problem taking care of the Bobcats.

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(6)Brooklyn Nets v. (3)Toronto Raptors

This series may be more entertaining than people realize. There’s been a lot of chatter between these two teams this year, but when Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are involved, that’s probably going to happen anyway. After a horrid start to the season, Jason Kidd has turned the Nets around, due largely in part to the career resurgence of Shaun Livingston. But they will run into a Raptors team, led by DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, that won 48 games under the radar and come into the playoffs having won seven of their last ten. It’s definitely a classic young versus old story here, and we should expect some really good basketball.

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(5)Washington Wizards v. (4)Chicago Bulls

If you haven’t seen John Wall play, then you’ve been missing out. He’s one of the brightest young stars in the league and he leads the Washington Wizards into the first round to face the Chicago Bulls in the battle of the two teams that MJ played for (I know, I wish I could forget the Washington years too). I continue to be amazed at the heart of this Chicago team. Led by the intensity of Joakim Noah, the Bulls enter the playoffs for the second year in a row without former MVP Derrick Rose. The 4-5 matchups are usually very evenly played and this one should be no different.

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The Western Conference was loaded this year. Even without the star power of Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, the West is stacked. The prime example of this is a team that’s not even in the playoffs. The surprising Phoenix Suns finished ninth, one game behind the Mavericks for the final spot. They would have been the number three seed in the East. That’s how strong the conference is this year. The first round should be pretty awesome.

(8)Dallas Mavericks v. (1)San Antonio Spurs

I don’t know how they keep doing it, but the Spurs just keep playing great basketball. The Gregg Popovich machine rolls into the playoffs with a 62-20 mark and shouldn’t have any problem taking care of the Mavericks. At 35, Dirk Nowitzki will still do his thing, but Dallas won’t be able to keep up with the Tim Duncan led Spurs.

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(7)Memphis Grizzlies v. (2)Oklahoma City Thunder

Is this the year that MVP candidate and scoring champ Kevin Durant finally breaks through and leads the Thunder to the title? The road begins with a battle with the always tough Memphis Grizzlies. Anchored by Marc Gasol, the Grizzlies enter the playoffs having won 33 of their last 46 games. We all know that KD is going to score. It’s how Memphis handles everybody else that will tell the tale in this series, which could very easily go seven games.

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(6)Golden State Warriors v. (3)Los Angeles Clippers

This will probably be the most exciting series to watch in the first round, maybe even the entire playoffs. The highlights that are going to come out of this series are going to be insane. These are two teams that can put up points in a hurry. There promises to be plenty of high-flying dunks and a ton of threes put up in this California battle. It also may feature the best one-on-one matchup of the first round, as Chris Paul and Stephen Curry will duke it out in what could be an epic matchup between two of the best guards in the league. Expect fast paced and high octane basketball here.

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(5)Portland Trailblazers v. (4)Houston Rockets

The story here will easily be Dwight Howard and his first playoff run with the Rockets. Paired with James Harden, the often criticized superstar continues his quest for a title against Damian Lillard and the Blazers. Much like the 4-5 matchup in the East, I expect this to be a very close series.  I don’t know if Portland’s defense can quite keep up with Houston’s offense, but they’ve been much better in the last two months of the season. But if Lillard gets going, the Blazers can score with the best of them, so expect this to be a long series.

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I’ll check back in to see how your votes did as we get to Round 2. If you’d like to explain your vote, feel free to do so in the comments section below, or hit me up on Twitter @THElukenorris https://twitter.com/THElukenorris