Just to show I’m not using the results of the various Game 1s that have been played, I posted my predictions on Twitter beforehand. It was a busy weekend. Let’s delve into this before the Conference Finals!
Western Conference
#5 Memphis Grizzles @ #1 Golden State Warriors
The only chance the Grizzlies have here is to really hound Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson and force them to miss shots. They have the defensive players to do it, although one of them, Mike Conley missed Game 1.
It’s going to be tough for the Grizzles because not only do they need to stop Golden State from scoring (good luck with that with MVP Curry), but they need to put up some consistent points as well. They can’t afford to lose a game where the Warriors score less than 100 points. Game 1 showed that Golden State definitely can hold down Memphis as the Grizzles only managed 86 points while Golden State did whatever they wanted. You just aren’t beating the 2015 Golden State Warriors that way I don’t think.
Memphis has been a fun tough out the past few years, but unless everyone from Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph to Vince Carter and Jeff Green show up (Carter in Game 1: 1 for 7), they just aren’t winning. They are in a lot of ways, the 1990s New York Knicks. Always good, but never great.
Warriors in 6
#3 Los Angeles Clippers @ #2 Houston Rockets
How can you not be impressed with the LA Clipper team? They were down 3-2 to the San Antonio Spurs and pulled out all the stops to steal back the series. Chris Paul got hurt in Game 7, came back and put up a game that will go down as one of the all-time great playoff performances. I was absolutely impressed. The Clippers still make huge mental mistakes…they should have outright won Game 2…but for the first time I also saw their mental toughness.
The Rockets? We really don’t know anything after Rajon Rondo ruined the Mavericks’ season. That shouldn’t be held against the Rockets obviously. I believe in James Harden but no one else on that Rockets team. I made my prediction after I learned there was a good chance Paul would miss Game 1, and seeing how Game 1 played out I feel great about it. The Rockets are a one man show with the occasional Superman appearance. That would be great for 2005 I guess (it’s how the 2006 Miami Heat were built), but in 2015 that ain’t gonna fly. The Clippers showed me in the 1st round that they are a great team. (The Clippers blew the Rockets out in Houston…without Chris Paul).
Clippers in 6
Eastern Conference
#5 Washington Wizards @ #1 Atlanta Hawks
I already missed the games on this one. I have a theory that sometimes it’s easy to overrate and underrate a team because of their round 1 results. For example, I thought the Wizards were pretty lousy coming into the playoffs, but lucked out in facing a just as lousy Raptors team and beating them decisively. That caused (in my view) the Wizards bandwagon to jump up a bit. Likewise, the Hawks had a little trouble taking out the Nets, even though the Nets were a hot team at the end of the year and probably better than the Raptors. This caused the Hawks to be underrated. So I figured the Hawks would make quick work of the Wizards, but I forgot something. I forgot the Hawks had a lot of problems down the stretch too. I think the point is, the East sucks.
Anyway, I shouldn’t have predicted that a Paul Pierce team would be getting swept, especially with the playoff experience the other Wizards gained last year against Indiana. Big mistake on my part. Washington’s been here already. The Hawks really haven’t. Sure Horford has played his share of playoff games, but Atlanta’s never had this pressure of being the big favorite. I wish I could take back my games prediction at least since Washington won Game 1, but I still think the Hawks are winning in 7. Alas.
Hawks in 4
#3 Chicago Bulls @ #2 Cleveland Cavaliers
Oh boy. LeBron did not show up for Game 1 and in the current state of the Cleveland Cavaliers I don’t know if he can have these bad games anymore. I still thought Cleveland was cruising to the Finals without Kevin Love, but talent wise this Bulls team is stacked and have a lot to prove. Derrick Rose of course wants revenge from 2011. Pau Gasol has a lot to prove after he fell apart in LA. Joakim Noah hates LeBron.
This is going to be one of those series that either adds to the legacy of LeBron, or shows that perhaps he needs elite teammates. One of the defining Michael Jordan stories of course is how he overcame those tough teams when his teammates weren’t always there. The 1992 and 1993 Knicks series. The 1998 Pacers series. MJ always came through. Can LeBron come through?
I need Cleveland to sweep through the rest of the way to be 100% here, and I wouldn’t count it out.
Cavs in 5