The NBA regular season ends in two days. While the official playoff match-ups aren’t set, NBA.com has a graphic of what the first round would look like if the season ended today. Let’s take a look at what to expect.
I actually have no interest in watching Spurs vs. Jazz. I will always appreciate how fundamentally sound the Spurs are but I can’t stand to watch either team. BORING. Sorry if that isn’t a politically correct answer, but it’s true. Anyway, no first round exit for the Spurs this year. But no finals either.
Bulls vs. Sixers could be entertaining to watch but we all know the Bulls are walking away with this. NEXT
Mavericks vs. Thunder will be a rematch of last seasons Western Conference Finals. The problem with that, this season’s Mavs have been trash for most of the season. Nothing to see here folks. Although, things could get interesting if Harden is still suffering the effects of the Metta concussion and misses time. And by interesting I mean the Mavs win 2 games instead of 1.
Heat vs. Knicks will be entertaining because it’s HEAT vs. Knicks. In the 90’s that used to automatically mean FUN! In current times it means entertaining but I don’t think the Knicks are ready to make it out of the first round. Amar’e plays better for the Knicks at the center position because he and Melo haven’t really developed a rhythm or coming off the bench. Jeremy Lin is about 3 weeks away from being ready to return. The Heat have this.
Now we arrive to the truly interesting match ups. The Lakers have no idea how long they might be without Metta World Peace. The Nuggets are a young team with lots of exciting pieces. Fun match up with the Lakers ultimately taking it.
The Pacers are going to mop the floor with the Magic. No Dwight Howard, the franchise in disarray. Let’s move on
Clippers vs. Grizzlies will be EVERYTHING. My heart wants the Clippers to advance but the Griz have a lot of weapons and match up well with the Clippers. Fun, FUN, FUN!!
Celtics vs. Hawks. There was that one year where this match up was EVERYTHING. Overtime wins, passion, all of that but, sometimes you can’t recreate lightening in a bottle. This match up isn’t a real rivalry. Stop trying to make fetch happen! Celtics are it!
Remember a few spots are still in flux so we have a few days to play around with what if’s and “but, maybes.”
Jill Munroe
Jill Munroe is a Los Angeles-based host, producer, and writer. You can find her work on sites such as FoxSports.com, EURweb.com, and MSN.com. Munroe is a current member of the African-American Film Critics Association and the National Association of Black Journalists.
Munroe has also been a frequent guest on ESPN radio and Yahoo Sports. In 2015, Munroe released her first book, "PostGame Pass: access into "the life"
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