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With the NBA playoffs starting, we learn more and more about each team. Even though the bookies are making the Bucks, the Lakers and the Clippers strong favorites, there will definitely be some dark horse teams that will sneak through the first two rounds and make a statement. You can find NBA playoff picks at https://UltrasBet.com/
We will start with the three big favorites. The Buacks, basically, have everything to compete for a title. Giannis is the younger version of LeBron- a guy who can do it all on the floor- score, assist, rebound, defend and be a true leader to his team. He’s leading Milwaukee in points, rebounds, and assists per game. Khris Middleton is their second-best player and Giannis’ go-to guy. He tends to disappear in the postseason games but this year Milwaukee looks much better than everyone else in the East conference and Middleton will definitely have to step up the same way he is doing it in the regular season. The backcourt is also fantastic with Bledsoe, Matthews, and Hill while Brook Lopez is playing one of the best games of his career. With this roster, anything but a finals appearance will be considered as a failure.
The Los Angeles Lakers have the first seed in the West but they do not look like the same team after the restart. We all know that LeBron and Anthony Davis will play well but the same cannot be said about the other guys. Kyle Kuzma will make his debut and we do not know what to expect of him. Alex Caruso is being asked to do more than he is capable of. I honestly can’t see the Lakers making it past the second round as they are the team with the worst three-point shooters and the worst three-point defense. To me, they look a year away from being a real championship contender.
The Los Angeles Clippers are probably the best NBA side on paper. They have everything and they were built to face LeBron in the finals and dismantle him. Harell, Beverley, and co. can definitely defend anybody on the Lakers’ roster besides Anthony Davis. It seems like they do not have an answer for him but I would still pick them to win a series against the Lakers. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will forget about load management in the playoffs and they will attack in full mode. The best sixth man in the NBA, Lou Williams, on the other side, will do a lot of damage on offense and will help the Clippers reach the NBA finals and perhaps, win them.
The Toronto Raptors and the Boston Celtics look amazing and I’m sure that Milwaukee is keeping a close eye on them. The Raptors lost Kawhi but the environment that he created can still be felt in Canada. Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam are leading the team in scoring while Serge Ibaka is one of the best rebounders this season. They do not have a very deep roster and that is why I do not believe that they can make it past the NBA finals but they have the starting line-up that can cause trouble to any team in the NBA. The Boston Celtics have a very good offense with great chemistry. Jason Tatum, Kemba Walker, and Jaylen Brown are averaging over 20 points per game while Gordon Hayward is giving them 17 more points. Marcus Smart is a great 1-2 defender while Enes Kanter is the team’s leading rebounder. When I look at the Celtics, I see a team that has to mature a bit, to compete for a title but with some luck, they can make the Finals in 2020. The thing is that they can outscore everybody and they just have to be more consistent.
As for the West, it will either be the Rockets or the Clippers. James Harden looks much fresher this year. It looks like the Covid-19 break did well for him. He is considered one of the best players in the bubble while Russell Westbrook is giving him energy on the defensive side of the ball as well. Clint Capela will also be key in the playoffs with his defensive presence and offensive spacing for three-pointers. The Rockets live and die by the three, so they are very unpredictable. They can win the title if the threes are falling or they can go out of the playoffs in the first round if they are not.
To sum up, the most likely thing to happen is to have a Bucks-Clippers finals but we should not count out the Rockets, the Celtics and the Raptors.
