2014-15 NBA Playoff Matchups (Updated with Official Matchups)
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kikanga
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 1:13 pm    Post subject:

If Chicago beats Cleveland in the second round I'll be jumping for joy.

Now that Atlanta has injuries and Indiana did make the playoffs. I think Chicago is the only team that could push Cleveland.
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 2:09 pm    Post subject:

kikanga wrote:
If Chicago beats Cleveland in the second round I'll be jumping for joy.

Now that Atlanta has injuries and Indiana did make the playoffs. I think Chicago is the only team that could push Cleveland.


If healthy the Bulls are more than a match for the Cavs. But Noah has to at least approach his DPOY level.
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eureca
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 2:10 pm    Post subject:

My 1st round predictions.

WEST

Warriors beat Pelicans in 5

Grizzlies beat Blazers in 6


Spurs beat Clippers in 6

Rockets beat Mavs in 7



EAST

Hawks beat Nets in 5

Raptors beat Wizards in 7


Bulls beat Bucks in 6

Cavs beat Celtics in 5
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 6:01 pm    Post subject:

I think we're going to have a 2007 Finals rematch with the same result.
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PNG98
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 6:12 pm    Post subject:

The Spurs loss to the Pelicans changed the entire landscape of the Western conference playoffs, with the Warriors, Grizzlies, and Mavs being the biggest beneficiaries.

Warriors - Grizzlies, Spurs, Clippers, the only legitimate threats to GS. Now, 2 of those teams will meet in the opening round.

Grizzlies - get home court.

Mavs - get one of the weakest 2nd seeds in recent memory. Neutralize Harden and there's a great chance they pull off the upset.

Surprised to see so many still picking the Spurs.. Clippers won't be any easy out for them.

The East, nothing to see until the 2nd round.
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dmorans1
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 7:35 pm    Post subject:

Dominator wrote:
I think we're going to have a 2007 Finals rematch with the same result.


Doubt that very much. Spurs ain't winning the West without HCA all through it. When was the last time a 6th seed won the Finals? Oh yeah 20 years ago. Last time a 6th seed or worse got to the Finals? 16 years ago.
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BigRedApple13
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 7:53 pm    Post subject:

PNG98 wrote:
The Spurs loss to the Pelicans changed the entire landscape of the Western conference playoffs, with the Warriors, Grizzlies, and Mavs being the biggest beneficiaries.

Warriors - Grizzlies, Spurs, Clippers, the only legitimate threats to GS. Now, 2 of those teams will meet in the opening round.

Grizzlies - get home court.

Mavs - get one of the weakest 2nd seeds in recent memory. Neutralize Harden and there's a great chance they pull off the upset.

Surprised to see so many still picking the Spurs.. Clippers won't be any easy out for them.

The East, nothing to see until the 2nd round.


I think only the Spurs are a legit threat to the Warriors (assuming Bogut is healthy throughout playoffs), but now they have to go through the Clips/Rockets gauntlet just to get there now.

Grizzlies may not even get past Portland even with homecourt if LMA can go off like he did in Houston 1st 2 games last year.

In the East, the only series I need to watch is Bulls/Cavs Round 2.
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Steve007
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 8:28 pm    Post subject:

The Spurs didn't need HCA advantage to destroy the Heat and beat OKC. They eliminated both teams on the the road. The biggest issue for them is health.
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dmorans1
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 8:32 pm    Post subject:

Steve007 wrote:
The Spurs didn't need HCA advantage to destroy the Heat and beat OKC. They eliminated both teams on the the road. The biggest issue for them is health.


Without HCA, they might not have gotten past Dallas in the 1st round.
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Steve007
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 8:32 pm    Post subject:

dmorans1 wrote:
Dominator wrote:
I think we're going to have a 2007 Finals rematch with the same result.


Doubt that very much. Spurs ain't winning the West without HCA all through it. When was the last time a 6th seed won the Finals? Oh yeah 20 years ago. Last time a 6th seed or worse got to the Finals? 16 years ago.


How many 6th seeds are a defending champion with 55 wins?
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Steve007
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 8:35 pm    Post subject:

dmorans1 wrote:
Steve007 wrote:
The Spurs didn't need HCA advantage to destroy the Heat and beat OKC. They eliminated both teams on the the road. The biggest issue for them is health.


Without HCA, they might not have gotten past Dallas in the 1st round.


Maybe. We'll never know. But my main point was they have shown they can beat elite teams on the road. And they didn't need HCA to beat at least 3 of their last 4 opponents. And even against Dallas they might have won anyway without the HCA.

Edit: One thing I could buy though is the Spurs are less healthy and not as good as last years team, so they might have strong enough to overcome a lack of HCA last year, but not having home court could hurt them more this year (because again the Spurs are weaker this year).


Last edited by Steve007 on Thu Apr 16, 2015 8:39 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Lakers2015
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 8:38 pm    Post subject:

Steve007 wrote:
The Spurs didn't need HCA advantage to destroy the Heat and beat OKC. They eliminated both teams on the the road. The biggest issue for them is health.


Golden State is far better than either of those teams.

Also the Spurs had HCA through last year's playoffs so technically they did need it.

They don't stand a chance IMO.

They don't matchup well with the Dubs at all.

Duncan is gonna have a hard time dealing with Green's athleticism and length. Parker has really struggled on defense this season and he'd be facing the best point guard in basketball. Leonard is gonna have to dominate consistently just to keep the games competitive because that's the only real advantage they have.


Last edited by Lakers2015 on Thu Apr 16, 2015 8:41 pm; edited 1 time in total
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dmorans1
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 8:41 pm    Post subject:

Steve007 wrote:
dmorans1 wrote:
Dominator wrote:
I think we're going to have a 2007 Finals rematch with the same result.


Doubt that very much. Spurs ain't winning the West without HCA all through it. When was the last time a 6th seed won the Finals? Oh yeah 20 years ago. Last time a 6th seed or worse got to the Finals? 16 years ago.


How many 6th seeds are a defending champion with 55 wins?


Number of wins don't help your argument since that actually reflects better competition for them. Most teams can't repeat. Most defending champions are top 3-4 in seeding and they don't repeat. To think that a 6th seed would repeat is just not realistic. Odds are a 6th seed loses in the 1st round while odds are heavily favored that a team doesn't repeat.
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Steve007
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 8:46 pm    Post subject:

Lakers2015 wrote:
Steve007 wrote:
The Spurs didn't need HCA advantage to destroy the Heat and beat OKC. They eliminated both teams on the the road. The biggest issue for them is health.


Golden State is far better than either of those teams.


I don't buy it. I seriously doubt Golden State would beat the back-to-back champs or a super talented OKC team. OKC with Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka would be a nightmare to match up with.


Quote:

Also the Spurs had HCA through last year's playoffs so technically they did need it.


That makes no sense.
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Steve007
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 8:50 pm    Post subject:

dmorans1 wrote:
Steve007 wrote:
dmorans1 wrote:
Dominator wrote:
I think we're going to have a 2007 Finals rematch with the same result.


Doubt that very much. Spurs ain't winning the West without HCA all through it. When was the last time a 6th seed won the Finals? Oh yeah 20 years ago. Last time a 6th seed or worse got to the Finals? 16 years ago.


How many 6th seeds are a defending champion with 55 wins?


Number of wins don't help your argument since that actually reflects better competition for them. Most teams can't repeat. Most defending champions are top 3-4 in seeding and they don't repeat. To think that a 6th seed would repeat is just not realistic. Odds are a 6th seed loses in the 1st round while odds are heavily favored that a team doesn't repeat.


But they are one win away from being a two seed. Most 6 seeds are weaker then this Spurs team. So I think your point that weaker 6 seeds didn't win before, so we should doubt this 6th seed is unconvincing IMO.

Why did the Knicks make the Finals as an 8 seed? They did it because they were better than most 8 seeds.

I don't think the competition got tougher for them this year, especially with OKC falling off.
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Steve007
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 8:55 pm    Post subject:

dmorans1 wrote:

Odds are a 6th seed loses in the 1st round while odds are heavily favored that a team doesn't repeat.


So you think the Clippers will beat the Spurs? I have no idea what you think. Just curious. I could see it if Splitter is out or ineffective. Honestly I'd be surprised if the Clippers knock them out.
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dmorans1
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 8:58 pm    Post subject:

Steve007 wrote:
dmorans1 wrote:

Odds are a 6th seed loses in the 1st round while odds are heavily favored that a team doesn't repeat.


So you think the Clippers will beat the Spurs? I have no idea what you think. Just curious. I could see it if Splitter is out or ineffective. Honestly I'd be surprised if the Clippers knock them out.


I'm not sure. If I was a betting man I would put money on the Clippers. They come in as hot as the Spurs but have gotten overlooked.
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Steve007
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 9:12 pm    Post subject:

I'm skeptical that the Clippers are really playing that well. The schedule was super soft for them recently and they beat teams like the Lakers (twice), Knicks, Sixers, Celtics, Suns, Nuggers, etc. The Clippers destroying weak competition and struggling against winning teams has been a common theme for them all season. I posted a stat recently here that they were 20-21 against teams with winning records.

One thing the Clippers have going for them is they are healthier than ever. And who knows about DeAndre and those free throws? Maybe he gets lucky and they go in.
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 9:16 pm    Post subject:

Steve007 wrote:
The Spurs didn't need HCA advantage to destroy the Heat and beat OKC. They eliminated both teams on the the road. The biggest issue for them is health.


they beat okc without ibaka twice at home, lost twice in okc with ibaka back, won game 5 at home and won a game they really shouldnt have in okc to win the series.
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Telleris
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 9:24 pm    Post subject:

Lakers2015 wrote:
Steve007 wrote:
The Spurs didn't need HCA advantage to destroy the Heat and beat OKC. They eliminated both teams on the the road. The biggest issue for them is health.


Golden State is far better than either of those teams.

Also the Spurs had HCA through last year's playoffs so technically they did need it.

They don't stand a chance IMO.

They don't matchup well with the Dubs at all.

Duncan is gonna have a hard time dealing with Green's athleticism and length. Parker has really struggled on defense this season and he'd be facing the best point guard in basketball. Leonard is gonna have to dominate consistently just to keep the games competitive because that's the only real advantage they have.


Um, Duncan is 6'10 with a wingspan of about 7'3-4, Green is 6'7 with a wingspan of 7'1, he's no major athlete but the last thing Green has is length that would bother Duncan....

I take it you didn't watch the way the Spurs set up against them 9 days ago or so?
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Steve007
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 9:27 pm    Post subject:

Telleris wrote:
Steve007 wrote:
The Spurs didn't need HCA advantage to destroy the Heat and beat OKC. They eliminated both teams on the the road. The biggest issue for them is health.


they beat okc without ibaka twice at home, lost twice in okc with ibaka back, won game 5 at home and won a game they really shouldnt have in okc to win the series.


Meh, beating OKC in OKC when the Thunder were facing elimination is good enough for me. And OKC did lose the last two with Ibaka, even after winning games 3 and 4 and taking the momentum.
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Lakers2015
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 10:11 pm    Post subject:

Telleris wrote:
Lakers2015 wrote:
Steve007 wrote:
The Spurs didn't need HCA advantage to destroy the Heat and beat OKC. They eliminated both teams on the the road. The biggest issue for them is health.


Golden State is far better than either of those teams.

Also the Spurs had HCA through last year's playoffs so technically they did need it.

They don't stand a chance IMO.

They don't matchup well with the Dubs at all.

Duncan is gonna have a hard time dealing with Green's athleticism and length. Parker has really struggled on defense this season and he'd be facing the best point guard in basketball. Leonard is gonna have to dominate consistently just to keep the games competitive because that's the only real advantage they have.


Um, Duncan is 6'10 with a wingspan of about 7'3-4, Green is 6'7 with a wingspan of 7'1, he's no major athlete but the last thing Green has is length that would bother Duncan....

I take it you didn't watch the way the Spurs set up against them 9 days ago or so?


Yes I watched it, but it was one game when Golden State had already locked up their seeding and didn't have much of an incentive.

As for Duncan he's been bothered by athletic, young, long bigs in the past. I take it you haven't watched many Warrior games because he's flustered teams all season with his athleticism and length.
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 10:11 pm    Post subject:

Steve007 wrote:
Telleris wrote:
Steve007 wrote:
The Spurs didn't need HCA advantage to destroy the Heat and beat OKC. They eliminated both teams on the the road. The biggest issue for them is health.


they beat okc without ibaka twice at home, lost twice in okc with ibaka back, won game 5 at home and won a game they really shouldnt have in okc to win the series.


Meh, beating OKC in OKC when the Thunder were facing elimination is good enough for me. And OKC did lose the last two with Ibaka, even after winning games 3 and 4 and taking the momentum.


Ibaka was a shell of himself.
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Telleris
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 10:23 pm    Post subject:

Lakers2015 wrote:
Telleris wrote:
Lakers2015 wrote:
Steve007 wrote:
The Spurs didn't need HCA advantage to destroy the Heat and beat OKC. They eliminated both teams on the the road. The biggest issue for them is health.


Golden State is far better than either of those teams.

Also the Spurs had HCA through last year's playoffs so technically they did need it.

They don't stand a chance IMO.

They don't matchup well with the Dubs at all.

Duncan is gonna have a hard time dealing with Green's athleticism and length. Parker has really struggled on defense this season and he'd be facing the best point guard in basketball. Leonard is gonna have to dominate consistently just to keep the games competitive because that's the only real advantage they have.


Um, Duncan is 6'10 with a wingspan of about 7'3-4, Green is 6'7 with a wingspan of 7'1, he's no major athlete but the last thing Green has is length that would bother Duncan....

I take it you didn't watch the way the Spurs set up against them 9 days ago or so?


Yes I watched it, but it was one game when Golden State had already locked up their seeding and didn't have much of an incentive.

As for Duncan he's been bothered by athletic, young, long bigs in the past. I take it you haven't watched many Warrior games because he's flustered teams all season with his athleticism and length.


Draymond isn't a big or athletic, his basketball iq is phenomenal but athletes bother Duncan. He's a tweener playing as a stretch 4 with a ridiculously high basketball iq. And it's not like Duncan would be his matchup, he's more a Bogut guy.
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Last edited by Telleris on Thu Apr 16, 2015 11:23 pm; edited 1 time in total
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lakersken80
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 10:32 pm    Post subject:

Steve007 wrote:
I'm skeptical that the Clippers are really playing that well. The schedule was super soft for them recently and they beat teams like the Lakers (twice), Knicks, Sixers, Celtics, Suns, Nuggers, etc. The Clippers destroying weak competition and struggling against winning teams has been a common theme for them all season. I posted a stat recently here that they were 20-21 against teams with winning records.

One thing the Clippers have going for them is they are healthier than ever. And who knows about DeAndre and those free throws? Maybe he gets lucky and they go in.


Clippers aren't any better this year either.
And the Spurs never really needed HCA to put down the Clippers in the playoffs either.
The only two teams who I can see giving trouble to the Spurs out west is the Warriors or the Grizzlies.
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