The NBA regular season is over. Now, the 2013-2014 NBA Playoffs are set to begin. All of these matchups are official and the playoffs are set to begin on Saturday. Get ready for another exciting two months of the NBA playoffs.
Here are the NBA playoff matchups for this season.
Eastern Conference
1. Indiana Pacers (56-26) vs 8. Atlanta Hawks (38-44)
How will Indiana win?
The Pacers will win if they can stop the Hawks’ front court. Roy Hibbert will need to prevent Paul Millsap from taking over, so Paul George, Lance Stephenson and David West can take over.
How will Atlanta win?
The Hawks will win if Paul Millsap can be a force and the Hawks can get consistent scoring off the bench from Lou Williams, Elton Brand, and Mike Scott.
2. Miami Heat (54-28) vs 7. Charlotte Bobcats (43-39)
How will Miami win?
The Heat will win because of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh being the three best players on the floor.
How will Charlotte win?
The Bobcats will win if they can stop LeBron James and Dwayne Wade, and force Bosh to be the focal point of the offense. Al Jefferson will need to have the series of his life.
3. Toronto Raptors (48-34) vs 6. Brooklyn Nets (44-38)
How will Toronto win?
The backcourt of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry will be too fast for the elderly Nets starting lineup. The Raptors athleticism will be too much for the Nets to handle.
How will Brooklyn win?
Experience, pure experience. Joe Johnson, Kevin Garnett, Deron Williams and Paul Pierce have been there before. They know how to win and survive in the postseason.
4. Chicago Bulls (48-34) vs 5. Washington Wizards (44-38)
How will Chicago win?
The Bulls’ defense will stifle John Wall and the Wizards with a dominant performance by Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler.
How will Washington win?
John Wall takes over the series, becoming the best player on the floor and proving that he is one of the best young point guards in the NBA.
Western Conference
1. San Antonio Spurs (62-20) vs 8. Dallas Mavericks (49-33)
How will San Antonio win?
By being the Spurs. San Antonio just wins, year in and year out. This is Tony Parker’s time to shine, but he still has excellent players around him in Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and an excellent bench.
How will Dallas win?
Dirk Nowitzki becomes an unstoppable force. When he is on, he becomes one of the toughest players in the NBA to stop. But, Monta Ellis is capable of taking over a game too. The Mavericks will need big-time contributions from their two stars.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder (59-23) vs 7. Memphis Grizzlies (50-32)
How will Oklahoma City win?
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are probably the best one-two punch in the NBA, and with Durant scoring at will, the Thunder will roll each and every game.
How will Memphis win?
The Grizzlies defense steps up, and Marc Gasol becomes Dikembe Mutombo and limits Durant and Westbrook’s ability to get to the hoop. Keep an eye on Mike Conley to step up for the Grizzlies offensively.
3. Los Angeles Clippers (57-25) vs 6. Golden State Warriors (51-31)
How will Los Angeles win?
The Clippers’ second team would make the playoffs, so L.A. can win with depth. Not to mention Chris Paul is the best point guard in the NBA, and Blake Griffin will be too much for the Warriors to stop.
How will Golden State win?
Stephen Curry. He did it for Davidson, can he do it for Golden State? Why not? Oh, Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson, and David Lee is a very good supporting cast as well.
4. Houston Rockets (54-28) vs 5. Portland Trailblazers (54-28)
How will Houston win?
The Rockets will win because of the dominance of Dwight Howard and James Harden. When both play well, there are not many duos in the NBA that can outscore them. Patrick Beverley is healthy too, so watch out for Houston.
How will Portland win?
Damian Lillard, LaMarcus Aldridge, and the No. 1 rebounding team in the NBA will smother Dwight Howard in the paint, causing James Harden to try and win by himself. Tough to do with Nicolas Batum defending you.
Photo by Steve Mitchell, USA Today Sports Images