I was incensed with myself a year ago because I completely bricked and failed to launch a community thread for playoff predictions until we reached the conference finals stage.
That said …
I think I’ve figured out why it escaped my planning clutches for Round 1 until it was too late: It’s not ideal to publish this file after the playoff field is official AND generate a decent number of responses when the complete first-round brackets aren’t known until late on a Friday night … and then the playoffs proper begin at 1 PM ET Saturday afternoon.
I’m going to give it a whirl anyway!
Here are my Eastern Conference Round 1 picks:
Celtics over Heat in 6
Magic over Cavaliers in 6
Pacers over Bucks in 6
Knicks over 76ers in 7
Here are my Western Conference Round 1 picks:
Thunder over Pelicans in 6
Mavericks over Clippers in 6
Timberwolves over Suns in 7
Nuggets over Lakers in 6
Make your own predictions in the thread below and I will lock the file at some point during Game 1 of Magic at Cavaliers on Saturday afternoon. Please don’t forget to include the number of games in each series. And please please PLEASE list your first and last name so we can properly identify those who gets their predictions exactly right.
Thanks to my pals from Sportsnet for the beautiful playoff bracket.
Doubt Giannis plays at all. Sixers would be my pick to get to ECF but don't trust Embiid's health. Speaking of not trusting, Suns seem like a bad match up for the Wolves but I do not trust Phoenix at all. Have no clue what to think about this Kawhi knee issue, so I'm hedging saying Mavs in 7. And as a Lakers fan, I'm so annoyed to draw Jokic Mountain so early, but I refuse to believe it'll be another sweep.
but i have the exact picks you have. I will predict the biggest upsets looming ahead.....since i have the exact picks mark has...although maybe the knicks win that in six. Or even five. They are much better than philly. And dallas wouldnt surprise me by sweeping the clips. Boston is more vulnerable than anyone thinks (IMHO): they strike me as the perfect powerhouse regular season who get the yips when things get chippy post season. Tatum in particular is a pretty soft player. I doubt anyone beats denver anyway, though. But boston has to beat a very tough knick team OR an indiana team that has found its mojo.
Celtics in 5
76ers in 6
Bucks in 6
Cavs in 7
Thunder in 5
Nuggets in 6
Wolves in 7
Mavs in 6
Celtics in 5
76ers in 7
Bucks in 6
Cavs in 6
Thunder in 5
Nuggets in 6
Wolves in 6
Mavs in 7
Thunder over Pels in 5; Nuggets over Lakers in 5; Wolves in 7 and Clippers in 6.
Boston in 5, Cavs in 6, Pacers in 6, Sixers in 7.
david kahn
Celtics over Heat in 5
Cavaliers over Magic in 6
Bucks over Pacers in 6
76ers over Knicks in 6
Thunder over Pelicans in 6
Clippers over Mavericks in 6
Timberwolves over Suns in 7
Nuggets over Lakers in 5
Celtics in 5
Cavs in 7
Pacers in
Sixers in 7
Thunder in 6
Mavs in 6
Timberwolves in 7
Nuggets in 5
Celtics sweep Heat in 4
Magic over Cavaliers in 6
Bucks over Pacers in 7
Knicks over 76ers in 7
Thunder over Pelicans in 6
Mavericks over Clippers in 6
Timberwolves over Suns in 7
Nuggets over Lakers in 5
Celtics over Heat in 5
Cavs over Magic in 7
Bucks over Pacers in 7
76ers over Knicks in 6
Thunder over Pelicans in 5
Clippers over Mavericks in 7
Suns over Timberwolves in 7
Nuggets over Lakers in 5
Celtics in five
Cleveland in 5
Packers in 6
Knicks in 7
Mavs jn 6
Thunder in 5
Suns in 6
Denver in 5
My Eastern Conference picks:
Celtics over Heat in 5
Magic over Cavaliers in 7
Bucks over Pacers in 6
Knicks over 76ers in 6
my Western Conference picks:
Thunder over Pelicans in 5
Mavericks over Clippers in 7
Suns over Wolves in 6
Nuggets over Lakers in 5
Thunder in 5
Mavs in 6
Suns in 6
Nuggets in 5
Celtics in 5
Magic in 7
Pacers in 6
Knicks in 7
I have the Thunder in five games. Clippers in seven games. Suns in five, at most six games. Nuggets in four games, at most five.
Celtics in four, Bucks in five, Knicks in six, and Magic in seven.
Dan Hinrichs
Celtics, 5
Cavs, 7
Pacers, 6
Knicks, 7
Thunder, 7
Mavs, 4
Wolves, 7
Nuggets, 5
Chris Schuette
Celtics in 6
Cavs in 7
Pacers in 7
Knicks in 7
Thunder in 5
Clippers in 7
T-wolves in 7
Nuggets in 6
Eddie Bermudez
Celtics in 5
Cavs in 5
Bucks in 7
Knicks in 6
Thunder in 6
Clippers in 7
Timberwolves in 6
Nuggets in 5
Celtics in 5
Cavs in 7
Pacers in 6
Sixers in 7
Thunder in 6
Mavs in 6
Suns in 7
Nuggets in 7
Best 1st round of playoffs in recent memory
Hesh Hambazaza
Celtics over Heat in 4
Magic over Cavaliers in 7
Pacers over Bucks in 6
Knicks over 76ers in 6
Thunder over Pelicans in 6
Mavericks over Clippers in 6
Suns over timberwoves in 6
Nuggets over Lakers in 6
Josh Levine
Celtics in 4
Cleveland in 6
Pacers in 5
Knicks in 5
Thunder in 5
Mavs in 7
Twolves in 7
Nuggets in 4
East:
Celtics over Heat in 4
Knicks over Sixers in 7
Pacers over Bucks in 6
Magic over Cavs in 6
West:
Thunder over Pelicans in 5
Nuggets over Lakers in 7
Wolves over Suns in 7
Mavs over Clippers in 7
Doubt Giannis plays at all. Sixers would be my pick to get to ECF but don't trust Embiid's health. Speaking of not trusting, Suns seem like a bad match up for the Wolves but I do not trust Phoenix at all. Have no clue what to think about this Kawhi knee issue, so I'm hedging saying Mavs in 7. And as a Lakers fan, I'm so annoyed to draw Jokic Mountain so early, but I refuse to believe it'll be another sweep.
but i have the exact picks you have. I will predict the biggest upsets looming ahead.....since i have the exact picks mark has...although maybe the knicks win that in six. Or even five. They are much better than philly. And dallas wouldnt surprise me by sweeping the clips. Boston is more vulnerable than anyone thinks (IMHO): they strike me as the perfect powerhouse regular season who get the yips when things get chippy post season. Tatum in particular is a pretty soft player. I doubt anyone beats denver anyway, though. But boston has to beat a very tough knick team OR an indiana team that has found its mojo.
Shai Plonski
Celtics in 5
Magic in 7
Bucks in 6
Sixers in 6
Thunder in 5
Mavs in 7
Timberwolves in 7
Nuggets in 5
Federico Triulzi
Celtics in 4
Knicks in 6
Pacers in 6
Cavs in 7
Thunder in 5
Nuggets in 7
Suns in 6
Mavericks in 6
Celtics in 4
Sixers in 6
Orlando in 7
Milwaukee in 6
OKC in 6
Nuggets in 5
Minny in 7
Dallas in 6
Michael Kelminson
Mavs in 6
Thunder in 6
Nuggets in 5
Suns in 7
Celtics in 4
Knicks in 6
Bucks in 7
Cavs in 7
Celtics in 6
Orlando in 5
Pacers in 6
Sixers in 5
Thunder in 7
Dallas in 7
Wolves in 6
Nuggets in 7
Deven P
East:
Celtics in 5
Magic in 6
Pacers in 6
Knicks in 7
West:
Thunder in 5
Clippers in 7
Timberwolves in 7
Nuggets in 5
East:
Celtics over Heat in 5
Magic over Cavaliers in 6
Pacers over Bucks in 6
76ers over Knicks in 6
West:
Thunder over Pelicans in 6
Mavericks over Clippers in 6
Suns over Timberwolves in 6
Nuggets over Lakers in 5
Blair Hedges
Celtics over Heat in 5
Magic over Cavaliers in 7
Pacers over Bucks in 6
76ers over Knicks in 6
Thunder over Pelicans in 5
Mavericks over Clippers in 6
Timberwolves over Suns in 6
Nuggets over Lakers in 5
Lakers in 6!!! 😄
Charlie Saturday
Celtics in 5
Bucks in 7
Magic in 6
Knicks in 6
OKC in 5
Nuggets in 5
Phoenix in 7
Mavs in 7
Matt Allbritton
Celtics in 5
Cavs in 6
Knicks in 7
Bucks in 7
Suns in 6
Mavs in 5
Thunder in 6
Nuggets in 5
Brian Dwyer
Celtics in 5
Cleveland in 6
Indiana in 6
New York in 5
Okc in 4
Lakers in 6
Timberwolves in 7
Clippers in 7
Matt Aiken
Celtics in 4
Magic in 7
Bucks in 6
76ers in 6
Thunder in 6
Clippers in 7
Suns in 5
Nuggets in 7
Your Bucks hate knows no bounds Mr. Stein 😉.