After a long season, we now have finally hit the playoffs. For the first time ever, we came down to the final game of the season to determine seeding. The game has changed now with the inception of the Play-In Tournament. The play-in tournament is where the 7^th through 10 seeds plays for the 7^th and 8^th spot in the playoffs. The 7 takes on the 8^th with the winner being the 7^th seed. The loser plays the winner of the 9 versus 10 games to be the 8^th seed. The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans to grab the 7^th seed. Golden State fell to the Sacramento Kings in the 9 versus 10 game. The Pelicans defeated the Kings to earn the 8^th seed in the Western Conference. Oklahoma City will face the New Orleans Pelicans in the opening round.

The Denver Nuggets take on the Los Angeles Lakers. The Nuggets swept the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals a year ago. The Minnesota Timberwolves will battle the Phoenix Suns. In the final Western Conference series, the Los Angeles Clippers will battle the Dallas Mavericks. In the Eastern Conference the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Miami Heat to become the 7^th seed in the playoffs. The Chicago Bulls took down the Atlanta Hawks in the 9 versus 10 game. In a battle for the 8^th seed, the Heat defeated the Bulls to advance to the playoffs. Boston takes on the Miami Heat in the 1 versus 8 series. The New York Knicks battle the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2 versus 7. Milwaukee will take on the Indiana Pacers and the Cleveland Cavaliers battle the Orlando Magic. What will the 2^nd round matchups look like after round one?

Eastern Conference

Trav’s 2024 NBA First Round Playoffs Prediction

We have the Boston Celtics taking on the Miami Heat in the 1 versus 8 series. Boston was arguably the best team in the league throughout the season. The addition of Kristaps Porzingis did wonders for this team. If that wasn’t enough, they traded for Jrue Holiday to solidify the defensive side. Boston rewarded Holiday with a nice contract extension. Miami lost the 7 versus 8 game against the Sixers in the play-in. They defeated the Bulls to earn the 8^th seed in the Eastern Conference. They will be without Jimmy Butler after he injured his MCL and will be out for weeks. Miami still has a good team without Butler, but he’s the heart and soul. Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro will have to have lights out performances against the Celtics. I’d still pick the Celtics with a healthy Jimmy Butler in the lineup. Boston Win Series 4-1

We have the 4 versus 5 series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic. This series has a lot riding on it regarding the future of the Cavs organization. The big question all season has been, will Donovan Mitchell sign an extension? As far as Orlando goes, they are just getting started seeing they’re one of the younger teams. Donovan Mitchell and his health will be the biggest question for the Cavs this series. For Orlando, how will the young core handle the playoff pressure? Paolo Banchero is coming off an All-Star season a year after being NBA Rookie of the Year. How will the Cavs play Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley in this series? Cleveland has an array of scorers that can produce at any given time. This will help the Cavs win the series against Orlando. Cleveland Win Series 4-2

This is arguably the most anticipated series in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. We have the New York Knicks taking on the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2 versus 7 series. Both of these squads were in my top 5 Eastern Conference teams heading into All-Star weekend. The Knicks finished 2^nd in the East behind stellar play from Jalen Brunson. The Sixers were on their way to arguably a top 3 finished but Joel Embiid got injured. Embiid recently came back after missing over two months after knee surgery. New York is missing Julius Randle after having shoulder surgery. If Embiid conditioning can improve in this series, then I’m going with the Sixers. If Philly can’t find an answer for Jalen Brunson, then the Knicks could get by. In a tough series I’m picking the Knicks in a seven-game series. New York Win Series 4-3

We have the Milwaukee Bucks taking on the Indiana Pacers in the 3 versus 6 matchup. The big news heading into the series is in the health of Giannis. Giannis went down towards the end of the season with a calf injury. The Bucks are saying he won’t be available at the start of the series. Milwaukee dropped their final two games of the season, and they were on the road. Can Dame, Middleton, and Portis carry the load until Giannis is able to return? Indiana finished the season winning three of their last four games. Tyrese Haliburton has emerged as one of the top point guards in the league. This is a series where he and Pascal Siakam can show their potential and encourage Siakam to stay. I’m thinking the Bucks will find a way to win a long series. Milwaukee Wins Series 4-3

Western Conference

We have the Oklahoma City Thunder taking on the New Orleans Pelicans in the 1 versus 8 series. The Pelicans lost to the Lakers in the 7 versus 8 matchup. They beat the Kings to earn the 8^th spot in the Western Conference. The availability of Zion Williamson will be the topic for this series. If Williamson can come back, this could be a great series. If not, the Pelicans won’t have a chance against the Thunder. Oklahoma City has been called the worst #1 seed in history, which isn’t the case for me. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is an MVP candidate, and this is a talented team. They are very young and that could go either way in the playoffs. The Thunder are legit and I’m picking them to advance to the 2^nd round. Oklahoma City Win series 4-2

The Los Angeles Clippers will meet the Dallas Mavericks in the 4 versus 5 matchup. The Clippers have a lot of veterans on this team, and they’re put together for a lengthy playoff run. Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook are hoping to bring the Clippers their first championship. George, Harden, and Westbrook are still looking for that elusive ring. How will they matchup against Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving? The Mavs could be the sleeper team in the Western Conference. Luka or Kyrie can take over any game at any time. Luka is one of the MVP candidates after averaging 33.9 points, 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds this past season. Irving averaged under 26 points per game and the addition of P.J. Washington has been great for this team. This is a close one, but I’m picking the Mavs to win the series. Dallas Win Series 4-3

This is arguably the most anticipated series of the first round of the playoffs. We have the Denver Nuggets taking on the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2 versus 7 series. The Nuggets swept the Lakers in last year’s Western Conference Finals. When reporters asked Lebron about retirement, the Nuggets coach threw shots at him after Denver won the title. The Lakers reached this point by defeating the Pelicans in the 7 versus 8 play-in game. The Lakers made a lot of changes during the offseason for a chance at a playoff run. As far as Denver goes, they are the defending champions for a reason. They have a great team, but maybe not as deep as the team from last year. Will this one end in a sweep? This will not be a sweep, but I’m picking the Nuggets to win. Denver Win Series 4-2

We have another great series in the Western Conference. The Minnesota Timberwolves battles the Phoenix Suns in the 3 versus 6 series. The Wolves finished a game out of the top spot in the Western Conference. Karl Anthony-Towns missed a significant time towards the end of the season with a knee injury. Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert stepped up in a major way to keep Minnesota atop the West. Will that play transition to the playoffs? Both teams were in my top 5 squads heading into the All-Star break. The reason the Suns formed their Big 3 is because of the playoffs. Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal didn’t play as much as they wanted together. Either of these three have the capabilities to take over a game. This is another tough series, but I’m taking the Suns to win. Phoenix Win Series 4-3