2011 NBA Playoff Predictions
Written by Steve Janus
The 2011 NBA Playoffs are set to get underway this weekend. The Chicago Bulls earned the No. 1 seed in the East with a 62-20 record, while the San Antonio Spurs finished with the top seed in the Western Conference with a 61-21 record. Here is a look at how we see the entire playoffs playing out this season.
Eastern Conference
First Round
Chicago Bulls (1) vs Indiana Pacers (8)- Chicago went 3-1 against the Pacers in the regular season, and are clearly the dominant team in this one. Indiana is the only team that made the playoffs with a losing record, and simply have no shot in this series.
Prediction: Bulls in 4
Miami Heat (2) vs Philadelphia 76ers (7) – The Heat come into the playoffs having won 16 of their last 19, and were 3-0 against the 76ers this season. Philadelphia is a very talented young team, but it’s hard to see them beating Miami four times.
Prediction: Heat in 6
Boston Celtics (3) vs New York Knicks (6) - The Celtics come into the playoffs barely playing over .500 basketball over the final months of the season, but this a veteran team that knows how to win 7-game series. Boston went 4-0 against the Knicks this season, and are simply to strong on the defensive side.
Prediction: Celtics in 6
Orlando Magic (4) vs Atlanta Hawks (5) - This is an interesting series. Orlando just dominated the Hawks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals last year, but Atlanta won three of four against the Magic this season. We give the edge to the Dwight Howard and the Magic, but not by much.
Prediction: Magic in 7
Semifinals
Bulls vs Magic – The Magic crushed the Bulls in the first regular season matchup 107-78 at Chicago, but the Bulls went on to win the final three games of the series. While the Bulls continued to get better as the season went on, the Magic struggled.
Prediction: Bulls in 6
Heat vs Celtics – This is the series everyone has been waiting for since the season got underway. Boston went 3-1 against the Heat in the regular season, and have done an excellent job against LeBron James in past playoffs. The Celtics are the better team and we give them the slight advantage.
Prediction: Boston in 7
Conference Championship
Bulls vs Celtics – These two teams split their four regular season games, and are about as evenly matched as you can get. Derrick Rose is a man on a mission, and with home court advantage the Bulls are headed back to the NBA Finals.
Western Conference
First Round
San Antonio Spurs (1) vs Memphis Grizzlies (8) – The Spurs could be without Manu Ginobili for a couple games in this series, but we don’t think that will keep them from winning this series.
Prediction: Spurs in 5
Los Angeles Lakers (2) vs New Orleans Hornets (7) – While the Lakers didn’t earn the No. 1 seed in the West, they actually drew the easier first round matchup. The Lakers went 4-0 against the Hornets in the regular season, and will dominate this series from start to finish.
Prediction: Lakers in 4
Dallas Mavericks (3) vs Portland Trail Blazers (6) - This will be a tough first round matchup for the Mavericks, as the Trail Blazers are a lot better than they get credit for. The two teams split their season series 2-2, and we look for this series to go the wire with the Mavericks holding the slight edge.
Prediction: Dallas in 7
Oklahoma City Thunder (4) vs Denver Nuggets (5) – Few expected the Nuggets to be as good as they are after trading away Carmelo Anthony, but unfortunately for them they don’t matchup well with Oklahoma City. The Thunder won three of four in the regular season, including two easy wins in April.
Prediction: Thunder in 6
Semifinals
Spurs vs Thunder – San Antonio went 3-0 against the Thunder in the regular season. They won the first two games by 13 and 27, but only managed a four point win in the final matchup. While the Spurs won’t be the popular pick in this matchup, they are the better team and matchup well with Oklahoma City.
Prediction: Spurs in 6
Lakers vs Mavericks – Even though the Lakers didn’t finish the season playing great basketball, this team has shown they can turn it on when they need to. Los Angeles knows how to win in the postseason, and will be the team to win this series.
Prediction: Lakers in 6
Conference Championship
Spurs vs Lakers – The Spurs got the best of the Lakers in the first two games in the regular season, but Los Angeles responded with two wins in the final two games. Even though the Spurs will have the homecourt advantage, we like the Lakers to get back to the NBA Finals.
Prediction: Lakers in 7
NBA Finals
Bulls vs Lakers – Both teams won at home in their two regular season games. While the Bulls have made huge strides this season, they don’t match up well with the size of the Lakers. Unless Bynum gets hurt and is unable to play in this series, the Lakers will complete their second 3-peat under head coach Phil Jackson.
Prediction: Lakers in 7
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