The 2016 NBA Playoffs are upon us and if you’ve been sticking with us these past couple weeks you’ve gotten a lot of content reflecting on the season that was. From the Golden State Warriors achieving an NBA record 73 regular season wins, to Kobe Bryant’s last game and even pick a multitude of awards like the Most Improved Player, Defensive Player of the Year and even some All-NBA team honors that has kept Def Pen’s NBA team very busy.
The Eastern Conference has seen the Cleveland Cavaliers ride the top spot for a majority of the season but right behind them the Toronto Raptors are a solid number two seed and are poised to be the biggest threat to prevent the Cavs from being repeat Eastern Conference champions. The Miami Heat are possibly the most experienced team in the Eastern Conference playoff picture and they are possibly the team that no other team wants to square off against. While the Hawks are were nowhere near as successful as they were last season, this year is still a success for them but they will definetely have their hands full with a tough, gritty and feisty Boston Celtics team. The Charlotte Hornets came from out of the playoffs last season to starting this season by losing their top defender in Michael Kidd-Gilchrist for essentially the entire season but managed to get into the 2016 NBA Playoffs. The Indiana Pacers have their star back in Paul George but can they find a way to pull of a big first round upset? Andre Drummond has led his Detroit Pistons back into the playoffs for the first time since 2009 but can they be the first team to eliminiate a LeBron James team in first round?
2016 NBA Playoffs: Eastern Conference First Round
No.1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs No.8 Detroit Pistons
– Cameron Dunlap (@CameronD_)
Congratulations to Detroit, after missing the playoffs for six straight seasons Stan Van Gundy has finally gotten Detroit heading in the right direction. Unfortunately, they have a first round date with the eastern conference favorites the Cavs who are coming off a finals appearance and looking to finish what they couldn’t last year. Reggie Jackson will be a huge key to this series, he leads the team in points and assists and is the cog for their offensive game plan. He recently suffered an abdominal strain and if he’s not 100% the Pistons will fizzle out quick. When Jackson is on his game, like he was on February 22nd, the Pistons have proved they can beat this Cavs squad. Detroit has a pretty complete squad where all their starters are liable for a 20+ scoring night. The Pistons are also second in the league in offensive rebounding, but this series they will have their hands full going against some tenacious rebounders in Tristan Thompson, Kevin Love, and LeBron James.
On the contrary James has never lost a first round series and even though he is going against a coach who has defeated him in the playoffs before, the Cavs simply have too much firepower. They hit the second most three’s in the league at 10.7 a game and are a top 10 team defensively. Did I also mention they have LeBron James who’s never lost a first round series? If LeBron comes out and plays like the Playoff LeBron we’ve been accustomed to seeing the past few playoffs, and no fluke injury happens, this is the Cavs series to give away.
Stan Van Gundy will outcoach newbie Tyrone Lue and help the Pistons steal one of the first two games in Cleveland. Detroit will also get a win at home but that’s it. Cavs win in 6
No.2 Toronto Raptors vs No.7 Indiana Pacers
– Honi Ahmadian (@BLSSBlog)
In the Eastern Conference, the 2-7 matchup includes an ever-improving Toronto Raptors squad and an Indiana Pacers team led by a rejuvenated and healthy Paul George. The Raptors are clearly the better team but Indiana has George, who at his peak could be deemed the best player in the series.
But Toronto has a top five offense, able to consistently get to the line and adding shooting around the backcourt duo of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. That duo has been especially fantastic all year with Lowry in the best shape of his career and DeRozan having improved multiple facets of his game. The questions will be asked on the defensive end where the Raptors are a mediocre eleventh in the league and tenth among playoff teams. That may be an issue but Toronto finally has DeMarre Carroll back after his long absence due to injury. He may need to shake off some rust but if the Raptors play up to their potential, he will be able to do just that in a low-pressure situation.
The Pacers will need to count on the guy directly matching up with Carroll to carry them to victory. Paul George has been fantastic in his first full season since breaking his leg. Playing in 81 of a maximum 82 games, George averaged 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game in just under 35 minutes of playing time. His defense continues to be among the best from any perimeter players and he has carried the Pacers to a return to the playoffs.
But one player does not a team make and despite dominant stretches from rookie Myles Turner, it is difficult to imagine the Pacers having enough weapons to make a series against the second place Raptors. George will be enough for the Pacers to win a game or maybe even two. But in the end, Toronto is just too good to lose yet another first-round matchup. Raptors take this in five games.
No.3 Miami Heat vs No.6 Charlotte Hornets
– JD Shaw (@JShawNBA)
This Heat-Hornets matchup is something to keep an eye on. Since these two teams met in 2014 Playoffs, Charlotte has made significant improvements and has bolstered its roster into a feared Eastern Conference competitor. Following the All-Star break, the Hornets finished out the season 21-8, with Jeremy Lin, Marvin Williams, and Nicolas Batum providing much-needed boosts in a critical time.
The Heat have been much of the same, finishing the season 19-10 after the break. They’ve lost Chris Bosh, Tyler Johnson, and Beno Udrih to injury. They’ve traded locker room leader Chris Andersen and their championship point guard Mario Chalmers. Throughout all of this, factor in an unexpected boost from Josh Richardson and a surprising March signing of Joe Johnson, and the Heat’s final record landed them at 48-34 – Otherwise known as the Charlotte Hornets’ season record.
Is it really that close? Absolutely. With both teams splitting the season series 2-2, this will be no easy contest for either side. Who wins? Who pulls away? The defensive minded and experienced Heat team, or the overachieving, superb long rang shooting team in the Charlotte Hornets?
The Miami Heat will take this series in six games. Yes, Charlotte is a good team. Without Bosh, the argument can be made that they’re played just as good as Miami has. However, this is the PLAYOFFS. The Heat have a total 555 combined Playoff games played on their roster, compared to 237 on Charlotte’s side. Factor in a motivated Dwyane Wade and a potential return of the explosive x-factor in Tyler Johnson, and I’m taking the Miami Heat in a hard-fought, back and forth dogfight that begins this Sunday, 5:30 EST, on TNT.
No.4 Atlanta Hawks vs No.5 Boston Celtics
– Max Gruver (@MGruver12)
At the end of the season, the Hawks have played outstanding basketball. They will end up being a tough out for any team, but the chink in their armor is rebounding. They play great team defense (second in the NBA in efficiency), they spread the ball around extremely well on offense and get everyone involved, but they are in the bottom third of the NBA in rebounding.
Unfortunately for the Celtics, they do not have one guy that can grab boards at will. What usually kills the Hawks is guys like Andre Drummond, DeAndre Jordan, or any other glass eater in the league, and since the Celtics do not have a player like this (Jared Sullinger is their top rebounder with 8.3 RPG), I do not see them defeating the Hawks.
Because of this, the Hawks will be able to get by the Celtics in the first round in a fun series full of close battles between the teams. The Atlanta Hawks will defeat the Boston Celtics in tight 6 game series.
If you want to check out the 2016 NBA Playoffs Western Conference preview you can do that here.
