7 Predictions We Can Already Make about the 2019 NBA Playoffs

For the first time since 1976, the NBA will have a postseason that does not have one of these four players: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant or LeBron James. That’s a testament to the enduring talent of those players and to the dynasties that the Los Angeles Lakers, the Chicago Bulls and whatever team LeBron plays for at the current time have tended to make. The younger stars are leading the way — Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid for example — and it looks like we may get change this year. We have seven 2019 NBA playoffs betting predictions that enthusiasts can rely on in this year’s postseason.

7 Predictions We Can Already Make about the 2019 NBA Playoffs

With less than 10 games to go, @James_HamNBCS hands out his latest NBA Power Rankings https://t.co/3C5bJZ15mS pic.twitter.com/IXAGUxkjoV

— NBCSAuthentic (@NBCSAuthentic) 29 de marzo de 2019

Golden State will have a bumper road this year

Despite the distinction on paper, the Golden State Warriors are not playing like an elite team that will just roll through the postseason. They lost by 35 points at home to Dallas last weekend. That’s the same Dallas team that is 29-46 and has fallen off the table since trading three starters to the Knicks for Kristaps Porzingis. They have also lost at home by more than 20 points to Phoenix this year…and Phoenix is 17-59 on the season. Now…can Golden State switch it back on and roll through the postseason?

The rest of the West bracket will be difficult to handicap

Right now, four games separate the three-seed (Portland) from the eight-seed (San Antonio). There is a 6 ½-game gap between the Spurs and the nine-seed Sacramento Kings, so the playoff teams are set — but the bracket could shift significantly over the last few weeks of the season. With six teams bunched so closely, we could see a lot of seven-game series — and a lot of road teams advancing.

Portland will lose in the first round again

I know the Trail Blazers are riding a five-game winning streak, but they did not do much to shore up their difficulties in the paint in the off-season. CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard are stellar scorers from the outside, and having a traditional big man is no longer necessary to win a title, but you do need that solid presence inside — and the Trail Blazers don’t have it.

Oklahoma City will beat Denver in the first round…if they meet

Right now, Denver is the 2-seed and Oklahoma City is the 7-seed. Denver has gotten great play out of their nucleus, but the Thunder have Paul George and Russell Westbrook in their backcourt, two of the most tenacious guards in the NBA. Their inside game comes and goes, which is why they are just 44-31, but this is an ultracompetitive group that will scrap their way past the Nuggets.

Houston and Golden State will emerge as the top two West teams

Based on the bracket, they might meet in the second round instead of the conference finals; it depends on whether Houston can move past Portland. Even so, the Rockets are one of the few teams in the West that can beat the Warriors if the game turns into a track meet, and the hunger level that Chris Paul and James Harden will bring to the postseason will help push the team.

Philadelphia will underperform again

Last year the 76ers went out in the first round against Boston — a Celtics team that didn’t have Kyrie Irving or Gordon Hayward. This year, they have added Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris, giving them a terrific lineup on paper, but the chemistry has been difficult, particularly with regard to the dissatisfaction that Butler has shown because of his reduced number of shots. I expect Philadelphia to go to the second round — but then Toronto should beat them.

The East bracket won’t be set until the last day of the regular season

Right now, the 6-seed Detroit Pistons are just 2 ½ games ahead of the 10-seed Charlotte Hornets. Among those five teams, Charlotte has eight games left, and the other four either have six or seven remaining. Orlando had won seven of ten to take the eighth slot but then lost to slide back down to ninth.

The Pacers will lose in the first round

Indiana has fought valiantly after the loss of Victor Oladipo for the season. However, they have dropped seven of ten and are now just a game ahead of Boston as the fourth seed. If they slide to fifth and then lose home court to Boston in the first round, it’s hard to see the Pacers advancing, even against an inconsistent Celtics team.