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Post by The Athletic on Feb 3, 2020 17:53:43 GMT -5
-- BRISTOL, CONN. -- The trade deadline is officially up and the 8 teams in the respective conferences have been set. 16 teams remain and look to fit for the ultimate goal of winning a Basketball Dynasty Championship. The stage is set and we will be breaking down each game- let's get it.
Eastern Conference
 
#8 New York Knicks (7-7) vs. #1 Milwaukee Bucks (12-2)
The history of both teams is a little different, the Bucks have exploded onto the scene this year after not being so great in years past. The Knicks have been in title contention since the opening of the league but have struggled a little bit this year. The Bucks shopped the potential #1 pick up until the deadline but weren't able to find a package they deemed worthy, and hey I get it. They went a conference best 12-2, so who blames them for holding off. The Knicks more or less have been the same team all year.
The Bucks are led by the leagues highest per game scorer in the Greek Freak. He has been able to get a decent amount of rest over the past 2 weeks and should be his normal great self in the first round. Outside of Giannis, the Bucks boost a very deep core with Dejontae Murray, Robert Covington, Tobias Harris, Brook Lopez, and Kristaps Porzingis. Doncic's injury couldn't have come at a better time as the offense should now run through Zinger leading to an uptick in usage and as a result stats. Seth Curry also gets a slight boost as well. Norm Powell being out hurts, but the Bucks should hope they they can handle the first couple rounds with out him.
The Knicks are quite honestly a pretty strong team but they just don't have the fire power to match up with Bucks. On top of that any chance they had is most likely gone with D-Rose sitting out the first game of the week with a chance to miss more- along with TJ Warren being out for a bit. Jrue and Favors being healthy will give them a punchers chance but the Knicks will need huge games all week from Middleton, Jrue, and Favors to give them a shot. This a team has a solid solid core but it's just not going to be enough to handle the Bucks fire power.
Odds:
Bucks -1000
Knicks +850
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Post by The Athletic on Feb 3, 2020 19:47:00 GMT -5
  #4 Detroit Pistons (10-4) vs. #5 Cleveland Cavaliers (10-4)
The classic 4/5 playoff match up generally produces some of the best games and this should be no difference. The Pistons have stayed out of the spotlight and have for the most part have suited up the same squad all year. The Cavs did some major re-tooling towards the end of the year and now boast the best 1-2 duo in the league with Jokic and Lebron.
Along with the Cavs having the best duo in the league, the narratives around the two could not be better right now. Jokic struggled the start of the year but as more and more of his teammates went down he picked up the slack and has been red hot. Lebron should be locked in the rest of the year as he plays for his close friend Kobe. The supporting cast isn't bad either, the Cavs just added Evan Fournier, JJJ is coming into his own, Sexton is playing well, and Tristan Thompson is solid every night. This Cavs team is better than the #5 seed would suggest as they are playing their absolute best ball of the season right now. This will be a tough one for the Pistons.
The Pistons meanwhile have a pretty great dynamic duo of their own led by- Kawhi Leonard and Zach Lavine. Leonard is playing great basketball right now but unfortunately does have a back to back on Sat/Sun something that could be a crucial point in this match up. Zach Lavine is also playing the best basketball of his career and is doing some major heavy lifting with the Bulls dealing with multiple injuries. The supporting cast deserves some mentioning as well. Brad Wanamaker should see an uptick in minutes and usage with Kemba out, Bojan is hooping, Kevin Love is playing well admist rumors, and Galloway and Mikal are playing well.
This should be a close one that goes down to the wire, the Pistons have a shot but will need huge weeks from Leonard, Lavine, and Love. The back to back on Sunday could really hurt this Pistons team, especially with Lebron and Jokic playing as well as they are.
Odds: Cavs -185 Pistons +150 |
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Post by The Athletic on Feb 3, 2020 20:09:51 GMT -5
 Vs. #3 Atlanta Hawks (10-4) #6 Chicago Bulls (9-5)
Two OGs match-up in what is one of my favorite first round match ups this year- the Bulls vs. the Hawks. The Bulls have been of the historically best teams in the leagues short history and will continue their quest to finally capture a championship. The Hawks have been in the mix the past couple years but probably have their best team since they joined the league and will look to finally make that title push this year. I love it Trey vs. Charlie with their squads being built in opposite ways, Trey relying on star power and Charlie relying on depth.
The Bulls are one of the deepest teams in the league, they don't have any stars as they have had in the past but every single player on the roster produces and contributes. Outside of Admiral Schofield everyone on this Bulls team averages 20+ points, that's ridiculous. Yes, there will be weeks where the team leaves a lot to be desired because of the lack of stars, but if a couple guys get hot watch out. LMA is back just in time, Lamb should pick up some extra usage with Warren out, Ibaka is balling with Gasol out, Morris should be showcased in NY, and Glenn should as well. Again you know that this team is as deep as it gets and it just takes 3-4 explosion games from them to be in a hole. This Bulls team is dangerous.
The Hawks have an absolutely filthy dynamic duo is James HArden and Dame Lillard. The Hakws aren't the deepest team in the league but again when you have Lillard and Harden you don't need too much more around them. Both stars are trending in different directions Lillard is insanely hot, like im talking scalding, like Steph Curry 72 win warriors hot. Trey can only hope he is able to continue it as now is when it matters. James Harden meanwhile had his worst month in quite a while. He struggled shooting and in this league where missed shots hurt he's gotta turn it around. He just had a monster game against the Pelicans so Trey is hoping Harden is back to the guy he was. There isn't too much outside of these two, but one guy worth mentioning is Montrezl Harrell. He doesn't get a ton of minutes, but man is he productive in the minute he gets. He can explode at any time and chances are Trey will need one of those performances to beat the Bulls.
This is a really tough one, chances are Harden plays a little bit better than he has but I just don't know if he can continue at the absolutely insane pace he has in the past 2 weeks. In this league depth wins championships and the Bulls are probably the deepest team in the league i'll take them in a nail biter.
Odds: Hawks +130 Bulls -150 |
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Post by The Athletic on Feb 4, 2020 13:55:16 GMT -5
 Vs.
#2 Toronto Raptors (11-3) #7 Boston Celtics (8-6)
The Celtics match-up in the last game in the Eastern Conference first round. The Celtics come into this one with a ton of talent but they are really hurting. Bagley, Laurri, Dunn, and Fernando are all down. The Raptors come into this one completely healthy and are up there with the Bulls as one of the deepest teams in the league. The Raptors have finally been able get over the hump and look like a dominant team that can make a true title run, while this feels like this a good year for the Celtics to get a small taste of the playoffs, but the real push will come next year or the year after.
The Raptors have been solid all year and the calling card has been depth. Right now Baynes and Smart are the only ones hurt and Smart should be back relatively soon. Almost everyone on this team averages 20+ game. Sato is going to get all the run he can handle with the injuries in Chicago, Burks should continue to shine while Dlo is out, and Bertans is back to playing well after his short injury. The stars on this team are Vooch and Hayward both of which are playing well right now. Again depth wins championships and this Raptors team is unbelievably deep. They should be able to pretty handily beat the Celtics in this round barring a crazy string of games from Bam.
Again the Celtics are ravaged by injuries right now- and either way this probably wasn't going to be the Celtics year. That being said it'll be good for this young team to get some playoff experience. This team has probably most fun young talent in the league right now and could be a title contender as soon as next year should everyone continue to develop. As for this game it's just going to be tough to match the Raptors depth. The Celtics would need huge weeks from Bam, SGA, and Brown as outside of the trio they don't have a ton of production right now. Again scary team in the future but the injuries should prove to be too much to overcome this year.
I got the Raptors running away with this one, the team is just too deep and the Celtics are dealing with too many injuries at this point.
Odds: Celtics +650 Raptors -750 |
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Post by The Athletic on Feb 4, 2020 14:09:19 GMT -5
 Vs.
#1 New Orleans Pelicans (14-0) #8 Houston Rockets (6-8)
I think I speak for everyone when I say I want someone to be able to take down the mighty Pelicans this year. The Pelicans fresh off a title win rolled off 14 straight this season are in prime position to go back to back. The Rockets in the midst of a rebuilding year still managed to sneak into the playoffs in the weaker West but were able to take strides this year and are a promising young team.
The Pelicans are unreal man. After a tough first year in the inaugural season they have been absolutely unstoppable since and are built to run the league for years. I mean the depth on this team is just stupid. Dray, Book, Hield, Russ, FVV, Siakam, I mean I could go on and on. The thing is this will probably be the last year where he can keep all his studs, so this is as an important a year as ever to bring in a title. Russ is sitting a game, Buddy is on the bench, Dray is playing limited minutes, but it doesn't matter this is the clear title favorite and they should have no problem with the Rockets.
The Rockets are a young team and this playoff expereince will be good for them. That being said they've got zero shot this week. Nance should fill in for Tristan but I mean they have zero shot. Excited to see how they approach the off-season as they've got some good pieces but there is nothing really to discuss in terms of this game.
Nothing really to say here, Pels should roll.
Odds: Pelicans -100000 Rockets +1000000 |
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