Legacies and lower seeds are the talking points heading into the NBA Playoffs as Round 1 tips off this weekend. We asked some of Sportsnet’s NBA experts for predictions on the first-round matchups as well as their picks for the NBA Finals, the eventual league champion and who will be named Finals MVP.
What do you think is the most intriguing storyline heading into the NBA Playoffs?
Michael Grange (Sportsnet’s Senior Basketball Insider): Will Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray lead the Denver Nuggets to the NBA Finals? In Murray’s case, making up for lost time due to injury and establishing himself as one of the NBA’s elite again and in Jokic’s silencing any doubters regarding his status as an all-time great.
William Lou (Host of The Raptors Show on SN 590 The FAN): The subtext to this year’s NBA playoffs is can the new generation of stars topple the old guard. The four best players of this generation in LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard will decide the West, while three of the next crop in Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum and Joel Embiid should hold the keys in the East.
Blake Murphy (Sportsnet Raptors + Blue Jays analyst): Whether or not one of the rising — recently or long-awaited — teams in the Western Conference is ready to finally take a big step in the postseason. The East runs through the top three, and the West has some lower-seeded legacy teams that get the benefit of the doubt until they don’t. Can Denver, Memphis, or even Sacramento knock off a lower-seeded but more highly-regarded opponent and make a deep run? It could go a long way toward creating novel matchups, new rivalries and a new dynamic entering the 2023-24 season.
Donnovan Bennett (Sportsnet writer + producer + host): Some really good players are going to be golfing really soon. Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are all former league MVPs and are in the West bracket. James, Durant and Curry — along with Kawhi Leonard and Andre Igoudala — are all NBA Finals MVPs. The royal rumble of all-time greats that is the West will lead to compelling matchups and inevitably early exits for multiple players who are defined by rings.
Eric Smith (Raptors radio play-by-play): More people should be talking about the Bucks as they look to win their second title in three years.
Savanna Hamilton (Raptors sideline reporter on Sportsnet): I’m following the Sacramento Kings because their storyline around how they’ve been able to turn their organization around and make the playoffs for the first time since the 2005-06 season is next to a Cinderella Story. They have one of the best offences in the league with key players like Domantas Sabonis (who’s lead the league in rebounds per game this season) and De’Aaron Fox (who’s development has quickly heightened).
Kellen Forrest (Associate Editor + NBA contributor on sportsnet.ca): It might seem like a cop-out to say that LeBron James is the biggest storyline heading into these playoffs, but this year just feels different. After clawing the Lakers into the playoffs, this could very well be James’ last real shot at adding a fifth championship to his storied career. And, interestingly enough, if he wants any shot at another ring, the Lakers will need Anthony Davis, not James, to be their best player throughout. Can James win a title playing second fiddle? We will see.
Which first-round series are you most looking forward to?
Grange: I think Lakers-Grizzlies has all kinds of storylines on and off the court that will be hard to ignore. I think the Lakers are a huge threat in the West if healthy, particularly with how Anthony Davis has been playing this season, but the Grizzlies are playoff tested and loaded with talent. Just watching Dillon Brooks harass LeBron will be worth watching alone.
Lou: Golden State against Sacramento should showcase the most offence out of the eight series in Round 1. Despite having a much smoother regular season, the Kings are the underdogs against an organization they have yearned to emulate, with both owner Vivek Ranadive and head coach Mike Brown moving north up the California coast. For the defending champs, this is their first chance to prove that their inconsistency this year was nothing more than a championship hangover.
Murphy: Lakers-Grizzlies. There is, of course, the question of whether Dillon Brooks succeeds in finally having someone try to punch clean through his face. More notably, it’s a series of a team that’s been building to this moment for years in slow, methodical and admirable steps against an aging star-led team that’s just trying to hang on and give it one last run. LeBron being able to pull a team through a playoff series once again, at age 38, could make for a remarkable couple of weeks. Failing that, the Grizzlies knocking off one of the greatest players of all-time could give them a massive confidence boost heading into the later rounds.
Bennett: The I-80 series! Two great home court atmospheres and two teams who are explosive offensively and liberal defensively. They have never played in the playoffs and have never actually been in the post-season at the same time. For the first time, both franchises are good at the same time. Which is why ticket prices are sky high.
The Warriors are the defending champs trying to extend their dynasty. On the other hand, the last time the Kings made the playoffs was 2006, the oldest drought in major North American sports. It’s big brother vs. little brother in a matchup of two California teams that are better than their division mates from Los Angeles.
Smith: Lakers-Grizzlies. I haven’t believed in the Grizzlies all year and they keep proving me wrong. Can they make me eat my words again and knock off LeBron and the much-improved Lakers?
Hamilton: Kings head coach Mike Brown has spoken about the fact that he’s taken elements of the GSW offence and incorporated it to this Kings team. The Warriors themselves have had an up-and-down season but they’re still defending champs. Canadian Andrew Wiggins is back after stepping away from the team for a bit and he’ll be key for the Warriors. I see this matchup as a test of how well a successful offensive system can work vs. proven championship-calibre players.
Kai Gammage (Associate Editor + NBA contributor on sportsnet.ca): I’ve gotta roll with the 4-5 matchup in the East between the Cavaliers and Knicks. Not only is it the only matchup in the East that feels close, but there’s also an elephant in the room that scored 71 points this season. The Knicks might have won the season series 3-1, but they lost the Donovan Mitchell sweepstakes, how badly will they live to regret it?
What are your series predictions for Round 1?
Grange: Bucks in 6
Lou: Bucks in 4
Murphy: Bucks in 5
Bennett: Bucks in 4
Smith: Bucks in 5
Hamilton: Bucks in 5
Forrest: Bucks in 5
Gammage: Bucks in 4
Grange: Celtics in 5
Lou: Celtics in 4
Murphy: Celtics in 5
Bennett: Celtics in 7
Smith: Celtics in 5
Hamilton: Celtics in 5
Forrest: Celtics in 5
Gammage: Celtics in 5
Grange: Sixers in 6
Lou: Sixers in 5
Murphy: Sixers in 4
Bennett: Sixers in 4
Smith: Sixers in 5
Hamilton: Sixers in 5
Forrest: Sixers in 4
Gammage: Sixers in 6
Grange: Cavaliers in 7
Lou: Cavaliers in 7
Murphy: Cavaliers in 6
Bennett: Knicks in 7
Smith: Cavaliers in 6
Hamilton: Cavaliers in 6
Forrest: Cavaliers in 6
Gammage: Cavaliers in 6
Grange: Nuggets in 6
Lou: Nuggets in 6
Murphy: Nuggets in 6
Bennett: Nuggets in 4
Smith: Nuggets in 5
Hamilton: Nuggets in 4
Forrest: Nuggets in 5
Gammage: Nuggets in 5
Grange: Lakers in 6
Lou: Lakers in 6
Murphy: Grizzlies in 7
Bennett: Lakers in 7
Smith: Lakers in 6
Hamilton: Grizzlies in 6
Forrest: Lakers in 6
Gammage: Grizzlies in 7
Grange: Warriors in 6
Lou: Warriors in 6
Murphy: Warriors in 6
Bennett: Warriors in 5
Smith: Warriors in 6
Hamilton: Warriors in 6
Forrest: Warriors in 7
Gammage: Warriors in 6
Grange: Suns in 5
Lou: Suns in 7
Murphy: Suns in 7
Bennett: Clippers in 7
Smith: Suns in 6
Hamilton: Suns in 6
Forrest: Suns in 6
Gammage: Suns in 5
What are your picks for the NBA Finals?
Which player do you expect to have a breakout in the NBA Playoffs?
Grange: Michael Porter Jr. of the Nuggets.
Lou: De’Aaron Fox of the Kings.
Murphy: Josh Okogie of the Suns.
Bennett: Immanuel Quickley of the Knicks.
Smith: Evan Mobley with the Cavaliers. As long as his run is longer than one round (which I think it will be), he’ll turn heads and make folks regret not giving him more love and attention on potential Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Hamilton: Austin Reaves with the Lakers. He’s already made waves this season. He’s young, energetic and has a consistent shot. I think the playoffs will be a great testing ground to see if he can hold his own against the NBA’s best when it matters.