We Predict Every East First Round Series

So the playoffs start on Saturday.

We don't yet know as we record this what the 1-8 matchups are going to be.

We know everything else.

So let's run through, um, these matchups and just stick with some of the more interesting ones to, to talk about.

Let's start at the top in the Eastern Conference.

We got the Celtics and Sixers renewing that old rivalry, 2 versus 72 of your former teams going at it.

I, I think actually this is one of the least interesting series in the entire first round, and I, I, I think honestly, Evan, like, I don't think there is any situation ever where Philadelphia can beat Boston, ever.

Like, uh, it doesn't matter what permutation of their team exists, they're never gonna do it.

We've seen it.

We've seen the Ben Simmons version, we've seen the James Harden version.

We've seen different Joel Embiid versions.

None of them have been able to beat the Celtics in 50 years when the NBA has expanded to Mars and we're doing the solar games.

If Philadelphia and Boston meet in the first round, those playoffs, the Celtics will beat them.

Like there's just no way.

The Sixers got nothing on the Celtics.

No, 100%.

And also too, bro, it's the Celtics are already elite.

Uh, it shouldn't take more than 5 games, you know what I mean?

I think it'll be a gentleman sweep if that, but I just think they're better at every single position, you know what I mean?

I think, uh, They're tight, especially if MB is not going to play.

I don't think Paul George can match up with, with Jayson Tatum.

I don't think Maxi's best is going to be better than Jalen Brown's best.

I think the presence of Derrick White, the presence of Neimus Kaas, and their defensive energy, especially after what I've seen them do versus Orlando Magic, I, I think, I think, like we said prior to, I think, uh, they're hitting a stride at the right time and this is going to be just I don't want to say child's play, but I think they're gonna be able to have their way and match that energy, especially if they want to play at a fast pace.

The Celtics can do that.

If they want to play slow down and grind it out.

I think the Celtics would be too tough physically, and I think they're, they just have too much offense.

Jason, Jalen, Peyton Pritchard, Derrick White, I, I think they're just gonna be running on so much accord.

I mean, I, I think it's gonna be a series where Nick Vusovich finds his footing.

That's how successful much success I think they will have, where they're going to be getting ready and prepped for the next series.

And I just don't think they have, have enough.

I don't think Philly has enough to even deal with them, the momentum of it.

And, and I don't think they've been together.

So when the Celtics are gonna drag him to the deep end, you know, it, it's not a bad series, I think, for Vusovich to get his playoff legs underneath him, especially if Joel Embiid is out, which it sure sounds like he's gonna be out, at least for the start of the series, uh, not having the pressure of having to defend Embiid is big for Vusovich if he can just, you know, stick Andre Drummond and try to keep him off the glass as best that he can.

That's probably a better matchup, better role for Vusovich.

And look, they're gonna need him to get into the 2nd round when you got to go up against Towns and Mitchell Robinson and the guys that the Knicks are probably gonna throw at them.

Look, I, I, I just think the Celtics role, I could see it ending in 4 games, especially if Embiid doesn't play in any of them.

And look, another guy you didn't mention, Baylor Shireman, like, I think he's gonna get minutes.

Like he's been a bucket.

Like he's just a, he's, his improvement this year.

I said this to, to Ryan Ruscillo earlier in the week.

Like the Celtics are one of those teams where if like you're making out a top 10.

Most Improved players list like Cade is certainly on it.

He got one of my votes for most improved.

Baylor Shireman deserves to be on it.

Jalen Brown deserves to be on it.

Uh, you can make a mild case that Jordan Walsh, because of what he does defensively, has made some improvements.

Derrick White, uh, you know, becoming, uh, someone that was definitely in the mix for my Defensive Player of the Year ballot.

Uh, they, they just, they've improved it every single spot, and I, I, maybe I would have been interested in the Philly series if Embiid was fully healthy and George, who looked like he, you know, used that time off he had from suspension well, uh, but now, no way.

And, and even if they did, just no way.

The Sixers can't beat the Celtics.

There's nothing they can do that can beat the Celtics.

Because at the end of the day, when the game comes down to it, it comes down to like pick and roll and trying to find mismatches, and you even bring up Baylor Shireman like.

The Celtics can switch 1 through 5 at a high, high level.

And even like prior to that, when you look at like Baylor Shireman, when they're trying to go small ball, like Joe Benzoua is giving Baylor Shiremans credit for being like, yo, he can guard 1s, and he can roll into that post and guard 5.

So, looking at Andre Drummond, you're looking at the Barlow kid, I just don't see.

Last game you saw that Maxi, even though he killed, he's 11 for 25, he struggled from the field a little bit, you know what I'm saying?

And then it's going to be VJ Edgecombe's first playoff series.

I just I, I, I love this game.

I love how he's developed, but I just think the NBA, that, that efficiency is gonna shrink a little bit, and you don't really have any advantages on an offensive end or defense.

It's going to be a long, long night, and you're going to be attacking a set defense that's very, very good .

Yeah, that plays well within the system that has adapted over the last month to Jayson Tatum being back to having Tatum back to playing close to the level he was playing.

Before this injury, like everything points in the direction of Boston, and on top of it, like the history matters.

Like the Celtics know they're in the seventy-Sixers' heads.

Like they know they've had this success against this team in the postseason.

All these guys have been there.

The core guys like Tatum and Brown have been there.

White has been there.

Like this is, you know, it, it's not gonna go well for Philadelphia.

Um, all right, the, the 3-6 series with the Knicks and the Hawks, this is interesting to me.

Um, the Knicks up until that last game of the season.

Probably thought they were gonna get Toronto and were probably celebrating the fact they were gonna get Toronto because they have smacked around the Raptors during the regular season.

They were probably giddy about that.

Then the regular season finale happens.

Orlando loses in Boston, the conference standings shake up, and all of a sudden, instead of Uh, the Raptors, the Knicks are staring down the Atlanta Hawks.

An Atlanta Hawks team that won 10 of the last 14 games going into the postseason, that since the All-Star break had the 3rd-best defense in the NBA, that's got a bona fide All-Star in Jalen Johnson, an all NBA guy, in my opinion, that's got CJ McCollum, that's got some pieces .

Dyson Daniels, great defender.

Uh, I think this is gonna be a hard series, especially if the Knicks have one of those kind of Knicksy moments where they're kind of struggling to find their identity in some of these games.

I, I, I think the Knicks win.

I think their talent's better, but I can see this series going 7 games.

I think it can be kind of one of those classic Knicks-Hawks series that we've seen in the past.

Yeah, I think one thing about the Knicks, even though they're, they're very good, obviously offensively and defensively.

They kind of get stunned when they get hit in the mouth.

Like, so when they go into like tough competitions, they come out and won some close games, just like the last game in Atlanta, but it's like when you touch them once, they kind of get dazed and it's like, what should take them 5 games, maybe 6 games, it's like.

It turns into the Pacers series and it's like, how did we get here after we just beat, not to bring up old stuff, but after we just went to the Boston Garden last year, beat the Celtics, won that, now we're struggling with a team that just matched our intensity.

And I think one thing that's occurring with the Hawks, their energy is like on 10.

I just want to make sure if they're going to get over the hump.

Their bona fide star all NBA player, and I'm basing off last game.

He has to come through and show up and be a superstar if he's going to get them over the hump.

Jalen Johnson , I think last game had only like 18 points.

He did his numbers, but when he's showing up in his playoffs, you got to pull up and somebody has to be a star, and those 18 have to look like 26, 27, and they have to pull up to do so because even as of recently, the Knicks 5 or 6 are unbelievable.

They're finding out their way.

And you're starting to realize that Kat and Jalen Brunson are like, well, shoot, at the very least we can run a two-man game.

It's gonna be pure hell for guys.

So, I feel as though it's gonna be a great series, but the Hawks really have to come through and their guys got to step up and overcome it, and Jalen Johnson has to, has to be the best player on his team.

Yeah, I agree with that.

Um, and I think the Hawks got to find a way to get up and down in transition.

They're a really good transition team.

Jalen Johnson, Kainga, when he's out there.

Nikil Alexander Walker, we didn't even touch on him, who's probably gonna wind up being the most improved player.

I think if they play more up and down, they can have success.

I also, You know, one of the intangibles, Evan, you can tell me if you think I'm wrong, is like there's a ton of pressure on the Knicks.

Like James Dolan said in January, this team should win a championship, not could , should win a championship.

Now you've got a team in the first round that maybe you weren't expecting to be playing that maybe is a little bit tougher or a lot tougher.

If you consider the matchup tougher than the team you thought you were going to be playing, that's got some guys that can cause you problems like Dyson Daniels on Jalen Brunson, that's a good matchup.

Like Brunson is great, all NBA guy, but Dyson Daniels is a legit defender who is a ball hawk, uh, when he's out there.

I, I.

You know, how the Hawks, how the Hawks defend Towns, I don't know.

I think that's, I think it could be a big series for Karl-Anthony Towns, but, um, if, you know, if the Hawks are getting this, making this a fast-paced game, and if Dyson Daniels can make, uh, Jalen Brunson inefficient, this team can win.

This team can beat the Knicks in the first round.

Yeah, I'm, I'm not against it either.

I think, uh, and then, obviously you cue in Quinn Snyder, you know, Quinn Snyder has very good coach, very good offensive coach as well, but man, I'm I'm not gonna lie to you.

I'm, I'm, I like the Hawks a lot, and, and, and I think one thing with the Knicks, they gotta take it one day at a time because they're walking through like, it's almost like Thriller.

They're walking through zombie land.

You gotta go up against the Hawks just to be like, hey, next series is who?

The, them boys that we pissed off last year, like.

Like, man, let's, let's just take it one game at a time.

Let's enjoy this, but I think Like, no matter what, Kat has to really step up.

I think Jalen Brunson is gonna come through even like in the second half of the season when he wasn't making as many shots.

His assist level after All-Star break has gone up.

He has been a better decision maker, but Kat has to show up and be Kat and take advantage of those mismatches.

You know, like 25% of all Kat's post-ups turn into offensive fouls and shit.

Like, you know what I'm saying?

You gotta make sure, especially in playoff basketball, especially if the game is going to be slowed down.

You got, you, you gotta execute on all that and, you know, stay in the game as well.

I, I wonder how Atlanta is going to defend Katt.

Um, we've seen, uh, at different times during the season, teams lined up more of a wing on Towns and put the center on Josh Hart, um, just trying to take advantage of Hart's, uh, shooting.

Um, does Atlanta do that?

Like, I don't know if you want Jalen Johnson on Carl Towns.

I wouldn't want to run the risk of getting him knocked out of the game and foul trouble.

Um, but if you put a Kongu on there, like that, that, I think that's a good matchup for the Knicks, frankly, if you do that with Towns.

I don't know that, that's gonna be something to watch in the series, how they match up with Towns.

And I think Towns, you know, we saw what he did against Indiana in the conference finals, like you can have this kind of impact in this series.

Um, I'm taking the Knicks in 7.

What do you?

What's your official pick on this first round?

You know what, bro, I'm gonna just, I just said some wild shit before.

I'm gonna take the Hawks in 6, man.

Shout out to Magic City.

Shout out to Boosie.

Shout out to um.

Damn, I don't know nobody else in Atlanta.

Um, shout out to Ludacris.

Shout out to Joe Johnson, Joe Johnson, you know what I mean, Dominique Wilkins, you know what I mean, and wings from Magic City.

Have you ever had the wings from Magic City?

I have not, but I have been encouraged to try.

Yeah, I, I'm not gonna lie to you, bro.

It's, you got to, you got to, yeah.

All right, that's, well, I'll tell you what, if it's Boston, Atlanta in the 2nd round.

OK, I'll check it out.

I'll check you and Andy, me, me and, me and Andy Mannix will be checking out in the 2nd round.

Um, all right, the 4-5 matchup, Cleveland against Toronto.

It's another kind of sneaky, interesting one to me because the Cavs have a lot of pressure on them too.

Like James Harden coming into the playoffs once again.

We know the narratives around him.

Donovan Mitchell, a contract extension this summer, we know the pressure on them.

I don't think there's any pressure on Toronto.

Coming into this, this series.

I mean, the Raptors, like, they, they kind of accomplished something already getting into this middle tier of the playoffs.

But the Raptors, look, they've got guys like Brandon Ingraham is a bucket.

Um, Scotty Barnes, I like, like, is this a series he levels up in and plays well.

I, I don't know about their ability to score.

Like they're just not a great scoring team.

Like in Indy and Cleveland rather, has the potential to be a really good defensive team.

So, like, it could go, I could be completely off, it could go sideways.

It could be Cavs in 5 games, but I don't know.

I feel like we're gonna get something out of Scotty Barnes in this series.

He's gonna validate all the hype around him and give them more offense that he's given them during the regular season.

I think Ingram is gonna step up and make shots, um, I, I, I, I think it's a six-game series for Cleveland, but I think it's a competitive series.

What do you think?

I think it'll be a competitive series, but what you're depending on, like, you're like, hey, I don't know how well they score.

Well, Cleveland's an unbelievable defensive team, so that's kind of like a big if you're, you know, you're hanging your hat on.

And on top of it, you're relying on, uh, Scotty Barnes.

I'm a big Scotty Barnes fan.

I think Brandon Ingraham's very underrated, but Cleveland has some, some length that's very, very tough, you know what I mean?

You know, you got the Jarrett Allen.

Yeah, the Evan Mobley's, and it's like, I feel like those dudes take advantage of their size on smaller guys.

So imagine you have two people on that backcourt, you know what I mean, stunting, and then when you sit here, I'm I'm biased towards guard play and, and Cleveland has the best backcourt in that series right now.

Two guys that can combine for 50 points.

And then also a high level of assists.

And then, you know, when you slow the game down, I think, you know, with coach Kenny Atkinson, I, I, I, I just think that I'm not mad at that six-game series.

I just, I just don't believe like what we're gonna rely on Scotty Barnes.

I think he might struggle a little bit with that length and, uh , you know, taking it from there is, it wouldn't be the easiest considering Raptors.

They've been a solid team the whole year.

It's been impressive how Doing B minus C plus work can still land you in the 5th seed, but they've never really done great against teams above 500 but just handle their business against who they're supposed to.

So, I, I think the, we're gonna learn a lot about the Raptors.

You can't get a, uh Obviously I, I, I, I grant them two wins because they do have a system and they're pretty solid and they try to stay within discipline and just come short of firepower.

Yeah, the, the Scotty Barnes Evan Mobley matchup is going to be one to watch.

I mean, it should be pointed out that the Raptors were 3-0 against the Cavs in the regular season, but all those games took place, uh, before the end of November.

So it's been a long time and they haven't matched up since Harden.

Uh, was on the team.

I, I think it's gonna take something special from one of these other guys, RJ Barrett, Emmanuel Quickley, Jacob Purle is gonna have to outplay Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, one or both.

Um, and you know, the other thing too is when I look at some of these numbers like in, in clutch time, the Raptors are really bad and the Cleveland offense has gotten a lot better with James Harden with the keys to it.

So I, I think, I think we could see a lot of close games in this series, but I trust Cleveland.

Um, to win these close games more than I trust Toronto, uh, at this stage of their development.