NBA Playoffs 2018: Way-Too-Early Round-by-Round Predictions

Will Kawhi Leonard be on the floor for the San Antonio Spurs? When will Stephen Curry return for the Golden State Warriors? Which of the Oklahoma City Thunder, New Orleans Pelicans, Spurs, Utah Jazz or Minnesota Timberwolves will earn the West’s No. 4 seed?nfl jersey online

Those are only some of the intriguing questions the NBA playoffs present.

In the Eastern Conference, we get to wonder about the Cleveland Cavaliers’ ability to flip the proverbial switch, the Toronto Raptors’ next attempt at staving off postseason declines and the ahead-of-schedule nature of the Philadelphia 76ers.

This postseason is set up to be an exciting endeavor, and we’re going to answer all the questions before they even pop up. We’re setting the stage with predicted seeds in each conference and then going through in round-by-round fashion until we determine the projected NBA champion.nike nfl womens jerseys

Surprises surely await.

1) Toronto Raptors vs. 8) Milwaukee Bucks

While the Toronto Raptors continue to cruise toward the best record in the Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks face a middle-of-the-road schedule for the remainder of the campaign and are still searching for an identity. Since the All-Star break, the deer haven’t given too many reasons to be feared, finding themselves on the wrong end of a minus-0.2 net rating.

Those trends aren’t reversing themselves.

Toronto has too much star power in the starting five, and the bench continues to function as a wrecking ball. Giannis Antetokounmpo might be able to go off and steal one game from the comfort of his Brewtown arena, but the talent deficit is too significant for buy nfl jerseys in bulk  Milwaukee to think about an upset. This is the first series in which the Raptors will prove their new-look offense and depth of usable bodies will leave previous postseason perils planted in the past.

Prediction: Toronto in five

Marcus Smart is trying to return for the playoffs after thumb surgery, but that’s far from guaranteed. Kyrie Irving is going under the knife to fix a knee issue, and he’s not a lock to feature in the opening-round lineup. Daniel Theis is done for the year. jerseys nfl jerseys Gordon Hayward remains out with no return predicted in the foreseeable future.

Fortunately for the C’s, the Miami Heat are the opponent they should most want to see. With Goran Dragic, Josh Richardson and Hassan Whiteside as the marquee figures, they have the least upside of any bottom-half playoff squad in the East. Even if the aforementioned key presences are still sidelined, Boston could sneak by with a starting five comprised of Terry Rozier, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Morris and Al Horford.best deals on nfl jerseys

Oh, and that Brad Stevens guy is still pacing the sidelines, ready to milk talent out of whichever Boston players populate the parquet floors.