The NBA season moves from the regular season to the playoffs. The Western Conference ruled the Association over the past 82 games. Will it be able to win the NBA Finals? The journey begins this weekend at four sites, three of them in the Central time zone.
Western Conference First Round Previews
Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs
NBA Series Price: Spurs -750
This matchup is one the Spurs should welcome. Even though San Antonio was going to be in good shape no matter which team it played in the first round, the Spurs should be happy to play Dallas instead of Memphis. San Antonio has had trouble at times with Memphis’ size and strength near the basket, with Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol being hard to root out of the paint. Dallas is nowhere near as strong as Memphis, and even though Dirk Nowitzki is a bona fide superstar, it’s hard to see where Dallas can really hurt San Antonio on a consistent basis. The Spurs should not be extended in this series.
Pick: San Antonio In 5
Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Clippers
NBA Series Price: Clippers -375
The Warriors enter this series knowing that center Andrew Bogut, one of their better defensive players, will not be able to play due to injuries. The absence of Bogut is a huge deal for Golden State, because it relied on the Australian to provide man-to-man post defense while its perimeter players could run around the wings and stay on their assignments. Bogut protected the rim and took away a lot of worries from Golden State and head coach Mark Jackson. Without Bogut, Golden State will be extremely vulnerable against the offense of the Clippers, which executed at a high level over the past few months of the season.
Pick: Los Angeles Clippers In 5
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
NBA Series Price: Thunder -410
This is a matchup that could get tricky for Oklahoma City. The Thunder did play without Russell Westbrook in last year’s playoff series against Memphis, but the Grizzlies didn’t just win that series, either. They won it in five, and they won it by taking two games from Oklahoma City on the Thunder’s home court. Memphis is not an easy matchup for Oklahoma City. The Grizzlies have the defensive capability and the interior muscle that can throw Oklahoma City off stride. The Thunder could easily be caught off balance in this series. However, Memphis doesn’t shoot the ball well enough to beat Oklahoma City.
Pick: Oklahoma City In 7
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Houston Rockets
NBA Series Price: Rockets -210
The Rockets and Blazers both love to play offense. These were two of the best offensive teams in the entire NBA over the course of the regular season. One should expect a very high-scoring series here, making Houston-Portland a lot of fun to watch. What will ultimately decide this series is that Houston center Dwight Howard is a better player than Portland’s Robin Lopez. Houston will probably find more ways in which to get defensive stops, giving the Rockets a genuine edge.
Pick: Houston In 6
