2 vs. 7 Seed Predictions
The race for the second seed in the Eastern Conference was a hotly contested one. The Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, and Philadelphia 76ers all won 51 games, but the Celtics won the spot based on tiebreakers. They likely wish it would have gone differently as they have arguably the toughest draw facing off with the Brooklyn Nets.
In the regular season, the Celtics got the best of the Nets, winning three out of their four matchups. But, two of those games came without Irving in the lineup. Now essentially a full-time player, the Celtics could struggle, especially without Robert Williams III anchoring the defense.
Without options to overcome the Nets’ biggest weakness, the Celtics will lose in the first round. Ben Simmons will make his debut and transform Brooklyn’s defense, leaving Boston without answers offensively with multiple players capable of matching up with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
The No. 2 seed in the Western Conference is the upstart Memphis Grizzlies. They rode the momentum from last season’s NBA Play-In Tournament into this season, finishing with the second-best record in the NBA. It is even more impressive that they went 20-5 in games Ja Morant missed.
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That speaks volumes about the front office’s job building this roster. They are young, talented, and get after it on both ends of the court. In what is arguably the most exciting matchup of the first round, they will be facing off with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Minnesota more than held their own against a physical Clippers team in the Play-In Game, proving they can succeed when things aren’t going their way, such as Karl-Anthony Towns facing foul trouble. Anthony Edwards showed no moment is too big for him, and D’Angelo Russell looked like his All-Star self when he was leading the upstart Brooklyn Nets.
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The Timberwolves are on the right track and have similarities to last season’s Grizzlies. They are one step behind Memphis in the rebuild and will come up short in this series. They will meet a similar fate but should not be taken quickly.
