2015 NBA Finals Preview

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2. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 1. Golden State Warriors

Easily the two best players in the NBA, LeBron James and Stephen Curry, will be dominating the headlines of this years Finals matchup. They have both been phenomenal in the playoffs. The questions will always come down to the supporting cast for each teams superstar. Cleveland has a banged up Kyrie Irving who can still provide needed scoring in support of LeBron. J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert have been excellent pieces in the scoring and defensive departments respectively. Matthew Dellavedova has been a nuisance for previous opponents, but has been a big part of this teams playoff success with Irving banged up. Timofey Mozgov and Tristan Thompson have done a great job provided a post presence mostly in the rebounding department. Mozgov is the more polished offensively threat, but his opportunities come from second and third chances.

The Warriors have been the surprise team in the Western Conference. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have been a great complement to Curry’s MVP season. Green is a solid defender, but has become a great all-around player on both ends. Thompson is a deadly sharp shooter who has improved is defensive prowess this season. Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala are important complements who provide excellent defense and can be scoring threats when needed. The most important part of the Warriors scheme in this series will be containing LeBron James. They’ll be hard pressed to stop him, but they must keep him out of the paint. If the Warriors want to complete this incredible season they will need to make LeBron a jump shooter.

Players to Watch: G Kyrie Irving and F Draymond Green

Who Wins: Cavaliers in 7 games

NBA Conference Finals Preview

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Eastern Conference

2. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 1. Atlanta Hawks

Players to Watch: G Kyrie Irving and F DeMare Carroll

Who Wins: Cavaliers in 7 games

Western Conference

2. Houston Rockets vs. 1. Golden State Warriors

Players to Watch: C Dwight Howard and G Klay Thompson

Who Wins: Warriors in 6 games

NBA Semifinals Preview

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Eastern Conference

1. Atlanta Hawks vs. 5. Washington Wizards

Players to Watch: F Al Horford and G Bradley Beal

Who Wins: Wizards in 6 games

2. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 3. Chicago Bulls

Players to Watch: G Kyrie Irving and G Derrick Rose

Who Wins: Cavaliers in 6 games

Western Conference

1. Golden State Warriors vs. 5. Memphis Grizzlies

Players to Watch: F Draymond Green and F Zach Randolph

Who Wins: Warriors in 7 games

2. Houston Rockets vs. 3. Los Angeles Clippers

Players to Watch: G James Harden and C DeAndre Jordan

Who Wins: Clippers in 6 games

2015 NBA Playoffs Preview

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Eastern Conference

1. Atlanta Hawks vs. 8. Brooklyn Nets

Players to Watch: G Jeff Teague and G Deron Williams

Who Wins: Hawks in 5 games

2. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 7. Boston Celtics

Players to Watch: F Kevin Love and G Isaiah Thomas

Who Wins: Cavaliers in 5 games

3. Chicago Bulls vs. 6. Milwaukee Bucks

Players to Watch: G Derrick Rose and F Giannis Antetokounmpo

Who Wins: Bulls in 6 games

4. Toronto Raptors vs. 5. Washington Wizards

Players to Watch: G Kyle Lowry and G John Wall

Who Wins: Raptors in 7 games

Western Conference

1. Golden State Warriors vs. 8. New Orleans Pelicans

Players to Watch: G Klay Thompson and F Anthony Davis

Who Wins: Warriors in 5 games

2. Houston Rockets vs. 7. Dallas Mavericks

Players to Watch: C Dwight Howard and F Dirk Nowitzki

Who Wins: Rockets in 6 games

3. Los Angeles Clippers vs. 6. San Antonio Spurs

Players to Watch: F Blake Griffin and F Kawhi Leonard

Who Wins: Clippers in 7 games

4. Portland Trail Blazers vs. 5. Memphis Grizzlies

Players to Watch: G Damian Lillard and C Marc Gasol

Who Wins: Grizzlies in 6 games

Central Division

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1. Cleveland Cavaliers

The newest ‘Big 3’ has the talk of titles for the first time ever for the Cavs.

2. Chicago Bulls

Derrick Rose’s return is at the top, but how will the acquisition of Pau Gasol work out?

3. Indiana Pacers

Not that Paul George’s absence will help, but there won’t be as many eyes on them this year.

4. Detroit Pistons

Stan Van Gundy is putting his stamp on this team, but it won’t take full effect until next year.

5. Milwaukee Bucks

Jason Kidd got his wish, but will he enjoy the frequent losing? Continue reading