Post by cop5414 on Jun 23, 2024 20:08:08 GMT
2027 NBN Eastern Conference Playoff Round 1:
#1 Philadelphia 76ers (65-17) vs #8 Indiana Pacers (45-37)
General Manager carlos is going about his usual business of tormenting the league and destroying dash’s sanity as the 76ers look for a 4th straight championship in just the 5th year of the league. After losing the great center in Joel Embiid in free agency this past off-season, carlos eventually found a way to fill that void with a late trade deadline acquisition of Nikola Jokic. This dynasty who was looking a bit vulnerable mid-season has once again made themselves a front runner this postseason, and the first team in their way is the current employers of the former Sixer Joel Embiid. The Pacers have put a nice offensive squad together, arguably a top 5 offense in the league. Unfortunately, this is paired with being one of the league’s worst shooting defenses, and add the fact that they are a bottom half of the league rebounding team. The negatives outweigh the positives. To make things worse Haliburton is out Game 1. Don’t see FBB giving the Sixers the works in this round.
76ers in 5
#2 Toronto Raptors (58-24) vs #7 Cleveland Cavaliers (46-36)
I question yourkers late season decision to help his rival the 76ers by trading them a top-level big man. The move makes sense for the long term; however, the team has been in a slump by the Raptors standards since that trade, also struggling a tad bit against lower-level teams. Luckily any little thought on this likely won’t matter against their matchup Cleveland. The Cavaliers have a decent squad, but outside their core starters there isn’t much to love. Their offensive lies in the bottom half of the league, which will likely suffer more against a solid Raptors defense with Wemby as the anchor. However, their defense is solid enough to where I think they could steal a couple of games in this series. Wouldn’t shock me if this series ends in a Raptors’ sweep, but…
Raptors in 6
#3 Washington Wizards (63-19) vs #6 Atlanta Hawks (48-34)
Given the records it should be a no brainer that the Wizards should take this easily. Although, at the moment it would be a total dash move to fumble this. So, I’ll go on a limb here and declare the Hawks will take a 2-1 lead after sim 1, before the Wizards clinch in 6. The Hawks do have a nice squad, I wouldn’t declare they have a true superstar on the team, but they’ve got 7 players averaging +10ppg. They might not have a player that will take over a game but injuries to any player other than Tatum, likely won’t hurt them much. Too bad I can’t see the Hawks fully slowing the Gafford-Flagg combo down. If anything, though the Hawks should take solace in taking the season series 2-1.
Wizards in 6
#4 Orlando Magic (56-26) vs #5 New York Knicks (51-31)
Orlando is my dark horse in the Eastern Conference this post season. Despite no hardware to show for, this has been a historic defense. Reset the oPPG by 0.5 , leads the league in stocks, and top 5 in nearly every defensive category. I really wanted to see them make some kind of move for some extra offense, whether it be from the bench or at the SG or SF position. Regardless, this team is equipped to drag out any series, not sure if I see them moving past the 2nd round , but firstly I shouldn’t write off the New York Knicks just yet. Their defense is in the top half of the league, unfortunately they are hurt from beyond the arc which matches up poorly with the Magic who are 4th in the league in 3FG%. But defense isn’t their selling point. It is that 1-2 punch that comes from Donavon Mitchell and D.J Wagner who make them the #3 shooting offense in the league. There is also Aday Mara, who unfortunately doesn’t match the production of either Chet or Duren, but it is without a doubt a great defensive threat in the league. The Knicks themselves have also found a way to score +110 on this daunting defense on a couple of occasions. Ignore the other sub 100 performances, point is it can be done. It’s weird that I haven’t predicted an upset at this point but I’m keeping it lame in this round.
Magic in 7
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