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NBA Playoffs First Round 2020: A WHOLE NEW BALL GAME (Presented by Disney)

King Kamala

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2020 NBA Western Conference Play-In
(8) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (9) Memphis Grizzlies

Game 1: Sat, Aug 15 Memphis at Portland, 2:30 ET, ABC
Game 2: Sun, Aug 16 Memphis at Portland, 4:30 ET, ESPN*



2020 NBA Western Conference First Round
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (8) Play-In Winner

Game 1: Tue, Aug 18 Play-In Winner at Los Angeles, 9 ET, TNT
Game 2: Thu, Aug 20 Play-In Winner at Los Angeles, 9 ET, ESPN
Game 3: Sat, Aug 22 Los Angeles at Play-In Winner, 8:30 ET, ABC
Game 4: Mon, Aug 24 Los Angeles at Play-In Winner, 9 ET, TNT
Game 5*: Wed, Aug 26 Play-In Winner at Los Angeles, TBD, TBD
Game 6*: Fri, Aug 28 Los Angeles at Play-In Winner, TBD, TBD
Game 7*: Sun, Aug 30 Play-In Winner at Los Angeles, TBD, TBD

(2) LA Clippers vs. (7) Dallas Mavericks

Game 1: Mon, Aug 17 Dallas at LA, 9 ET, ESPN
Game 2: Wed, Aug 19 Dallas at LA, 9 ET, TNT
Game 3: Fri, Aug 21 LA at Dallas, 9 ET, TNT
Game 4: Sun, Aug 23 LA at Dallas, 3:30 ET, ABC
Game 5*: Tue, Aug 25 Dallas at LA, TBD, TBD
Game 6*: Thu, Aug 27 LA at Dallas, TBD, ESPN
Game 7*: Sat, Aug 29 Dallas at LA, TBD, TNT

(3) Denver Nuggets vs. (6) Utah Jazz

Game 1: Mon, Aug 17 Utah at Denver, 1:30 ET, ESPN
Game 2: Wed, Aug 19 Utah at Denver, 4 ET, TNT
Game 3: Fri, Aug 21 Denver at Utah, 4 ET, TNT
Game 4: Sun, Aug 23 Denver at Utah, 9 ET, TNT
Game 5*: Tue, Aug 25 Utah at Denver, TBD, TBD
Game 6*: Thu, Aug 27 Denver at Utah, TBD, ESPN
Game 7*: Sat, Aug 29 Utah at Denver, TBD, TNT

(4/5) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (4/5) Houston Rockets

Game 1: Tue, Aug 18 Oklahoma City vs. Houston, 6:30 ET, TNT
Game 2: Thu, Aug 20 Oklahoma City vs. Houston, 3:30 ET, ESPN
Game 3: Sat, Aug 22 Oklahoma City vs. Houston, 6 ET, ESPN
Game 4: Mon, Aug 24 Oklahoma City vs. Houston, 4 ET, TNT
Game 5*: Wed, Aug 26 Oklahoma City vs. Houston, TBD, TBD
Game 6*: Fri, Aug 28 Oklahoma City vs. Houston, TBD, TBD
Game 7*: Sun, Aug 30 Oklahoma City vs. Houston, TBD, TBD



2020 NBA Eastern Conference First Round
(1) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (8) Orlando Magic

Game 1: Tue, Aug 18 Orlando at Milwaukee, 1:30 ET, TNT
Game 2: Thu, Aug 20 Orlando at Milwaukee, 6 ET, ESPN
Game 3: Sat, Aug 22 Milwaukee at Orlando, 1 ET, TNT
Game 4: Mon, Aug 24 Milwaukee at Orlando, 1:30 ET, NBATV
Game 5*: Wed, Aug 26 Orlando at Milwaukee, TBD, TBD
Game 6*: Fri, Aug 28 Milwaukee at Orlando, TBD, TBD
Game 7*: Sun, Aug 30 Orlando at Milwaukee, TBD, TBD

(2) Toronto Raptors vs. (7) Brooklyn Nets

Game 1: Mon, Aug 17 Brooklyn at Toronto, 4 ET, ESPN
Game 2: Wed, Aug 19 Brooklyn at Toronto, 1:30 ET, NBATV
Game 3: Fri, Aug 21 Toronto at Brooklyn, 1:30 ET, NBATV
Game 4: Sun, Aug 23 Toronto at Brooklyn, 6:30 ET, TNT
Game 5*: Tue, Aug 25 Brooklyn at Toronto, TBD, TBD
Game 6*: Thu, Aug 27 Toronto at Brooklyn, TBD, ESPN
Game 7*: Sat, Aug 29 Brooklyn at Toronto, TBD, TNT

(3) Boston Celtics vs. (6) Philadelphia 76ers

Game 1: Mon, Aug 17 Philadelphia at Boston, 6:30 ET, ESPN
Game 2: Wed, Aug 19 Philadelphia at Boston, 6:30 ET, TNT
Game 3: Fri, Aug 21 Boston at Philadelphia, 6:30 ET, TNT
Game 4: Sun, Aug 23 Boston at Philadelphia, 1 ET, ABC
Game 5*: Tue, Aug 25 Philadelphia at Boston, TBD, TBD
Game 6*: Thu, Aug 27 Boston at Philadelphia, TBD, ESPN
Game 7*: Sun, Aug 29 Philadelphia at Boston, TBD, TNT

(4/5) Miami Heat vs. (4/5) Indiana Pacers

Game 1: Tue, Aug 18 Miami vs. Indiana, 4 ET, TNT
Game 2: Thu, Aug 20 Miami vs. Indiana, 1 ET, ESPN
Game 3: Sat, Aug 22 Miami vs. Indiana, 3:30 ET, TNT
Game 4: Mon, Aug 24 Miami vs. Indiana, 6:30 ET, TNT
Game 5*: Wed, Aug 26 Miami vs. Indiana, TBD, TBD
Game 6*: Fri, Aug 28 Miami vs. Indiana, TBD, TBD
Game 7*: Sun, Aug 30 Miami vs. Indiana, TBD, TBD


The NBA Geek's weird fever/wet dream continues. ALL DAY BASKETBALL THROUGHOUT THE FIRST ROUND. It does feel like anybody's season. Well at least until they run into one of the L.A. teams or Milwaukee but it still does feel like there is more of an air of unpredictability to these bubble series.


That being said, my predictions.

Portland wins play in game.
L.A. Lakers over Portland in 6
L.A. Clippers over Dallas in 6
Denver over Utah in 5
Oklahoma City over Houston in 7

Milwaukee over Orlando in 4
Toronto over Brooklyn in 5
Boston over Philadelphia in 6
Miami over Indiana in 7

CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS
L.A Lakers over Oklahoma City in 4
L.A. Clippers over Denver in 7

Milwaukee over Toronto in 7
Boston over Miami in 7


CONFERENCE FINALS
L.A Lakers over L.A. Clippers in 5
Milwaukee over Boston in 6

NBA Finals
L.A. Lakers over Milwaukee in 6
 
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HarleyQuinn

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I just want to see Lebron vs. DAME, Lebron vs. LUKA, and Lebron vs. Harden in the West. East it's obviously Celtics but Giannis gonna feast on some teams.
 

King Kamala

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I think Milwaukee is still team to beat in East but don't sleep on Toronto Raptors either.

Even though the Houston Rockets probably weren't getting past either of the L.A. teams, I feel like Russell Westbrook being out of the first round changes dynamic for a lot of things. Before he went down, I would have said L.A. Clippers Vs Milwaukee for finals but I think as a result, Ballmer's boys have a lot harder road and will be more banged up by Conference Finals.
 

909

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Looking forward to the Lakers/Portland matchup let's gooooooooooo
 

Mr. S£im Citrus

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I just want to see Lebron vs. DAME, Lebron vs. LUKA, and Lebron vs. Harden in the West. East it's obviously Celtics but Giannis gonna feast on some teams.
Wait, the only way that LeBron can play Luka and Harden, is if Dallas beats the Clippers. You want that to happen?

Also, I was not aware that anybody outside of Houston actually enjoyed watching James Harden play basketball.
 

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Wait, the only way that LeBron can play Luka and Harden, is if Dallas beats the Clippers. You want that to happen?

Also, I was not aware that anybody outside of Houston actually enjoyed watching James Harden play basketball.

I'm always up for a surprise upset in the playoffs so yes, have Dallas knock off the Clippers. Also the hype on Luka after that would be unreal.
 

909

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Is this the first LeBron/Carmelo playoff series? Better late than never, I suppose...

Yep, it sure is. I don't think the Blazers have a good enough team to win this series either, so I felt pretty good about it all along. Maybe I'll be wrong, but they struggled to beat some weak teams.
 

cobainwasmurdered

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First round predictions
Lakers in 5
Clippers in 5
Jazz in 6
Thunder in 6 (no russell? harden ain't doing it on his own)
Bucks in 4
Raps in 5
Celtics in 6
Pacers in 7
 

King Kamala

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Yep, it sure is. I don't think the Blazers have a good enough team to win this series either, so I felt pretty good about it all along. Maybe I'll be wrong, but they struggled to beat some weak teams.
Are we sure there wasn't a Heat/Knicks series at some point in the early '10s? That's only other possibility. I think The Blazers are talented and playing well enough to make series interesting if not necessarily competitve. Dame will probably have at least one Jordan in the '86 Playoffs game.
 

HarleyQuinn

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Yeah, they played in 2012 first round

Fun Fact: Both Lebron and Carmelo averaged 27.8 PPG in that series but Lebron's true shooting % was .604 to Carmelo's .489.
 

Mr. S£im Citrus

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Fantastic exchange, towards the end of the Dan LeBatard Show:

Dan: "Been a long time since the Orlando Magic have played in games that people felt like watching."

Producer: "I believe they made the playoffs, last year."

Dan: "Did you feel like watching them?"

Producer:
"No."
 
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Yeah this series

DcIG.gif
and

Not that it would've made a difference, but that was the year Jeremy Lin had an injury and didn't play so Stupid A Smith and the media shit on him. This led to Lin signing the poison pill contract with Houston (Knicks still should've matched). The Knicks ended up signing Raymond Felton and Jason Kidd. That team was pretty good though, and they should've met the Heat again, but that was the Hibbert block and Chandler choke against the Pacers year.
 

King Kamala

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I feel like Bucks/Magic is going to be going to be the least competitive playoff series since the Heat squashed The Bucks the year before they drafted Giannis. Guess things come full circle.

Raptors/Nets could be similarly lopsided but the Nets' bubble roster is so weird and scrappy and Raptors still have such a cursed playoff history that I could randomly see Brooklyn taking a game or two.
 

909

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The refs have been against Utah all game. I would be so mad if I was a Jazz fan.
 

909

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If Toronto gets back to the Finals, without Kawhi Leonard, that would be an even bigger indictment of DeMar DeRozan than actually winning the championship was.

Nah, more Dwane Casey in that case. Also, they ran into the LeBron brick wall.
 

909

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The refs also ruined this game tonight. That ejection was some bullshit.
 

King Kamala

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1597765253062.png

I feel like Bucks/Magic is going to be going to be the least competitive playoff series since the Heat squashed The Bucks the year before they drafted Giannis. Guess things come full circle.
Annnnd Aaron Gordon is out for today's game so this prediction rings doubly true now!
 
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alfdogg

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Just saw a stat which said that this will be the first time since 1995 that the Finals doesn’t include either Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade or Steve Kerr.
 

HarleyQuinn

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Orlando is pulling away from Milwaukee right now. 92-79 as of this post.
 

King Kamala

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Boy do I feel dumb for talking about how lopsided that series was going to be. Although the Magic beat the Raptors in Game 1 of the first round last year.
 

snuffbox

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Bucks appear to following the Green Bay Packers' strategy of assuming they're guaranteed to win just by showing up. Hey, why stop if it never works?
 
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Just saw a stat which said that this will be the first time since 1995 that the Finals doesn’t include either Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade or Steve Kerr.

Interesting group. One of them isn't like the others. Tim Duncan is the only non-guard.
 
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