The first round has been both exciting and stunning.
There wasn't supposed to be much suspense during this year's playoffs, as the Cavaliers and Warriors seemed destined to meet for a third straight season in the NBA Finals. It may certainly happen.
In the East, the Cavs made easy work of the Pacers via sweep but Indiana put up a fight. The 1-seeded Celtics have climbed back and evened their series with the Bulls after dropping the first two games.
In the West, the Warriors hold a 3-0 lead on the Blazers, the Rockets have the Thunder on the brink while the Jazz and Clippers are tied two games apiece in their series.
Here are our NBA experts' predictions for first-round series, followed by their brackets for the entire NBA playoffs -- including who they think will win the championship.
If the Blazers want bulletin board material, they can look here. Only one writer thinks the Warriors will lose a game in this series, with everybody else predicting a sweep. Portland did take a game from Golden State last year, but Stephen Curry didn't play in it and Kevin Durant was not yet in the Bay Area. Our panel does not appear to think the potential presence of Jusuf Nurkic -- he has not yet been cleared to return from his fractured fibula -- will tilt the balance of power here.
Everybody's afraid to doubt the Spurs, but one writer at least picked the Grizzlies to push them to seven games. Memphis is never an easy out when healthy, and this season's team has a more dynamic offense than in years past. That means it is better positioned to give San Antonio a run for its money, at least in theory. But while you can make a case for the Grizzlies based on individual matchups, no one could look past the two-way excellence the Spurs have shown all year.
Our experts were divided on this one, which makes a lot of sense considering how close the Most Valuable Player race was. That storyline will surely dominate how this series is covered, but it's also an interesting contrast in styles. Can the Thunder slow down the Rockets' high-powered offense with physicality and athleticism? Two of us said yes, and the other three are going with the team that had the league's third-best record and net rating in the regular season
This is the closest matchup on paper, but nobody was willing to pick the Jazz -- perhaps because of their stars' lack of playoff experience and doubts about the health of Derrick Favors and Rodney Hood. At least one writer is having second thoughts about this based on Utah's incredible defense and multiple playmaking options, but he will take comfort in the fact that, if he's wrong, everybody is wrong. Anyway, the Clippers' core four clearly inspired confidence here.
There's huge variance in these picks -- one writer anticipates a sweep, another sees it going the distance. This one is interesting because Boston is the least dominant No. 1 seed in some time, and the Bulls have an unusual amount of playoff experience for a No. 8 seed. Based on the regular season, the Celtics are the much more cohesive team, but Chicago has some star power, a track record of surprising wins on national television and a significant advantage on the glass
Despite Paul George's history of challenging LeBron James and the Cavs looking vulnerable lately, nobody is taking the Pacers that seriously. A slight majority of writers expect Indiana to take a single game, but that's it. The questions here are whether or not the league's most average team can find another gear, and whether the league's most inconsistent contender can fix its defense. There's a big talent gap here, though, so Cleveland can win without cleaning everything up.
Everybody thinks the Raptors have the edge, but nobody thinks it'll be easy. This illustrates the respect that the Bucks have earned this season and perhaps some skepticism about Toronto's offense sustaining under playoff conditions. Toronto's midseason upgrades, though, mean that its roster is more balanced and deep than Milwaukee's, which should make up for the fact that one team has the Greek Freak and the other one doesn't. Both teams are likely better than their records.
