Previewing Today's First Round Games

Alright another four games on the schedule today, here’s all you need to know

Milwaukee Bucks vs Boston Celtics 1:00pm EST (TNT)

Despite what many think, the Celtics are actually favored in the game by a line of -3.5. The O/U is 199.5, and to me this is such a hard game to predict. We have no idea what version of each team will show up in my opinion. Are we going to get the same sort of Celtics team that showed they could beat teams like POR and UTA despite not having basically their entire roster? Or are we going to get the team that couldn’t beat the Hawks.

The same thing can be said about MIL. They are at full health, have all the talent in the world and the best player in the series. They’re also one of the more underachieving teams of the entire season. Will they actually play defense? Will Giannis take that leap and just completely dominate? Even if you don’t recognize the players the Celts are throwing out on the court, this should be a game you definitely tune into. It has a feel to it that it could be close the whole way.

Indiana Pacers vs Cleveland Cavaliers 3:30pm EST (ABC)

As of now CLE is a -7 favorite. This feels a little high considering IND beat them 3 out of the 4 times they’ve played, but it’s the playoffs now and Lebron is going to try for a full 48 minutes so I get it. The O/U at 212.5 couldn’t be high enough as I do not believe in this CLE defense one bit, I don’t care how much of a beast Lebron is.

What I’m excited for is who else on the Cavs is going to show up besides Lebron and Love. Are any of these “new” guys that came over ready for their first pressure playoff situation? How is Rodney Hood and Jordan Clarkson going to handle the pressure? If I had my guess, we’re going to see Lebron P&R switch on to someone like Bojan, clear out, and just give him the Kelly Olynyk treatment. You know where he gets a running start and just forces his way to the rim. We also get another Lance vs Lebron situation, which if you’ve been paying attention over the last few years never disappoints.

Also, from a Pacers perspective, I’m excited to see Oladipo show that he’s the man. You win game 1 on the road and the Cavs might start unravelling. Small chance given that whole Lebron thing, but definitely possible.

Utah Jazz vs Oklahoma City Thunder 6:30pm EST (TNT)

I think a very trendy upset pick is this series right here. As of now the Thunder are -4 favorites which tells me Vegas is thinking the same thing we’re thinking. The O/U is also 204.5 which to me is a stay away number. These teams are too good defensively to think this is going to be some sort of offensive shootout, but it’s the playoffs and look at what just happened with MIA/PHI, two teams who play good defense. One of them dropped 130 fucking points. To me the pressure is mostly all on OKC, they need this go to smoothly. Otherwise if Westbrook has like a 6-23 game and Melo continues to be washed, things could go south quick.

For UTA, this is a chance to show everyone that their hot finish to the year was no joke. That guys like Mitchell and Gobert are for real. When looking at these two rosters you could argue that OKC has more top end talent, but UTA in my mind is the more well rounded team. They defend, they have shooters, and they have a closer in Mitchell. This should be an awesome game as well.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs Houston Rockets 9:00pm EST (TNT)

Much like TOR, the Rockets are going to have to show us that this year is actually different. They should have no problems here, as they swept MIN during the year, and I can’t find one guy on the MIN roster that is going to consistently stop Harden/CP3 at the guard position. If Butler has to do it for a full game he’s going to be tired on the offensive end, and I just don’t see Tyus Jones, or Teague, or Crawford being able to do it.

Of all the games today this is really the only one I can see being a true blowout, so if you go to bed early I don’t blame you.

Knowing that you’re probably hungover today, I can’t think of a better time then to be a complete piece of shit and just chill on the couch and watch some quality basketball. We all know the Sunday Scaries are on the horizon, so try and enjoy yourself as we’re about to get another like 8 straight hours of hoops. Have a great lazy Sunday, friends.