What happens next is as difficult to predict as it’s ever been, but that won’t stop us from trying.
So even though the Lakers are almost certain to finish this series convincingly, Melo will sway.
Championship Odds: +25000
His pre-season plus/minus a modest 31 wins. Even in an abbreviated 2019-20, they surpassed that mark for a 44-28 record (a speed of 50 wins on an overall list of 82 games).
In every respect, he is one of the most productive players in the playoffs. And he has the ability to emerge to the most important moments of closed matches.
And that fire, along with the skills he’s cultivated, will help Denver achieve a playoff victory when it’s in a 1-3 hole before winning Game 5.
Few teams are as well equipped to handle that as Milwaukee, but that trio is going to cause problems before Miami leaves the bubble.
If it wasn’t clear already, the first round reaffirmed Tatum is a star (and maybe even a superstar). And in combination with Kemba Walker, Boston should have an ever-so-slight edge in top-end talent in its second-round series against the Toronto Raptors.
Box plus/less is not the end, however, it ranked 57th in the NBA. And his actual shot percentage of 55.4 below average.
Then, in the playoffs, against the injury-ravaged Brooklyn Nets, he shot 41.7 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from three.
LeBron James currently has 25.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 10.3 assists. And if the Lakers need to win the title, he’ll probably have to do that stellar production.
You don’t secure the top seed in the Western Conference without being a good team, but L.A. isn’t the deepest one left. That means plenty of minutes and triple-doubles going forward.
In the first round, LeBron averaged only 32.8 minutes. That number will have to be overlooked in front of groups like the Rockets, Thunder, Clippers or Bucks. That’s another thing that will average a triple-double in the playoffs.
Championship Odds: +320
Boston’s no-position defenders will be connected to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. This will leave Bledsoe active to attack Walker, who has never been known for his defense.
The Celtics can hide it in stretches of Wesley Matthews. They also have Marcus Smart to deploy in opposition to Bledsoe. But there deserves plenty of opportunities for the Bucks’ base to emerge from their postseason crisis.
The Los Angeles Clippers are going to win it all.