After an extremely long and exciting regular season, the NBA finally hits the 2017 Playoffs mode this Sunday, the 15th of April (Australian time). The seeds have been set and we have a preview for every matchup in the East and West with our NBA Playoffs First Round Betting Tips below.
Eastern Conference Round 1 Betting Tips
Boston Celtics vs Chicago Bulls
After edging out the Cavaliers for the No.1 seed in the East, the Celtics set up a matchup with old time rivals the Bulls. It’s a dangerous matchup for the Celtics, as Chicago, at their best are a much better team than their 8th seeding would suggest. The Celtics have been marred by injuries throughout the 2nf half of the season but they’ll be completely healthy going into their first-round matchup. A lot of pressure will be on the shoulders of All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas, who has carried the scoring load for the Celtics throughout the season, 28.9 points per game which is good for 3rd in the league.
Chicago will also be at full strength for the clash after getting point guard Rajon Rondo back from a three-game absence last game. Star duo Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler will need to be firing if they want to win four games against the Celtics, although Boston have a few readymade defenders for them in Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder and Marcus Smart. Bradley in particular has had his way with Dwyane Wade in past playoffs series when Wade played for the Heat.
Although I expect the Bulls to put up more of a fight than many people think, the Celts should be too strong for them here and I see it going to script.
TIP: Boston Celtics to win 4-2 – $5 at Sportsbet
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Indiana Pacers
After an extremely injury plagued season, the Cavs slipped to the 2nd seed in the East and will face the Pacers in round one of the playoffs. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love both had their fair share of injuries throughout the season but thankfully for the Cavs they both look likely to start the playoffs along with LeBron James. Kyle Korver has also returned from injury giving the Cavs a full-strength side at the right time of year.
Indiana have had a fairly inconsistent season with runs of wins and losses. Paul George has once again been the shining star averaging 23 and 7 on the season. He has shown the capability to go toeo to toe with LeBron in the past but the depth of the Cavs is just too great for the Pacers here. Combined with the extra game at home, you can’t look past LeBron and the Cavs.
TIP: Cleveland Cavaliers to win 4-1 – $2.77 at Sportsbet
Toronto Raptors vs Milwaukee Bucks
The Raptors are in familiar territory here as they enter their third season in a row with a home court first round. They’ll take on the Milwaukee Bucks who while youthful, have shown that they can bang it with the best throughout the season with some great wins over the likes of Cleveland and Boston. DeMar DeRozan had a career year for the Raptors while Kyle Lowry’s season was hindered by injuries, both will be right to go as well as mid season recruits Serge Ibaka and PJ Tucker.
The addition of Ibaka particularly will be massive for the Raptors, who missed an inside defensive presence when they face Cleveland in the Eastern conference finals last year. Milwaukee guard/forward combo Giannis Antetokounmpo took another step towards super stardom this year posting career high numbers in every stat and is a lock for the most improved player award.
I have this one going much closer than people expect it to. While I think the Raptors will have the experience to get over the line in the end, I like it to go to seven games.
TIP: Toronto Raptors to win 4-3 - $4.30 at Sportsbet
Washington Wizards vs Atlanta Hawks
An Eastern Conference rivalry that has flourished over the last 6 or so years gets another instalment in round one as the Wizards host the Hawks. A new coach and a revitilised roster has seen the Wizards have an outstanding year. Although most of the credit has to go to superstar point guard John Wall and his backcourt running mate Bradley Beal, who finally managed to string a consistent and injury free season together.
On the contrary, the Hawks season was filled with injury concerns with all-star duo Paul Millsap and Dwight Howard both having on and off seasons. They’ll be crucial for the Hawks if they want to advance to the second round, as the Wizards frontcourt is arguably their Achilles heal and can be taken advantage of at times.
The Hawks come into this one as underdogs but I am backing our first upset of the playoffs here as Atlanta have looked, when healthy, and extremely tough team to beat.
TIP: Atlanta Hawks to advance - $2.70 at Sportsbet
Western Conference Round 1 Betting Tips
Golden State Warriors vs Portland TrailBlazers
For all their injury and form concerns throughout the season, the Warriors still finished the season with a 67-15 record, 6 wins better than their nearest opponents. The Warriors gained back the services of Kevin Durant at the perfect time, while Stephen Curry returned to his MVP form in Durant’s absence. It’ll be a battle of star guards as Curry goes toe to toe with Damian Lillard, who was unlucky to miss on All-Star selection yet again.
Lillard and backcourt teammate CJ McCollum were both battling injuries late in the season but are defeinites to start the series. Unfortunately, mid-season recruit Jusuf Nurkic suffered a fractured leg in the final weeks of the regular season and will likely miss the series. The forgotten man of the Golden State lineup could be Draymond Green. An absolute beast defensively, he usually takes it to another level during the playoffs and will be a massive factor here. Warriors should be far too strong.
TIP: Golden State Warriors to win 4-0 - $2.43 at Sportsbet
San Antonio Spurs vs Memphis Grizzlies
If you’re a fan of classical big men and strong defence then this is the series for you. The Spurs and Grizzlies do battle in what should be a low scoring series starting Sunday. The Spurs will have the home court advantage after finishing the regular season 61-21, a great deal thanks to the MVP calibre season of Kawhi Leonard. At his best he is one of the most lethal scorers in the league and at his worst he is a defensive juggernaut that can guard all five positions. Look for him to have a massive impact this series.
The Grizzlies will continued this year with the same core as they have had for what seems like decades now as the likes of Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol and Mike Conley at the helm. If there’s one guy in the league that has the physical attributes to defend Kawhi, it’s Tony Allen, he’ll need to have a massive series if the Grizzlies want to advance.
Barring injuries, the Spurs should be too strong here, although if they lose it could be the last time we see Manu Ginobili in the NBA, make the most of it.
TIP: San Antonio Spurs to win 4-1 - $2.82 at Sportsbet
Houston Rockets vs Oklahoma City Thunder
By far the most interesting round one matchup is that of the Rockets vs the Thunder. If this contest doesn’t make you excited as a basketball fan than nothing will. The two MVP candidates, James Harden and Russel Westbrook, two players who have carried their teams all year to highly overperforming seasons. Whoever has the better series out of these two players will advance.
Many pundits think that the Rockets have the better supporting cast, and while they do defeinitely possess more bench scoring, the likes of Steven Adams, Victor Oladipo, Enes Kanter and Taj Gibson will all be vital players. The Rockets start as heavy favourites but I think this will go 7 games based purely on the competitiveness of these two guys. Happy to sit back and watch.
TIP: No Bet
Los Angeles Clippers vs Utah Jazz
Another interesting matchup sees the Clippers host the Jazz starting Sunday. The two teams were locked in a tight battle for the fourth seed for the last few weeks of the season with the Clippers eventually coming out on top. While thye’ve been plagued by injuries all season, the Clippers seem to have come good at the right time, with only Austin Rivers still sidelined.
The Jazz are also completely with even Derrick Favours, who missed a large portion of the season, returning to the side in the last week of the regular season. It’ll make for an awesome clash to see arguably the two best defensive centres in the league in Rudy Gobert and DeAndre Jordan go toe to toe, Gobert in particularly will have a massive impact on the season, as it’s been the Jazz’s game plan to keep their opponents scores under 100.
Another tough game to pick, the Jazz are largely an unknown quantity with Favours in the lineup, if he can have an impact I could see them snatching this, especially if the Clippers play to form and sustain a first round injury.
TIP: Utah Jazz to advance - $2.44 at Sportsbet
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