#PlayoffPreviews2019

2019 Playoff Preview: Los Angeles Clippers

Kyle Russell

Apr 15, 2019
3 min

2019 Playoff Preview: Los Angeles Clippers

Yahoo Sports Season Recap The Los Angeles Clippers were in a rebuilding year and yet defied expectations to overachieve. Entering the season, the plan was to accrue assets and cap space for the summer while building a good supporting cast. Despite having no All-stars and trading their best player Tobias Harris before the deadline, they still finished with a 48-34 record and made the playoffs in the West as the eighth seed, a full nine games up on the ninth seeded Sacramento K

2019 Playoff Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder

Brendan Smart

Apr 14, 2019
2 min

2019 Playoff Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder

USA Today Season Recap The Oklahoma City Thunder entered this season placing all of their bets on Paul George and Russell Westbrook to lead this roster to another playoff run. The duo did, as George and Westbrook led the Thunder to the sixth seed in a brutal Western Conference. Biggest Strength Heading into the NBA Playoffs, teams struggle with lack of star talent on their roster. For the Thunder, they have George and Westbrook who are having tremendous seasons. George’s MVP

Justin Levine

Apr 13, 2019
3 min

2019 Playoff Preview: Houston Rockets

Sporting News Season Recap: After a two-month rough patch to start the year (which saw Houston outside the playoff picture), the Rockets have been playing their best basketball heading into the playoffs, winning 20 of their last 24 games to close out the regular season. Finishing with a record of 53-29 may not have seemed like such a tough task before the season started; given the injuries to Chris Paul and Clint Capela that sidelined each for some time and the load James Ha

Nikola Cuvalo

Apr 12, 2019
4 min

2019 Playoff Preview: Toronto Raptors

AP News Season Recap The Raptors had about as good of a regular season as they could’ve hoped for; in Nick Nurse’s first year as head coach, the Raptors fell a single win shy of their franchise-best regular season record (59-23), set last year by Dwayne Casey, and did so while “load managing” the hell out of key rotation members, particularly Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry. This was all done in preparation for a deep playoff run, and after finishing with the league’s second bes

2019 Playoff Preview: Utah Jazz Playoff Preview

Gus Saltonstall

Apr 12, 2019
3 min

2019 Playoff Preview: Utah Jazz Playoff Preview

KSL NewsRadio The Utah Jazz have this strange ability to fly under the radar. However, the team from Salt Lake City improved on a strong 2017-18 season by winning 50 games this season and finishing fifth in an absolutely stacked Western Conference. Despite a slow start from second year player Donovan Mitchell, the three-headed dragon of Rudy Gobert, Joe Ingles and Mitchel has been absolutely dominant over the course of the season. The three players combine to collect 51.8 poi

Justin Levine

Apr 12, 2019
3 min

2019 Playoff Preview: San Antonio Spurs

Sports Illustrated Season Recap Going into this season, many wondered if Gregg Popovich’s 21-year streak of making the playoffs and finishing above .500 would cease this season. There were logical concerns over guard play and defensive presence, especially after losing Dejounte Murray for the season. Despite all of this, in Patriots-like fashion, the Spurs proved the dynasty would continue by making the playoffs and finishing with a record of 48-34. LaMarcus Aldridge and De

Cameron Tabatabaie

Apr 12, 2019
3 min

2019 Playoff Preview: Indiana Pacers

IndyStar Season Recap The Indiana Pacers really showed their might this season. The team’s lone star, Victor Oladipo, appeared in just 36 games before being side-lined with a gruesome leg injury. Instead of buckling, the team excelled behind strong coaching and smart team-building. Indiana specifically hung its hat on defense, while some unlikely heroes emerged in the process. Resident Pacers expert Kory Waldron described the mood in the Hoosier State as “optimistic.” It’s a

Brendan Smart

Apr 12, 2019
2 min

2019 Playoff Preview: Denver Nuggets

Isaiah J. Downing/USA TODAY Sports Season Recap: The Denver Nuggets have retooled rather nicely under head coach Michael Malone. Good draft picks, consistent progression with those picks, and a head coach with a formula to taking down possibly the greatest team ever assembled. That team being the Golden State Warriors, which every team in the NBA is after, but the Nuggets - if consistently getting production from Nikola Jokic - could be the team that takes down the defending

Michael Ryan

Apr 12, 2019
3 min

2019 Playoff Preview: Orlando Magic

Orlando Pinstriped Post Season Recap The Magic were not supposed to be a playoff contender this season but new Head Coach Steve Clifford revived the franchise and built an identity on a defense first mindset. The Magic finished 8th in the league in defensive rating which catapulted them up the Eastern Conference standings into the first playoff appearance in six years. The Magic finished the season as one of the league’s hottest teams winning 21 of their final 30 games to fi

Jac Manuell

Apr 12, 2019
2 min

2019 Playoff Preview: Detroit Pistons

Blazer's Edge Season Recap The Pistons started the season like a house on fire winning their first four games. Blake Griffin was an early MVP contender and everything was coming up daisies for Detroit. Despite looking to have a playoff spot sewn up, things started to unravel in the month of April. Griffin’s injury played a huge part as they want 2-4 to end the regular season. Luckily, their final win over New York was enough to solidify the eighth spot in the East and a match

William Jackson

Apr 11, 2019
3 min

2019 Playoff Preview: Brooklyn Nets

Nets Daily Season Recap Not even head coach Kenny Atkinson thought this team could get here already. The Brooklyn Nets found themselves 42-40 to end the season, locking into the 6th seed in the playoffs. The success in Brooklyn is driven by the surprising season from D’Angelo Russell, a strong candidate for Most Improved Player. Early on in the season, guard Caris LeVert was on his way to becoming an all star until a devastating knee injury kept him out for 42 games. Spencer

Gus Saltonstall

Apr 11, 2019
4 min

2019 Playoff Preview: Boston Celtics

NBA.com The Boston Celtics did not live up to expectations in the 2018-19 regular season. The door seemed wide open for the Celtic’s to stamp their dominance over the conference with LeBron James leaving for Los Angeles and a healthy combo of Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. Success on paper however doesn’t always translate to the hardwood, and the Celtics finished at just 49-33. Barely good enough for a fourth place finish within the conference, as the team struggled with it

2019 Playoff Preview: Golden State Warriors

Marc Cantave

Apr 11, 2019
3 min

2019 Playoff Preview: Golden State Warriors

Sky Sports The two time defending champions, Golden State Warriors, begin their quest for a three-peat on Saturday as they face off in the first round of the NBA playoffs against the Los Angeles Clippers. Its championship or bust for the Warriors, and this year the road to the chip is a lot harder. Let’s get into it. Season Recap: This season started out differently for the Warriors as there was tension in the locker room early on. In early November, Draymond Green and Kevin

2019 Playoff Preview: Philadelphia 76ers

Cameron Tabatabaie

Apr 11, 2019
3 min

2019 Playoff Preview: Philadelphia 76ers

NBA Season Recap The Post-Process Philadelphia 76ers pushed all their chips into the pot this season, bringing aboard Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris in two separate trades. Alongside Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and JJ Reddick, the Sixers have one of the toughest starting cores in the NBA. Sam Hinkie would be proud. Except this star-studded super-team is anything but. Floor spacing, chemistry woes, and depth loom large as unanswered questions for Philadelphia. How head coach Bre

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