(Stratton Stave/Sports Editor): The Knicks will lose in the first round in five or fewer games
I don’t know if this is a super bold take, but on the surface, it feels like one. The two-seed is typically supposed to be in the conference finals, but having the Knicks winning just one game in the whole playoffs is a far cry from that. They’ve had an injury-ridden season but still emerged near the top of the East. One of their stars, Julius Randle, is out for the playoffs, which hurts them initially, but their biggest issue is who they’re playing. Odds are they’ll be facing the Philadelphia 76ers, who aren’t your typical seven-seed. The reason why they’re so low is the extended absence of reigning MVP Joel Embiid, who has since returned. It also helps that guard Tyrese Maxey has been playing excellent basketball all year. If they were healthy all year, the Sixers would have had an outside chance to challenge New York for the two-seed. All factors point to them knocking the Knicks out very prematurely.
(Connor Sargeant/Staff Writer): The floor for the Knicks is an Eastern Conference finals appearance
Despite facing the most adversity of any team in the NBA, the Knicks are still playing at an elite level, beating contenders like the Bucks and Celtics this month. The worst I see them doing is bouncing out of the Eastern Conference finals. Donte DiVincenzo has taken Tom Thibodeau’s squad by storm, becoming a significant force on the offense and averaging 20 points per night in April. OG Anunoby has returned from his injury and is playing like he did in January. Brunson is playing at an MVP level, averaging 36 points per night on 49% shooting this month. Despite missing Julius Randle for three months, and now the year, the team still managed to lock up the second seed in the East and has more consistent scorers than last year. Don’t be surprised to see this team in the NBA Finals, as they have home-court advantage for the first two rounds and have proved that they can compete with any team on any given day.
(Cole Stefan/Senior Columnist): An NBA team completes the reverse sweep
When it comes to the NBA, I do not, as the kids say, “know ball like that.” Despite my lack of ball knowledge, I am certain that there will be a team that wins a playoff series this year after being down 3-0. A reverse sweep occurs when a team down 3-0 in a seven-game series completes a miraculous comeback with four consecutive victories. The Boston Celtics nearly did this last year, forcing a seventh game before falling at home to the Miami Heat. All but two teams in this year’s playoffs have a winning record. I am not going to call out any team in particular, but there are a handful of clubs that have the potential to pull off this historic feat. Before the first round gets underway this weekend, I advise fans of playoff teams to not get complacent in any series until their club wins that pivotal fourth game. Only then can they celebrate their favorite team moving on.
(Nick Spinali/Staff Writer): The Bucks are a first-round exit
Time for yet another Doc Rivers playoff choke. Ever since the firing of head coach Adrian Griffin midway through the season, it’s been a stumble to the finish line for Milwaukee and as a result, they yielded the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference to the New York Knicks in the final days of the regular season. Sure, securing a three-seed ahead of the playoffs isn’t terrible, but it falls far below the expectations that the Bucks had set for themselves ahead of the campaign. They’ve been rocky to say the least since the hiring of Rivers, and it doesn’t help that it looks like Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss the first game or two of the playoffs due to a calf injury. The Bucks will be challenged by the No. 6 Indiana Pacers, a young, feisty squad with plenty of firepower on both sides of the ball to keep the team competitive. The loss of Giannis can’t be understated here: he is the life and blood of that Milwaukee squad. It’ll be Damian Lillard versus Tyrese Haliburton, at least for the first game or two of the opening round, and if Indiana can steal one or even two games from the Bucks, Milwaukee could find themselves in big trouble.
(Sam Calhoun/Staff Writer): Another play-in team makes a run to the NBA Finals
Is it likely to happen? No, but neither was the Miami Heat’s run to the NBA Finals last year. They face the 76ers tonight in Philadelphia, another team with the capability of getting to the NBA Finals. Joel Embiid won the NBA’s MVP award last year and the team has seemed to improve outside of the former Kansas Jayhawk. Tyrese Maxey led the team in scoring with 25.9 points per game, but Embiid has gone on a tear lately and averaged 34.7 points in the 39 games he played in. His health raises eyebrows coming into the NBA Playoffs. The Heat have most of their roster from last year’s run, which means they know what it takes to make this improbable run. In the Western Conference, the Lakers should never be out of the question for a title when LeBron James is leading that team. Never count out Stephen Curry and the Warriors, either.
