Warriors bound to win it all

April 3, 2019 — by Kevin Sze

The almost unfairly talented Warriors are too good to lose in any 7-game series/

I’m sorry if I sounds like a broken record at this point, but the Golden State Warriors are winning it all. Again.

Sure, the Warriors have lost 24 games.

Sure, the Warriors also got blown out by 35 at home against one of the worst teams in the NBA, the Dallas Mavericks.

But at the same time, who cares? It’s the regular season, and as long as they stay healthy, the Warriors’ path to a three-peat and four titles in five years shouldn’t be too trying.

With that being said, I’ve traveled into the future and come back with every result from every NBA playoff matchup. Here’s what I found.

As of April 1, 2019, the Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder have clinched playoff spots in the Western Conference. The Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers have clinched playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.

Rounding out the playoff picture in the West, I have the Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, while I have the Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat rounding out the East.

The race for a playoff spot in the East is a lot tighter, and here’s why I got Miami making it. It’s Dwyane Wade’s last season in the NBA, Chris Bosh had an emotional jersey retirement and the Heat have Hassan Whiteside, Bam Adebayo, Dion Waiters and the high-flying Derrick Jones Jr.

Once the playoffs get set, I can only see another Warriors-Rockets Western Conference Finals rematch. I see the seeding staying the way it is now, which would end with the Warriors as the No. 1 seed and Rockets as the No. 4 seed, allowing them to meet in the Western Conference Finals.

Sure the Trailblazers have Damian Lilliard and CJ McCollum to create an extremely strong backcourt duo, but they just don’t have the star power to get to the Western Conference finals. The Nuggets possess a talented big man, Nikola Jokic, a.k.a. ,“The Joker.” Jokic has been splendid on both ends of the floor and with the help of Jamal Murray and Paul Millsap, has created a strong starting five. Still, I don’t see them getting past the Warriors or the Rockets.

The Warriors will take the Western Conference Finals  in six games. The Rockets are hungry and James Harden, Chris Paul and Clint Capela will be a tough matchup for the Warriors. But then you have to realize that those players are matched with Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry and Demarcus Cousins on the Warriors. Not to mention there’s a seven foot small forward who can dribble and shoot like a point guard in Kevin Durant.

Then there’s the East. Milwaukee is looking pretty juicy with Giannis Antetokounmpo. But Malcolm Brogdon being injured undoubtedly hurts the Bucks’ chance. The Bucks will not make the Eastern Conference Finals since pretty much the entire team lacks playoff experience. The Boston Celtics were intriguing to begin the year, but they aren’t really that relevant in the grand scheme of things. Kyrie Irving has become detached, Gordon Hayward has been inconsistent and there’s a reason why they’re the fifth seed as of now.

The Raptors and 76ers will find themselves pitted against each other in a Eastern Conference Battle. The Raptors will overcome previous playoff mishaps with Kawhi Leonard leading the charge, and the 76ers will lean on Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons (although not Simmons’ jumper because it’s broken). Pascal Siakam is my pick to have a great playoff run.

The only Pascal I knew before this man was the triangle, but he’s been making waves through the NBA regular season, and I expect him to do the same in the playoffs. In the end, the Raptors will pull through in a tough seven game series because of Leonard’s previous experience as a San Antonio Spur and Embiid will struggle to carry the offense in a seven game series.

And that brings us to the NBA Finals. Warriors versus Raptors. My pick: The Warriors will win in five.

Yeah, I know, shocker. I just think the playoff Warriors and the regular season Warriors aren’t the same animal. You can say they got lucky each year due to injuries on other teams. No matter what, they are the team with the most experience, the most chemistry and the most talent, which is why they will three-peat without too many concerns.

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