- FIRST ROUND PREDICTIONS -
WRITTEN BY: PROFESSOR X
Playoffs baby! Win or go f**king home chumps. This is going to be a war. Make big shots...make big plays...step up when it counts. Some teams are happy to be here and some have higher aspirations. Let's see what I think of it all. Last 4 minutes of the game will be stop time within 10 points so hopefully all games are exciting and close. 2 Timeouts per half and it does not carry over. Use it or lose it. I am beyond excited so let's ball out.
3:30PM HEAT vs KINGS – (KINGS + 4)
Congrats to both teams for making it to the postseason! I once compared the Kings to cockroaches because no matter what happens...they somehow find themselves to be relevant. With that being said, the Kings are going to be more than relevant in this first round matchup. What a dream matchup for GM Nishan as he gets arguably the weakest top 10 team in the standings. There really is no heat in the Heat lineup and so the Kings can easily take care of business here. The Kings have a lot of different tools at their disposal (defensive players, allstar in Damion Davis, decent size and versatility). This league is driven by stars and the Kings will look to ride Damion to the next round. Heat squad had a chance to avoid the first round by beating the Raptors but instead put themselves in this position to lose in round 1. I just don't think they have the right chemistry as of yet and we aren't going to suddenly find it in the playoffs. I’d rather take a washed-up Shaquille O’Neil at the free throw line with my life at on the line than trust the Heat’s offense right now. The King's aren't world beaters and this could possibly go either way but I don't be against royalty.
4:30PM MAGIC vs PISTONS – (PISTONS +20)
Congrats to the Magic for making it to the postseason after a rough start to the season! Not going to lie, I didn’t think in the most competitive season of ETBL we’d see a lottery team make the playoffs but heck...here we are. The Magic potion is finally going to run out and GM Alvin and the chipmunks are going to get their nuts busted by the Pistons. The Pistons are going to beat down the Magic so bad that the Magic are going to wish they missed the playoffs altogether. In no scenario do I see the Magic advancing so I will not bother breaking down what the Magic need to do in order to advance. Well try taking steroids or growth hormones cuz they just don't have the size or strength to deal with the Bad Boy Pistons. It was a feel good story but it won't feel so good after this one. Pistons advance easy.
5:30PM BOBCATS vs LAKERS (BOBCATS +20)
This will be not so interesting in my opinion. Special shoutout to the defending ETBL Champion Bobcats...who almost missed the playoffs after having a championship hangover. I mean they weren't in real danger of missing the playoffs but it got a little hairy for a bit. Now that the regular season is done...the Bobcats are going to lock in and play at a high level.The Bobcats will have a chip on their shoulder and come out to prove a point. The Lakers to their credit have the talent to be as physical as the Bobcats but the Lakers lack one thing and that is championship pedigree. They already lost to the Cats in the regular season and that wasn't even their full lineup so expect the Bobcats to put in work in this one.
6:30PM CAVALIERS vs SIXERS (SIXERS +4)
This could be the game of the night if the Sixers fool around enough or if Michael Mines goes crazy again. With the Cavaliers seemingly without their star Abeku...I don't see how they are going to pull this off. Kareem is going to be a problem all game long and the young guys of the Cavs might just get too nervous. I am hoping for these two to go toe to toe and battle it out and have it come down to the wire. No more playing games...win or go home. This might be the last time I bet on the Sixers so make it count.