00:00The NBA playoffs tip off this weekend as well, and again, a lot of intrigue.
00:06Maybe not as many dramatic first-round playoff matchups, but this is going to be a tremendous postseason in the
00:13NBA,
00:14where you have the defending champions who look great again, a star on the rise who has already reached levels
00:19that people did not think he'd get to this quickly, and the guy who was holding on to, trying to
00:25anyway,
00:25the best player in the world spot, plus a lot of evenly matched sides over in the East,
00:31some veterans looking for one last push.
00:33So many storylines to look at in the NBA postseason, so let's do it.
00:38Let's dive into the NBA playoff bracket.
00:48All right, NBA playoff time.
00:52We go through a lot of tanking.
00:53We go through watching a lot of bad teams to get to this point.
00:56Now it's the time we've all been waiting for.
00:58So let's dive right in.
01:01Up first, Oklahoma City Thunder taking on the Phoenix Suns.
01:05This one doesn't need a whole lot to break down.
01:07If Phoenix wins a game, that's a massive step for them.
01:11It is OKC, and I have them in four.
01:14I think it'd be pretty quick.
01:16All right, let's not jump too far ahead here with the jumping down NBA.com.
01:20Up next, Lakers taking on the Houston Rockets.
01:23There is part of me that worries that the only reason I'm picking Houston is because
01:28no Luka, no Reeves.
01:30But if Luka can come back this series, I think that changes the dynamic of this incredibly.
01:34But I just think Houston is a bad matchup for the Lakers.
01:38Even if Luka gets back, it definitely gets more difficult for them.
01:42No question.
01:43But I still feel like the Rockets, I might have even picked them anyway to win this one.
01:48So I like Houston here in this spot.
01:50I think it's going to be a bit of a grind.
01:51I think it goes to a sixth game.
01:53Up next, Nuggets taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
01:57I do think, and we did this in our quick preview a little bit before, I do think Minnesota is
02:02a difficult matchup for Denver.
02:04I do think that there are a couple of interesting looks that they can throw at them defensively
02:08that can give them some problems.
02:10And I do think, offensively, the Timberwolves are able to have a pretty good time against
02:16what Denver is doing on the defensive side.
02:18But the Nuggets are just too good.
02:20And with Murray back, and we'll see what other pieces are healthy and what other ones aren't.
02:25But the Timberwolves just aren't on the level, I don't think, of the Denver Nuggets.
02:30I think that Minnesota is probably going to have to empty the clip pretty quick.
02:34And Jokic is going to be able to solve a lot of those problems.
02:37So I like the Nuggets here, taking this one down.
02:40I will say six.
02:42I do think Minnesota is going to be able to get a couple there.
02:45Portland taking on the San Antonio Spurs.
02:47Shout out to the 2%, who are all Portland Trailblazers fans.
02:51Or just people putting these brackets together that are putting in every combination you could
02:56possibly think of.
02:57There's no way.
02:58Portland, it's an awesome story.
03:00What they've been able to do.
03:01Very interesting start to the year, for sure.
03:03But I think big days are ahead.
03:07They don't have anyone that, I mean, no one does, has anyone to slow down Victor Weminyama.
03:14Defensively, they're going to make these a bit of a grind.
03:16And I do think San Antonio feels this series as this goes along.
03:21But I think for this one, they're going to be able to get by them.
03:25And I just don't think Portland's going to be able to score with San Antonio in the way
03:29that they would need to.
03:30So I do have the Spurs taking this one in a sweep.
03:33Let's go now to the Eastern Conference.
03:36The Pistons taking on the Orlando Magic.
03:38This is not where Orlando thought they were going to be this season.
03:42They avoid disaster by at least getting out of the play-in and getting into this.
03:46But now they face a Pistons team that can kind of do what they do and just better.
03:49The Magic are going to need best-case scenario from all of their guys to hang in this one.
03:54I do think they make it a bit more competitive than a couple of the ones we see out in
03:58the
03:58West.
03:58But I do like the Pistons to come out of this.
04:00And I do think they get it in five.
04:02Up next, it's the Cavaliers taking on the Toronto Raptors.
04:07There's homerism with this a billion percent.
04:10And I will admit that fully.
04:11I do think for the Raptors to win this series, Scotty Barnes needs to be the best player in
04:16it.
04:17And there's a world where that happens, right?
04:19Like, Scotty Barnes can just be that guy.
04:21I do think the matchup is tough for Toronto because of how dangerous the guards are for
04:28the Cavs and how not great the Raptors have been defensively with quickly and all of that.
04:34Like, I think there will be conversations, maybe even by next week, early next week, about
04:38having Shed or Walker in the starting lineup or trying to get CMB in there as well to try
04:43to slow something down defensively for Cleveland.
04:47I do think that there are some unique looks that the Raptors would be able to throw at
04:52the Cavs to maybe throw it off a little bit.
04:55We've also seen Cleveland, like, all this talk about how, like, how much better they
05:00are than the Raptors and all of this.
05:02We've said that about the Cavs in playoffs past.
05:05And it has kind of fallen apart for them.
05:08I'm going to be the homer here.
05:09Like, I am taking the Raptors because they're my team.
05:12I am admitting that.
05:14But I can at least see a world where Mitchell continues to have some playoff struggles.
05:19Harden continues to kind of disappear playoff time.
05:22And Mobley maybe doesn't step up in the way that the Cavs would need him to, to be competitive
05:27in this series or to win this series.
05:29So I'm going to say the Raptors need best case scenario on a lot of things.
05:33But I'm being a homer.
05:35I am admitting it.
05:35I'm going to go Raptors taking this one in seven.
05:39Who would have thought?
05:40Raptors over Cavaliers in seven games a few years ago.
05:43Up next, it's the Knicks against the Hawks.
05:45A lot of people looking at the Atlanta Hawks as a potential upset pick here.
05:50I'm not seeing it.
05:51Atlanta, it's been a great story.
05:54You love how they have stepped up in Trae Young's absence and really put together a
05:58pretty good team.
05:59It's a well-rounded group.
06:01I just feel like the Hawks' strength, the Knicks can kind of offset at least a little
06:08bit.
06:08I think when the Knicks are rolling, I don't know what the Hawks can do to stop Brunson
06:13or Cat.
06:13I think that's going to be the advantage.
06:15I am interested at some of the matchups.
06:17I think when you go Brunson with Robinson and maybe some bench pieces, I think that
06:22the Hawks really wouldn't have much for that.
06:24And then just kind of let Towns do his thing.
06:26I think there are some interesting looks that the Knicks can throw out there to get this
06:30done.
06:30I like the Knicks.
06:31I think they've put together a good roster and a good team that is set up for this time
06:36of year.
06:36And they played some very good basketball late.
06:38So I'm going to go Knicks in six.
06:40And then Celtics against the 76ers.
06:44History, marquee teams, blue blood franchises, and all of that.
06:48I don't see the 76ers taking it here.
06:53You would need Embiid to be healthy the entire time.
06:55You can't trust that.
06:56I get like Maxi, Edgecombe.
06:58They're spunky.
06:59They're spry.
07:00All of that.
07:01Celtics get it done.
07:02I think they get it done in five.
07:03I don't think this is going to be an overly close series.
07:07Let's now go to the semifinals then in the conferences.
07:11Thunder taking on the Rockets.
07:13Again, there's just, there's no, there's no match for it.
07:16Defensively, what the Thunder could do to any ball handler for Houston is going to look
07:22almost criminal.
07:22I think the Thunder dominate in this.
07:25So I like OKC.
07:27I will give the Rockets an extra game, but I like OKC getting through there.
07:31Next, Nuggets taking on the San Antonio Spurs.
07:35If we played this on NBA 2K, I think the Spurs take it.
07:39I do think this is where the lights would get a little bright and some of that pressure
07:44that we've started to see in some of these younger teams have some struggles with already
07:47through the play.
07:48And I think this is where it starts to get to the Spurs.
07:50I think this is going to be an unbelievable series.
07:53And this is going to be the, OK, Wemby's the best player in the world.
07:57I think that's what we're going to come out of this thinking.
07:59But I do also think we're going to come out of this thinking the Nuggets are still a very
08:03good team.
08:03Nuggets in seven.
08:05I think Jokic and the experience they have is just going to be the difference.
08:09Out east, Pistons taking on the Toronto Raptors.
08:13I went homer for the first round.
08:16I can't in the second round.
08:17I think when you look at the, again, the guard play, there's just nothing the Raptors
08:21can do to slow down Cade Cunningham or any of the other guys on there.
08:25I, and I feel like on the flip side of it, Detroit can kind of counter the Raptors strengths
08:30just a little bit better than what Cleveland would be able to do.
08:33And the Pistons are just a better basketball team.
08:35So no miraculous run for the Raptors here.
08:37They fall to the Pistons.
08:39And I think probably pretty quickly.
08:40I think in five games, I'll give them a win in the north.
08:44It would be a marquee series in the east.
08:46Knicks taking on the Celtics.
08:48It's what these teams have kind of been battling all season long.
08:53I, I think we get a repeat of last year.
08:55I think the Knicks take this one.
08:56I'm high on the Knicks.
08:57I think they've played very good here late in the season.
08:59I think they've started to kind of figure things out a little bit.
09:03Obviously, we're getting closer and closer to Tatum being a hundred percent, but I think
09:07the Celtics, again, kind of like we saw in the series last year, go hunting for mismatches
09:10with Brunson just a little bit too much.
09:12Like Brunson is almost just like a decoy out there forcing them to try to do that while
09:17the Knicks kind of just play their ball.
09:18They're a deeper team this year than they were last year.
09:20And I think honestly, while some Celtics have stepped up, I think the Knicks might be deeper
09:24than the Celtics.
09:24So I like New York to advance here in a great series.
09:28I think it goes seven.
09:29Conference finals.
09:30It's the matchup we've wanted all year.
09:32It's the Thunder taking on the Denver Nuggets.
09:35Oklahoma City are just so good and so few weaknesses.
09:42There is part of me that's like, look, we're sleeping on Denver too much.
09:46Like I feel like people are underrating the Nuggets to a point where I want to take them
09:50and be like, no, no, no, no, no.
09:52Listen, this team is scary.
09:54Watch out for them.
09:55But I just can't get there.
09:58Oklahoma City, they've done it to everyone.
10:00They are deep.
10:01They can throw everything defensively at the Nuggets where Denver, I don't think, would
10:05be able to slow down OKC in that way.
10:09Denver protecting the basketball, I think would help them.
10:11But Oklahoma City gets this done.
10:13It'll be a great series.
10:14I think it goes six.
10:14I also think, like I have the Thunder playing nine games leading into that while the Nuggets
10:20have two battles in the first two rounds.
10:23I think that helps them out.
10:25Pistons taking on the New York Knicks.
10:28Again, I'm on the Knicks.
10:30I just did the last couple games of the season and maybe it's tricking me because, I mean,
10:35Boston was sitting, guys, in that game that they played.
10:38And I understand that.
10:40But I feel like they're a deeper team.
10:42I feel like when you go down to crunch time, sorry, clutch time, either way, I guess, Brunson
10:48can be that dude.
10:49And I think they, the one thing they need to figure out is when Brunson and Cat are on
10:53the floor, getting Cat a little bit more engaged early on.
10:56But if Mitchell Robinson is healthy, it just gives this team a different dynamic that I
11:00don't know if there's many teams in the East that can handle.
11:02So I like the Knicks here in six.
11:05So then we get to the NBA Finals.
11:07It is the Oklahoma City Thunder taking on the New York Knicks.
11:12And while, yes, I have been high on the Knicks the entire road, there is no one, and I do
11:21mean no one, that can handle what this Oklahoma City team can present.
11:29There's no way I can pick against OKC here.
11:31I think the Thunder get it done.
11:32I think the Knicks get one in the garden, and that's it.
11:35So Oklahoma City, I have them as your NBA champions for the 2026 season.
11:41Again, there's at least 15 franchises that are going to be disagreeing with me a little
11:45bit.
11:46I don't know.
11:46Portland may not put up much of a fight, actually, on this.
11:49But where do you guys disagree with me?
11:51Let me know in the comments, and we can keep the basketball conversation going.
11:57Also, watching this on YouTube, hit that share button, and let's spread the word of Couch
12:01Potato Diary, really trying to grow something here, and really trying to grow the channel.
12:04So, hit that share button, and hit up your basketball fan friends.
12:09If you want to use it as trash talk, that's fantastic.
12:11If you just want to use it as, this guy's dumb, let's talk about how dumb he is, that's
12:14fine too.
12:15I disagree, but that's fine too.
12:17But we can keep that conversation going.
12:19Hit that share button, and hit me up on social media.
12:21I am at PrimetimeKline on Instagram, X, TikTok threads, and blue sky.
12:26Until next time.
12:26Chapter 2
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