NHL
#1 Anaheim Ducks vs #3 Chicago Blackhawks
This series presents firsts for both teams. For the Blackhawks, this will be the first series where they face a legitimate offensive threat. Nashville limped into the playoffs to begin with, then had their fate sealed when they lost their best player in Shea Weber. Minnesota was the "little engine that could" story as the trade for goalie Devan Dubnyk sparked a run that allowed them to sneak into the playoffs. They were able to grind it out against the Blues, but the offensive firepower of the Hawks was too much in the next round. Anaheim, on the other hand, relies more on its scoring than relying on their goalie to hold down the fort.
The Ducks have three of the top five scorers in the postseason so far (Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Jakob Silverberg), and Hawks fans should be even more concerned after the Perry-Getzlaf line didn't do too much in Game 1, yet the Ducks still won 4-1. This team will test Duncan Keith and Co. more than anyone so far this postseason, and they will need to be up for the challenge.
For the Ducks, this will be the first complete and experienced team they have faced so far. I thought they got the easiest draw out of any of the playoff teams, particularly after Calgary beat Vancouver. Winnipeg and Calgary were fun teams to watch, and the fans in both arenas were arguably the best of anyone this postseason. Still, those two teams were young and quite frankly over matched by the Ducks in every category. The Hawks, however, bring tons of playoff experience with them, along with a defense that ranked second in goals against per game in the regular season. They also have one of the best scorers in the game in Patrick Kane, as well as one of the best all-around players in the league in Jonathan Toews. If Patrick Sharp can continue his solid play so far this postseason, the Hawks should be able to match the Ducks offensively, if a certain game turns into a shootout.
The speed of the Hawks is what could turn this series in their favor. They easily outclass the Ducks in that category and need to use it better than they did in Game 1. The Hawks had their chances, but just couldn't capitalize. They need to keep it loose and open, rather than get into a physical, mashing kind of series. The Ducks will own them if that happens. The Game 1 loss shouldn't rattle the psyche of this Hawks' team and I expect them to even up the series before heading back to the United Center. Also, Hawks fans, stop being so fickle with Corey Crawford. He's no Carey Price, but he's no jabroni either.
Prediction: Hawks in six
#1 New York Rangers vs #2 Tampa Bay Lightning
The Rangers are probably the most complete team left in the playoffs. I guess you could single out Rick Nash as their skill position superstar, but the fact is that all their lines, from one to four, have solid players. It's hard to key in on any one player and say "if we take this guy out, we give ourselves a great chance to win." The problem is, they have plenty of other guys who can, and have, picked up the slack. Add in the fact that they have the best goalie left in the playoffs (Henrik Lundqvist), and you have a team that will be hard to beat in a seven game series. They have playoff, and Stanley Cup Final, experience from last year's run, and showed their grit and determination by coming back from a 3-1 series deficit to the Caps last round.
The Lightning should be that team that is too young to know any better, but here they are in the Eastern Conference Finals. They have a young goalie in Ben Bishop who has been standing on his head so far this postseason. I've been waiting for him to crack, and he certainly has had his bad moments (see Game 4 vs Montreal), but he's done extremely well for a goalie making his postseason debut. Offensively, they're getting it done with kids still in their early twenties. Their most productive line, comprised of Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson, and Nikita Kucherov, are all under 25, and all in the Top 11 for points scored this postseason. With Steven Stamkos picking his game up, the Lightning made Carey Price look human, as they beat the Habs in six after struggling against the Red Wings in the first round.
The difference here will be the New York Ranger defense. The Rangers won a 2-1 Game 1 where Tampa only got 24 shots on goal. If they can keep that number around there for the remainder of the series, they should be in good shape. If Tampa can get out in open space and start launching shots, they will rack up the goals, no matter who is in net. The Rangers need to make it a gritty series and counter with speedsters like Carl Hagelin and Chris Kreider to get fast break opportunities. I picked the Lightning to win the Cup at the start of the playoffs, though I have my doubts. I'll still pick them to win this series and hope that Stamkos will take over at some point, but I don't feel particularly confident about this pick.
Prediction: Lightning in seven
NBA
#1 Atlanta Hawks vs #2 Cleveland Cavaliers
Based on how people feel about each of these teams, those seedings should probably be reversed. As it stands, the series will start in Atlanta, though where it will end is anyone's guess. Atlanta has been, and still is, that mystery team. You look at their roster and wonder how they got the number one seed in the first place, and how they are four wins away from playing in the NBA Finals. Their previous two series this postseason makes me even more worried about their chances. The Brooklyn Nets took them to six games, and the Wizards also dragged the series out six games. I still think that if John Wall had not gotten injured that it would be the Wiz in the Conference Finals and not the Hawks. Injuries are part of the game though, and here the Hawks are.
Let's focus on the positives for this team. For starters, similar to the New York Rangers, they really don't have that one guy that must be shut down at all costs. Cleveland has LeBron, Houston has Harden, Golden State has Curry, the Hawks have...Teague? Korver? Believe it or not, the Hawks' leading scorer this postseason is DeMarre Carroll. They are a fairly balanced team offensively as they have the outside threat with Kyle Korver, a capable big man in Al Horford, and an underrated point guard in Jeff Teague. They play decent defense, with the whole being better than the sum of its parts. They are a great free throw shooting team, so if they can get into the Bonus early and often, that will certainly be helpful to prevent those hectic Cleveland fast breaks.
Man for man, however, they are at a severe disadvantage against the Cavs. The only minor concern for the Cavs coming into this series is the health of Kyrie Irving, but I don't even think that is an issue. Irving wasn't himself against the Bulls going up against Derrick Rose, and the Cavs still won in six games with their two losses coming by a combined ten points. I imagine the Hawks will put Carroll on LeBron James, and I imagine Carroll will struggle. Jimmy Butler's defense was a significant factor in why the Bulls won two games last series and kept it close in two others. If the Hawks allow LeBron to go into Beast Mode, then this series will be very short.
The key matchup in this series will be Korver on the offensive end against Iman Shumpert. Shumpert has developed into one of the better defenders in the league, and I imagine he will be tasked with keeping Korver from getting an open three point look, as Korver runs around the floor. If the Cavs allow Korver to heat up from three, it could keep the Hawks in the series. Unfortunately for the Hawks, I think the Cavs are just too good at every position. I think LeBron has at least one signature MVP-type game towards the end of this series, and the Cavs win rather easily.
Prediction: Cavs in five
#1 Golden State Warriors vs # 2 Houston Rockets
I look at this Golden State team like the Kentucky Wildcats basketball team of this year. If they play at their best, no one can beat them. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, they play in a one-and-done format instead of a series. If the Splash Brothers are splashing, I don't think it much matters what the Rockets do. They will lose, and they will lose big. Draymond Green has also had an excellent postseason, and the big man Andrew Bogut did his share last series against the bruising combo of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. It's extremely hard to find any weakness with this team as they can beat you in a variety of ways. They have the best home court advantage in the NBA, and look destined to reach the NBA Finals.
In my opinion, there are only three things that can happen that would allow the Rockets to have a chance to pull off this monumental upset. Number one is that James Harden out-MVPs the MVP. Harden was the runner-up in MVP voting this year, and I'll bet he takes some fire into this series to show that he should have been the winner. While his supporting cast isn't nearly as strong as Curry's, Harden has the ability to carry his team and will them to a victory. Number two is that Dwight Howard becomes a monster inside. Dwight is averaging a double double with points and rebounds, to go along with two and a half blocks per game. If he can be a dominant presence inside to supplement Harden's play, then this offense could have something going. The third thing is that they simply have to hope that Golden State misses their shots. The Rockets have to contest, foul, play dirty, do whatever they can to knock the Splash Brothers off their rhythm.
In the end, I think this series, and almost each game, is a rout. The Warriors were 4-0 against them in the regular season, and I think they finish this postseason 4-0 against the Rockets. The pieces around Harden just aren't enough to deal with everything that the Warriors can throw at them. Maybe the Rockets rally for a victory down in Texas, but I doubt it. I think this will be a very quick NBA playoff round, setting up a Curry vs LeBron, Cleveland vs Golden State, NBA Finals.
Prediction: Warriors in four
Matty O
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