It takes 16 wins in the playoffs to lift the Larry Obrien trophy, and now four teams are eight victories away from claiming the prize. In the preseason, it is hard to imagine any analyst or fan predicting that the final four would be the Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Yes, these teams have traveled different paths to this moment and will captivate our attention for the next two weeks. It will be interesting to see which young rising superstar can solidify their legacy by taking their team to the top of the mountain. In this article, we will preview the matchups and predict the winners.
1. 6. Indiana Pacers vs 1. Boston Celtics
It will be a fun matchup. The Celtics and Pacers were the best offenses in the league during the regular season. The key for the Pacers’ offense is attacking early in the shot clock, forcing fastbreaks, and nailing teams from the three-point line. The Celtics have a similar offensive philosophy, but it will be important for Boston to dictate the pace. Tyrese Haliburton is the backbone of the Pacers’ offense and emerged as the MVP of their series against the Knicks by turning around a 6-point performance in Game 1 to averaging 21.3 points and 7.0 assists per game. However, Halliburton will find life tougher against the Celtics’ defense because he averaged only 15.8 points per game in 4 regular season games. A fun matchup in this series will be Payton Pritchard vs T.J. McConnell who has similar roles as the spark off the bench. The big question looming over the series is whether Kristaps Porzingis will feature after injuring his calf in the first round. The Pacers will look to exploit the matchup through Miles Turner, Obi Toppin, and Pascal Siakam. Despite the Pacers’ potential advantage over AL Horford, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown need to show they are the best two players on the court and make their experience at this stage of the playoffs count. I think the Pacers will make this a difficult series, but the Celtics have the better defense, and I think they will show it with a shot at the NBA Finals at stake.
Celtics win in 6 games.
2. 4. Dallas Mavericks vs 3. Minnesota Timberwolves
The Game 7 comeback from 20 points down in the Mile High City will live in the folklore if the Timberwolves finish the job by winning the championship. The Mavericks were just as impressive in overcoming a double-digit deficit to close out the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder at home. The top headline in this series is a matchup of Anthony Edwards vs Kyrie Irving. In the Game 7 postgame interview, Edwards embraced the challenge of facing the dynamic point guard. It will be a fascinating matchup of shot-makers, trash trash-talkers, and Luka Doncic might even upstage the duo. Another fascinating matchup in this series is the battle for the paint. If you love a matchup of defense, then the Timberwolves vs Mavericks will not disappoint. The Timberwolves were the top defense in the regular season and Dallas has been the best defense after the tradeline. The Maverick’s acquisition of Daniel Gafford, and PJ Washington along with Dereck Lively has given this team toughness, grit, and defense. However, Minnesota can equally match the Mavericks’ size with Rudy Gobert, Karl Anthony-Towns and Naz Reid. I think this will be a tight series, and I will not be surprised if both teams win on the opposing team’s home floor. It will come down to a game 7, and I favor Minnesota winning at home with their depth propelling them to victory.
Timberwolves win in 7 games.