Finally we reach the most exciting time in the NBA season year: The Playoffs! US Sportsbooks anticipate one of the most thrilling competition in NBA history. Well, that is until the Finals are here. The Western Conference will have one of the toughest races to the Finals, with two of the most talented teams in the past decade racing head to head. We’ve already covered the Warriors, today we cover the Spurs. A fantastic team that will have their work cut out for them in the coming series, with some tough obstacles in the way.
Spurs vs Grizzlies
The Spurs will reach the series as the undoubted favorites, with the expectancy to put this series past them as quickly as possible, to reach the second round sooner. The Spurs will also want to get this first series out the way quick, to shake off the funk from last year’s playoffs where they got eliminated on the first round by the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games. US Sportsbooks will have them as strong favorites all throughout the series, and they will dominate from the starting tip off to the final buzzer.
Memphis on the other hand reached the playoffs barely, heavily impacted by injuries, and forced to rely on young players to step up and put up good performances. Despite gathering a good group of talent and players that have managed to have decent performances, they will not be able to compete with the experienced San Antonio offense. This series will be over in at least 5 games. With Spurs moving on, looking strong.
Thunder vs Mavericks
The Oklahoma City Thunder is at risk at becoming the Seattle Supersonics of this generation: an exceptionally talented team, with bonafied superstar players that have all the potential to reach that next level, but deflate when they enter the playoffs. With the constant chatter in the media and sportsbooks reviews that both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook might leave OKC soon, this might be the Thunder’s swan song. This will add more intensity to the fire and push the Thunder to try to make the most of this opportunity. They are the favorites to win this series and really put the Spurs and the Warriors to the test.
The Mavericks have found a groove that allowed them to navigate this season and reach the playoffs, even though at times it seemed like they might be heading for an early off-season. US Sportsbooks has them as the underdogs in this series but they are capable to make the Thunder sweat both at home and away. However, it is concerning that on the final games of the season Dallas seemed to have lost some of the drive they had, even losing to the Spurs’ bench with their starters on the court. This doesn’t seem like a good sign coming into a series with resourced Thunder team that is determined to reach the NBA finals. In the end, this series might go longer that the Thunder might want to go, but when it comes down to it they will move on to face the Spurs after six games.
