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Apr 14 2018

2017-2018 NBA Playoffs: The 8th Annual Bandwagon Report

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Thoughts

by Law Murray

The 2017-2018 NBA Bandwagon Report!

It’s about to go down and back up again! The 2017-2018 NBA Playoffs are here, and your host is back with the 8th annual NBA Bandwagon Report. I’m here for you, even if you aren’t here for me! So let’s get rolling!

I’m not known to make a lot of predictions at the start of the NBA playoffs. I’m not chef like Curry, I just put out situational dishes like the NBA Lightweight Report. The 2017-2018 version of the NBA Lightweight Report, released in October, doesn’t look bad in hindsight! I had one major miss. In the West, I had the Grizzlies making the playoffs instead of the Pelicans. Other than that… 15 of 16. Room for improvement!

16 teams remain with one goal! ? #NBAPlayoffs #ThisIsWhyWePlay

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Now, some of you don’t like clicking links. So I will share that, in addition to me knowing some of the playoff teams in October, I even had some of the first round matchups in place. The Lightweight Report had the following quarterfinals results in place: Boston over Milwaukee, Miami over Philadelphia, and Houston over Minnesota. Again, room for improvement! Jovan had me on IG Live giving snap judgements on all of these matchups, and he was kind enough to make sure no one forgot what we said, so here it is ICYMI:

Anyway, my role here today is to help all you casuals find a squad for at least the next couple of weeks, and perhaps the next couple of months. I’m in the school that a team has to earn their bandwagon fans, so that’s great for them. But while some bandwagons are super full, some are undeservedly shallow. We’ll take a look at all of them, and maybe I’ll get a sponsorship out of it next year (rankings are for entire season, records are 16-game splits +last two games):

EASTERN CONFERENCE


#1 – Toronto Raptors (3rd offense, 5th defense) [11-5, 12-4, 10-6, 14-2, 11-5, +1]

You know the deal with this team. People love it when their trains aren’t late, and even the Raptors are risking getting psyched out by their winless Game 1 quarterfinals record. So yeah, they’ll probably lose Game 1 again. But this is basketball team is the most well-rounded team in the Eastern Conference. They’re deep, experienced, and have top-level talent in SG DeMar DeRozan and PG Kyle Lowry. But now they defend better, and DeRozan and Lowry share the ball better, which should take the pressure off their annual spring nosedives. They’re healthy, too. For a #1 seed, this bandwagon could probably fill up better.

#8 – Washington Wizards (14th offense, 15th defense) [9-7, 8-8, 9-7, 10-6, 6-10, +1]

On one hand, you have a Wizards team that got All-Star PG John Wall back from injury and has the experience of sweeping their quarterfinals opponent three years ago despite not having homecourt advantage to start the series. But in an inconsistent Wizards season that saw them lose to bad teams all year, they saved their worst play of the season for last. The best reason to be on this bandwagon is because they can beat the Raptors. But Washington played their best this season without their best player, and this looks like a group that could be in line for a shake up if they don’t look good in Canada.

#4 – Cleveland Cavaliers (5th offense, 29th defense) [9-7, 14-2, 6-10, 9-7, 11-5, +1]

It’s LeBron James season! And for the first time ever, James enters the playoffs after playing in every regular season game! The Cavaliers had like five different seasons: the slow start as Isaiah Thomas was getting healthy, the peak right before Thomas debuted, the valley as Thomas and others were exposed, the trade honeymoon, and now players like PF Kevin Love getting healthy in time to win the division. James is trying to lead a fourth straight Finals trip, and no other team in the East has shown they have what it takes to beat James four times in the playoffs since The Decision. But this defense is terrible, and James’ offseason decision looms.

#5 – Indiana Pacers (12th offense, 14th defense) [8-8, 10-6, 8-8, 11-5, 10-6, +1]

Nobody was feeling the Pacers. But they were never bad at any point in the season. In fact, they were quite good at times. SG Victor Oladipo is a two-way problem, taking on a heavy load of offense while playing a major role in one of the most larcenous defenses in the league. They have the LeBron James postseason problem to deal with, and they’re not especially deep – and C Myles Turner is ice cold. But they’re going to be a tough out.

#2 – Boston Celtics (18th offense, 1st defense) [14-2, 11-5, 9-7, 10-6, 10-6, +1]

This bandwagon is banged up and running on replacement parts. Boston lost SF Gordon Hayward in the season opener, and PG Kyrie Irving wasn’t able to finish the season. All-Irritant first teamer Marcus Smart is also racing to be available after undergoing thumb surgery. But Boston still has All-Star C Al Horford to lead the defense, along with the twin #3 picks that Danny Ainge stole from Billy King. Brad Stevens is used to coaching with the odds stacked against his lot, so it makes little sense to discount Boston. It’s just that their ceiling isn’t too high, either.

#7 – Milwaukee Bucks (7th offense, 17th defense) [8-8, 9-7, 9-7, 8-8, 9-7, +1]

If you like jumping on bandwagons with interim head coaches, this is the bandwagon for you! I have no idea why folks thought the Bucks should have been better this season, with or especially without Jason Kidd as head coach. Now Joe Prunty is leading the sideline, and while Milwaukee is getting healthy (Jabari Parker, Malcolm Brogdon, and Matthew Dellavedova are all healthy after missing significant parts of the season), this bandwagon is all about PF Giannis Antetokounmpo. Simply put, he has to go godlevel for Milwaukee to finally get out of the first round for the first time since 2001.

#3 – Philadelphia 76ers (11th offense, 3rd defense) [9-7, 5-11, 10-6, 11-5, 15-1, +2]

Philadelphia won 10 games in 2015-2016. They are entering the 2018 postseason on a 16-game win streak. That’s cool, but the red flags remain. This is the maiden postseason trip for Brett Brown as a head coach, and rookie* (I kid!) Ben Simmons, super-soph PF Dario Saric, veteran Robert Covington (he didn’t appear in any of the 2014 Rockets playoff games), and injured C Joel Embiid. If Embiid can make it back to impactful shape, then perhaps the 76ers can make some noise. Trust. The. Process.

#6 – Miami Heat (20th offense, 7th defense) [7-9, 10-6, 10-6, 7-9, 9-7, +1]

Miami is another low-ceiling team that doesn’t have one player that will draw you in. All-Star PG Goran Dragic is the best bet, while C Hassan Whiteside will be hyped to possibly see The Process in Round 1. Perhaps the best reason to be on the Miami bandwagon is head coach Erik Spoelstra, the one head coach in the East field with multiple rings and a flexible approach to his roster that allows them to possibly match up with Philadelphia’s powerful peak lineup.

This year’s Bandwagon Report brought to you by the following hashtags

WESTERN CONFERENCE

#1 – Houston Rockets (2nd offense, 6th defense) [12-4, 13-3, 10-6, 16-0, 13-3, +1]

The Rockets added PG Chris Paul, and SG James Harden elevated his game to near-MVP lock status. Houston defended at a level that is consistent with legitimate championship contention, long a criticism of a Mike D’Antoni coached team. They had the most impressive stretch of any team this season (almost, 76ers). No one trusts Harden or Paul in May. If you do, then stay on the bandwagon, it could be a special ride!

#8 – Minnesota Timberwolves (4th offense, 23rd defense) [10-6, 9-7, 11-5, 8-8, 7-9, +2]

I was very happy that Minnesota made the playoffs. First time in 14 years. SG Jimmy Butler came back in time to aid fellow All-Star C Karl-Anthony Towns and the enigmatic SF Andrew Wiggins. While it’s always exciting to see a team finally break through, it was clear that watching Minnesota was just about as exhausting as their players might have been after a game under Tom Thibodeau. The Timberwolves should be happy if they can win a game against the Rockets.

#4 – Oklahoma City Thunder (10th offense, 10th defense) [7-9, 10-6, 11-5, 9-7, 9-7, +2]

For all the outside noise surrounding the Thunder (close early losses, Carmelo Anthony’s fit, the slow start, Paul George’s free agency), PG Russell Westbrook averaged a triple-double again and Oklahoma City is hosting Game 1. The key to their success is C Steven Adams on the offensive glass. OKC will need as many extra possessions as they can get.

#5 – Utah Jazz (15th offense, 2nd defense) [6-10, 8-8, 6-10, 14-2, 13-3, +1]

Look, if you wrote the Jazz off in January, it’s because the Jazz were not playing well and didn’t look like they would have an extra gear. That was with rookie SG Donovan Mitchell going off on a regular basis. C Rudy Gobert’s ability to stay on the floor in the second half of the season made Utah’s defense impenetrable. This is the bandwagon to be on if you like air-tight defense and Napoleanistic award campaigns.

#2 – Golden State Warriors (1st offense, 9th defense) [12-4, 14-2, 12-4, 14-2, 7-9, +1]

Winning is hard. The Warriors have done it for long enough that their poor stretch to end the season was like an out of body experience. They’re the defending champions, but not having PG Stephen Curry makes them a lot less scary. Now that they have important games to play again, it’s probably a safe bet to stick with the Warriors bandwagon. But no one thinks they’ll sweep the West playoffs again, so appreciate Golden State’s adversity. It adds to our entertainment!

#7 – San Antonio Spurs (17th offense, 4th defense) [10-6, 12-4, 8-8, 7-9, 9-7, +1]

The Spurs are just fortunate to be here after a season that was dominated by SF Kawhi Leonard injury drama, especially after the All-Star Break. Not seeing San Antonio win 50 games was jarring for many. Trusting in head coach Gregg Popovich is easy. But now, they need All-Star C LaMarcus Aldridge to make up for his poor 2017 West finals against Golden State immediately.

#3 – Portland Trail Blazers (16th offense, 8th defense) [9-7, 7-9, 10-6, 12-4, 10-6, +1]

Portland, as usual, played better in the second half of the season than the first. But they were also the best and most consistent of the West teams outside of clear contenders Houston and Golden State, and most of that can be attributed to PG Damian Lillard continuing to elevate his game as a scorer while C Jusuf Nurkic anchored a top-10 defense. The Portland bandwagon has an unclear ceiling, as injured SF Maurice Harkless is a much better fit in their lineup than SF Evan Turner, and Portland isn’t exactly one of those ball movement heavy teams that you all seem to enjoy.

#6 – New Orleans Pelicans (9th offense, 12th defense) [8-8, 8-8, 11-5, 11-5, 8-8, +2]

A funny thing happened after All-Star C DeMarcus Cousins went down with a torn Achilles’ tendon in January: The Pelicans got better. Most of that can be attributed to PF Anthony Davis making a belated MVP push, producing the kind of statlines that dominate games in reality and fantasy. But New Orleans also changed their playing style, going faster and allowing midseason acquisition Nikola Mirotic to supplement Davis with his shooting and rebounding. SG Jrue Holiday reminded people that he has All-Star level talent. New Orleans moved the ball. New Orleans doesn’t have great depth and they’re still asking their fans to show up for games. But just having The Brow is enough to field a healthy bandwagon.

-1SKILLZ

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