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I think so too, which won't bother me too much since it's felt inevitable but it is a bit of a shame since it feels like it's driven entirely by narrative and the instant impression one gets from a triple-double.  As Viced mentioned, the Thunder are really no better than they were always expected to be (in fact I'd say they're worse given their overreliance on Westbrook) but ever since Durant left there's been a narrative for Westbrook as MVP along with the ongoing question of whether he was going to average a triple-double so it's been like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I'd also like to see Gobert get a vote.  He'll be in the top 2 for DPOY and has been a hell of a player all-around on what has quietly been one of the better teams in the league.  That style of play just doesn't jump out to voters, though, unless it's the Spurs so I'm not getting my hopes up for him to get a mention.

What is it with you guys and playoffs? Seems to be a mental problem more than anything.

Credit to Utah though, lost one of their best players in Gobert early on but still found a way to win.

You'll have to wait for the one and only Austin Rivers to come back. 

Now that we've seen a game in each series, what's everyone's predictions?

Bulls vs. Celtics - Celtics in 7. The Bulls don't have much shooting, but they've got some veterans in Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo who play best when the lights are brights along with Jimmy Butler who might be the best player on the floor at both ends of the court. They just took homecourt away, kept their TNT streak alive, and look primed to give the Celtics everything they can handle. In the end, though, I think the Celtics have the depth and offensive chemistry to scrape by.

Pacers vs. Cavaliers - Cavaliers in 6. The Cavs continue to have their defensive struggles while Paul George balls out of his mind and I see little to no reason why I wouldn't expect that to continue for the most part. For all the defensive struggles, though, the Cavs still do a damn good job getting the ball in the basket especially from 3 and LeBron James is LeBron James so I don't see it going the full 7.

Bucks vs. Raptors - Bucks in 6. The length and versatility of Giannis and the Bucks pose a matchup nightmare for a Raptors squad that always has some trouble in the playoffs. Unless Lowry, DeRozan, and especially Ibaka (the one guy who could match the length of the Bucks) step up their games, I see the Bucks getting the upset.

Hawks vs. Wizards - Wizards in 5. Wizards are just too good offensively for me to expect much of a fight from the Hawks. John Wall will dominate this series.



Trail Blazers vs. Warriors - Warriors in 5. Trail Blazers played about as well as one could reasonably expect from them and they still lost by 12, so I feel like I'm actually being a little generous in giving them a win in this series. The Warriors have 4 guys that can kill you on a given night and the superior bench squad, so this should be a relatively easy series for them.

Grizzlies vs. Spurs - Spurs in 4. Yeah, the Grizzlies are outmatched here in every way.

Thunder vs. Rockets - Rockets in 5. The game last night was about what I expected from the Thunder: Westbrook taking a bunch of threes and missing them, turning the ball over a ton, and giving up open looks to the Rockets. They were lucky that the Rockets shot subpar from three or it would have looked even worse. James Harden will control the tempo of the series, facilitate good ball movement to get his guys open looks, and draw a ton of fouls to get more points on the board. Russell Westbrook will have a lot of games like last night, and then come up huge in one game with one of his ridiculous triple-doubles that will be the talk of every sports writer and get a bunch of people on social media to say he should be MVP. And the Rockets will take the series in a relative cakewalk.

Jazz vs. Clippers - Clippers in 6. If Rudy Gobert was 100% healthy, this would be Jazz in 6 but his absence gives a supreme rebounding edge to the Clippers as well as leaves a vulnerability on the defensive end. The Clippers have a lot of chemistry problems and I think this is the year to trade one of their stars, but I think Chris Paul can execute a Gobert-less gameplan and will the team through the series.

Bulls vs. Celtics - It's maybe the toughest to call. Celtics look a much better team, where as the Bulls are kind of a mess, but they've got a few guys in there with the playoff experience and ability to just flip things on their head if they have a good day. Thomas looked fine last night, but clearly less intense than normal, and who can say how things will go for him over the coming week or so. Maybe... Celtics in 7.


Pacers vs. Cavaliers - I thought that game 1 was so telling. A team on a 4 game losing streak, and a team on a 5 game winning streak, and the Cavs found the way through. I could definitely see the Pacers taking one if George keeps leading the charge like he did in game 1, but I'd say Cavs in 5.


Bucks vs. Raptors - I hate the Raptors so much. They've proven beyond a doubt for me they're one of those phony regular season teams that can't handle the playoffs (poor Hassan Whiteside last year) how bad was Lowry in game 1? Jesus. I thought adding Ibaka might change things for them, but Bucks were so good in that third quarter, they were so cool headed and composed. Giannis is another guy who deserves to be in MVP talk for me. I'd go with them in 5, maybe 6.


Hawks vs. Wizards - Man, this game was boring... I would say Wizards in 5, I don't think they looked that great, but Wall is a beast.

Trail Blazers vs. Warriors - I was absolutely shocked how long the Blazers hung with them last night. They're a team I have zero interest in whatsoever, but Lillard and CJ were beastly. Still, you saw last night how it's impossible to go toe to toe with them for 4 quarters, let alone maintaining it game after game. I'd think Warriors in 4.


Grizzlies vs. Spurs - I was really worried heading into this series, even with the Grizzlies not looking as good as they had earlier in the season. Are Parsons and Allen coming back? I definitely think that can change things. I'd say Spurs in 5.


Thunder vs. Rockets - Yeah, I pretty much agree with your analysis. I became big, big fans of Kanter and Adams in that series with the Spurs last year, but this is obviously a whole other proposition. It was surprising how close it remained for so long last night, but yes, maybe Rockets in 5.


Jazz vs. Clippers - It breaks my freaking heart what happened to Gobert, because this series would have been magic with him in there. I guess I would give the edge to the Clippers on account of that, but I was surprised how well the Jazz pulled together. I'd say Clippers in 6.

I don't understand it either. Kanter guarantees you points off the bench and as great as he played, Westbrook needed help as there wasn't much production from the rest of the team.

The defensive problems Kanter had with Harden is a good point but I still think he was needed on the floor for much longer, especially when the game was still close as the 4th QT winded down. Those extra buckets could have pushed OKC over the line. But no one else was hitting for them so Westbrook obviously had to take it upon himself and he isn't going to make every shot. On the flip side, Rockets have the likes of Gordon, Lou Williams and of course Harden that can make baskets in clutch situations. Houston simply have too much firepower and it's going to be difficult for OKC now.

There goes LeBron being unstoppable again.

I just find it a little hard to put some blame on his supporting cast when they are all but ignored on one side of the ball by the guy who runs the offense with a greener light than Curry.  The team had been playing well for three quarters, and Westbrook has so little trust in them that he'll take stupid shots instead of passing it to wide-open teammates ready for a pass that was never in the realm of possibility of coming to them.  Even if just for the sake of keeping the defense honest, Westbrook needs to facilitate ball movement if he wants any chance of making this a competitive series since he just blew a chance at going back home tied 1-1.

Rondo broke his thumb

I really hope CP3 wins a chip before his time ends; still my favourite PG in the league.