Playoffs (so far)

East

Hawks 2-2 Nets
The Nets have made the playoffs 3 straight years with 3 different coaches and never once looked like the championship contender their goofy Russian owner thinks he has.  They have enough talent to sleepwalk into the playoffs in the East but not enough to really challenge.  The Hawks were a great regular season team: they roll into your town on a Tuesday night, you think no big deal its just the Hawks, then they whip the ball around like the Spurs and you just got an L.  That's not how the playoffs work.  Playing the same team over and over again exposes your weaknesses and the Hawks haven't played their best basketball in a coupla months now.  Can the Nets really pull this series out?  I don't think so but the Hawks have to go win some ballgames, the Nets won't give up that easy.  I think the home team holds serve, Hawks in 7.

Cavs over Celtics in 4
Got chippy in the end: Love injured in a scrum with Olynyk, JR Smith suspended two games after knocking Crowder upside his head.  For a sweep it came with a lot of drama, we'll see how long it holds (if Love leaves Cleveland and Crowder leaves Boston, does anyone remember the kooky end of this series?).  The Cavs played just hard enough to win four games, easy peasy....'cept they'll be without Love and Smith when the Bulls come to town.  Lebron and Kyrie is probably good enough to get out of the East but they'll definitely have to figure it out.  And right quick.

Bulls 3-2 Bucks
This series is going like I originally thought...sorta.  I thought the Bucks would come in feisty, the Bulls would start sludgy, Bucks would sneak games 2 and 3.  The Bulls, stung from the rebuke, rally for 3 straight, winning game 6 in Milwaukee.  That is where the series currently is but not precisely how I thought they'd get here.  Instead the Bulls handily took the first two at home, stole game 3 from the sloppy youngsters and haven't bothered to play hard since.  The Bucks have outplayed the Bulls for 2.9999 of the last 3 games.  I thought the Bulls would be challenged and have their come to Jesus moment, I thought it would be earlier but now I guess I'm thinking this is it.  I thought the Bucks would win one in Chicago, I thought the Bulls would win two in Milwaukee.  Think I'm on track after all.  I'll take the Bulls in game 6.

Wizards over Raptors in 4
Are the Wizards that good or the Raptors that bad?  The winner of the Hawks-Nets series will provide the answer to that.  This Wizard team can beat the Hawks, especially a Hawks team that plays timid on the road and is suffering through some injuries....we'll see if this Wizard team really is a thing or if the Raptors are just terrible...and have transferred their fool's gold curse to the Wizards.  (cue: thunder and cacophonous laughter)  Not ready to look ahead for the Wizards just yet.


West

Warriors over Pelicans in 4
Yeah, this one went exactly to the script: Warriors are awesome, Pelicans are young and far from awesome.  Warriors did the merciful thing and killed them quickly.  I imagine those Warriors guys living out in the woods right now chopping firewood, meditating, getting the proper chi for the next round.

Rockets 3-1 Mavs
I thought the Mavs could hang but they're in turmoil, Rockets are rolling.  That said, the Mavs have veteran grit and they can score, so they snatched game 4 at home.  Not a shock.  I expect the Rockets to finish them off in game 5.

Clippers 2-2 Spurs
Going 7.  Right now it looks to me like a trio of 2-game winning streaks: Clippers won 1, Spurs won 2, now time for the Clippers to win 2 then the Spurs'll win 2.  We'll see if that holds.  I'll take the Clippers in game 5.

Grizzlies 3-1 Blazers
The Blazers looked pretty horrible in the first two games in Memphis but I thought their shooting touch would return back in Portland.  It didn't and the Grizzlies took the 3-0 lead...but then they lost Conley (still not sure what's up with him).  I don't see the Blazers winning four straight against the Grizzlies but without Conley, the Grizzlies aren't exactly loaded with scoring depth.  Game 5 in Memphis should be a pretty good match, my gut is the Grizzlies win and finish the series but if the Blazers can pull it out, they could make a run at the vulnerable Grizzlies.