The Feather

The NBA Playoffs are a thrilling time to be a basketball fan. You have four rounds of a seven -game series in the Western and Eastern conferences. The quality of defense and foul calls steps up in the playoffs because the best of the best refs are calling the games. This makes for some exciting basketball to watch on the big screen.

FCS alumnus Henry Baker, ’21, who played basketball and now coaches the JV team, is looking forward to the playoffs.

”I would say the defending champs are still the favorite. Outside of that, the rest of the playoffs have been chaos; a lot of series are tied, and there could be a lot of upsets. We don’t know what’s going to happen,” Baker said.

There are eight teams in the Western and Eastern Conferences, and the NBA playoffs tip off with the first round, followed by the second round, the Western and Eastern Conference finals, and the NBA finals. All of these series are best-of-seven games, so the first team to win four games wins the series.

Here’s the lowdown on the matchups:

1-seed Pistons vs. 8-seed Magic

The Detroit Pistons have the best record in the Eastern Conference and will play the Orlando Magic, who overall had a disappointing season but still snuck into the playoffs as the 8 seed. 

 I do think the Pistons will win this series. I think they are the better team with Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren. The Magic, who are led by Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane, could make it a competitive series.

2-seed Celtics vs. 7-seed 76ers 

The Boston Celtics have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference despite being without Jason Tatum for half of the season. Jaylen Brown has been playing like a top 6 NBA player, having the best season of his career. The 76ers won their first play in game, earning the 7 seed. 

The 76ers’ biggest news is that Joel Embiid was diagnosed with appendicitis; he will most likely miss most of the first round. The 76ers do still have Tyrese Maxey, who has been playing great this year, and veteran Paul George, along with a top-three rookie VJ Edgecombe. The Celtics blew out the 76ers in Game 1 by 32 points. I think the Celtics will definitely win this series with ease.

3-seed Knicks vs. 6-seed Hawks

The New York Knicks finished with the 3 seed in the Eastern Conference for the third straight year. The Knicks are led by Jalen Brunson and Karl Anthony Towns. They have been a good team all season long, including winning the in-season tournament. They are playing the Atlanta Hawks, who exceeded expectations, making the playoffs.  

The Hawks haven’t made the playoffs since 2024, and are thrilled to be back. The Hawks are led by Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. The Hawks beat the Knicks in 5 games in 2021, and the Knicks fans hated the Hawks ever since. It was worse when Trae Young was still on the Hawks. I think the Knicks are going to win this series in an easy way, but this was a strong season for the Hawks.

4-seed Cavaliers vs. 5-seed Raptors

The Cleveland Cavaliers finished with the one seed last year and got off to a slow start this year, but they still secured the 4 seed. They are led by Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, and Evan Mobley. They are playing the Toronto Raptors, who are happy to be back in the Playoffs. They haven’t been in the playoffs since 2022. They are led by Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram. I think the Cleveland Cavaliers will easily win this series.

1-seed Thunder vs. 8-seed Suns

The OKC Thunder have finished with the number 1 seed in the Western Conference for the third straight year, coming off a finals win last year. They are trying to go back-to-back; no team has done it since the 2017/2018 Warriors. 

The Thunder have the most likely MVP winner in Shai Gilegeous Alexnader, along with Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. They also have a very deep roster with many players on the bench contributing to the game as well. The Suns went 1-1 in the play in earring the 8 seed. The Suns’ best players are Devin Booker and Jalen Green. I think the Thunder are the best team in the NBA and will win this series with ease.

2-seed Spurs vs. 7-seed Blazers 

The Spurs haven’t been in the playoffs since 2019, and they are back as the 2 seed in the Western Conference. Their best player, Victor Wembanyama, is an MVP Finalist and won the Defensive Player of the Year unanimously for the first time in NBA history. They also have Deaaron Fox and Stephon Castle. They are playing the Portland Trail Blazers, who haven’t been in the playoffs for a couple of years. 

The Blazers won their first play in game against the Spurs, led by Deni Avdija, Jrue Holiday, and Scoot Henderson. As of April 22, Victor Wembumaba suffered a concussion and could be out for some time. This could hurt the Spurs in this series. I still think the Spurs will get the job done. 

NBA fan and Warriors fan Caleb Eldridge, ‘26, has some takes.”I think going into the series with Victor Wembymba healthy, the Spurs could’ve swept them or won in five games, but in game two, Wembymba suffered a concussion, fully switching the Momentum and flow of the series, and now the Blazers could win in five or six games. That’s how much the Spurs rely on Wembeymba,” Eldridge said.

3-seed Nuggets vs. 6-seed Timberwolves

The Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves play each other a lot in the playoffs. In the last two series they played in the playoffs, the Nuggets won one, and the Timberwolves won one. The Nuggets, who won the NBA finals back in 2023, are led by Nikola Jokic, arguably the best player in the NBA, with Jammal Murray as well. 

The Timberwolves have Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle, and Rudy Gobert. They match up well with the Nuggets, with Gobert able to guard Jokic. I think this series will go to seven games, but I believe the Nuggets will come out on top.

4-seed Lakers vs. 5-seed Rockets

We are going to see a LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant matchup in the first round. They haven’t played each other in the playoffs since the finals in 2018. The Lakers will be without Luka Doncic for the rest of the series, and Austin Reaves will be out for the whole series, so Lebron James and upcoming star Luke Kennard will have a big workload. They are playing the Rockets, who have Kevin Durant through the Regular season; they put a lot of pressure on Durant.

 Christian Martinez,’26, a big Lebron James fan, has some opinions on this series.”We don’t know how much longer we have with LeBron James and Kevin Durant in the NBA, and getting two veterans leading their teams is exciting, especially in the playoffs. The Rockets especially have a good young team as well with Alpren Sengun and Amen Thompson,” Martinez said.

The Rockets also have Alperun Sengun and Amen Thompson. Even though the Lakers are injured, I still have a feeling they will beat the Rockets in the first round.

The NBA playoffs are a very exciting two months, and you never know what you’re going to get out of them. Upsets are probably going to happen, and some players will get injured. There are surprises every day. That’s something basketball fans can count on.

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