If the Playoffs Started Today – NBA Week 14

By John in Celtics, NBA ⋅ February 6, 2013 at 7:03pm ⋅ Post a comment

Spurs vs Heat: Week 14's prediction for the NBA Finals

There’s not much not to like about the season 14 weeks in, unless your team is well on its way to the #1 pick. San Antonio and Miami are still in the lead, and plenty of other teams are where they were last week, with some minor changes. Of course, that means many different teams are still quite close to each other, so let’s look at what would happen if the playoffs started as of Wednesday, February 6, before the day’s games:

West

#1 San Antonio Spurs vs #8 Houston Rockets

The Spurs have pushed their winning streak to 10 games now. The Rockets may be getting better, but it’ll still be quite difficult to say the least to compete with San Antonio.

#2 Oklahoma City Thunder vs #7 Utah Jazz

The Jazz may have talent, but they still have some road woes. Oklahoma City will easily be able to take advantage of that with their superstar ability.

#3 Los Angeles Clippers vs #6 Golden State Warriors

The Clippers are streaky in a bad way once more, having lost three in a row and seven of nine. Golden State may not be #5 anymore, but they have plenty of poise and ability to beat L.A, especially if Chris Paul isn’t 100%.

#4 Memphis Grizzlies vs #5 Denver Nuggets

With seven straight wins (and a 21-3 home record), Denver is cruising. Memphis, once right up there in the West, now leads Denver solely on percentage points. Memphis is struggling to hold onto any sort of momentum, which gives Denver a dangerous edge.

East

#1 Miami Heat vs #8 Boston Celtics

As improbable as it is, Boston has won four games straight. Still, it’s hard to believe they can keep it going against a team as stacked as Miami.

#2 New York Knicks vs #7 Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee is good, but New York has once again found its groove with five straight wins. If New York can maintain chemistry with its stars, they should be fine at this rate.

#3 Indiana Pacers vs #6 Atlanta Hawks

Four straight wins have powered the Pacers up to #3. Larry Bird must be proud, especially with Atlanta in danger of dropping another seed.

#4 Chicago Bulls vs #5 Brooklyn Nets

Chicago is still hanging around up there. True, they may not be perfect, but they have Derrick Rose continuing to edge closer to a return. Joakim Noah is having foot problems himself, which may be the best thing Brooklyn could hope for in not having to face both stars at full power.