NBA Western Conference Playoffs 2020 First Round

The time that we were all waiting for has finally arrived because the NBA Playoffs begin today.  The Western Conference is sort of wide open because a player could really get hot and put a team out in a seven-game series.  Here are the four match-ups in the first round.

#1 Los Angeles Lakers vs #8 Portland Trail Blazers.  Portland PG Damian Lillard has been the best player in the NBA bubble in Orlando by having the highest-scoring game over the past month when he scored 61 against the Dallas Mavericks.  However, the Lakers counter with the best duo in the NBA this season with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.  This series will be closer than you think because Portland is not a typical #8 seed.

#4 Houston Rockets vs #5 Oklahoma City Thunder.  When Oklahoma City traded Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul, many experts thought that OKC was going to be a lottery team and that Houston would have a chance to contend for a championship.  However, both teams are playing each other in the first round.

#3 Denver Nuggets vs #6 Utah Jazz.  These two teams from the mountainous region of the USA have a mountain at center in Denver’s Nikola Jokic and in Utah’s Rudy Gobert.  Personally, the only way Utah wins this series is if Gobert can spread the coronavirus to everybody once again.

#2 Los Angeles Clippers vs #7 Dallas Mavericks.  The Clippers are the deepest team in the NBA.  They will need that depth in order to contain Mavs PG Luka Doncic in this series.  If you like scoring, then this series will definitely be the one to watch.