The ultimate analysis of the eight pairs of the NBA playoffs

The big time has come for NBA fans. The playoffs start today (April 16) with four games. The top 16 teams (8 from East and 8 from West) are thrown into battle and strive for the championship.

Among them, of course, are Giannis Antitokoumbo’s Bucks, who want to defend their scepters like last year’s champions.

That Sportish using InStat Scout, presents the 8 pairs and analyzes what is valid in each of them.

EAST

Miami Heat (1)-Atlanta Hawks (8)
What have you done in each other’s games this year?: The teams have faced each other 4 times this year with Miami claiming 3 wins. However, three of their four games were rated with a difference of less than 6 points.
The first fives: Lowry, Robinson, Butler, Tucker, Adebayo – Young, Herter, Hunter, Galinari (Collins injured), Hats
The rotation: Vincent, Hiro, Strauss, Martin, Morris, Dentmon – Wright, Williams, Bogdanovic, Luau-Cabaro, Zheng, Okongu
What InStat says: The Hawks became the second team in the NBA in pick and roll to play ball handlers, with Trey Young ranking first among players with 11.4 attempts (and 1.06 points per possession). The Heat are one of the best teams in defense and roll in the league, receiving just .89 points per possession in a situation like this.
In a few words: Pair with favorite and underdog. Miami was the best team in the East by record, but the Hawks finished the season strong. Trey Young’s branding is key to the Heat in this series because if they limit it, they have no problem. For its part, Atlanta is hoping the fall takes place and has the injured John Collins available while the fire burns in the Clint Capella case.

Boston Celtics (2)-Brooklyn Nets (7)
What have you done in each other’s games this year?: The two teams have met 4 times, with the Celtics recording 3 wins.
The first fives: Smart, Brown, Tatum, Horford, Thais (Robert Williams is injured) – Carrie, Irving, Durand, Brown, Drummond
The rotation: White, Pritchard, Richardson, G. Williams – Mills, Thomas, Edwards, Aldridge, Claxton
What InStat says: The Celtics had the best defense after the All Star Break while accepting just .94 points per possession this year. The Nets, however, have two of the best scorers in modern NBA history in Kevin Durand and Kyrie Irving while they are averaging 1.03 points per possession this year.
In a few words: One of the most open pairs, if not the most open pair, in the first round of the playoffs. On one side is the Celtics, who were battling for a play-in tournament spot after the All Star Break with their best NBA defense from 7th-8th to 2nd-east East to lose Robert Williams, who some, possibly can catch several games in the series.

On the other side are the Nets, who haven’t looked like a team all season but have excellent points. What makes things even more special is the possibility of Ben Simmons stepping on the floor at some point, as was hinted at in Brooklyn.

Milwaukee Bucks (3)-Chicago Bulls (6)
What have you done in each other’s games this year?: The two teams have met 4 times, with the Bucks prevailing in all games.
The first fives: Holiday, Matthews, Middleton, G. Antetokunbo, Lopez – Dosunmu, Lavin, DeRozan, Williams, Vucevic
The rotation: Carter, Allen, Conaton, Ibaka, Portis, Hill, Th. Antitokunbo – Caruso, White, Green, Jones, Thompson
What InStat says: In the absence of a good blocker, the Bulls let their opponents shoot 61% of the shots in the “painted”, in a mediocre number. In the 4 games between the Bucks and the Bulls, Giannis Antetokounbo had a 76% shot under-basket rate.
In a few words: It’s difficult to find a game between #3 and #6 in a ranking that seems so one-sided. However, based on the picture and the numbers, this is exactly what happens in the Bucks series with the Bulls.

Milwaukee are in excellent shape while Chicago finished the season panting. If the “Bulls” hadn’t started so well they might have been left out of the 6th team and paid for a bunch of injuries, the most serious being that of Lonzo Ball. Chicago is a given that has no answer for John, with the Bulls knowing DeRozan and Lavin have to do terrible things to have hope.

Toronto Raptors (5) vs Philadelphia 76ers (4)
What have you done in each other’s games this year?: The two teams have met four times, with the Raptors claiming three wins. Three of the four games were scored with a 5-point difference and the fourth with a 6-point difference.
The first fives: Harden, Maxi, Taiboul, Harris, Ebid – VanVlit, Trent, Anunobi, Barnes, Shiakam
The rotation: Milton, Green, Korkmaz, Niang, Jordan – Flynn, Bandon, Young, Bushe, Atsua, Bertz
What InStat says: James Harden played the Raptors three times. He played his best game as a τς Nets player with 28 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists in November. In the two games he played as a Sixers player against the Canadians, he averaged just 15 points and 11.5 assists on 33.3% shots and 12.5% ​​three-pointers, while on those he averaged just 0, 75 points per possession season, he scored 0.95 points per possession.
In a few words: The Raptors are – on paper – one of the worst possible opponents for the Sixers. The fact that they’ve beaten her three times in the regular season, and that they have their way of giving James Harden a hard time, proves it. Of course, Joel Ebid is still the best player in the series.

Toronto is a special team. When the rotation slows down, he only has one player under 1.95m (VanVlit) throwing a lot of half-size bodies on the ground. At the same time, the Sixers have to consider that they will not have the – unvaccinated – Matthias Taiboul, their best defenseman, at their disposal at the games in Canada.

WEST

Phoenix Suns (1) – New Orleans Pelicans (8)
What have you done in each other’s games this year?: In four games they faced, the Suns had three wins. All games were rated with a two-digit point difference.
The first fives: Paul, Booker, Bridges, Crowder, Eaton – McCollum, Jones, Ingram, Hayes, Valenciunas
The rotation: Payne, Samet, Johnson, Craig, McGee, Bigombo – Alvarado, Marshall, Murphy, Nancy, Hernangomet, Graham
What InStat says: The Suns had the third best offense in the NBA based on offensive rating (points per 100 ball possessions) with 1.03 points per ball possession. The Pelicans only had the 18th best defense based on defense rating (points received per 100 possessions), with a passive 1.01 points per possession.
In a few words: The Suns are the absolute favorite of this series. The Phoenix… rode the entire regular season while the Pelicans struggled to get from the play-ins to the playoffs.

Of course, New Orleans is still a dangerous team. Playing with 4 players over 2.01m tall in the top 5 can create some issues, while if Zion Williamson steps down in any way then they will definitely be strengthened. Despite this, owning one is still out of reach for the average person.

Memphis Grizzlies (2) – Minnesota Timberwolves (7)
What have you done in each other’s games this year?: The two teams shared wins in their 4 games this year.
The first fives: Morand, Bane, Brooks, Jackson, Adams – Russell, Beverly, Edwards, Vanderbilt, Cities
The rotation: Jones, Melton, Williams, Anderson, Clark, Konchar – Beasley, Novell, Okoji, McDaniels, Reed
What InStat says: The Grizzlies and Wolves are playing at the same pace this year with 109.6 possessions per game – third fastest in the league – with the Wolves doing better (1 point per possession, compared to 0.98 for the Grizzlies). However, Memphis plays better defense, earning 0.97 points per possession versus Wolves’ 0.99.
In a few words: Two youth teams in search of their place in the NBA. The only thing that is certain is that both will give their all. The Morand – Beverly couple will have their own interests, but the same goes for Towns – Adams. Will Beverly manage to annoy Morand? Will Adams upset Towns? Those are two important questions, especially since the trio Brooks, Jackson, Bane on the one hand and the duo Russell-Edwards on the other have the ability to shift the balance.

Denver Nuggets (6) – Golden State Warriors (3)
What have you done in each other’s games this year?: The two teams met 4 times, with the Nuggets taking the lion’s share with 3 wins.
The first fives: Carrie, Thompson, Wiggins, Green, Looney – Morris, Burton, Gordon, Jeff Green, Jokic
The rotation: Poole, Lee, Iguodala, Porter, Bielitsa, Peyton, Kuminga – Highland, Rivers, Forbes, Jam Green, Cousins
What InStat saysIn the 4 games the Warriors faced this year, Jokic averaged 28 points, 15.5 rebounds and 8.8 assists. Another 20.8 points came from those assists
In a few words: The question mark surrounding Steph Curry’s presence is the first thing that concerns everyone. Additionally, while the Warriors’ clash with the Nuggets is interesting, Denver — even without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter — generally…doesn’t fit Golden State, apparently because of Nikola Jokic.

The Nuggets are a foregone conclusion that they will fight in hopes that they will see Murray on the floor at some point. However, if Carrie is good, the nuggets will have to work hard to change the dates.

Dallas Mavericks (4) – Utah Jazz (5)
What have you done in each other’s games this year?: The two teams met four times and shared the wins
The first fives: Doncic, Branson, Bullock, Phineas-Smith, Powell – Conley, Mitchell, Bogdanovic, O’Neill, Gomber
The rotation: Dingwidi, Green, Bertans, Kleber, Marianovic – Clarkson, House, Gay, Pascal, Whiteside
What InStat says: In the 3 games he played against the Jazz, Luka Doncic averaged 30 points but – mainly – 1.04 points per game, while also sharing 7.7 assists, resulting in another 19.3 points per game led.
In a few words: Luka Doncic’s injury overshadowed everything in this series. The Slovenian will definitely lose Game 1 and it’s possible he’ll lose Game 2 as well, giving the Jazz an opportunity to gain momentum.

The Jazz automatically became the series favorite at the moment as long as they took advantage of the Slovenian’s absence. They have a trio of players who traditionally play well against Dallas (Mitchell, Clarkson, Bogdanovic) and need to show character as they anticipate an (unprepared) Doncic. If the Mavs manage to hold out, that says a lot. For both teams…