00:08a man I absolutely consider ducking the
00:11smoke this year this postseason the
00:13series are not as cut and dry as a lot
00:15of them last year were if you recall in
00:17the 2023 predictions I believe I only
00:20got a total of two series wrong in the
00:21whole bracket I think I will exceed this
00:24number in the first round alone outside
00:27of 1 and8 it feels almost any of the
00:30could go either way there's so many
00:31different factors ranging from on court
00:34play to the injury certain guys are
00:35dealing with and when they'll be back
00:37you'll find as I'm going through these I
00:39as far as making a decision I just don't
00:41know what to do yet I still will make
00:43decisions the only thing I know for
00:45certain the only thing I would bet on is
00:47these playoffs are about to be a banger
00:49which you can also bet on with
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01:39Sportsbook I guess I got my wish Buck
01:42Pacers was one of these series I was
01:44hopeful for months ago yet it's
01:45happening under less than ideal
01:47circumstances Dame isn't quite the
01:49player he was in Portland throughout
01:50this year meanwhile Giannis is dealing
01:52with quite possibly the worst injury
01:54that can pop up right at the end of the
01:55season now I will say Luca had a similar
01:58situation in 2022 and recovered in time
02:01for his team to make the Conference
02:02Finals only their play styles are vastly
02:05different so I'm not sure what Giannis
02:06will look like on a rust return on top
02:08of my lack of confidence Milwaukee can
02:10hold the fort in a series like this
02:12without him so yeah unfortunately his
02:14situation has a ton to do with the
02:16outcome once again which I do believe
02:18was going to be competitive and close
02:20whether he was healthy or not as the
02:21Bucks you already didn't have great
02:23defensive options against Halton and now
02:25you're either missing probably the most
02:27important defensive Cog on the roster or
02:29you've got him and he's hampered while
02:31being overtasked Indiana being what they
02:33are on offense right now paired up
02:35against an even further deteriorated
02:37Milwaukee D is surely a recipe for
02:39disaster and those Halle Burton pick and
02:41rolls aren't about to get any easier to
02:42guard if they were healthy of course the
02:45Bucks could also find various pressure
02:46points in a softer yet improved Pacers
02:49defense there's just going to be so much
02:50riding on a Lillard who might not have
02:52the needed gear this season keep an eye
02:55on this one cuz if Giannis just pops
02:57back up like The Undertaker the way he
02:58did in 2021 on on what I I don't know it
03:01looked like a worse injury back then the
03:03math changes he's been very effective
03:05against the Pacers with the info we have
03:08today where he is probably going to miss
03:09game one I would expect he misses more I
03:12do not think Milwaukee in the situation
03:14they're in will be able to compensate
03:15enough I'm going to go Pacers in six as
03:19now what are we to do with Cavs magic
03:22it's a type of series The Modern fan
03:24base claims they want with defense
03:26intensity Etc yet will far in away be
03:29the low rated series of the first round
03:31I attribute that more to how good every
03:33other matchup is cuz I'm looking forward
03:35to this the Cavs interest me mainly
03:37because when they ran up against New
03:38York last year Jared Allen wasn't ready
03:40Evan Mobley's offensive ability was
03:42severely limited and the Knicks looked
03:44at Isaac auro early on and said make
03:46some shots with almost no pressure
03:48points left to go to Cleveland was
03:50promptly dealt with here against Orlando
03:52they're facing a heavily defensive
03:53minded team this time with a near 40%
03:56three-point shooter in a Coro and the
03:57addition of Max dreu who has yet to gain
03:59his 22 shooting stroke back but can
04:01still hit when the series starts my main
04:03question would be how do the magic react
04:05to their added Shooters when a kurl
04:07comes in will they treat him like a 40%
04:09shooter or will they dare him to hit in
04:11a playoff setting potentially forcing
04:12the coaching staff's hand and that'll
04:14lead to the question I already have who
04:16will be drawing the Poo assignment most
04:18of the time this game has evolved so
04:20much it's not as simple as saying we've
04:22got size down low to close off his
04:24drives this guy throws impressive passes
04:26every time you watch him although you
04:28think of Orlando as needing more offense
04:29down the road they technically have just
04:32enough shooting surrounding Paulo and
04:33fronds to shift the tide in a series
04:35like this for instance if just sugs and
04:37Engles are hitting how many features can
04:39Cleveland take away then again if they
04:42are not but the C Shooters are what's
04:44left for the magic to minimize not to
04:46mention how Garland's impact potentially
04:47changes the series he's had a down year
04:50and does that continue into this series
04:51then leave Mitchell out to dry with the
04:53Orlando's defensive capability I kind of
04:56think it will these back and forth
04:58questions which are likely to change
04:59from game to game or why I think it'll
05:01be a seven game series where I I'll
05:04choose the Cavaliers while Orlando is
05:07Young with nothing to lose and will
05:08presumably be around a while Cleveland's
05:11future with spider is pretty much on the
05:13line in this run and with this being the
05:15case I expect to see a sense of urgency
05:17from them out the gates wow okay New
05:20York did all that work to finish second
05:22and instead of drawing the Hawks Bulls
05:24or Jimmy lless heat they are getting
05:25what would have been the MVP if his legs
05:27held up that's the question though right
05:29just how healthy is Joel embiid coming
05:31in I asked because winning the series
05:34would heavily run through him and I
05:36wasn't exactly impressed by how I saw
05:38them react to Miami's defensive pressure
05:39in the playin sure they eak it out only
05:42after 15 turnovers and looking totally
05:44lost on certain possessions they were
05:46finally able to break the zone and Batum
05:48had a legacy game so here we are I like
05:50a lot of what Philly has done with the
05:52roster in the midst of the turmoil they
05:53faced in the last year now they have to
05:55take it up against what's been a bus all
05:57of a defensive team with ogj anobi and
05:59the the lineup but wait that's not all
06:01kayin Brunson has been absolutely
06:03Unstoppable while Dante Divan chinzo has
06:05been the exact type of release valve
06:07from three you'd want on a team that
06:09otherwise looks easy to stop in a
06:10playoff setting at face value speaking
06:12of playoff setting this is where I'm
06:14most interested in what New York's
06:16offense will look like for certain
06:17stretches yes get your jokes off about
06:19playoff Julius Randall however there's
06:21been a stark difference in this team
06:23when both he and Brunson are off the
06:24floor which they will see a decent dose
06:26of stretches of throughout this run when
06:28those lineups come out are they able to
06:30compat a Philly offense that might still
06:32get to Its Spots through Maxi and
06:34shooting when em is sitting Maxi is
06:36what's going to be the huge decider for
06:38me it just opens up so much for the rest
06:40of the team if he and ID have got the
06:42Twan sauce running consistently while
06:44New York will be dependent on Brunson
06:45and whoever joins him on any given night
06:47all this being said I really like how
06:49New York matches up defensively with a
06:51lot of teams and I could see their
06:52pressure creating absolute Havoc for
06:54Philly in the half court and once again
06:56the condition in be is in does factor in
06:58For Me Maybe improve throughout the
07:00series though I look at these
07:02predictions as if I was putting my own
07:04money on them and in a series where a
07:06guy is just returning from injury and
07:08you kind of don't know what you would
07:10get if it was a seven game series I'm
07:13six I am not impressed with the Clippers
07:16they had a large stretch through the
07:17season when scary hours seemed activated
07:20then the press conference responses from
07:22their stars were super underwhelming
07:23during their struggles Paul George's
07:25future seems to loom over the team and
07:27now we are you guessed it waiting for a
07:30Kawai Leonard status update like I just
07:33said I look at these series as if I had
07:35my own money on them and when I'm in a
07:37situation that forces me to split hairs
07:38in what seems to be ultra competitive
07:40series coming up this news alone is
07:42enough for me to go with the Mavs
07:44they've looked fantastic down the
07:45stretch they cooked at the trade
07:47deadline addressing some obvious
07:48questions and all of a sudden you see
07:50both a humming offense and options on D
07:53if you'll think back to the West video I
07:54did at season start I wanted to see
07:57specifically if Kyrie and Luca could not
07:59just ho but mesh at a winning level
08:00which they have so now I'm looking at
08:02Los Angeles like how much can you take
08:05away from Dallas this time in the past
08:07once Luca's heroics wore off as the
08:09series drug on it was a wrap this time
08:11he has a star to consistently take turns
08:14with higher than the likes of early
08:162020s Brunson or porzingis and yeah
08:18who's guarding who Westbrook in this
08:20series is in a sweet spot because
08:22regardless of whether he's capable of
08:24the showing he put on in Phoenix last
08:25postseason in theory he can just be
08:27thrown in as an offensive pest on Kyrie
08:29when someone else isn't guarding him
08:31then there's the Luca issue I assume
08:34Kawai and PG will take turns but once
08:36again how is Kawai doing right now I
08:39don't have answers I just have terrone L
08:41being cryptic about whether he's even
08:43playing game one which James Harden and
08:45Paul Georgia showing up to the party and
08:47for how long Harden last year against
08:49Boston had one good game where he was in
08:51his prime two games where he was back to
08:53his usual self another Prime game
08:55another where is he game make no mistake
08:57I wanted this series mainly because of
08:59the these factors between the names
09:01you've got a lot of potential for chaos
09:03and legendary performances when I have
09:05to pick I'm choosing the unit I have
09:07more answers for going Dallas and six
09:09and not the team I've watched deal with
09:11Misfortune in the postseason for five
09:13straight years if there were a world
09:15where kawhai comes back fully healthy
09:17and does the things we've seen him do in
09:19round one my pick would probably sway
09:20Clipson seven I just don't have the
09:22current information to be able to bet on
09:24it safely o this might be my favorite
09:27series of the whole gig the Suns catch a
09:29first round matchup in a team they've
09:31gone three and0 against over the season
09:33most recently downright smacking them in
09:35a warm-up very close to the first round
09:37this is why there's no such thing as
09:39hiding or choosing your matchup in the
09:40west a young team's first taste of the
09:42playoffs while they've got some
09:44expectations lies in a squad who were
09:45projected to finish higher and likely
09:47would have without nagging injuries
09:49mostly at the start okay Rudy goar right
09:52deserving of the de this year he's got
09:54better defenders in front of him now so
09:56hopefully he won't be hung out to dry on
09:58the perimeter the way he was and you saw
10:00my question is will Minnesota hit enough
10:02shots to make having him on the floor so
10:03much reasonable I asked because imagine
10:06in your head ant comes off a screen Suns
10:08put two to the ball Rudy rolls which
10:10doesn't fully move anyone anyways but
10:12he's not getting a free dunk so now
10:14either someone's cutting or there's a
10:16swing that initiates to find a shooter
10:18I'm preparing for a world where the suns
10:20are able to live with this action if the
10:22Wolves offense isn't necessarily humming
10:24now if you're Finch you've got options
10:26cuz there's a shiny nause Reed sitting
10:28there to really muck things up still you
10:30need goar's defense and rim protection
10:32to make your team a long-term threat
10:34right also how important is said Rim
10:36protection in a series where these three
10:39guys on the suns are all Adept at
10:40pull-ups or mid-range it's not like any
10:42of them absolutely need to get downhill
10:44to get their games off in short I just
10:46see a giant chess match with Phoenix
10:48trying to pull him out of the pain while
10:50the Wolves absolutely have to find ways
10:52to match an offense capable of exploding
10:54from game to game this is why the Suns
10:56while easy to doubt are also not the
10:58team you want to be tasked with taking
11:00care of that being said both teams have
11:02answers for each other so it basically
11:04comes down to who hits their buttons
11:06first if games one and two happen to be
11:08a scenario where two of the three Sun
11:10stars are finding their spots while
11:11Grayson Allen goes 40% from three if the
11:14sun slip up and start fouling goar and
11:16giving him easy buckets instead of
11:17forcing him to make a pass if he does
11:19make that pass in cat company you're
11:20just hitting literally what happens
11:23first anyways in said tossup I'm going
11:27to choose Suns and seven I do not see
11:29the Wolves as some unbeatable Force just
11:31because they had a good season and are
11:33seeded highly I think there's enough
11:35pressure the Suns can apply and if they
11:37hit mini hard enough the response might
11:38not be adequate nuggets in five by the
11:41time this video drops the first round
11:43will likely be decided but whether it is
11:45or isn't is kind of irrelevant cuz I
11:47think either first seed should be able
11:49to advance in the current situation
11:51Boston will play one of the bulls or
11:53gulus heat and against my better
11:55judgment I'm calling a sweep this time
11:56either way seriously at some point I
11:58have to to be able to trust the Celtics
12:00to just go get a job done as expected
12:02and there's seriously no reason this
12:04year either team should be able to get a
12:05game I'm looking at a squad that should
12:07be insanely hungry to prove something
12:09years of coming to the doorstep changes
12:12everything you could imagine to finally
12:14get over the top there is no reason to
12:17get in a series with the Chicago Bulls
12:19and lose a single game there is no
12:22reason to run into the heat missing
12:24Jimmy Butler this time missed out on
12:26every Star in the summer imaginable
12:28clearly nearing the the end of the Jimmy
12:30timeline in general and for some reason
12:32still struggle if Miami Zone just causes
12:34question marks above Boston's head for a
12:36game while hero and Robinson shoot 200%
12:39then whatever but I am not accepting
12:41this Celtics team not handedly winning
12:43either series if they do not handedly
12:45win either series I will probably give
12:47up on an actual run happening this year
12:50then again the' 08 team got taken seven
12:54knows the Thunder are in a different
12:56situation being a younger team who's
12:58grabbed the one seed way ahead at a
12:59schedule yet I still expect them to
13:01Prevail here especially if they draw the
13:02Pelicans alluding to lack of information
13:05from earlier Zion went out with a
13:07hamstring in a game where he was getting
13:08a national chance to show how good he's
13:10been all year of course only to end
13:12prematurely to where now we've got no
13:14clue when he'd even be back if New
13:15Orleans did Advance with or without him
13:18I'd have had OKC in the series as seen
13:20in the playin Ingram does not appear to
13:22be all the way back to me yet and I
13:24don't think any amount of Zion
13:25explosions would have won them four
13:26games against a Thunder team who's a lot
13:28better than they're being given credit
13:30for knowing this I fully believe it had
13:32been an entertaining series between two
13:34young teams where OKC gets by in six
13:36which should now be like five or less if
13:38it does happen same goes for Sacramento
13:41it's the series I'm hoping for just
13:42because you've got last year's young and
13:44exciting team against this year's
13:45version and at least their stars are
13:47both healthy and present missing herder
13:49and especially monk completely
13:50eliminates any chance I would have cited
13:52as an upset but I do still believe it
13:53goes six Keegan Murray has expanded his
13:56game and shot pallet from last year
13:58which I'd expect to be into a bit to
13:59compensate on offense and I'm also super
14:02interested in the attempts they'll make
14:03at hounding Shay on defense even if they
14:05did so successfully I think people are
14:08about to learn something about jayen
14:09Williams OK CN six so if I did stay hot
14:13from last year's predictions it would
14:14yield a second round of Thunder
14:16Mavericks Suns nuggets Celtics Cavs
14:19Pacers and nicks we'll just have to wait
14:22and see though I am far beyond the years
14:23of trying to predict an entire bracket
14:25from day one too much changes let me
14:27know what you think in the comment
14:29section if you agree with the
14:30predictions why or why not etc etc also
14:33hit the like button if you enjoyed and
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14:36notifications every time a new video
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14:40all watching and I'll see you on the
