Foiled by the Schedule Makers

The next two days of Drive to the Finals could not be any more different. Let's prepare by taking a closer look at the best strategy for today and tomorrow.

Tuesday

LA Clippers @ Phoenix [Suns lead 3-1]

Minnesota @ Denver [Nuggets lead 3-1]

Atlanta @ Boston [Celtics lead 3-1]

At this stage, you probably already have your pick made. None of these are expected to last past tonight, with all three home teams heavily favoured to win (Thursday could be an empty slate). This will make tonight easy pick by selecting your best available player. I would rank the top picks in the following order: 1) Anthony Edwards, 2) Russell Westbrook, 3) Trae Young, 4) Dejounte Murray, 5) Karl Anthony Towns. If you've picked all five of these players, you can look into the additional options, such as Rudy Gobert and Norman Powell. I'm picking Powell tonight. I don't love the pick, but I had plans to pick Kahwi Leonard around this time. Kahwi's injury stopped me from having the option and made me regret not just picking him first while he was healthy. 

Wednesday

NY Knicks @ Cleveland [Knicks lead 3-1]

LA Lakers @ Memphis [Lakers lead 3-1]

Miami @ Milwaukee [Heat lead 3-1]

Golden State @ Sacramento [Series tied 2-2]

How cruel the schedule makers were. I'm certainly not the only person with a lot of Cavaliers, Grizzlies, and Bucks left to pick, and suddenly no time remaining to pick them. I even grabbed Donovan Mitchell and Ja Morant the past two days, and still feel like I am lacking time. What's the play here? First, we can rule out the only series tied 2-2 for now. No reason to touch that. The easy decision from the teams down 3-1 is to pick Giannis Antetekounmpo. Almost everyone is going to be making that pick, so even if the Bucks come back you won't be alone. However, the Bucks are the #1 seed and Miami needed a miraculous performance by Jimmy Butler to just barely steal Game 4. There is a decent chance the Bucks come back. If you feel like rolling the dice, you can look other ways. Ja Morant would make an excellent pick. Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland would also make excellent picks. 

There's another aspect to consider: Round multiplier leagues. I'm currently in one on Fantasy Postseason. In that league, I'm going to make no decision and instead pick Brook Lopez. He can put up numbers and if one of these teams come back, I'll have a more full roster of players for the next round. The first round barely matters in Round Multiplier leagues, so playing it safe might be the play. I still think Memphis, Cleveland, and especially Milwaukee could come back here. 

Good luck with your picks!