After Game 1: What We've Learned

 Hey everyone!

We have now concluded the first weekend of games. Almost all of games went the way I expected, and one caught me by surprise. Let's look at the weekend's results and adjust the strategy laid out in my first post from a few days ago:

Utah 99, Dallas 93

Without Luka Doncic, this was not too much of a surprise to see Dallas lose. What was surprising was that they only lost by 6 and had a real chance to win it all the way until the last moments. Picking Dallas player's would make sense while Doncic remains out, as both Dinwiddie and Brunson have an increased role and the longer Doncic is out, the more likely their elimination becomes. As for myself, I am picking Brunson tonight after waiting a day to pick one of their players.

Philadelphia 131, Toronto 111

Philadelphia won big in game 1, and Toronto got hit with a big blow with an injury to Scottie Barnes. I expected this series to be close but game 1 makes me doubt this prediction a little bit. If you wanted to make a move and pick a Toronto Raptor, I think it would make a ton of sense. I'm going to give it one more game, mainly because I have Brunson tonight and can wait for Raptor home games. 

Golden State 123, Denver 107

Golden State looked impressive in game 1. This series is one where it might not be over until the first home team loses though, and it probably worth waiting at least another game. Jokic is the only must pick from Denver and you can wait for a home game at the very least.

Minnesota 130, Memphis 117

This was the surprise of the first day of action. I started DTTF by picking KAT and now I am regretting not picking a Maverick instead, because this series might deep. I still expect Memphis to win, but that confidence is lowering. Memphis is a young and inexperienced team, which means they could be ripe for an upset. Way too early to panic, but it is a series to steer clear of for a bit.

Miami 115, Atlanta 91

I think this one speaks for itself. Not much reason given to be confident in Atlanta. If you still have Trae Young, you should get that pick done before it is too late and logjams start later. Outside of Young, you can wait to pick more Hawks for later and just pick from other series instead.

Phoenix 110, New Orleans 99

Solid effort from the Pelicans but not enough to make me doubt the top seeded Suns. New Orleans have three strong picks, so you should pick from them early and often if you, like me, have no questions about the Suns. I picked McCollum on Sunday, and will pick one of Ingram or Valaciunas on Tuesday. Still deciding which to pick.

Milwaukee 93, Chicago 86

Chicago kept it close, but they are loaded with three strong picks in DeRozan, Vucevic, and Lavine. If you didn't pick one of them yesterday, you might need to pick one on Wednesday to avoid missing out. That being said, Toronto and Philadelphia play game 3 on Wednesday, which might add a complication to this plan if Toronto loses on Monday and you have still not picked a Raptor. \

Boston 115, Brooklyn 114

I said I felt this series would be close, but I didn't realize how close it would be. This is going to be a wild ride. I see no reason to pick from here until one team is near facing elimination. Just enjoy the ride and have the popcorn ready.