We are nearly complete the first round, but the second round is already upon us! The first round was a wild and unpredictable ride, and I've loved every second of it. The Drive to the Finals picks have been tougher in the sense that avoiding picking a player who will advance has been a challenge. For myself, I'm down Jimmy Butler across the board. If the Kings advance, I'm down De'Aaron Fox as well. With eyes on the second round, it isn't getting any easier. In the past we've been able to lock in to a sure-fire pick, such as the LeBron James Miami Heat, and ride that to safety. This season, none of the series are a safe bet. Let's look at each series and what we can do.
(1) Denver Nuggets vs (4) Phoenix Suns
Denver boasted the best record in the west, but the addition of Kevin Durant makes the Suns a trendy pick to win the west. This series could go either way. I'm predicting the Suns will win, but I have limited confidence in that. It would be nice to give the series a game to see how it goes, but sadly we don't have that option. In Google Drive, I'm starting off with Jamaal Murray. He has had a lot of recent bad luck with injuries and I'd rather get him now in case bad misfortune strikes again. I also considered going Chris Paul first, but went with a Nugget as I feel they are slightly more likely to lose the series. In Fantasy Postseason, the round multiplier in my league sees me start off with Aaron Gordon in order to save the bigger picks for later. I think the winner of this series will win the west.
Top Denver Picks: Nikola Jokic, Jamaal Murray, Michael Porter Jr, Aaron Gordon, Bruce Brown Jr, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Top Phoenix Picks: Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, De'Andre Ayton, Chris Paul,
(4) New York Knicks vs (8) Miami Heat
The Knicks played well to eliminate the Cavs in 5, but the Heat shocked us all by taking down the top seeded Bucks in 5. I give an edge to the Knicks, who I feel are the better team, but the Heat cannot be discounted as they have the best player in Jimmy Butler. In Google Drive, I am fortunate to be able to wait a game on this series because game 1 is on Sunday, alongside game 7 between the Warriors and Kings which I can pick from instead. In Fantasy Postseason, the round multiplier means that it makes more sense to pick a player from this series for double points than anyone from the game 7. For that reason, I'm going to trot out Gabe Vincent first and see what happens.
Top Miami picks: Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Kevin Love, Kyle Lowry
Top New York picks: Julius Randle, Jalen Brunson, RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson, Josh Hart, Immanuel Quickly
(2) Boston Celtics vs (3) Philadelphia 76ers
I expect Boston to win here, but this could go either way. Boston has been making strides for a long time in pursuit of a championship, making their way to the finals last season before bowing out to the Warriors. The 76ers have a history of making it to the second round and then disappearing. Will this finally be the year they break the cycle? Either way, you'll either need to pick from this series right away on Monday or pick your second players from Nuggets vs Suns, meaning there are no easy calls to make.
Update: Joel Embiid is doubtful for Monday. You can use Paul Reed now and buy yourself some time if Embiid indeed is out.
Top Philadelphia picks: Joel Embiid (injury alert), James Harden, Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris, Paul Reed (if Embiid out)
Top Boston picks: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, Marcus Smart, Derrick White, Malcolm Brogdon
(7) Los Angeles Lakers vs (6) Golden State Warriors
Golden State went into Sacramento and Steph Curry caught fire for another classic performance. This now sets up an exciting showdown of Curry vs LeBron, which may sound familiar to seasoned NBA fans. I have no idea who is going to win this. Give it at least one game to see what happens. We will all be forced to make a decision by game 2 anyways.
Top LA Laker picks: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura
Top Golden State picks: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney, Draymond Green, Jordan Poole
Why do you feel Denver will lose the series?
ReplyDeleteHonestly I am about 60% Suns and 40% Nuggets. It is close. I think Kevin Durant makes the difference. Nuggets had a great year but a 53 win team is quite low for a #1 seed. Phoenix finished with 45 wins but most of the season the team was not a Durant team. The biggest advantage the Nuggets have is home court. If the Sun's can steal a game, it is game on.
DeleteCompletely agree with Tangent here
DeleteMakes sense. Never thought of it that way. I was thinking MPJ at first but your convincing me to pick Jamal
ReplyDeleteOr even CP3
ReplyDeleteI got Denver winning the series coz of depth. But just slightly.
ReplyDeleteThe Plan:
G1 KD - lock him in before he gets injured
G2 CP3 - before his birthday
G3 Book - at home
G4 Ayton
G5 Sun
G6 Sun
G7 Sun
Any time Suns lead the series 2-1 or 3-2, then that would tell me Nuggets are not what I expect them to be, then change of pick of next games to Joker, Murray, MPJ, Aaron.
Way too aggressive for me. I've got KCP in game 1 as I see how this series looks and which team goes down 0-1. Then I'll pick Paul Reed on Monday (hopefully) & avoid game two of Den/Phx all together. THEN I'll pick a big wig on one of these teams in Game 3.
DeleteI don't see much reason to start off small with a player like KCP, with the exception of leagues with round multipliers. Get the studs in case they are hurt later.
DeleteNuggets appeared like a seasoned team.
DeleteSuns lack D -- yes, they miss Crowder and Bridges locking the perimeter.
They still have time to let their O carry them on. Just have to forget G1.
Next pick in the series, CP3 as planned.
Steph Curry tomorrow, wanna see the beam lit!
i think ur foing way too low ball with Vincent who im not picking at all and Pope who also not worth a pick.I also think Nuggets will beat Suns but not positive.Today its got to be a warrior tomorow theres 4 76ers worth taking Ill start with Harden or Maxey Today Curry in 1 league Thompson in other in 1rst and 2nd in my money leagues
DeleteI have Vincent but only in the league with a round multiplier. Makes sense to start off small there because, if the Heat do advance, picks next round are worth three times their normal value. It pays to play it a bit safe early this round. For example, I'd be in a much better spot if I didn't pick Jimmy Butler right away in Round 1 but I just never saw the Heat winning.
DeleteA lot of people probably used jimmy round 1. I fell victim 😄
ReplyDeletesame bro... and BAM lol
Deletei still have Butler who i will save for now.But I did use Tatum in game 6 because I used the only 2 Hawks i thought worth taking.
ReplyDeleteguess i was wrong about vincent,,,good pick
ReplyDeleteI'm done took Curry and the Warriors are up by 21
ReplyDeleteSteph 50+ pts as of this writing though. Can’t complain. Probably his best game of the year.
DeleteYeah. As long as your league doesn't have a round multiplier, you can take a 64 PRA to the bank as a consolation prize. Sabonis was the best pick as he did well and got eliminated but Curry was probably second best just due to sheer volume.
Delete