The NBA Manifesto Playoff Edition.
Trying to give out the best NBA information possible.
A note on all participants and how their season went:
EAST
Boston — Boston was the best team in the NBA last season. They did not win an NBA championship. Jayson Tatum unsurprisingly put up great numbers this season. But he wasn’t held accountable for his actions in last year’s finals — so we’re right back where we were last year. At least in their eyes (MSM – MainStream Media). There are levels to this. This is legacy defining every single season. Some people will never get it done. Some opportunities only happen once. We don’t forgive, and we certainly don’t forget because some guys (Chris Paul/Devin Booker) will burn a hole in your pocket every year. Jaylen Brown is one of my favorite players.. he is a HUNTER.. he is my favorite type of basketball player.. but he does not have the opportunity to average 40 in a series ON THIS ROSTER and be that guy yet. I want him to be the #1 on the Atlanta Hawks with Trae Young somewhere else. I want him to kill all night with Dame Lillard.. what’s ahead? Boston is kind of … stupid. I learned that last year when they tried to lose to Miami. I’ve heard plenty of concerns about their head coach, who is a step down from Ime Udoka… and blown leads like the Lakers game are an excellent example of why. This team will look unstoppable at times in these playoffs, but Philly HAS to rise to the occasion.
Toronto/Chicago — Nothing about the Bulls gets me excited. Toronto also seems out on the season.. especially Nick Nurse… who is a crucial reason as to why I will take Toronto… this is a weird one. Very little to like about either team vs Milwaukee.
Cavs — This is the ugly pick.. but if you look at the numbers, Cleveland is as good as anyone. It’s all about elevating your performance in the NBA playoffs, and they have that opportunity with Donavon Mitchell, Mr. 71. This is the best defense in the NBA. With a beat-up Randle and Brunson, this seems to be an extremely safe series bet in parlays for the Cavs.. and I will totally take them at least once vs Milwaukee.
New York — Another team I’m sadly writing off. You have to know the script and quickly adapt to it. Randle and Brunson got screwed with timing and injuries. I guarantee they win a game in the garden, and Immanuel Quickly will be a massive part of that. New York had a fantastic season! Still, I’m thinking 4-2 or 4-1 in a very entertaining series. The Knicks have multiple 1st round picks and could get a big free agent. Next year is going to be great!
Philly — Philly beat Boston. It came without Jaylen Brown. But they finally beat Boston!! To me, this team clearly has ANOTHER GEAR that I saw in some fourth quarters recently, which is a HUGE IMPROVEMENT from the inability to close I noticed early on this season. If Tobias Harris doesn’t want to be a real human being, Harden disappears, or Embiid runs into injuries — I will probably write these guys off forever. But the roster is more than capable of getting this done. These are the guys that clearly need it the most, and that’s my strategy (hungry dog runs faster) — and the on-court eye test surely backs up that thinking. Tyrese Maxey (capable of giving you 25 whenever) is a top-tier third option to the MVP Joel Embiid and the best offensive player in NBA history James Harden (aside from Bron I guess). I have seen glimpses of old Harden RECENTLY, and that’s why I believe in this team. He’s going to do a great job of leading the offensive regardless. McDaniels and Reed give you defense off the bench (similar to the Phoenix roster makeup), Shake Milton and Niang can balance that out well with their offensive production. Maybe we get some PLAYOFF PJ Tucker, and hey… why not a fucking ring. Doc Rivers legacy is also on the line as much as anyone else’s here.
Brooklyn — This is a funny team. Cam Thomas scores 40 every time they let him shoot, nobody no-shows like this team, and there’s not anyone here to match up with Embiid. Sometimes it’s that simple. DFS and Dinwiddie are incredible players that will matter in this series. Dinwiddie KNOCKS DOWN SHOTS. I’ll get into my thoughts on Cam and Mikal in the Suns section, but I absolutely love this team.. sadly Philly is just too good.
Milwaukee — The best team in the NBA. Hands down. This is the title favorite. I think Giannis may be beaten up.. and like we saw with Boston last year … THIS WILL MATTER. I will explain my strategy below.. but I’m willing to risk 60 for a minimum payout of 200 when I have 8 chances at picking a title game. The Bucks are a big part of that for me. Similar to how Patrick Reed was recently somehow “cool” to watch in the Masters… Khris Middleton is pretty fire nowadays (hahaha). This is the NBA! And I will at least give it up to the Bucks that they have a true identity that makes them unique to watch. In terms of covering my losses, I’d be an idiot to not have anything on the Bucks. For me, there’s a scenario where Philly beats them, but Boston is incapable of it, especially after Grant Williams’ 3 point barrage was a large part of the Game 7 victory last season.
I’m out on Miami. Writing them off. They had opportunities and did not do what they needed to for this roster to contend. If they make the playoffs, they have no shot at winning a series.
Atlanta — I love this league. Have people adjusted? This is an entirely new team with now head coach Quinn Snyder. Atlanta didn’t win the Southwest division title, but they have an excellent opportunity to avenge that vs Miami on Tuesday. I have a new expectation of Atlanta. I like them here, but also just kinda want to see them play Boston. Come on!
WEST
Denver — West Coast Hoops nightcaps are the best… and Denver is my favorite exception (Mountain Time). When Denver plays a West Coast team, THAT is the best night. Nikola Jokic has recently been shit on by the entire NBA Media and fanbase (essentially) if he is not awarded the MVP (and that’s expected, I have Embiid), but that’s the exact motivation I want one of my teams to have. Denver is a unit. Aaron Gordon is the most underrated player in the NBA, and his chemistry with Jokic is poetic. This is going to surprise people. As the #1 overall seed, Denver is totally underrated. Jamal Murray has shown me that extra gear… Michael Porter can knock down shots…I love what KCP and Bruce Brown bring to this team! It’s so hard to pick LA over Denver when it’s a long shot.. but they expose the defensive weaknesses of this team better than any other squad.
Minnesota — The craziest ending to a regular season I’ve seen from a team by far. The overall collapse of a team with such high expectations is devastating. Players fighting, a top-five defensive player in the NBA breaking his hand by punching a wall, and Naz Ried tragically breaking his wrist on a dunk attempt in the Bay Area. GIVE ANT A SHOT. Sadly he doesn’t get one this year.
Clip Show — Watching Russ in the playoffs is going to be great, especially against KD… it’s just damn if only Russ was good (hahaha). This team bullshitted around all season, and it finally blew up in their face with a first-round matchup against Phoenix. I lost money on this team, my futures are dead, the Clippers season is over… and you hate to see it happen due to injury. No Paul George and fewer fireworks for NBA fans, but the Clippers could have been in a better situation than this.
New Orleans — Another team hurt by bad timing. A great first half to the season and the return of Brandon Ingram were offset by the sadly usual Zion Williamson stuff. This future could have been money; this is just the risk we take. But Trey Murphy is a star, and this is a top NBA Defense. Jonas will punish the OKC Thunder, and suddenly, you have a 7 game series on your hands. Denver has the perfect counter for this defensive unit. There’s not a whole lot the Pels will do at the end of the day — but wow, the script would be unmatched if they pulled a fast one and activated Zion.
OKC — SGA is one of the most unstoppable players in the league, but the Pels have multiple answers for that. See ya next year. A lot to be excited about in OKC.
Golden State Warriors/Sacramento Kings — gifts were handed out last year. No Jamal Murray or MPJ vs Denver. No Ja for the majority of the Grizzlies series. Luka Doncic not having enough help, and it was magical that Dallas was even there… especially looking at where they are now. Jayson Tatum not showing up in the NBA Finals. Still, Steph Curry showed up when it mattered most and cemented himself as the greatest point guard in the history of the NBA. Klay Thompson needs to stop complaining about people doubting him because everyone paying attention realizes he’s totally back (Similar to the Chiefs being annoying). Draymond Green is back in DPOY form. The reality of the situation is that I’ve been waiting a long time for the Golden State Warriors to really be challenged. 40 from Tatum and 35 from JB was enough to take them down on certain nights. But this year is kind of like the NBA Finals in the first round for the Western Conference, and especially for the Sacramento Kings… this really is the NBA Finals. A team with this poor of a road record has never won an NBA Finals, and they are going to the most challenging place to play. If we get the 144 points–multiple overtime–beat the Clippers at full strength–40 points from Malik Monk–Sacramento Kings… then this will be the best playoff series of all time. I try to watch every game… Fox is the most clutch player in the NBA. His elbow jumper already is and will be even more iconic. The added storyline is that while multiple teams were hunting the Kings, Sacramento specifically wanted the Warriors. They made this happen, and Mike Brown is adding a lot of smoke here. The Golden State Warriors are the champs, they are legends, but everything has to come together perfectly for the Warriors to compete. I’m taking a shot and betting against that early. Sorry!
Phoenix — Walking a fine line of logic and grudges… this is my hardest challenge. What to make of the Phoenix Suns. I have zero respect for any of the players on this roster. They managed to get rid of the players I like (Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson) and brought in someone who is essentially the PERFECT FIT for this team in terms of literally everything. The scenario of Philly folding and Phoenix showing up is soul-crushing but exactly what I want to sign myself up for. Losing Cam and Mikal seems minor when you get a Top 5 player in return, but when you think about how things are on the court with five guys.. the impact of those two together was so great and KD holds nothing to it on defense especially at this stage in his career (we saw it vs Boston last year) Durant is the shot making bail out guy here, but I hate knowing they’ll need it. I can’t disrespect Denver. This was the most desperate move in NBA history, and I’m so glad to see it happen to a bunch of people I don’t respect. You know who may smile the biggest when Phoenix’s season ends … the Golden State Warriors’ big 3.
Memphis — I was wrong about this team. Robbed of a real chance to compete with the Warriors last season, Memphis came back better because of their stars. These guys fly under the radar, but they are SO TALENTED. Jaren is so pure from three, on top of many other things. Tyus Jones is the best backup point guard in the NBA. Dillon Brooks is a top-tier NBA defender. Still, you are down Melton, Kyle Anderson, Brandon Clarke, and now Steven Adams from last year’s playoff team. There’s simply not enough here. Jaren Jackson may be a DPOY candidate, but he gets in foul trouble, and Anthony Davis will expose that. It’s food. It’s food all playoffs… Kat, Sabonis(hopefully), Jokic… it’s food. Just eat AD. He has to show up. There is sports betting, and there are human beings writing their legacy. You have to go in on multiple teams, and you need backup plans.. because people can simply not show up (like Marquette in the NCAA Tournament) — but at the end of the day, I know that if I get 35 and 10 DPOY Wilt Davis, the Lakers aren’t losing.. onto their preview.
Lake Show — THIS IS A COMPLETELY NEW TEAM. HAVE THE BOOKS CAUGHT ON? HAS THE PUBLIC CAUGHT ON? I’m currently seeing the Lakers at +700 to win the West.. better than Sacramento and the same as Memphis.. so the Warriors would be the only team favored vs them (on that side of the bracket). Laker fans are confident that we have yet to see this team’s ceiling, and everyone truly believes that things will improve every time this team steps on the court together. Austin Reaves is going to get himself a bag, Rui Hachimura is a midrange god, Vando is our Jaden McDaniels, Malik Beasley is going to get it going, Dennis can have his nights, Wenyen gives tremendous energy off the bench, Mo Bamba is on this roster, D-Lo is 100000000x better for this team than Russ was and now even… Tristan is here for the vibes. Pair that with the best duo in the NBA who has never lost a playoff series together when healthy, and you have championship potential. Go get that shit.
Betting the NBA Playoffs
First of all. I love the Pels, and I’m out on the Wolves. Pels are +330 to make the playoffs. The Wolves are +250 to miss the playoffs.
Series prices I will take a shot at (live dogs) — Kings are live vs Warriors. Cavs are live vs Bucks. Lakers are live vs anyone. Will Philly be a dog vs Boston?? The lines always tell us a story, and then we get movement.
Like I said above I’m taking a shot at 8 outright scenarios. Down 60 or a minimum profit of $200.
Philly OVER LA
Philly OVER Denver
Milwaukee OVER LA
Milwaukee OVER Denver
LA OVER Philly
LA OVER Milwaukee
Denver OVER Philly
Denver OVER Milwaukee
Bet Futures. I will continue to improve on ways to get out and display picks as the season progresses.
Just trying to start somewhere. I love this game.
West Coast Hoops 