NBA March Madness: East Edition
March Madness is arguably the most exciting few weeks of the sports year. Upsets abound as teams fight to cut down the nets at the end of the tournament. The NBA postseason might be the better fit for the pros, but what if Adam Silver introduced a single elimination tournament? We seeded each team 1-15 using the standings(as of March 19) and separated them by conference. Because there’s only 15 teams per conference, the top seeds will receive a first round bye. Time to see who takes home the top spot in March Madness: NBA Edition.
EAST
ROUND 1
#2 Milwaukee Bucks VS. #15 Washington Wizards
16 over 1 upsets are extremely rare. So rare that it has only happened twice, with Farleigh Dickinson winning over Purdue last year and UMBC taking down Virginia back in 2018. The Wizards don’t pull this upset, despite the fact that a good game from Deni Avdija or Jordan Poole can have the Wiz hang around with any team in the Association. The Bucks are just too talented, and roll past the first round with little difficulty.
Winner: 2 Milwaukee Bucks
#3 Cleveland Cavaliers VS. #14 Detroit Pistons
Give the Pistons 100 tries and they probably beat the Cavs more times than people expect. Unfortunately, they don’t get 100 tries here. Despite good efforts from Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren, Detroit doesn’t have enough firepower to make things interesting against Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarett Allen.
Winner: 3 Cleveland Cavaliers
#4 New York Knicks VS. #13 Charlotte Hornets
The Knicks are full of players with extensive experience with tournament play, especially with ex-Villanova Wildcats Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart. That, and defense travels into the tournament more so than almost anything else. The Knicks, led by coach Tom Thibodeau, earn a win against the dysfunctional Hornets, who can’t seem to get out of their own way.
Winner: 4 New York Knicks
#5 Orlando Magic VS. #12 Toronto Raptors
Ah, the dreaded 5 vs. 12 matchup. This is usually where the upsets begin as the mid-majors punch above their weight class and take down a bigger school. No upset here though, as Paolo Banchero and the Magic take care of business. Orlando gets lucky with this matchup though, going up against a similarly inexperienced group. The Raptors are set for the future though, led by their budding two-way star in Scottie Barnes.
Winner: 5 Orlando Magic
#6 Philadelphia 76ers VS. #11 Brooklyn Nets
This is where the “assuming full health” part of our rules comes into play. If Joel Embiid hadn’t gotten hurt, he’d be leading the MVP race and would have the 76ers competing for a top seed. In this situation though, they are severely underseeded and crush the Nets in the first round. Brooklyn has a lot of questions to answer this summer, starting with how they want to handle Mikal Bridges. Is he good enough to lead future teams or should they sell high while they can?
Winner: 6 Philadelphia 76ers
#7 Indiana Pacers VS. #10 Atlanta Hawks
Finally, our first upset. The Pacers have been one of the more exciting teams in the league, especially since trading for Pascal Siakam, but Trae Young and the Hawks prevail because of one key factor; postseason experience. People forget that back in 2021, Atlanta was facing off with the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals. That experience is an invaluable separator between these two dark horses. Regardless, two of the top point guards in the game trade fireworks for 48 minutes in an exciting matchup.
Winner: 10 Atlanta Hawks
#8 Miami Heat VS. #9 Chicago Bulls
The Bulls are the definition of mediocrity and fittingly find themselves right in the middle of the seedings. Unfortunately, they drew one of the best playoff performers in the past decade in Jimmy Butler. The Heat don’t seem to care about the regular season or what seed they get in the playoffs, as long as they are there. That confidence compared to the Bulls’ poor mindset makes this an easy call. Miami rolls as one of the more dangerous teams left.
Winner: 8 Miami Heat
ROUND 2
#1 Boston Celtics VS. #8 Miami Heat
In the second round, we get a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals as Jayson Tatum faces off with Butler and the Heat with something to prove. Both teams are deep, play together and are stingy on the defensive end of the floor, anchored by their centers Kristaps Porzingis and Bam Adebayo. We see the top seed go down here though, as the Celtics can’t overcome past demons. Butler has Boston’s number and comes out on top yet again.
Winner: 8 Miami Heat
#2 Milwaukee Bucks VS. #10 Atlanta Hawks
In a rematch of the aforementioned 2021 ECF, Milwaukee and Atlanta face off here. One of the big issues for the Bucks so far this year has been their lack of defensive effort. One would think that Trae Young would feast on a poor defensive backcourt, but Malik Beasley steps up and limits him enough that the dynamic pick and roll of Giannis and Dame fuels Milwaukee to another win as they gain momentum.
Winner: 2 Milwaukee Bucks
#3 Cleveland Cavaliers VS. #6 Philadelphia 76ers
In what is probably the best second round matchup, Joel Embiid faces off with the twin giants in the Cleveland frontcourt. Embiid essentially forces teams to commit two defenders onto him every time he touches the ball and scores enough for two players worth. This contest also features three All Star guards in Mitchell, Garland and Tyrese Maxey, who are all known to score with the best of them. MVP Embiid shows up though, and the #3 seed Cavs are sent home earlier than expected.
Winner: 6 Philadelphia 76ers
#4 New York Knicks VS. #5 Orlando Magic
Remember what was said about the Magic’s youth? Yeah, it bites them here, as they face off with a veteran-laden team in New York. Banchero and Julius Randle cancel each other out in an exquisite frontcourt duel, but the real difference here is Jalen Brunson. He is a legitimate MVP candidate and is quickly becoming one of the best leaders in the NBA. He shines in this game and guides the Knicks into round 3.
Winner: 4 New York Knicks
ROUND 3
#8 Miami Heat VS. #4 New York Knicks
In another rehashing of a previous playoff series, the Heat and Knicks clash in an old-school contest. Both teams play tenacious defense and want to not only beat you, but make sure you go home with bruises. In a rockfight, it is often the deeper team that comes out on top, and that is exactly what happens here. The trades that the Knicks made at the deadline to add to their bench shine here and are the reason New York moves on into the Eastern Final.
Winner: 4 New York Knicks
#2 Milwaukee Bucks VS. #6 Philadelphia 76ers
A fight between the top two players in the Eastern conference occurs one round too early for the liking of NBA fans around the world, but that’s how the seeding worked out. Dynamic pick and roll duos face off here in what could easily become a track meet. What separates these two? Clutch performers. In a game that could easily come down to the last shot, the advantage goes to Milwaukee. Dame Dolla drills a classic March Madness buzzer beater and the Bucks move on.
Winner: 2 Milwaukee Bucks
Round 4
#2 Milwaukee Bucks VS. #4 New York Knicks
In a riveting final, the Bucks and Knicks fight to represent the East in the final. They share a lot of the same strengths, so this game really comes down to individual play as the leaders of each team tries to take their team to the promised land. This is where the sporadic play of Randle bites the Knicks though. He had a bad tendency to try to shoot his way out of a tough night, and Milwaukee takes full advantage, advancing to the final as the Eastern Conference representative.
Winner: 2 Milwaukee Bucks
