NBA March Madness: West Edition
After looking at the Eastern conference’s NCAA style hypothetical tournament, it was the Milwaukee Bucks who came out on top, taking down the New York Knicks in the final. Now it’s time to see who faces them in the championship as we apply the same thought process to the Western Conference. Similarly to the Eastern conference edition, the teams will be considered at full health and the top seed (as of March 19) Oklahoma City Thunder will receive a first round bye. Without further ado, let the NBA madness continue!
West
ROUND 1
#2 Denver Nuggets VS. #15 San Antonio Spurs
If there was ever going to be a 15 over 2 upset, this is the one, simply because the extreme talent of Victor Wembanyama cannot be denied. His offensive and defensive prowess allows him to enter every matchup with a growing level of confidence. However, his inexperience and the shortcomings of those around him are magnified by the Nuggets, who are arguably the most proven team in the entire tournament. Nikola Jokić and Co. enter postseason mode and roll through the first round.
Winner: 2 Denver Nuggets
#3 Minnesota Timberwolves VS. #14 Portland Trail Blazers
This is likely the most favorable first round matchup that Anthony Edwards and the Wolves could have hoped for. The Blazers are poor on both sides of the court and lean far too heavily on Jerami Grant and Scoot Henderson to carry them through games. They don’t have a wing to slow Edwards down, while Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert have their way down low against Robert Williams and Deandre Ayton. The Blazers are sent back to the drawing board as Minnesota cruises.
Winner: 3 Minnesota Timberwolves
#4 Los Angeles Clippers VS. #13 Memphis Grizzlies
This one is scary for Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. A healthy Grizzlies team was near the top of the conference last year and are led by one of the most exciting athletes in the league in Ja Morant. At the end of the day, the balanced attack from the Clippers carries them through to the second round, while Leonard sets out to prove that his run through the 2019 playoffs in Toronto was not an outlier and the injuries are finally behind him.
Winner: 4 Los Angeles Clippers
#5 New Orleans Pelicans VS. #12 Utah Jazz
The Jazz and Chicago Bulls are interesting because of their shared fascination for being stuck in the middle of things in their conference. The only problem with that for the Jazz is that the West is quite a bit better than the East, which has them on the outside of the play-in tournament looking in. Regardless, they aren’t likely to give the Pelicans much trouble only because of their lack of scoring from anyone outside of Lauri Markkannen. New Orleans shows him a variety of high level defenders throughout the game, headlined by Herb Jones, and the Pelicans move on.
Winner: 5 New Orleans Pelicans
#6 Sacramento Kings VS. #11 Houston Rockets
In our first upset on this side of the bracket, the Kings ran into a perfect storm brewing in Houston. The Rockets have an interesting mix of young and old players, but what propels them in this matchup is the fact that their offense can get ridiculously hot for long stretches. The Kings have a suspect defense, especially when looking at Domantas Sabonis, with whom Alperen Sengun has a field day. That, coupled with the veteran leadership of Fred Vanvleet, sees the Rockets advance as Dillon Brooks slows down De’Aaron Fox just enough.
Winner: 11 Houston Rockets
#7 Dallas Mavericks VS. #10 Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry has a lot of experience with deep playoff runs, having pulled off one of the more astounding NCAA runs in recent memory at Davidson. He propelled them with excellent point guard play and of course, outlandishly good shooting from 3. Ironically, it is another electric guard that eliminates Curry and the Warriors in the first round. Luka Dončić has played like a man possessed since the All-Star break, but what gives the Mavs the boost they need is Kyrie Irving. Golden State doesn’t have a secondary scorer who can match Uncle Drew’s majesty, and that ends up being the difference.
Winner: 7 Dallas Mavericks
#8 Phoenix Suns VS. #9 Los Angeles Lakers
In a contest that many could and would have mistaken for the final, Kevin Durant and LeBron James face off in the first round. Both the Suns and Lakers have championship-caliber rosters and are led by multiple Hall of Famers each. This game easily becomes a battle of the stars and comes down to the last few minutes of the fourth quarter. The Suns have been the worst team in the league in the final period, though, and that proves to be their downfall as King James and the Lake Show moves on.
Winner: 9 Los Angeles Lakers
ROUND 2
#1 Oklahoma City Thunder VS. #9 Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers are keen on the current seeding in the West to remain the same until the end of the season because they relish a first round series with the young and unproven Thunder. Anthony Davis has dominated all four games this season between the two teams and the Lakers won three of four games. Nothing much changes here, as the Brow shows Chet Holmgren how far he has to go in his development. Despite a good effort from MVP hopeful Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder fall short in their first taste of the postseason.
Winner: 9 Los Angeles Lakers
#2 Denver Nuggets VS. #7 Dallas Mavericks
The biggest difference between the NBA playoffs and the NCAA tourney is the single-elimination format that sees smaller schools take down behemoths having a bad day. In this scenario, the Nuggets are as susceptible as anyone, facing one of the NBA tournament stars in Luka. Dončić is undeniably great and the Nuggets truly miss Bruce Brown in this game as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope tries and fails to slow down the young Slovenian. The presumptive title favorite is out in the second round as the Mavs’ run continues.
Winner: 7 Dallas Mavericks
#3 Minnesota Timberwolves VS. #11 Houston Rockets
Having a healthy KAT helps the Wolves to recapture the magic they’ve had all season, and they’re on a roll heading into this contest with Houston. The Rockets are unable to expose poor defenders on the Minnesota roster because there really isn’t one outside of Monte Morris. In a blowout, the Timberwolves win and look forward to a formidable matchup in the regional semifinals.
Winner: 3 Minnesota Timberwolves
#4 Los Angeles Clippers VS. #5 New Orleans Pelicans
Many fans are salivating over this potential playoff matchup that features past superstars on the Clippers against future stars on the Pelicans. In the NCAA tourney, balanced teams find success, but the winners are the teams that can mold themselves into different playstyles and win in a plethora of ways. The versatility that New Orleans has allows them to play big, small, fast and slow. That, along with excellent guard play from CJ McCollum, has the Clippers falling short yet again.
Winner: 5 New Orleans Pelicans
ROUND 3
#5 New Orleans Pelicans VS. #9 Los Angeles Lakers
These two teams met each other in the In-Season Tournament semifinals, where LeBron turned back time and turned in perhaps his best performance of the season. The Pelicans were the model of inconsistency at that point in the year, with rumors surrounding the team and their star Zion Williamson. Since then, the Lakers have struggled and the Pelicans have found their footing, putting Zion at the focal point of their offense and running plays through him and his playmaking. The confidence of the New Orleans squad carries them past the Lakers as LeBron sees his Cinderella story come up short.
Winner: 5 New Orleans Pelicans
#3 Minnesota Timberwolves VS. #7 Dallas Mavericks
The Wolves prioritize defense. The Mavericks prioritize offense. This game is a classic example of the phrase “something’s got to give”. In this case, the game comes down to a duel between Anthony Edwards and Luka Dončić, two of the brightest young stars in the league. Both are going to be faces of the NBA in the future, but one is a little bit further along than the other. Edwards is outplayed and will have to wait another year as the Mavericks’ offense carries them into the regional final.
Winner: 7 Dallas Mavericks
ROUND 4
#5 New Orleans Pelicans VS. #7 Dallas Mavericks
Because the NBA playoffs are a best of seven series in each round, we rarely get to see the underdog team make a deep run and win it all. That becomes the case in a single-elimination tournament. Luka leads Dallas into the final of the tournament, but it is Kyrie Irving who hits the dagger against the Pelicans, who can only assign Herb Jones to one of the two. Dallas gets its chance to capture its first title since the 2011 team upset the Miami Heat in similar fashion to the Dirk Nowitzki-led band of misfits.
Winner: 7 Dallas Mavericks
FINAL
#2 Milwaukee Bucks VS. #7 Dallas Mavericks
Neither of these teams is afraid of the bright lights and enter the game having overcome their fair share of adversity and tough battles. Looking at the X’s and O’s of this game, it projects to be a shootout thanks to the poor defense displayed by both teams throughout the year. The difference? Giannis Antetokounmpo can, when he feels he needs to, absolutely take a game over by imposing his will in the paint. The Mavericks don’t have an answer for the Greek Freak, who turns in an all-time performance to secure the title for the Bucks.
Winner: 2 Milwaukee Bucks
