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- Jacob Rhee

No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 4 seed Indiana Pacers

The pick: Cavaliers in 6.

If I had to explain this matchup in college football terms, it’s LSU-Alabama in 2019. A pair of brilliant offenses, with one of them being a few ticks more sharp, efficient, and explosive. Unfortunately for Pacers fans, Donovan Mitchell is Joe Burrow in the analogy and Tyrese Haliburton is Tua Tagovailoa.

Myles Turner was really impressive against Milwaukee, but I wouldn’t exactly describe him as a nasty rebounder. That’s a major problem when the best duo of bigs in the sport is staring at you; I think Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are going to have their way on the glass.

Cleveland is ultra-thin on perimeter defenders, so keeping Haliburton out of the paint will certainly be a challenge. I wouldn’t be too stunned if Kenny Atkinson turns to the ever-mediocre Isaac Okoro in some key spots, just to make Tyrese work for it. But the Cavs have too much firepower to let their magical season end in Round 2. I’ll roll with my guys.

No. 2 seed Boston Celtics vs. No. 3 seed New York Knicks

The pick: Celtics in 6.

Yes, I picked New York to come out of the East before the season. I can hear you giggling, and it stings.

The Knicks’ offense has finished in the top seven in efficiency for three consecutive campaigns, and yet it’s the source of so many frustrations. Leon Rose sold the farm for Mikal Bridges, only for Tom Thibodeau to utilize the dude like he’s Dorian Finney-Smith. The entire purpose of the Karl-Anthony Towns trade was to provide Jalen Brunson with a dangerous pick-and-roll partner, and yet that action was ignored entirely in the Detroit series. This give-it-to-Jalen-and-let-him-cook philosophy can sometimes produce mesmerizing results, but it’s quite clearly unsustainable.

New York will grab one at MSG, and steal another when Jaylen Brown goes missing and KAT randomly decides to drill six 27-footers. There is no realistic path to victory, though. The Celtics have four reserves that I trust more than Deuce McBride, and are the better team in every way. Boston heads to the Eastern Conference Finals for the seventh time in the last nine years.

No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 4 seed Denver Nuggets

The pick: Thunder in 5.

We’ve arrived upon the two-week stretch where casual NBA fans realize just how dominant this Oklahoma City squad is. I honestly don’t believe this is a fair fight at all.

Nikola Jokic is going to get his numbers. He always does. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will hoist the MVP trophy in front of a rabid home crowd this week, with Jokic getting a front-row view; perhaps that visual makes the big man hungrier. But Denver’s success hinges on the play of his supporting cast, and I just don’t see those guys coming through consistently against a special Thunder defense.

OKC has been planning and recharging for over a week. Mark Daigneault’s crew should breeze to a 2-0 lead, which forces the Nuggets to try and take four out of five from a squad with the greatest point differential in league history. That’s simply not happening. The title favorites cruise.

No. 2 seed Houston Rockets OR No. 7 seed Golden State Warriors vs. No. 6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves

The pick: Timberwolves over Rockets in 5 OR Timberwolves over Warriors in 7.

Starting Round 2 before the conclusion of Round 1 is among the stupidest things that the NBA does. Fix it, Adam Silver. Since I want to finalize these predictions before Pacers-Cavs kicks off tonight, I’m left with no choice but to make two separate picks for Minnesota’s upcoming series. I suppose it doesn’t matter that much; I have the Timberwolves advancing, regardless of their opponent.

Houston is currently relying on a once-in-a-career hot stretch from Fred VanVleet for points. Even if he miraculously delivers another heroic performance this evening - which I highly doubt - that will be the end of his little run. When he returns to Earth, all of the Rockets’ offensive issues in the halfcourt reappear. It’s hard to envision a bunch of kids finding solutions against a group that locked down Luka Doncic and LeBron James.

Golden State is a fascinating matchup. I think Minnesota’s size would ultimately be too much. Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, and Rudy Gobert are all multiple inches taller than any Warriors starter, and they’d have free rein to feast on the boards. With a hypothetical Game 7 in the Target Center, I’d go with the Wolves to get it done.

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“Silver Springs” by Fleetwood Mac. A certified classic.