To bookies and erstwhile sports prognosticators, the NBA playoffs must be a breeze.
Even with all that injuries can do to upset the apple cart (see: the Los Angeles Clippers), the Association's postseason remains far and away the most predictable in major pro sports, at least at a macro level.
The top title contenders determined by the regular season—the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs out West, the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East—have largely held true to form since the field was reduced to 16 teams. The Warriors aren't quite the runaway favorite without the injured Stephen Curry, but have more than held the fort in his absence.
There may yet be challengers to the presumed order of things, if the Oklahoma City Thunder, Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors have anything to say about it. For the most part, though, there don't figure to be any shockers within the bigger picture—nothing more stunning than the Portland Trail Blazers' serendipitous survival into the second round, anyway.
Their odds of climbing out of a 0-2 hole against the defending champs, much ...
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Article written by Josh Martin