2016 NBA Playoff predictions: second-round picks – FOXSports.com
WhatIfSports.com’s NBA Playoff predictions are off to a promising start. We correctly picked the Cavaliers, Hawks, Warriors, Thunder and Spurs to advance to the second round. Two more correct picks could materialize tonight if the Hornets and Raptors, up 3-2 in their respective series, can close out. It appears our L.A. over Portland prediction will misfire, however, with the Clippers a game from elimination and without the services of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.
Moving on to Round 2, we simulated each of the finalized matchups 1,001 times using our NBA simulation engine to determine which team is favored to advance. We’ll update our second round predictions as the remaining participants are decided. Check out the results of the Spurs vs. Thunder and Cavs vs. Hawks simulations:
The Spurs and Thunder evenly split four regular-season meetings, with the home team winning each contest. Our NBA simulation engine predicts more of the same in their playoff matchup, with the Spurs winning 50.9 percent of the time by an average score of 101.1-100.9. Prior to the playoffs, the Spurs were given a 27.6 percent chance to win the NBA championship, second only to Golden State. The Thunder had the third-best championship odds, winning 12.4 percent of the time.
An Eastern Conference championship by Cleveland seems like a forgone conclusion, but the Cavaliers will have a difficult time with the Hawks, according to our NBA simulation engine. Cleveland won 52.5 percent of games, outscoring the Hawks by an average of 101.5-100.3. The Cavaliers won all three regular-season matchups between the two teams. At the onset of the playoffs, Cleveland was given a 44.0 percent chance to win the East and a 9.8 percent chance at an NBA championship. Atlanta’s odds for a Finals appearance were 14.2 percent, with a 2.5 percent chance to win the title.
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