Most Dangerous NBA Teams to Top Seeds

Upsets are possible. That is what every league wants you to believe and what they try to sell every year. Every league wants you to believe there is parity and that each team has a fighting chance regardless of they play, but that there are great teams and they have a great product overall. The NBA is one of the leagues where upsets can happen, and although they are infrequent, they have happened. There was the Grizzlies over the Spurs in 2011 when the Spurs were the top overall seed in the West and the Grizzlies were the eight seed, the Warriors beating Dallas, the best team in the NBA that year by far, in the first round, and in 2014 there was the Brooklyn Nets beat the Toronto Raptors (who were a three seed) in the first round. Upsets do happen, but in the NBA, they are few and far between.

That being said this year the cream of the crop has really risen to the top with the Warriors, Spurs, Cavaliers, Raptors, Thunder, and Clippers truly representing the “only” teams that could win a championship, and if you asked some other people they would say to narrow it down further to the Warriors, Spurs, Cavaliers, and Thunder. I can’t disagree that those teams are the favorites, heck I even picked the Spurs as the team to win it before the season started with the Warriors a close second behind them. However, this year there are teams that could make the road for each of those teams tough if they were to face any of the top-tier teams. Simply put these teams have the capability to throw a wrench in those plans and advance despite odds being stack against them.

 

Boston Celtics (45-32; currently 4th seed matched up with Miami Heat, 5th seed)

By now everyone knows how dangerous the Celtics are after they ended Golden State’s home winning streak and without one of their best players in Jae Crowder nonetheless. The Celtics are a dangerous team in a series because they have a point guard who has proved he can take over games at any time with the win in Golden State a prime example where he had zero first-half points and put up 18 points in the third quarter alone. The Celtics also have a coach who can exploit any potential weakness and devise a game plan perhaps better than any other coach to maximize his team’s strengths and rip apart the opponent’s weaknesses. Throw in the fact the Celtics have three elite perimeter defenders in Crowder, Avery Bradley, and Marcus Smart, and have had a top 10 defense most of the year, and this team can scare anyone and perhaps beat them.

The one true weakness this team has is the lack of a true go-to scorer other than Thomas, whose size poses limitations for the team on defense in pick and rolls. They also can struggle to score and other than Thomas or Evan Turner, no one else can create their own shot for the most part.

Miami Heat (44-32; currently 5th seed matched up with Boston Celtics, 4th seed)

Unfortunately, two of the teams who could end up knocking off Cleveland or Toronto happen to be playing each other in the first round as of now. However, a lot could change as the Hawks, Celtics, Heat, and Hornets are separated by just a half of game with each team having five or six games remaining. The Heat though can really pose problems for anyone that faces them, especially if Chris Bosh is able to come back and play. Even if he isn’t though this team is still dangerous with a top scorer and proven playoff performer in Dwyane Wade, a solid point guard playing like he’s capable of in Goran Dragic, a tough defensive wing in Luol Deng who can also hit some three-point shots, and an elite rim protector and rebounder in Hassan Whiteside. The Heat also have found Josh Richardson buried in free agency and he has turned into the second coming of Jason Kapono and Steve Novak with his elite three-point shooting (48.4 % from 3-point range), as well as first rounder Justise Winslow, skilled big man Josh McRoberts, and midseason buyout signee Joe Johnson. This team has some serious ammunition to score with anyone and the rim protection with Whiteside to challenge anything at the rim.

One weakness for the Heat is when Whiteside leaves the game they can get exposed defensively at the rim, and they also struggle to run an efficient offense when Dragic is not playing up to par, two things that could doom this team.

Portland Trail Blazers (41-37; currently 6th seed matched up with Oklahoma City Thunder, 3rd seed)

Although they just got beaten down by the Warriors and recently suffered a huge loss with big man Meyers Leonard out for the season, the Trail Blazers are still capable of pulling off an upset against one of the top-tier teams because of their guard play. Any team that has capable guards who can score have a chance in the playoffs because when things settle down and in the playoffs transition opportunities are few and far between with most teams stuck playing in the half-court, guards that can create their own shot have an edge. Not many teams can challenge a duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum as scoring guards and in the playoffs that could be a huge advantage for the Blazers. They also have gotten solid minutes out of Al-Farouq Aminu recently and big man Mason Plumlee has given them a huge rebounding and rim protecting presence that they have needed without Robin Lopez, who left in the offseason. Ed Davis and Allen Crabbe have also given them solid production off the bench, but their bench play overall has been spotty.

The weakness for the Trail Blazers is their inability to win on the road with a mark of just 15-25 versus 26-12 at home, as well as their short bench and over-reliance on their guards to do everything. If the Blazers can’t find a way to match their intensity they play with at home on the road, it will be a short run.

Charlotte Hornets (44-32; currently 6th seed matched up with Atlanta Hawks, 3rd seed)

The Hornets are a surprise team this NBA season. Many, myself included thought they would be a solid team fighting and teetering on the edge of a playoff berth and sitting at home watching the playoffs, but they are firmly in the mix for as high as a three seed. This team has been much better with point guard Kemba Walker leading the charge and offseason trade acquisition playing like the do-it-all force he was in Portland for so many years. However, despite they fact they have been playing much better than in past seasons and have been carrying most of the load, the surprise has been with Cody Zeller proving he can play the five spot and giving the team some much-needed depth along with first round pick Frank Kaminsky on the front line. The team has also gotten steady bench play out of Jeremy Lin and Jeremy Lamb, and some improved perimeter defense from the mid-season trade for Courtney Lee. The Hornets have proven they are a tough out and have been playing good defense as usual, but their offense is one that has turned heads with their improved play.

Their weakness is their weak road play as they are 28-11 at home and 16-21 on the road. They have improved lately on the road, but still lack the killer instinct on the road that they possess at home. Throw in the fact Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum are their two main ball handlers and them along with Jeremy Lin are turnover prone far too often.

Utah Jazz (39-38; currently 8th seed matched up with Golden State Warriors, 1st seed)

The last of the teams is one of the only teams to be able to keep every game against the Warriors at their pace, at home at least. The Jazz have played the Warriors four times this season and have lost by three and seven points while losing by 21 and 18 points in Golden State. The Jazz have a lot of young talent and they have been playing far better than they are supposed to be at this stage of their careers led by Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, and the emergence of scoring guard Rodney Hood. They also have gotten rim protection and rebounding from the massive center Rudy Gobert and improved point guard play from trade acquisition Shelvin Mack, who has settled things down and made them a far more efficient team. Mack also has experience playing with Hayward from their Final Four days in Butler with Celtics head man Brad Stevens. The Jazz also have some good depth with Trey Lyles, Trevor Booker, and Raul Neto playing well for them off the bench. This team is 7-3 in their last 10 games and if they can avoid the Spurs, who have beaten them soundly at every chance this year, they could push a team to the edge.

The weakness for the Jazz is their inability to win on the road, combined with the fact they have a lot of young guys they are relying on who have either very little playoff experience or no playoff experience. This team has a couple of years to go, but is on the right track and could make a series tough.

 

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