NBA 2016 Playoffs Predictions and Preview: Golden State Warriors Vs. Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers Vs. San Antonio Spurs

By Mark Aserit
Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry points index finger up to give glory to God after scoring a three-pointer. NBA TV

The postseason is here, and the first round of playoffs begins this weekend.  The Western Conference has a formidable team that achieved 73 wins, most in the NBA's history. While the Eastern Conference features some intriguing match-ups as four teams in this division were not here a year ago. Now, here's the latest update about 2016 NBA Playoffs predictions, preview and schedule.

Let's start with Western Conference match-ups. After getting their 73th win this season, the Golden State Warriors is no doubt has the biggest chance to win this year's NBA title.  The team has two of the best scoring guards in the league. Stephen Curry averages 30.1 points-per-game this season while Klay Thompson produces 22.1 point-per-game.  The Splash Brothers will definitely bring damage to Houston's defense.

On other hand, LA Times reported Houston Rockets gave up 106.4 points a game, the most of any of the 16 playoff teams. In addition, James Harden and Dwight Howard were a bad combination all season. The duo did not live up to the expectation of fans. The Rockets team only won 41 games this season.

As of this writing, the Golden State Warriors won the first game in best-of- seven game series.  CBS Sports predicts the Warriors will win the next three games against the Rockets.

For the San Antonio Spurs (67-15), they have an even more lopsided matchup in the first round of playoffs against the reeling Memphis Grizzlies (42-40). The Spurs is the second best team in the Western Conference, and they are projected to be the biggest obstacle to Golden State's back-to-back NBA titles.  The combination of Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge brings good performance every game, giving the Spurs a pair of top-notch forwards.  

For the Memphis Grizzlies, they are struggling with injured key players. Grizzlies main big man Marc Gasol has a broken bone in his right foot, while guard Mike Conley has Achilles injury.  The team still has Tony Alllen and Zach Randolph to handle the defensive and offensive duties, but that's not enough.

The San Antonio Spurs is projected to win sweep the series against Memphis Grizzlies. Their first game is on Sunday, April 17 8 p.m. ET at TNT.

Now, let's check out the matchups in Eastern Conference. While the Cleveland Cavaliers and Lebron James want to get back to the NBA finals, the Raptors think they have what it takes to dominate the east, and the surging Celtics and Hornets looks tough.

The top-ranked Cavs will face the eight-seeded Detroit Pistons in the first round of Eastern Conference. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are expected to help Lebron James in the offensive end of the court, while the Cavs big men --Timofey Mozgov and Tristan Thompson -- anchor the defense.

The Detroit Pistons, on the other hand, have Andre Drummond, Reggie Jackson, Tobias Harris, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Marcus Morris who can all score the basketball. It is also interesting to see the matchup between Cleveland's head coach Tyron Lue and Detroit's' veteran coach Stan Van Gundy.

Forbes said the Cavaliers would win five games in the best-of-seven series. The first game is on Sunday, April 17 at Cleveland 3 p.m ET.

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