THE 2025 NBA Playoffs delivered the The most exciting first round In recent memory, and leave it to the west – which has brought a high drama all season – to bring it home with two games 7 this weekend.
Nuggets vs Clippers. Rockets vs warriors. Who will advance? Our NBA writers make their choices, and watch the semi-final matches in the East.
Nuggets-Clippers, Match 7: Who wins?
Ben Rohrbach: Nuggets. The mowers are deeper, but the depth is not as important in a game 7, when rest is not an option. What matters is who can be their best, and our money should be on Nikola Jokić. The clips defend him with Ivica Zubac, a fully defensive candidate, and still Jokić displays an average of a 25-12-11 on the shooting divisions 51/45/70. I think it can be even better, so I choose the Nugs.
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Dan becomes: Nuggets. I went with Nuggets in seven before the seriesAnd I'm not a coward, so I stick to it. Another Jokić-And-Murray monster game, with a home advantage, to close it.
Morten Stig Jensen: Nuggets, but I don't feel good about it. Match 7 are a shit shoot. The emotions are high, the guys are nervous and the pressure of the atmosphere, I can only imagine, is absolutely crazy. As such, I must be too simplistic and go with Denver because he has the best sport player.
Rockets-Warriors, Match 7: Who wins?
Devine: Warriors. Maybe I'm a suction cup, but I stick to Golden State. I was incredibly impressed by the way the rockets played throughout this series … But I cannot shake the feeling that Stephen Curry has another dagger to dive into the hearts of the Houstonians before it is said and done.
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Jensen: Warriors. Again, play 7 is crazy. There are therefore a lot of elements to consider. I hang on my hat on the experience of Golden State, but as with Denver, I do not feel well on this subject. Houston's defense is legitimate, and this puts Stephen Curry through it whenever he has to launch simple actions. It will be a nail biter.
Rohrbach: Warriors. I cannot imagine a scenario in which Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green lose three elimination games following a team that does not have a closer. The Warriors are much more experienced, and that counts in a match 7. Does it scare me that the momentum seems to have swung in the direction of Houston? Of course. But give me the warriors with a mustache.
Cavaliers-Pacers, round 2: Who wins?
Jensen: Cavs in 5. Maybe six. Cleveland is the best team, and it is with all the respect due to Indiana, a team that works as a well -oiled machine in its own right. But the level of talent in Cleveland, and the offensive heights that it can reach, I believe, is too much to overcome for the Pacers.
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Devine: Cavs in 6. Uncertainty around Darius Garland toes injury Gives me a break, especially as a respected of known pacers who was trying to tell you that Indiana was the merchandise all in January. But I have Also I tried to tell you that Cleveland is historically excellent For at least so long.
Indiana will emphasize the cleveland's covers and play plans, a lot A higher degree that Miami was able to turn 1. But I think that collective shooting, game creation, versatility and high-end talents that this iteration of Cavs brings to the opening is only a blow above; I think Tyrese Haliburton is going to be chasing merciless; And I think Cleveland goes to the final of the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2018.
Rohrbach: Riders in 6. Pacers are better than people think. They are certainly better than I thought, because I chose the dollars against them in seven games. It only took them five games to prove themselves as a deeper and more talented team. This is not the case against the Cavs, which are even deeper and even more talented. They can do whatever pacers can but better.
Celtics-Knicks, Round 2: Who wins?
Rohrbach: Celtics in six. It makes me nervous that consensus considers that it is an easy series for Celtics. Jalen Brunson is incredible and the boys of Villanova de New York have never left. Boston is also struck. But I just can't imagine a scenario in which the defensive combination of the cities of Brunson and Karl-Anthony is not done to death. This is what the Celtics have done to them in the past, and he gave 130.2 points per 100 possessions This season.
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Jensen: Celtics in 5. Tom Thibodeau will lose the mathematical battle, and the lack of depth of New York will tire the Knicks, which is not exactly an asset when their opponent can run and arm all day.
Devine: Celtics in 5. This is the nightmarish match for these Knicks – the bar they saw unfolding last season and that they were Very clearly try to reach with their intersection movementsBut that they have proven the whole season to remain unable to reach. (For the millionth time: New York has gone 0-10 Against the Celtics, the Cavs and the Thunder during the regular season, and 51-21 against everyone.) Respect for Jalen Brunson's record on the stellar performances of the playoff series obliges me to project a type of victory to experience out of the body. Beyond that, however? I expect the C to be Gentlemen to move on to another final of the Eastern Conference.
