Hopefully, you filed your taxes, so you can focus on the playoffs! The U.S. sports scene flows from one season into another. After football, we have March Madness. And now, as the baseball season gets into full swing, we also have playoff action in the NBA & NHL.
Here, we give a preview of our favorite: VALUE – in both basketball and hockey. Whether you are doing a playoff pool bracket – or betting individual games, please check this out.
In the NBA, we like the following teams to make some noise during the playoffs:
- Cleveland: The Cavs won a ton of games under the radar. While Cleveland is good on both offense and defense, they shine on D. Look for Cleveland to make a name for themselves.
- Philadelphia: The 76ers have a solid D and experience. And Embiid is one of the forces in the NBA.
- Phoenix: may surprise some with their D.
- Boston: This may go without saying, but with the Celtic getting just the #2 seed, there may be some value. They are the cream of the crop.
- LA Lakers: After starting the season at 2-10 (that's right, 2 wins and 10 losses), the Lakers remained mediocre at 14-21 and 30-34, before ending the season at 44-39. This means the Lakers went 14-5 when it counted. While we don't expect a championship drive, we think there's still some gas left in LeBron's tank!
And – what about the NHL?
- Edmonton: We normally like defense in the playoffs - and especially the NHL playoffs. However, Edmonton is making like the Great One's years – and is a scoring machine. Expect the Oilers to make noise in this year's playoffs.
- Boston: The Bruins are the cream of the crop. They may not offer much value, but they may not be easily upset.
- NY Islanders: After the Bruins, most of the other playoff teams are solid. And then, there are the Islanders. While they underperformed during the regular season, the Isles' style of play is made for the grinding, grueling playoffs. And – the Islanders should get two key players back in time for the playoffs: Barzal (out since February) and Romanov. The NHL playoffs can offer surprises: can we see a rematch of the Islanders-Oilers Stanley Cup Final?
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