The Oklahoma City Thunder, the Miami Heat, the San Antonio Spurs, the Indiana Pacers and the Los Angeles Clippers are the top favorites for the title this season. It’s widely expected that two of those five teams will square off against each other during the NBA Finals. Nonetheless, there are some dark horses in this race. Those underdogs could really make the difference and they could surprise the NBA world by eliminating one of the Big Five of the league. Let’s see which those underdogs are.
Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets are one of the strongest underdogs in the NBA as we head to the 2014 playoffs. Jason Kidd’s ensemble owns the best record in the East during the second half of the season and it has also swept the season series against the Miami Heat. This is a great achievement, since this is the first time in the LeBron James era the Heat get swept during the regular season. Brooklyn possesses a bunch of weapons and also several veterans who can make the difference during the playoffs. The Nets is one of the scariest opponents for higher – seeded teams at the moment. It shouldn’t be a surprise to see them making it to the conference finals.
Golden State Warriors
The Dubs have suffered several misfortunes as of lately. Health has always been an issue for Golden State. Apparently, injuries might continue to haunt the Warriors’ playoff chances. Center Andrew Bogut just recently got hurt and he is questionable for the next games while star forward David Lee just returned to action after a seven-game absence. Despite all their misfortunes, the Warriors continue to be one of the strongest dark horses in the NBA. The 2013-2014 season has been nothing but ups and downs for the Warriors, so if they find pace and especially if the Splash Brothers get frenzied from downtown, the Warriors could stun any opponent.
Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies haven’t even secured their playoff ticket this season but they are fairly considered a strong underdog this year. We are pretty much talking about the same team which made it to the Western Conference Finals last year, when the Spurs swept the series. Can the Grizzlies return to the Western Finals this season? Do they have enough to even beat their first-round matchup, which will be either the San Antonio Spurs or the Oklahoma City Thunder?
Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers managed to make it to the top of the Western Conference early in the season but melted down. They were characterized as one of the biggest surprises in the NBA during the first half of the season. Nonetheless, they were then balanced at the fifth seed in the conference, as teams with more quality and duration overpassed them. However, the Blazers are still extremely dangerous and they could sting their opponents this year. They will matchup with the Houston Rockets in the first round and this is projected to be a very tough but interesting matchup. The winner of this matchup will have the potential to make it to the conference finals and why not, even to the NBA Finals.
For more NBA news and updates, visit Fantasy Basketball Money Leagues blog today!
Related Posts From Lightning Rod Sports
NBA Playoffs Updates – Who is winning, Who is losing
The Blueprint of Success for the Miami Heat Next Season
Will Chris Bosh be the Reason Why the Heat Will Three-Peat?
Who Holds The Upper Hand, the Miami Heat or the Indiana Pacers?
Right Move By LeBron To Come Home
What’s Next For Chris Bosh, D-Wade And The Miami Heat
Ron Leyba
Ron is the Lead Editor of FantasyFootballOverdose.com and FantasyBasketballMoneyLeagues.com.
How is it the Rockets are not a sleeper? They have the firepower to go deep. Anytime you got Harden and Parsons, you got a chance. Losing Beverly hurts, but I like the Rockets’ potential.
Nets? I can’t take em seriously as a championship team when they are scared to play the Bulls in the first round by losing games to avoid Chicago.
Memphis and Golden State don’t impress me.