'16 Playoff Predictions - #4 Por Favors versus #5 Balls to the Wall

Fantasy Points Per Week: PF – 900, BTTW – 856

Fantasy Points Per Game: PF – 28.0, BTTW – 25.5

Games In Week One: PF – 37, BTTW – 35

Projected Games in Week Two: PF – 34, BTTW – 36

Personnel Notes:

PF – Monta Ellis (Acquired in trade involving Willie Cauley-Stein) and George Hill (Acquired in the same trade)

BTTW – Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Out of Season), and Nikola Mirotic (Out 2 to 3 weeks)

Who will elevate to Round 2?

Before I get into the analysis of this matchup, I would like to take a moment to congratulate Brett on an extremely successful first regular season in our great league. Taking a team that has never gotten higher than 8^th place and turning it into a legitimate contender is not easily done. Especially for someone who is new to how we do things.

And as a reward for all of his hard work, Balls to the Wall will be facing Por Favors in the first round.

Por Favors is not unfamiliar with this position. In the last 3 seasons, they have been 6th seed, the 3rd seed and the 8th seed and, somehow, have finished 6th all three years. Every year, they have been good, but have been missing that je ne sais quoi to propel them into becoming a great team.

While Por Favors might lack the overwhelming superstar power of Team nipple, The Defending Champions, or Pippen Aint Eazy, this team may have finally found their calling card: the best bench in the league.

And now that we are in the playoffs, that critical asset only becomes more critical. It is not often that a team plays 35 games and is still at a game disadvantage, but that is the position that Balls to the Wall is in. And with guys like Gallinari, Conely, and Kobe ready on the bench, I doubt Por Favors is going to relinquish that advantage in week two.

Unfortunately for Balls to the wall, this point is escalated by the injuries to MKG and Mirotic.

On top of all that, Por Favors have really seemed to come together as of late, sporting 2332 fantasy points in the final two matchups of the season.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, there is hope for Balls to the Wall. In the final two weeks, they have managed to score 2136 fantasy points. While that isn't as high as Por Favors, it still good enough for top 4 in the league. Meanwhile, Lowry, Wall, and Aldridge have all seen upticks from their season averages to their last 30 averages. All this indicates that BTTW will be bringing some heat of their own.

So what happens when two hot teams meet in the playoffs? Who gets their first franchise playoff win this year? As always, I'm going with the game advantage.

Prediction: Por Favors