It’s always nice to have something to look forward to. In a year that is a third of the way to being over and has already been so difficult for so many, it’s nice to have a respite. Enter the NBA Playoffs. The postseason started this week with the play-in tournament and the playoffs will commence tomorrow. Like many NBA fans out there, Magic Johnson is ecstatic about the exciting first-round matchups we have in front of us.
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The first matchup that Magic wanted to discuss is the one many think could potentially lead to an upset. The sixth-seeded Detroit Pistons, led by their star Cade Cunningham, will take on the New York Knicks. Magic believes Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges will be the X factor of this series. Meanwhile, for the Pistons, it’s Tobias Harris and Malik Beasley who have to lead the young squad.
Magic went through the four vs five seed of the Milwaukee Bucks vs the Indiana Pacers. He reminded the audience of how the Pacers took home the win last year, taking down the Bucks 4-2. Claiming Giannis Antetokounmpo is the best player in the series, Johnson believes a lot weighs on Damian Lillard and his status. If Lillard does not return before the end of the series, Johnson believes the Pacers can repeat the success they had last year.
Unsurprisingly, Johnson went with the Celtics to take down the Magic. He wants to call it a sweep, but believes the Magic will squeeze a game, making it a gentleman’s sweep. The Celtics are universally expected to destroy Orlando, and Johnson agrees with the consensus.
Out in the West, it was the LA Clippers against the Denver Nuggets matchup that Magic wanted to highlight. In a three tweet thread, Johnson gave credit to James Harden, Ivica Zubac, and Norman Powell. With Kawhi Leonard missing a majority of the season, those two carried a massive load to get the Clippers to the five seed. Unsure about whom to pick, Magic backed the fact that the Clippers finished the season on an eight-game win streak, and gave them the edge.
While the Nuggets are facing some stability concerns of their own, having fired long time head coach Mike Malone, but still roster multi-time MVP Nikola Jokić. Having the best player in the series means you always have a chance.
Magic discussed his fear of Anthony Edwards, whose Minnesota Timberwolves face his own Los Angeles Lakers. Singling out Naz Reid and Donte Divincenzo as potential high-impact bench pieces for Minnesota, Magic hoped that Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura could match their contributions for the purple and gold.
Johnson talked about the Warriors and the Rockets. Calling Steph Curry the best shooter in the NBA, praising Jimmy Butler, Magic talked about Brandin Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga. Calling JK the X factor, he believed Dubs can take the series in 7, if JK steps up.
With such fiery matchups coming our way, Magic Johnson is thanking the basketball gods for what they’re doing for us.
The basketball Gods smiled down on the NBA with these great Playoff matchups with teams that are fierce rivals. This is exactly what the league needed. All basketball fans should definitely tune in!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 18, 2025
Magic is excited and thankful, like most fans are, that the Playoffs are here. However, some fans couldn’t help but troll him for his tweets. One said the previews were pretty boilerplate. Another fan even said they felt like they were talking to ChatGPT. However, their negativity can’t dull the festivities ahead of us.
The Playoffs are an incredibly fun time of year. Between upsets and game winners, there’s so much to look forward to over the next two months. We’ve finally made it to the real season!
