Well would you like at the time, it’s silly season time!
The NBA playoffs are right around the corner with the play-in tournament being played in less than a week. The NBA has sometimes been criticized for having very predictable playoffs in the past. Last year showed that that isn’t exactly the case anymore since there were a lot of lower-seeded teams making it far including the 8th seed Miami Heat who made it all the way to the Finals. This year maybe even more unpredictable because it feels like it could be anyone’s year to go far. With the playoffs right around the corner, there’s no better time to make some playoff predictions for how things could go in this postseason. I will be giving my predictions on how teams will do and who will win it all.
Before we get into this, I do want to mention a couple of things. This won’t be a playoff bracket as that will be too hard to predict considering many matchups aren’t fully decided yet. The play-in tournament can change a lot of things so it makes building a potential playoff bracket difficult because things can shift quite a bit. The other thing is I will mostly just discuss each team briefly and talk about their chances, and then I’ll do a top four where I discuss a potential conference finals and who will make it to the finals. Alright, let’s get into it!
Indiana Pacers
It’s been a better year than most people expected for the Indiana Pacers and they look to be a good time in the future. Tyrese Haliburton has had a great year despite slowing down towards the end. If they can keep Pascal Siakam in the off-season then they can continue to be a good team next year while some of their younger guys will continue to get better. For this season, however, I see them not getting past the first round but will have a decent showing.
New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans seems to be due for a decent showing in the playoffs with the talent they have. Zion Williamson has been able to stay healthy for the most part this year and the team has been preforming quite well. However, I don’t think they’re quite there yet and could use another good guard to elevate this team. They won’t make it far in these playoffs but they could next year if they make a few tweaks to their roster and I expect them to be a possible contending team next year.
Orlando Magic
The Magic are in a similar spot as the Pacers. They’re a young team that has a bright future but they probably won’t do much in these playoffs. However, these playoffs will be good experience for the young team and giving Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero some playoff experience will be vital later on. The Magic won’t go far but could be a conference finals team next season if all goes well.
L.A Clippers
Things have seemed to fall apart for the Clippers toward the end of the season. This is a team that can win a championship this season but they need things to go right for them. They have such a talented team but they need everything to come together when the playoffs start. I would have them higher but I think they will lose to Denver in the second round or another team I will discuss later in the first round.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland has the makings of a good team but something feels off about them. Donovan Mitchell is a great player but he doesn’t feel like the fit for this team’s best player. He’s someone who may be on the move just because the fit is strange and I think it could be beneficial for both sides. As for these playoffs, The Cavaliers could make some noise, but because of some of the odd fits, I say the farthest they make it is the second round.
Minnesota Timberwolves
This is a team I may be wrong about because I can see them making it all the way to the finals or they could fall in the second round. The Timberwolves have been great this season and hope to have a deep playoff run. However, I have them losing in the second round because of the concerns of how Rudy Gobert plays in the playoffs. If he falters like he has in years past then teams will feast against him. It could go either way for this team though and I’m excited to watch them play playoff basketball.
New York Knicks
I would have the Knicks making the Conference finals if Julius Randle didn’t get hurt but that is not the case. I don’t think this team will have enough scoring with him gone and that makes life difficult for them. They could still manage to do it, but for that reason, I say they lose in the second round. Big things are ahead for this team though.
Oklahoma City Thunder
It’s crazy that I don’t have this team in the final four but I think one team will overpower them and the Thunder’s inexperience could be an issue. It would be no surprise if they make it to the conference finals but I think their lack of experience will be a factor as to why they won’t.
Conference Finals
Boston Celtics vs Milwaukee Bucks
This seems to be the obvious Eastern Conference finals but even then, I highly question how good the Bucks will be. I’m not a fan of Doc Rivers as their coach and they haven’t been all that great under him. Boston has been the best team in the league all year long and I think they’ll walk past the Bucks or whoever they play. I have the Celtics winning this in 6 games.
Denver Nuggets vs Dallas Mavericks
Yeah, I’m very high on the Dallas Mavericks. They made some good moves at the trade deadline and they seem to have found their game to close out the season. Luka Doncic has been great in previous playoffs and if the team can stay healthy, I think they make it to the conference finals. However, I think they fall to the Denver Nuggets because this team just plays so well. Their chemistry is unbelievable and it’s near impossible to stop Nikola Jokic. If the Nuggets defence can be good then they should be able to win this series, but the Mavericks will put up a fight. There will be some close games but Nuggets will take it in 6 games.
NBA Finals
Denver Nuggets vs Boston Celtics
This surprisingly wasn’t the finals last year but I think we get it this year. These two teams match up very well against each other and it will be a fun series to watch. Both teams are deep and either team could take it. However, I’m going with the Denver Nuggets pulling off the repeat. While Kristaps Prozingis has been good defensively this year, I don’t think he can stop Jokic and I don’t think anyone will. Jokic is such a good player and a very selfless one who will lead his team to back-to-back championships. This will be a close series though as the Nuggets will win it in 7 games.
It’s such a good time to be an NBA fan and these playoffs are going to be great. I hope you enjoy them and laugh at me when my predictions are completely wrong.