The NBA playoffs start on Saturday. Let’s check out some daring predictions for the NBA’s lengthy postseason match.
1. The Denver Nuggets will repeat as champions
There are causes to be skeptical of the Denver Nuggets. They don’t seem to be as deep as final 12 months’s title crew. They’re an damage threat, with Jamal Murray and Michael Porter, Jr. each making Nuggets followers gasp any time they’ve a collision or a tough fall.
However they nonetheless have the league’s possible MVP in Nikola Jokic and the league’s greatest one-two punch with Jokic and Murray. Final 12 months, the Nuggets went 16-4 within the playoffs. That included a 10-1 report at residence, the place Denver owns the league’s greatest pure home-court benefit: Altitude.
It is a harder street than final season, although, with the Nuggets going through a gauntlet which may embrace LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the potent younger Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, all for the appropriate to tackle a juggernaut Boston Celtics crew within the Finals. However we nonetheless do not assume any crew finds a solution to Jokic in a seven-game sequence and the Nuggets take residence the Larry O’Brien trophy once more.
2. The Boston Celtics roll via the Japanese Convention
Individuals have overestimated the Boston Celtics earlier than, whilst lately as final season once they misplaced to a No. 8 seed (the Miami Warmth) within the convention finals. However the Celtics have by no means had their path cleared to the diploma they’ve this season – because of a mix of accidents, the playoff bracket and a few weird end-of-season tanking.
Boston has one of the best offensive score within the NBA and the third-best defensive score, due to including Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Vacation to a crew that was second in offense and third in protection final 12 months. However they will additionally face a first-round matchup with both the Miami Warmth (possible lacking Jimmy Butler) or a 39-win Chicago Bulls crew that they beat 3 times this season. Within the subsequent spherical, it is the younger Orlando Magic or the Cleveland Cavaliers, who inexplicably tanked their final recreation of the season – Boston is 2-1 towards every of these golf equipment.
Elsewhere across the bracket, Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid remains to be getting again in form after an damage absence, the New York Knicks will not have All-Star Julius Randle and never solely is Giannis Antetokounmpo harm, the Milwaukee Bucks are coached by Doc Rivers. If the Celtics do not return to the Finals it will likely be an enormous disappointment.
3. The Phoenix Suns are probably to drag a first-round upset
After a fantastic 12 months for the Minnesota Timberwolves, they drew a horrible first-round matchup with the No. 6-seeded Phoenix Suns. Minnesota completed seven video games forward of Phoenix, however since Christmas Day, the Suns are 35-18 and the Wolves are 34-20. Not coincidentally, that is the time interval when the Suns lastly received their Massive Three of Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker again.
Talking of Booker, he has a lifetime report of 11-1 towards his Minnesota counterpart, Anthony Edwards.
The Timberwolves had a superb regular-season protection anchored by Rudy Gobert. However Gobert’s groups have a historical past of falling aside defensively within the playoffs. In opposition to an outfit just like the Suns with a lot of taking pictures. Minnesota might be in hassle.
4. Darvin Ham would be the solely playoff coach fired
Final season, the Bucks, 76ers and Suns all employed new head coaches after dropping within the playoffs. This 12 months, there’s solely going to be one coach headed to the unemployment line: Darvin Ham of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Ham’s Lakers gained their approach to the No. 7 seed and have been rewarded by a rematch with the crew that swept them in final 12 months’s convention finals – and this 12 months’s regular-season sequence. Ham has already been criticized for his rotations and participant administration. One other loss to Denver will doom him.
5. Villanova gamers will knock out the Sixers
Joel Embiid is a unbelievable defender, however particularly coming off a knee damage, he is susceptible to the mid-range recreation and floaters. That is good for floater maestro Jalen Brunson, who can feast if Embiid performs the deep drop protection he prefers. The Knicks can also exploit Embiid’s unhealthy knee by working onerous in transition, due to the rebounding and velocity of Brunson’s former Villanova teammate Josh Hart, whereas Wildcat Donte DiVincenzo has change into lethal from three-point vary.
That trio of gamers of New York’s greatest choice to pressure Philly out of their typical protection – and out of the playoffs.
6. The Thunder’s offense will battle
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had an MVP-caliber season, however one notable a part of his recreation declined after the All-Star break: Free throws. SGA was trying 9.1 free throws per recreation early within the season, however post-break, that is dropped to 7.7. It might be the results of the NBA’s new emphasis on stopping “foul-hunting,” one thing the Oklahoma Metropolis guard has sometimes been responsible of.