As the regular season comes to a close and the Play-In tournament wraps up, matchups for this year’s NBA Playoffs are set. The games will start on April 19, bringing new storylines, incredible matchups, and will cap off yet another unforgettable year of basketball.
This year, the Eastern Conference matchups consist of the 1-seed Cleveland Cavaliers against the 8-seed Miami Heat, the 2-seed and reigning champion Boston Celtics versus the 7-seed Orlando Magic, the 3-seed New York Knicks face the 6-seed Detroit Pistons, and the 4-seed Indiana Pacers match up with the 5-seed Milwaukee Bucks.
Out in the Western Conference, the 1-seed Oklahoma City Thunder will face the 8-seed Memphis Grizzlies, the 2-seed Houston Rockets match up with the 7-seed Golden State Warriors, the 3-seed Los Angeles Lakers get to see the 6-seed Minnesota Timberwolves, and the 4-seed Denver Nuggets will go against the 5-seed Los Angeles Clippers.
Many of these teams have a lot to prove and an opportunity to go on a deep run in hopes of bringing home a championship. How will the new look Lakers look in pursuit of a championship? Are the scorching hot Cavaliers for real, or are they a potential playoff disappointment? Will the teams with promising youth, like the Rockets and Thunder, have the talent to make deep runs, or will their lack of experience be their downfall?
My Predictions
During round one in the East, the Cavaliers will be too much for the Heat, defeating them in 5 games. Star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs’ star-studded young core will advance to the second round. The Bucks will avenge their first-round upset loss to the Pacers last year by defeating them in 6 games. 2 time MVP and 2021 NBA Champion forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will be the catalyst in this series, as he has been averaging a 30-point triple-double in the final 6 games before the playoffs with stellar defense, helping to carry his team.
The Celtics will beat the Magic in 5 games. A combination of the Celtics’ outstanding three-point shooting and overwhelming star power will help them advance to the next round. The Pistons will upset the Knicks in 7 games, and first-time All-Star guard Cade Cunningham will steal the show.
In the West, the Thunder will sweep the 8-seed Grizzlies in 4 games, as their supreme young talent and MVP favorite guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will reign supreme. The Nuggets vs. Clippers series will be one of the most contested series of the entire playoffs, with the Clippers knocking off the Nuggets’ 3-time MVP Nikola Jokic in 6 games. The Nuggets, whose organization has been in turmoil after the firing of their head coach, Michael Malone, will struggle to find any consistent success in this year’s first round.
Next, the Warriors will narrowly edge out the young and inexperienced Rockets in 7 games in the biggest upset of the playoffs. Veteran superstar guard Stephen Curry and frequent playoff standout forward Jimmy Butler will overcome the young talent of the Rockets. Lebron and Luka’s Lakers will squeak by the Timberwolves in 7 games. The Timberwolves’ lack of a second option will hurt them in this series as they will struggle to keep up with the Lakers’ high-octane offense.
In the second round, the Cavaliers’ depth will overcome Giannis and the Bucks in six games and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics will beat the Pistons in five to advance to play the Cavs in a clash between two of the Eastern Conference’s best teams.
In the West, the Thunder’s young talent will edge the Clippers to advance to the Western Conference Finals. In the battle of LeBron James and Steph Curry, which has given the league some incredible matchups during their tenures, James and the Lakers will reign victorious and defeat the Warriors in 7 games to advance to face SGA and the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.
The Eastern Conference Finals between the Celtics and the Cavs will be an exciting battle between the East’s two best teams. The Cavs are seeking revenge after losing to the Celtics in five games last year. The series will go to 7 games, with the Celtics squeaking out the narrow win in Cleveland.
The Western Conference Finals between the Thunder and the Lakers will prove that the Thunder are here to stay. The Thunder will knock off the Lakers on their home floor in six games and advance to the NBA Finals.
The finals stage will be set in a matchup between the Thunder and Celtics, two teams with immense depth and polarizing star power.
The Celtics have the potential of going back-to-back for the first time since 1968 and 1969. This will be the first time the Thunder will have been in the Finals since 2012, when they lost to the Miami Heat. The Thunder’s youth and inexperience will prove to be their downfall, and they will fall in 7 games to the NBA Champion Boston Celtics.
