NBA Playoff Predictions

By Will Rietzke The NBA is officially back! After zero positive tests in the bubble at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, Adam Silver has gone ahead with the proposed seeding games and future playoff games. In the West, the teams vying for the 8 seed are Memphis, Portland, New Orleans, San Antonio, Sacramento, and Phoenix. In the East, the two teams vying for the 8 seed are Orlando and Washington. 

8th Seed Prediction In the West, I think the Grizzlies will hold on to the eight seed, thanks to the play of potential rookie-of-the-year, Ja Morant. 

In the East, I think the Magic will hold onto their spot, as they have plenty of young talent like Jonathan Isaac, Markelle Fultz, as well as Vucevic at center. The Wizards will be without John Wall and Bradley Beal, so they simply will not have enough firepower to jump the Magic. 

I will give my predictions for each round of the playoffs, if seeding were to stay the same as it is today. I will give some analysis for the Conference Finals and Finals. 

First Round Prediction

EAST:

Bucks over Magic in 4

Raptors over Nets in 4

Sixers over Celtics in 6

Heat over Pacers in 6 

WEST:

Lakers over Grizzlies in 4

Clippers over Mavs in 5

Jazz over Thunder in 7

Nuggets over Rockets in 7 

Second Round Predictions

EAST:

Bucks over Heat in 5

Sixers over Raptors in 7 

WEST:

Lakers over Jazz in 5

Clippers over Nuggets in 6 

Conference Finals Predictions

EAST:

Bucks over Sixers in 6

This is a tough matchup for the Sixers. Although they have four players who could potentially score twenty points any given night (Simmons, Embiid, Harris, and you could argue Horford) they will still have trouble containing Giannis. However, Simmons is an all NBA defender, and will give his best shot. Embiid is also a great rim protector. The shooting of Milwaukee will be the biggest problem, when you have Giannis hitting threes, as well as Lopez and Middleton, among others. I think this series goes to 6, but the Bucks prevail. 

WEST:

Lakers over Clippers in 7

This is the matchup NBA fans have been waiting for since the beginning of the season. LeBron James and Anthony Davis versus Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. On one hand you have an offensive juggernaut, and on the other you have two of the best two-way players and perimeter defenders in the game. I think the Clippers are a bit deeper than the Lakers, with guys like Harrel and Lou Williams, as well as Landry Shamet providing meaningful minutes. However, it’s hard to bet against LeBron in any series, and Anthony Davis is great on both ends of the floor. This series will come down to the last few minutes of game 7. 

NBA FInals Prediction Laker over Bucks in 6

Although the Lakers may be a bit beat up after a grueling seven game series against the Clippers, I think that LeBron is simply a man on a mission to get his fourth ring. Giannis, the reigning MVP, will be hard to contain as usual, but I believe Anthony Davis is the perfect guy for the job, as he will contain him on defense and tire him out on the other end. The Bucks simply don’t have a second-best player as good as the Lakers do, and stars always shine brightest in the Finals. I think this series will go to six games, but the Lakers get the job done.