The NBA Playoffs are right around the corner, but there is still a lot that must be settled before we get there. That doesn’t mean it’s too early to make some bold predictions about what’s going to happen.
It’s been a wild NBA season. The preseason favorites to win the title were the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Lakers, two teams who are likely going to be in the play-in once it’s all said and done. Nobody expected the Chicago Bulls or Dallas Mavericks or Memphis Grizzlies or especially the Cleveland Cavaliers to be this good. We’d say nobody expected the New York Knicks to be this bad, but we always kind of believe the Knicks will be this bad at all times.
With just a few weeks until the real fun begins, anything can still happen. For all we know, it could still end up being the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets in the NBA Finals. Now that would be a bold prediction, but we’re at least looking for predictions that could happen. It seems pretty unlikely that the Nets and Lakers both make it to the second round let alone the Finals, but that’s what’s great about the playoffs. Everything isn’t only possible, but it’s conceivable.
What crazy things could happen once the NBA Playoffs start?
That leads us to these predictions. It’s setting up to be one of the most unbelievable playoffs in recent memory. There is so much new blood while the old guard is looking to hold onto its stranglehold of the league. Players like Devin Booker, Luka Doncic, and Ja Morant are trying to push the league into the future. Meanwhile, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry are trying to make one more run to the title. So, what’s going to happen?
Bold Prediction #1: Lakers make top 8
So, LeBron James making the playoffs is a bold prediction now? After the way this season went, yeah.
At the time of this writing, the Lakers aren’t even in the play-in game. The San Antonio Spurs are taking their spot as of now. There are three games for the Lakers at home and three games on the road. The Lake Show is much better in the City of Angels than anywhere else. Both LeBron James and Anthony Davis are returning from injury, and the Lakers can finally put the lineup together they really wanted.
That’s step one. Make the play-in game. Then, the real push begins. With everyone healthy again, the Lakers have as much talent as anyone. It does get complicated depending on who makes the play-in game, but it could be interesting if they end up playing the Los Angeles Clippers. Again, the Lakers are much better at home, and if they end up playing the Clippers in that game, it might have that “home game” feel. It’s more likely it’ll be the Pelicans in that first game. The Lakers can and should beat them, but that’s been the case a lot this season.
So, to make it into the top eight, the Lakers need to beat the Pelicans and then beat the Clippers (in what amounts to a home game) or the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lakers are 1-3 against the T-Wolves this season. The Lakers just have the type of players to step up when it matters. If they can fight off the Spurs, things will click. Well, they will click as much as they possibly can. The Lakers will then get destroyed by the Phoenix Suns and that will be that, but it will be fun watching them fight their way into the playoffs.
Bold Prediction #2: Mavericks and Grizzlies have disappointing runs
We mentioned the young stars in big positions in the Western Conference this season. While currently injured, Ja Morant has seen his star shine brighter than anyone this season. He’s become one of the most liked players in the league, and his Grizzlies are currently the two seed. The team has played out of their minds while Morant has been out with an injury, going 18-2 with him out of the lineup. The Grizzlies are incredibly deep, and that usually works out well in the postseason.
However, the team is likely going to be playing either the Clippers or Timberwolves in the first round. If it’s the former, then the Griz are in trouble. As deep as they are, it’s hard to bet against Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. The Clippers have stayed afloat without its two stars, and now they are getting them back just in time to build chemistry towards the playoffs. That’s bad news for the Grizzlies.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks took a step towards contention seemingly one year early. They’ve been in the playoffs the past two seasons, but they lost to the Clippers in the first round each time. This year, they finally get away from the Clippers, but it’s not like they have an easy road to the second round. Right now, they are the four seed and tunneling towards a matchup with the Utah Jazz. You know, the team with Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. Or they could face the Denver Nuggets. They have that Nikola Jokic fella that we hear is pretty good. They could also get Jamal Murray if things go perfectly.
These two teams took a jump one year early, but it will turn out that it was too early to make the playoffs a priority. They will run out of steam at the worst time, and they will both be out of the race in the first round (unless the Griz match up with the T-Wolves).
Bold Prediction #3: Nets run ends early
This one seems like it shouldn’t be “bold” since the Brooklyn Nets are currently the eight seed in the Eastern Conference. Even if they get out of the play-in intact, they are headed for a matchup with either the one or the two seed in the conference. Everything has gone wrong for the Nets this season, they traded away star guard James Harden, and it just feels like they should be one of the bigger disappointments this season. Yet, WynnBet has them as the second favorite to win the title. Only the Phoenix Suns have better odds. That’s preposterous.
Everyone is just assuming the Nets are going to turn it on and roll through the Eastern Conference. They do have Kevin Durant after all. He’s still one of, if not the best player in the league. He has struggled to stay healthy this season, but he looks like he’s ready to destroy the conference on his way to the Finals.
Here’s the issue with that: he is still on a team that is an eight seed. They have to get through the play in, which will likely include the Atlanta Hawks who were in the Eastern Conference Finals last season. They will likely get through the play in, but after that, they have either the Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, or Philadelphia 76ers. All of those teams are stacked and bring different challenges. Are we really making the betting favorites to come out of the East the team with the hardest road? Seems like a bad bet to us.
On top of all that, there’s the whole Ben Simmons drama of it all. He hasn’t played a minute of basketball since his disastrous playoff performance last season with the 76ers. He’s working his way back into shape to be ready for the postseason, but are the Nets really in better shape with him? It seems like they should be with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, but his playoff performance last season literally tanked the Sixers season.
Bold Prediction #4: Embiid-Harden partnership takes a step in playoffs
While the Nets struggle, the other side of that trade takes a step forward. There has been a lot of drama surrounding the 76ers this season. Despite that, Joel Embiid has put together another MVP-like performance, and he’s carried his team to one of the top seeds in the Eastern Conference. James Harden hasn’t exactly shown himself to be one of the best scorers in the league since coming to the City of Brotherly Love.
He’s still scoring 22 points per game with the 76ers, but head coach Doc Rivers felt the need to call him out after a loss to the lowly Detroit Pistons. His consistency has been a problem. In the past, that has come up in the playoffs as well. Harden has a reputation for losing the “big one”. It’s honestly not really his fault. There are the untimely injuries (specifically the Chris Paul injury), the matchup problems (especially with the Warriors during their historic run), and other times they just weren’t the better team.
Now, he’s in an interesting position. While everyone is talking about the Sixers, nobody is taking them seriously as a contender. They are right in the mix, and they could even get the one seed in the Eastern Conference.
The 76ers are going to make a run. Remember this when they are in the Eastern Conference Finals, and possibly beyond. They fell on their face against the Hawks last year, but the expectations are different this season. The team is different. Embiid and Harden are both facing the pressure to prove themselves as playoff performers. It will build them, and they will get past the drama and win more than anyone expects.
Bold Prediction #5: Devin Booker becomes a top-five NBA star
The Phoenix Suns are the runaway favorites in a year when there is no consensus top team. They are as close to a lock to go far as possible this year. Despite this, it seems like other stars are shining a little brighter than Booker this season. The narratives are surrounding Doncic and Morant. They are going around Kevin Durant’s stellar push and Embiid, Jokic, and Giannis fighting for the MVP.
All the while, Devin Booker is just sitting here destroying teams with the snap of a finger like he’s Thanos. The Suns are eight and a half games ahead of every single team in the league. As of this writing, they are on a nine-game winning streak that nobody seems to be talking about. That’s fine. Keep quiet for now. During the playoffs, Booker is going to shine.
Remember that Dallas Mavericks run in 2011 when Dirk Nowitzki became the best player in the NBA? This is what is going to happen with Booker this year. He will have that kind of run in the playoffs.
The playoffs are shaping up to be one of the better sporting events in a long time. With no real consensus and really good teams at the bottom of the standings, every series is going to be a showstopper. With so many eyes on the games every night, Booker can shine bright. By the time it’s all said and done, he will be one of the biggest stars in the league. His basketball cards will fly off the shelves, his jersey sales will skyrocket, and he will be the player we see in all of the commercials. Booker is set to be a star, and we’re here for it.