2013 NBA Finals Predictions

After a surprisingly quick series in the West and a surprisingly long series in the East, the NBA finals are finally upon us. Despite the fact that many NBA fans would've loved to see the Memphis Grizzlies or the Indiana Pacers in the finals, or possibly even both, the match-up we did get included neither team. Yet the match-up of the Heat vs the Spurs is a super interesting one that definitely includes the NBA's two top teams. Being honest, if it were a Spurs vs Pacers, that might be a fairly quick series. Also if it were the Heat vs the Grizzlies, that also might be a fairly quick series. A Pacers vs Grizzlies series would be super interesting, but it would be one of the least watched finals. Not that I am one that really cares about ratings and viewership when it comes to the NBA finals, but match-up we got certainly will optimize those TV ratings as it is the most interesting of the possible finals match-ups that we could've gotten.

Instead of jumping right into my predictions and thus ensuing in a fairly short blog post, I want to look at the journey of the two teams, starting with the Spurs, the first team to punch their ticket to the finals. Ever since they picked up Tim Duncan in the 1997 NBA draft, the Spurs and coach Gregg Popovich have been a dominating force in the west, winning the NBA finals four times, 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2007. Tim Duncan and David Robinson in those early years were considered the two towers, but the success of the Spurs continued after the retirement of Robinson and Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili have continued to be the dominant corps of the Spurs team. For several years now people have written them off because they are getting old, but every year they continue to play well as if they just will never get young. This year they entered the playoffs as the number two seed as the defending Western Conference Champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, took the top seed. After struggling a bit going into the playoffs, the Spurs quickly became the favorite as Russell Westbrook went down for the Thunder, causing the Thunder to barely struggle past the eighth seeded Rockets. Despite the struggles going into the playoffs, the Spurs quickly shed off the rust as they swept the Los Angeles Lakers in round one. Next up was the surprise of the west, the Golden State Warriors, whose high powered offense was too much for the overachieving Nuggets team. Despite some serious struggles, including snapping their 29 game winning streak that they had against the Warriors in San Antonio, the Spurs snuck by Warriors in six. Last up in the west was the team that was supposed to give them the most problems, the Memphis Grizzlies, a team who had just come off knocking off the Thunder in five. Every game of the series against the Grizzlies was pretty close, but nevertheless the Grizzlies failed every single time to come out on top and thus the Spurs brought out the brooms again, leaving the Spurs with a 10-2 record in the playoffs so far this year heading into the finals.

The opponent that the Spurs having been waiting for will be the Miami Heat, the NBA defending champs. Everyone knows their story. Starting with the ridiculous live announcement by King James that had never been done before where LeBron announced to the world that he was taking his talents to South Beach and continuing with promise of not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven..., the Heat quickly became the NBA's most hated team. Criticisms were abound, but since then the Heat have managed to make it to the finals in all three years of the big three's existence in Miami, getting better every year. Year one they made it to the finals and lost. Year two saw LeBron finally winning his first NBA title and the scene of him jumping up and down like a 5 year old on Christmas morning will always be stuck in my head. Year three we obviously don't know the ending to, but in terms of the regular season, they had their best season yet as LeBron has been playing better than he ever has and the Heat enjoyed a 27 game winning streak, the second best in NBA history, during the second half of the season. They quickly disposed off the playoff-unworthy Milwaukee Bucks (their 38-44 record would've made them 11th place in the West) in round one. Choked against the Bulls in game one of the second round, but won the next four against the depleted Bulls. Then this past series, the Pacers stretched them to their limits, taking them to seven games while exposing some weaknesses. But in the end, the Heat took control and made it to their third straight NBA finals, something not too many teams have pulled off.

So who do I think is going to win? Honestly it's a huge toss-up for me. Both teams are super good and when playing at the top of the game, they are both hard to beat. I don't think that we are going to see any blowouts in this series. In deciding such a close series, I look towards the schedule in the NBA finals. Due to travel concerns with an East team playing a West team, the NBA goes for the 2-3-2 system and that actually favors the underdog quite a bit, which is the dangerous San Antonio Spurs. So the first two games will be in Miami, the next three will be in San Antonio, then the final two games, if necessary, will be in Miami. That three game stretch in San Antonio is going to be killer for the Heat and if they are going to win this series, I honestly think they are going to have to win both games at home. If the Spurs win one of those two games, it'll be really tough for the Heat and if the Spurs win both of those games in Miami, the series is over. The last time LeBron faced the Spurs in the finals was back in 2007 when he was with Cleveland and in that series it was essentially LeBron versus everyone else. That worked in the Eastern Conference, but when he played this Spurs team in the finals, the Cavs got swept. There have been times in these playoffs, especially in the Pacers series, where that's how it was. LeBron took over and did most of the work. If the Heat are going to win, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh need to step it up big time. Despite how good LeBron has been playing, if it is LeBron versus the Spurs again, this series will be quick. If it's LeBron, Wade, and Bosh all at the top of their game playing against the Spurs, the Heat have a chance. How I see it playing out is the two teams split in Miami, the in the San Antonio stretch I think the Spurs win two games there and the Heat sneak one. This will make it 3-2 in favor of the Spurs headed into Miami and I think the Spurs will take one of those games as well, winning the series. It could be 6 or 7, but for the sake of this blog, I will say the Spurs take it in 6.

Prediction: Spurs 4-2

2013 NBA Playoff Predictions - Conference Finals

Western Conference

#2- San Antonio Spurs vs #5- Memphis Grizzlies

The sexy pick here is the Memphis Grizzlies and I can totally see them moving on to the NBA finals. They are a mean and dangerous team. What's more is that they may be one of the most complete teams. Many thought that when they traded Rudy Gay that they were just tanking and they had no chance, but they are here now because they just work great together and the Spurs should seriously be worried. But yet, even though I think that this is going to be a close series that could go either way, I am going to pick the Spurs to win this series. Yes, I hate the Spurs and would love to see them go down, but I have to be honest. Gregg Popovich I think is one of the best coaches in NBA history and certainly the best coach in the league right now. People have written this team off for several years now because they are getting too old, but Popovich just keeps them going and now there is a new, young Spurs team that is rising up that complements the big three very well. They swept the Lakers and in the end they slowed down a red-hot Warriors team and in what should be a nitty-gritty hard-fought series, I think they will come out on top and make it to the NBA finals once again.

Prediction: Spurs 4-2


Eastern Conference

#1- Miami Heat vs #3- Indiana Pacers

I made the statement towards the beginning of the playoffs that  it is my opinion that no team in the East can give much of a challenge to the Heat and I still think that is the case as the Pacers are the last team in the East to be standing besides the Heat. It's been nine years since the Pacers made it into the NBA finals and at that point, Reggie Miller was still on the team. After Miller retired following the '04-'05 season, the Pacers team tanked and for several years were buried in the basement of the NBA, but recently, they have quietly arisen back to power in the East. I say quietly because they are a team that no one talks about much but here they are. I think it would be fantastic if they knocked off the Heat, but sadly I don't think it will happen. If Dwayne Wade fails to stay healthy, the Pacers could make a series out of this, but even without Wade I think the LeBron, Bosh, and the rest of the Heat could still pull this off. I will make the prediction assuming that Wade will stay healthy and with that in mind I will say that this will actually be a fairly fast series.

Prediction: Heat 4-1

2013 NBA Playoff Predictions - Conference Semi-Finals

Western Confernce Finals

#1- Oklahoma City Thunder vs #5- Memphis Grizzlies - 

Having an NBA finals match-up that featured the Thunder and the Heat again is a very realistic possibility, but a fairly common trend in pro sports is that the two top seeds very rarely face each other in the finals. With that said the Heat are definitely going to the finals. I don't think there is a team that is strong enough to beat them in the East. The West on the other hand is a different story. The Thunder looked quite vulnerable in the last half of that series against the Rockets and I have this feeling that they are not going to make it to the finals, especially now that Russell Westbrook is out. If this was a match-up against the Clippers like I originally thought it was going to be, then I think that would've been a good match-up for the Thunder, but the Grizzlies are a different story. I think this will be a close series, but I also think that the Grizzlies will be able to overpower  the Thunder with their really good defense and very potent offense.

Prediction: Grizzlies 4-3


#2- San Antonio Spurs vs #6- Golden State Warriors - 

I usually hate predicting a no upset round, but that is what I did in the first round and it turned out that I was indeed wrong. I don't count a 5 seed over a 4 seed as an upset, but the Warriors knocking off the Nuggets definitely was and I totally didn't see that coming. I also that that the Spurs would lose a game or two to the Lakers, but that didn't happen either. If Denver were to win, I think this would be a really bad match-up for the Spurs, but with Golden State winning I think they were a bit relieved because the Warriors are a much better match-up. Now it is not good at this point to completely write off the Warriors as they proved they are a dangerous team that definitely belongs in the playoffs. With Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in the back court, they could provide the Spurs with some headaches, but I think the Spurs will wind up on top. The Warriors don't match up very well with the Spurs and they can't win in San Antonio. They have lost 29 straight games to the Spurs in San Antonio and that doesn't bode well. I think they could pull off a win, maybe two at home, but this could be a fairly fast series in favor of the Spurs.

Prediction: Spurs 4-1


Eastern Conference 

#1- Miami Heat vs #5- Chicago Bulls - 

I am staying committed to my opinion that I don't think any team in the playoffs will give a huge challenge to the Heat right now. It is of note that when the Heat were on their historical winning streak that the Bulls were the team to end that. If healthy, the Bulls are a very dangerous team that could give the Heat a lot of problems, but that is their exact problem. They can't stay healthy. If it's not one Bulls player getting injured, it's another. They managed to fight their way through the Nets, but I don't think they will be that lucky against the Heat. A banged up, tired Bulls team fresh off a long series against the Nets I think will fall and fall rather quickly. People remember that the Bulls beat the heat, but some forget that a couple weeks later the Heat all magically got back from injury and got their revenge pretty handily. The Heat will be fighting even harder in the playoffs and will probably dispose of a broken and bent up Bulls team pretty fast. I'm going to be semi bold and predict another sweep for the Heat

Prediction: Heat 4-0


#2- New York Knicks vs #3- Indiana Pacers

Out of all the first round match-ups, I think this one intrigues me the most. The Knicks at times look like the are good enough to upset the Heat in the Easter Conference, then there are the times that they just checkout like they did at times during the Celtics series. If they play like the former Knicks team they could win this series, but I am not confident that they will. The Pacers on the other hand are one of the more overlooked teams. Everyone spends their time talking about the Heat, Knicks, Nets, Bulls, and Celtics, but the Pacers just fly under the radar and are in fact the third best team in the East. With a stellar defense and an offense led by Most Improved Player winner Paul George, I think that the Pacers will win out in a close series and thus win the honor of getting trounced on by the Heat in the Conference Finals as I don't think either the Pacers or the Knicks stand a chance at beat the Heat. But maybe I shouldn't rain on their parade too soon.

Prediction: Pacers 4-3

2013 NBA Playoff Predictions - First Round

Western Conference

#1- Oklahoma City Thunder vs #8- Houston Rockets -

The first round of the Western Conference has some great match-ups in store for us and even though the 1 vs 8 is usually a boring and quick match-up, but thus is not the case this time as James Harden and his Rockets visit his old Thunder team. Not too often in the world of sports do you get a situation where a major trade happens that benefits both sides, but thus has actually been the case with the Thunder and the Rockets. The Thunder just didn't have the money and the room for three all stars on their team, so they traded their third option in Harden to the Rockets. As we saw, the Thunder remained fairly unaffected as they have grabbed the top seed in the West and Harden finally got the opportunity to start and be the main option on a team. Now the Rockets have had a habit recently of unloading their roster and in getting Harden they completely started over and plan to build around him. Was it smart to let both Dragic and Lowry leave, replace them with Lin, then trade the rest of their team along with a bunch of draft picks for Harden? Well, that's debatable, but lucky for them it worked out. Harden is a stud and now if the Rockets get a few more pieces around him, they can be a contending team in the future. The Rockets had a chance in the playoffs to surprise people had Wednesday night worked out for them and they had ended with the 6th or 7th seed, but unfortunately they got stuck in the 8th seed and although it's fun to see Harden playing his old team in the playoffs and it would be great to see Harden knock out his old team, this is still going to be your normal typical 1 vs 8 quick match-up. The Rockets just aren't quite there yet and the Thunder too much for them.

Prediction: Thunder 4-1

#2- San Antonio Spurs vs #7- Los Angeles Lakers - 

They did it. After probably one of the most drama filled seasons in recent Laker history, the Lakers avoided being labeled as one of the most disappointing teams in NBA history. Yes it is true that they still will be considered a disappointing team, missing the playoffs would've made it a lot worse. Thanks to the Jazz chocking Wednesday night they officially made it in on the last day of the regular season and a close overtime victory over the Rockets won them the right to NOT play the Thunder as they would've most likely gotten swept. It was really devastating for Laker fans watching Kobe go down and while some that was going to be the death of this team, they actually played inspired ball and won out. And it was interesting as I was watching. I saw what life after Kobe would be like for the Lakers and it looks like things be fine. But how will they fare in the playoffs with him gone? Can Dwight Howard carry this team? Well, I think they are going to give the Spurs, a team that they actually just beat this past Sunday without Kobe, a run for their money. I think this is the one match-up in the first round with the biggest chance for an upset (not counting the  4 vs 5 match-ups), but I think the Kobe-less Lakers will run out of steam in the end while the Spurs advance.

Prediction: Spurs 4-2

#3- Denver Nuggets vs #6- Golden State Warriors -

The Carmelo Anthony era in Denver seems so long ago and it's amazing how much better they have been without him. When you look at this Nuggets team, you don't necessarily see one superstar player and a bunch of role players, but rather you see a group of good players that play really good together that have a great head coach that makes all the difference. This time last year no one would've expected the Warriors to be where they are. They have consistently been a team that has had good players but have underperformed as a team. Not this year, though. Mark Jackson has got this team going and with the roster they have, they could also be a dangerous team in the future. The Nuggets and Warriors match-up features two high powered offenses and we will most likely be favored with several high scoring games. The difference in this series will be the Nuggets ridiculous home court advantage. They've only lost three games at home this season and while the Warriors might sneak out a game or two at there place, the Nuggets won't lose at home this series and that will carry them to a win in a series that will be very fun to watch.

Prediction: Nuggets 4-2

#4- Los Angeles Clippers vs #5- Memphis Grizzlies -

This match-up is probably the most difficult to predict. The Clippers are now, at least currently, the kings of Los Angeles with the drama and disappointment that have surrounded the Lakers this season. This is a Clippers team that I fully expect to make a trip to the NBA finals some time in the not so distant future, but the big problem is that the West is just so competitive right now. To give you an idea of how great the competition is, Miami in the East do own the best record in the NBA, but the top five teams in the west all have a better record than the second place Knicks in the East. The Clippers and the Grizzlies both have 56 wins this season and in most seasons, 56 wins is good for 2nd or 3rd in the West, but not so this time. 56 wins for the Grizzlies was only good for 5th place, which is insane. Because of this, it's been a while since I've seen a 4 vs 5 match-up of this magnitude with two 56 win teams fighting it out. Who's going to win? I have no idea. I wouldn't be surprised to see either of these teams win. And I also wouldn't be surprised to see either of these teams to knock off the Thunder in the next round. Almost by coin flip I am going to give the Clippers the edge.

Prediction: Clippers 4-3

Eastern Conference

#1- Miami Heat vs #8- Milwaukee Bucks - 

While the West is looking like one big huge fun mess that will be totally awesome to watch, I think the East will be less entertaining. And by that I mean we have the Miami Heat as the huge favorites and seven teams that don't even have much of a chance to knock them off. Also, the New York Knicks, who hold the second best record in the East would be in 6th place in the West. The Celtics and Bucks, who hold the 7th and 8th seeds, would be 11th and 12th in the West respectively, while the 5th place Bulls and 6th place Hawks would also be out of the playoffs in the West. Speaking of those Bucks, they are the one team in the playoffs with a losing record as they made it into the playoffs with only 38 wins, three games below .500. Meanwhile, the Heat went on a 26 game winning streak late in the season and ended with a 66 win season. That's almost 30 more wins then the Bucks. The Bucks don't stand a chance and even one win for them in the series would be a huge shocker.

Prediction: Miami 4-0

#2- New York Knicks vs #7- Boston Celtics - 

In previous years, this might've been a more interesting match-up, but let's be honest. Age has caught up with this Boston team and unlike the Spurs, they haven't been able to reload yet with enough young talent to keep this team afloat. Now my hearts and prayers go out to the people and the city of Boston and I hope that leads to a win or two when these two teams play in Boston. Now as I said, the Knicks would only be the 6 seed if they were in the west, but 54 wins is still pretty good and are much better than Boston's 41 wins. Carmelo Anthony has had an awful track record in the playoffs, but this should be one of the few times that he makes it past the first round.

Prediction: Knicks 4-2

#3- Indiana Pacers vs #6- Atlanta Hawks - 

Out of all the first round match-ups in both the East and the West, this is the series that will probably get the least amount of attention. The Pacers are actually a pretty good team that will probably be a team that will stick around in the Eastern Conference race in the next several years. Despite being the third best team in the East, they actually have the second worst offense in the East and only one additional team in the West have a worse offense. How do they do you ask? Well, the answer is the league's second best defense as they have only allowed an average of 90.7 points per game. The Hawks, meanwhile, are one of the more confusing NBA teams in the playoffs right now as it seems like they have a different starting lineup every night. They've been inconsistent all season long and unlike the Pacers, their future is a huge question mark and they are one of the four teams in the East that wouldn't even be in the playoffs if they took their 44 win season to the Western conference. I don't see them being able to get passed the Pacers' defense in this.

Prediction: Pacers 4-1

#4- Brooklyn Nets vs #5- Chicago Bulls - 

Last but certainly not least, we have a normal 4 vs 5 match-up as we have the newcomer to the Eastern Conference playoffs in the Brooklyn Nets facing off against the veteran Eastern Conference playoff team in the Chicago Bulls. I say normal 4 vs 5 match-up because I am comparing to the 4 vs 5 match-up in the West with two 56 win teams facing each other in the Clippers and Grizzlies. The Nets ended the season with 49 wins while the Bulls ended with 44. Now a healthy Bulls team is a dangerous Bulls team, but that has been the huge problem this season. Once one player gets back from injury another one gets hurt. And they haven't had their star player Derek Rose all season. The Nets on the other hand at one point looked like they were going to be the second best team in the East and I think they are a team that can do some damage in the future. Neither the Nets or the Bulls are going to have much of a chance against the Heat in the next round. Now you will immediately point out that the Bulls are the ones that ended the Heat's winning streak and that is true. They could possibly win another game against the Heat, but they won't a 7 game series. Now I think this Nets and Bulls series will be really close and I actually look at that Bulls vs Heat game to determine this match-up. Regardless of how hurt they are, I think they can pull it together enough to knock off the inexperienced Nets in a close series.

Prediction: Bulls 4-3

Quick Glance into Future Rounds

Conference Semi-Finals:

#1- Oklahoma City Thunder vs #4- Los Angeles Clippers

        Thunder win 4-2

#2- San Antonio Spurs vs #3- Denver Nuggets

        Nuggets win 4-3

#1- Miami Heat vs #5- Chicago Bulls

        Heat win 4-1

#2- New York Knicks vs #3- Indiana Pacers

        Knicks win 4-2

Conference Finals:

#1- Oklahoma City Thunder vs #3- Denver Nuggets 

        Nuggets win 4-3

#1- Miami Heat vs #2- New York Knicks

        Heat win 4-0

NBA Finals:

#1- Miami Heat vs #3- Denver Nuggets

        Heat win 4-2

  

2012 NBA Finals Predictions

It's here! The moment that all basketball fans have been waiting for all season long. The NBA Finals, the climax of the NBA season. And as this will be my last post about the 2011 - 2012 NBA season before it's time to look forward to the next season (and that will come quickly with the 2012 NBA draft), allow me to reflect a little before I get down to my actual predictions about what will specifically happen in the NBA finals.

It's been quite the journey this season. It's a season that will definitely be remembered in ways that are both good and bad. Bad because it was almost a lost season. Good because in the nick of time things worked out. Yes, that is the lockout we are talking about. And it was especially scary going into it at the beginning of last summer because there was the potential of no NFL or NBA. And yes, I know. I am a spoiled sports fan, but that would've been tragic. So we made it. A shortened 66 game season that was quite intense as there were often weeks where teams had 4 or 5 games in a week. Add to that a shortened offseason beforehand that makes it tricky going in to things with little to no preparation for everyone. Just like in the good old days where a group of friends get together and play a game of basketball. You don't practice. You don't prepare. You just jump in and start playing. After all is said and done some realize that they need to practice a lot more than they do and others realize that playing basketball is like riding a bike to them. So that is what it was. 30 teams just jumped in there and started playing basketball. And now after 66 regular season games and three rounds in the playoffs in the books, we are left with just two teams. The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Miami Heat.

First off, let's look at the Thunder. After this past series, Greg Popavic said it best when he said their story is like a Hollywood script. The story really started back when the Seattle Sonics franchise collapsed. Bad coaching, bad ownership, and no support from the city of Seattle caused the crash that sent the team off to Oklahoma City to start over. No expected much from the Thunder once they got to OKC but with the combined effort of great coaching, ownership, and striking gold in the draft with some great young talent quickly sent this team soaring to the top of the league at a pace that surprised everyone. After last year's trip to the western conference finals, high expectations were given to this team and they lived up to it by grabbing the number two spot in the west. Sometimes the number two seed gets quite lucky with matchups, but the road for the Thunder at that spot was a tough and impressive one. First off they had to get through the defending champion Mavericks. Next up was Kobe Bryant and the relentless Los Angeles Lakers. Finally, the last obstacle in their way of making their first finals appearance was the Spurs, a team that was enjoying one of the best winning streaks in NBA history. A Hollywood script? For sure. I don't think a better one could be written. The Spurs, Lakers, and Mavericks have been the only three teams to come out of the west since the '98 Jazz. Add to that going 12-3 through all that is quite impressive. And now the grand finale is to go up against King James, D-Wade, and Bosh in a matchup against the Miami Heat.

So now lets talk about them Heat. The team that 75% of America bitterly despise. And why? Because three good friends were all free agents at the same exact time and decided to go play for the same team? Yeah, pretty much. Sure we could start a huge debate and I'm sure millions of Americans could come to me with their argument as to why this move unclassy, ridiculous, and horrible for the NBA. But I am sorry, I find it all a bit over the top. No, I take that back. I find the level of hatred towards the Miami Heat to be way over the top. No, I am not a bandwagoner. I am a devout fan of the Utah Jazz and always will be. I am just good at pointing out the ridiculousness and stupidity of Americans sometimes and will cheer for the Heat to win in spite because I feel bad for them. Of course I want the Jazz to pummel them whenever they are faced against them, but that matchup isn't happening right now is it? This road of theirs has specifically been an interesting one. Some were ready to write them off in the first round when they were up against a hot and storied Knicks team, forgetting of course that Carmelo Anthony has never learned to play in the playoffs. Then in round two, everyone was willing to write them off when they went down 2-1 against the Pacers. Finally, the Celtics had them. Most thought they were done when the C's went up 3-2. Well, they overcame all of that to make it to the NBA finals for a second straight year.

So now the matchup. Heat vs Thunder. After that last paragraph you would all expect me to be cheering for the Heat in this one. Well, that's not quite accurate. I think Kevin Durant is one of the most classy players in the NBA and so I would love to see the Thunder win. And yes, like stated before, the Heat winning would make me happy as well so its really a win-win situation for me. And that makes it easy to analyze because I am not rooting for a specific team and so its completely unbiased. And at the same time it is hard because it is a really tough matchup to call. Either team winning wouldn't surprise me. Right now after those last two games against the Celtics, LeBron James and the Heat are really on fire and will be tough for the Thunder to knock off. Yet the Thunder have an impressive resume this post season, having just won four straight against the Spurs after the Spurs had won nearly 30 games in a row (if you don't count the two games they lost because they rested their big three) and gone up 2-0 against the Thunder. If the Thunder can do that, one would think that the Heat could be a challenge they could overcome. So it's quite even. In predicting an official outcome, I look at the 2-3-2 setup that always favors the team without home court advantage. The Heat losing one more game in the regular season could possibly be the best strike of luck that the Heat have had. The first two games will be in OKC and all the Heat have to do to gain a huge advantage is win one of those games and they will get 3 straight games in Miami. I am going to take that into account and thus say that the Miami Heat pull this off and win this series 4-2. But we'll see what happens. I will enjoy watching this series. It should be great!

2012 NBA Playoff Predictions - Conference Finals

#1- San Antonio Spurs vs #2- Oklahoma City Thunder - Not too often does it happen this way, but the Conference Finals in the West gives us the match-up that we were all hoping for. The Spurs and the Thunder both blew by their competition in the first two rounds as the Spurs made the Jazz and Clippers look like jokes while the Thunder impressively snuck past the defending champ Mavs and the perennial contending Lakers. The Thunder and the Spurs have a combined one loss in the playoffs, the Spurs being the undefeated team, so this should be quite interesting series. Personally, I hope the Thunder will win this series, but right now I have a serious problem with going against the Spurs. They have now won 18 straight and 29 out of their last 31 games, only losing twice when they rested their big three. Two things that are key in the playoffs are momentum and experience and with this huge winning streak they certainly have the momentum and we all know that this Spurs team is experienced. Now the Thunder have some good momentum and are gaining more playoff experience that will help them in the future, but I really think that this is the Spurs' year. The Spurs have defeated the Thunder twice out of three times already this year and while I don't see a third straight sweep, a quick finish to the series wouldn't surprise me. I think all the games will be close and hard fought, but the Spurs will be clutch enough to wind out on top. Prediction: Spurs 4-1

#2- Miami Heat vs #4- Boston Celtics - First off I want to give a well deserved shout out to the Sixers. No one expected them to do much in these playoffs, but they certainly had a spectacular run that started by knocking off a beaten up Bulls team and ended by giving the Celtics a run for their money by taking them to seven games before finally getting outrun. Doug Collins has certainly done wonders with that team. But onto the Celtics and Heat. The Eastern Conference has been the conference that has given us the most drama and competition this season and I see that continuing in the Eastern Conference finals. The Celtics owned the Heat in the regular season going 3-1, but I see quite the dog fight happening in this series rather than a one sided battle. Miami is still beat up with Bosh being out, but James and Wade have certainly been on fire as they won three straight to knock out the Pacers in six after the whole country wrote them off when they went down 2-1. I think that momentum will carry into this series and they will start out strong. I also see the Celtics starting out strong after the clutch win against the Sixers in game seven. Some might say a brutal seven game series agains the Sixers will make them a bit worn out to start with, but I don't see that. The Celtics big three know how to win and on top of that Rajon Rondo has been a beast. So like I said, this will be a tough, hard fought series and I wouldn't be surprised to see either team wind out on top, but I will give the slight nod to the Heat in this one. Prediction: Heat 4-3

2012 NBA Playoff Predictions - Conference Semifinals

#1- San Antonio Spurs vs #5- Los Angeles Clippers - I never thought I would be saying this, but the Clippers are a team on the rise and they'd be a team that I would love to pick to go to the Conference Finals. The problem is that they screwed themselves over by getting stuck in the five seed. As expected, the series between the Clippers and the Grizzlies was a dog fight that went down to game 7. Both Paul and Griffin got a little banged up in that series. Meanwhile, San Antonio is coming off a lengthy rest after making the Jazz look like a college team. Some might say that a week off would make the Spurs a bit rusty, but this is the playoff savvy Spurs we are talking about. Even if the Clippers did have a similar break, I'd say the Spurs walk away with this one, so the extra rest gives the Spurs a huge advantage against what could be a tired Clippers team. I'll be rooting for the Clippers because I have never liked the Spurs much, but if I'm being honest and realistic I think the Spurs will take care of business in this series. Prediction: Spurs 4-2

#2- Oklahoma City Thunder vs #3- Los Angeles Lakers - When's the last time we had two teams from Los Angeles in the Conference Semi's? Well, only once I suppose since the Clips are coming off their second career playoff series win. If I'm being quite honest, I think that a Lakers vs Clippers conference finals match-up would be quite epic. There's only one problem with that happening. Well, actually there are two. It's the Thunder and the Spurs. One of those teams may fall, but I doubt that both will. However, I digress. Thunder vs Lakers. I really despise the Lakers and really hope the Thunder win. In fact, I hope that it is an embarrassing 4-0 sweep, but something inside me says that there's no chance of that happening. The Lakers are going to be a hard team to push away and thus I think this will be a very intense series. However, I know that it is cliche right now to predict Spurs vs Thunder, but I am going to do it. The Thunder pull off a tight series win. Prediction: Thunder 4-3

#4- Boston Celtics vs #8- Philadelphia 76ers - Now the Eastern Conference cheated. I wanted to submit this post before the next round started, but the Celtics and Sixers played a game before the first round was over and the Celtics take game one by the skin of their teeth. Now the Bulls had played fine without Rose for many games of the season and so when he went down it was actually surprising to see the Bulls go down so hard. Doug Collins gets a lot of credit for the work he's done with this Sixers team. I think the Sixers will put up a good fight, as apparent by game one, but I think that the playoff experience by the Celtics will put them over the top in this series. Prediction: Celtics 4-1

#2- Miami Heat vs #3- Indiana Pacers - Once again, game one of this series was conveniently played before I could type this up due to the Clips and Grizzlies going to game 7. The Pacers I have thought this whole time could be the dark horse of the playoffs and they started very well by beating up a broken up Magic team. I really want to pick the Pacers in this one because I think that would be cool, but I really can't pick against the Heat right now. The Pacers silently had a great season this year, but I don't think they have enough to take out the Heat. I think they won't go down without a fight and will sneak out a game or two, but the Heat will be the team that makes it to the Conference Finals. This should be a great round of playoffs to watch! Prediction: Heat 4-2

2012 NBA PLayoff Predictions - First Round

WEST
#1- San Antonio Spurs vs #8- Utah Jazz - I have always been a die hard Jazz fan my whole life and I am really glad that we made the playoffs. When we crashed last year, I will be completely honest, I had begun to lose hope for the future of our team. Things didn't look very bright at the start of this season as well and I was almost certain that we were destined for the lottery this year. However, our young players stepped it up big time and gave us a lot of hope. A young team consisting of Burks, Hayward, Favors, and Kanter actually could be quite scary in a few years. It took some injuries to players like Raja, Howard, and CJ to get Corbin to play them more, but hey. Now they have experience and will get some much needed playoff experience. However, if there is one team in the playoffs that I don't want to play it is the Spurs. One, the Spurs are on fire. They have lost only like one game in their last 20 games (to the Jazz ironically - but that was a fluke because they rested the big three) and momentum is huge in the playoffs. Two, the Jazz have a terrible history against them. Ever since a man name Tim Duncan started playing for them, they have beaten us like 90% of the time they play us. This playoff series will end quite quickly, but it will be good for our young team. The future is bright. Prediction: Spurs 4-0

#4- Memphis Grizzlies vs #5- Los Angeles Clippers - This match-up here just might be the most intriguing match-up of the first round. Neither franchise has had a great history in the playoffs as both have had one playoff series win in their team's history. This stat is more embarrassing for the Clippers since they have been around since 1970 while the Grizzlies came into existence in the mid-90's. However, both these teams are in a position right now that could do some damage and/or pull of some upsets that will throw the playoffs off of the track people expect it to go. The Grizzlies are a team that no one especially wants to play. They are a tough team that is riding the momentum train via a 6 game win streak and a last minute push to grab the number 4 seed. Meanwhile, the Clippers just recently fell from the number 3 spot to the dreaded 5 spot. Despite that I still believe that Paul, Griffin, and company will get the job done. But it will be a dog fight. Prediction: Clippers 4-3

#3- Los Angeles Lakers vs #6- Denver Nuggets- Kobe and the Lakers haven't been overly impressive this year, but they've been good enough to get the job done. Which makes it kinda hard to predict what they are going to do come playoff time. I could see them getting knocked out early and I could see them barely making it through the first two rounds and sneak into the conference finals. In looking at all the match-ups, the Lakers have the highest chance out of all the top seeds (not counting the number 4 seeds) to get eliminated and so I am going to roll the dice and call upset on this one. The Nuggets are riding a good four game win streak in addition to winning eight of their last ten. Plus, this isn't a Phil Jackson coached Laker team. It's Mike Brown. Since when has he ever been a good playoff coach? Prediction: Nuggets 4-2


#2- Oklahoma City Thunder vs #7- Dallas Mavericks - This one is an easy one to pick in my mind. I really don't think the Mavs have much of a chance. Yes, the Mavs are the defending Champs, but they haven't played nearly as well this season than they did last season. They've had their moments this year, but having those moments at the right time is key and right now the Mavs have been reeling recently and only avoided dropping to the eight spot because they hold the tie breaker against the Jazz. You can't go into the playoffs playing like that and expect to knock off the Thunder in the first round. It's just not gonna happen. The Thunder are just too good. Prediction: Thunder 4-1 

EAST
#1- Chicago Bulls vs #8- Philadelphia 76ers - I don't know how the Bulls have done it, but they did. They have been playing without Derrick Rose for a big portion of the season. Also, Deng has been injury plagued a bit as well and him, Noah, and Boozer have had up and down haven't played great either. Yet they still manage to win games. Kudos to Tom Thibido. That's the only way to describe it. I think their great regular season will translate into a great playoff and playing to 76ers will only be a minor block in the road. I respect what Doug Collins has done with the 76ers and I think that they could become one of the top teams in the future, but this year is not the year. Prediction: Bulls 4-1.

#4- Boston Celtics vs #5- Atlanta Hawks - Now this is quite the interesting match-up. Because of the fact that the Celtics won their division they couldn't drop lower than four, but they ended up with a worse record than the Hawks, so the Hawks get homecourt advantage. This match-up is quite even, but the Celtics know how to win in the playoffs and the Hawks don't. They Hawks are the team that always does good in the regular season, but flops come playoff time. I think the Celtics have at least one more playoff run in them and so that's where I am going with this one. Celtics 4-2

#3- Indiana Pacers vs #6- Orlando Magic - Pacers anyone? They quietly had a really good season. I mean, come on. How many people have talked about the Pacers much this year? All the press goes to the Bulls, Heat, Magic, Knicks, and Celtics in the Eastern Conference. Not the Pacers. But I think that they could turn some heads and do some serious damage in these playoffs. And I think that they will take out the reeling Magic quite easily. Maybe after they do so, people will start realizing that they are actually pretty good. Prediction: Pacers 4-1

#2- Miami Heat vs #7- New York Knicks - This will easily be the biggest and most talked about match-up in this first round with Carmelo and the Knicks facing off against LeBron and the Heat. Carmelo has never done good in the playoffs, but could this be the year? Knocking off the Heat in the first round would be a huge accomplishment. Imagine all the crap the Heat will get if they get dropped in the first one? I certainly think they will give the Heat a run for their money and I wouldn't mind at all a Knicks victory, but I think the Heat will pull this one off by the skin of their teeth. Prediction: Heat 4-3


Quick Glance Beyond the First Round

Conference Semi Finals 
Spurs over Clippers
Thunder over Nuggets
Celtics over Bulls
Heat over Pacers

Conference Finals
Spurs over Thunder
Heat over Celtics

Finals
Spurs over Heat