Who is Going to the NBA Finals?
The Nuggets and Lakers in the West. The Celtics and the Heat in the East. Who is making it out?
So, it looks like the Conference Finals this year will be a repeat of the Bubble match-ups.
In the west, the Denver Nuggets took down the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 and the Los Angeles Lakers also took down the Golden State Warriors in Game 6.
While in the east, the Miami Heat took down the New York Knicks in Game 6 and the Boston Celtics took down the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7.
It’s going to be an entertaining Conference Finals this year as both of the matches will have one team that competed in the Play-In Tournament (Lakers and Heat), and you know they will be playing to prove something.
LeBron James and Jimmy Butler are too alpha not to (I mean, they’ve already taken down some really good teams).
Anyway, here are my predictions for which team will be going to the Finals this year.
However, I want to preface the following by saying that I have made some very incorrect predictions this year (and pretty much every year before).
So, take everything I say with a grain of salt and please don’t hold me accountable for anything that is wrong.
The Western Conference
Let’s start with the Western Conference.
The Denver Nuggets were the best team in the West this season and Nikola Jokic once again had an MVP-caliber season.
Jamal Murray also returned from a major injury and looked more and more like his Bubble self with each game he competed in.
As for the L.A. Lakers, they started off slow but made some crucial changes at the trade deadline and improved significantly.
But which team has the better chance of winning?
I think the Nuggets will get the victory -and not just because I’m biased.
In my opinion, the Nuggets have a better team and a roster built to beat the Lakers.
Jokic is an offensive mastermind that will take up all of Anthony Davis’ -the Lakers’ best defender- attention, preventing him from helping out on defence, which frees up the lanes for Denver.
And since Jokic has great court vision, he’ll just dish the ball out to one of his cutting or open teammates when AD clamps him down or when a double-team is drawn.
Murray has also been fantastic as of late, averaging 26 points and 6.5 assists in this postseason.
I’m not sure D’Angelo Russell or Dennis Schroder can slow him down. The only player that can would be Jared Vanderbilt but if he goes on Murray, Michael Porter, Jr will most likely be rewarded with a smaller defender, who he can shoot over or bully down low.
Additionally, the Nuggets have good role players in the aforementioned Porter, Jr., Aaron Gordon, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Bruce Brown, who can all drop a 20-piece nugget meal (sorry) on any given night if they want to.
And on the defensive end, Gordon, Caldwell-Pope, and Brown are capable of doing a good job of slowing down LeBron James and AD (or neutralizing the remainder of L.A.’s roster).
However, LeBron is LeBron and you can’t ever count him out.
I’m sure he will pull something amazing off to keep Nuggets’ fans on their toes the entire series. AD can also do a lot of damage when he wants to.
But it won’t be enough. The Nuggets will win in 6.
The Eastern Conference
As for the Eastern Conference, Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been on a terror.
Tatum just put up 51 points to eliminate the 76ers and it really looks like he can do whatever he wants offensively.
But the same can be said about Jimmy Butler, who has been going Super Saiyan this entire playoffs.
He’s averaging 31 points this post-season and is single-handedly willing his team -which also consists of some great players- to victories.
ESPN analysts are giving them a 3 percent chance to win this series, but I think it should be much higher (especially now since they disrespected them and Butler will take it personally).
However, I still think the Celtics will win (even though I want the Heat to). Boston has too many talented players that can give Miami trouble.
Miami doesn’t have enough good defenders to effectively guard Tatum AND Brown… AND Marcus Smart AND Malcolm Brogdon, who can both summon the Luck of the Irish and drop 20 clovers (sorry, again) to aid their superstars.
Butler will do a lot of damage but the best that he and the Heat can do is win 2 games. The Celtics will win this series in 6.
Final Thoughts
So if my predictions are correct (which they rarely are), the Nuggets will be meeting the Celtics in the Finals this year.
Do you agree with my analysis? And who do you think will be heading to the NBA Finals this year?
Support the Newsletter
If you got anything from this article, such as enjoyment or an epiphany, consider subscribing or upgrading to a paid subscription.
Read These Articles
Darvin Ham Is The First Coach To Come Up With An Effective Plan To Stop Nikola Jokic
Becky Hammon responds to Raptors coaching rumors: ‘I don’t need stamp of approval from NBA’