NBA Finals Prediction

 

First Round Record (7-1)

Conference Semis Record (2-2)

Conference Finals Record (1-1)

 

NBA Finals Prediction

 

Dallas Mavericks vs Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics have been the top team from start to finish this season, but the NBA Finals is where I believe they will get their first real test of season! The Celtics roster is stacked and they are a really good team, but there have been multiple moments throughout this season where I’ve watched them really fall apart and rely on the three point shot that just kills them in the end. The Eastern Conference side of the playoffs had extremely weak and injured teams coming into it and if they had faced a slightly better opponent in the last two rounds, I feel like the Celtics would not be here. The Mavericks, on the other hand, have been one of the best teams since the all-star break. Luka has been playing at an MVP level all year and has dominated this postseason. He is basically unstoppable and with Kyrie focused on basketball he has turned into the X-Factor of this team. While I believe the Celtics on paper are the better team, the Mavs come into this one playing with the utmost confidence at all ends of the court. Offensively they are lights out, defensively they have grown stronger as the season wears on, and at this point Luka is just knocking down shots from every spot on the court, it’s insane! This series should be close because they matchup well, but Luka and the Mavs are playing with such confidence they are hard for me to pick against, and since I do not believe the Celtics are as good as their record says, I’m going with the Mavs in this one. Luka and Kyrie are on one right now and they look like they’re ready to bring another Championship back to Dallas!

Mavericks in 6 games

NBA Conference Finals Predictions

 

First Round Record (7-1)

Conference Semis Record (2-2)

 

NBA Conference Finals Predictions

Western Conference Finals

Dallas Mavericks Vs Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves come into this one HOT with suffocating defense on the defending champs and multiple all-star players ready to be the guy when called upon! Anthony Edwards has developed into one of the hottest stars in the league getting comparisons to Michael Jordan, and even though it’s still early to make such a comparison, this playoff run makes a good argument! Edwards has been dominating in just about every game, including when they lose. He can never be counted out and can take over a game at a moments notice. Karl Anthony Towns has been solid this playoff run. He came back from injury and has put the pressure on strong in the paint and been knocking down the key shots. Luka has been carrying this Mavericks squad from the jump and you can tell with each and every injury sustained along the way! Luka really could use some help because when he gets it, the Mavs usually come out on top, but if he’s the only one shouldering the load then it becomes too much for him to overcome on his own. I have a feeling that is how this series will end up. Luka will take over and get some help, but in the end the Wolves are too deep and have too much talent for the Mavericks to control in a seven game series. At some point it all catches up and this is the round where I believe it does for the Mavs.

Timberwolves in 7 games

 

Eastern Conference Finals

Indiana Pacers Vs Boston Celtics

While I believe the Celtics are the far superior team in this matchup, they better not overlook the Pacers because these dudes will bring it! The Celtics aren’t as dominant as they look and could have easily lost in the last series had they played a better team, but they’re still here and still ain’t nothing to fuck with! The Pacers are a fast rhythmic team and once they get going they are difficult to stop and they have no fear when up against any opponent. They will play hard on the road and even harder at home! During the regular season this wasn’t much of a matchup with the Celtics dominating for the most part, but this is the playoffs and the Pacers have dominated against some really solid teams leading up to this point. I expect the Pacers to make this an interesting matchup, and they may even steal one of these first two games in Boston, but overall, I believe the Celtics are the better team and should move onto the NBA Finals!

Celtics in 6 games

NBA Conference Semifinals Predictions

 

First Round Record (7-1)

 

NBA Conference Semifinals Predictions

 

Western Conference

Dallas Mavericks Vs Oklahoma City Thunder

I have been pleasantly surprised with both of these teams this season. The Thunder came out of nowhere to dominate this entire regular season from start to finish. This is a young team, but they are electric and have not looked intimidated by anyone they’ve faced this season. The Mavs are led by Luka Doncic who has been playing at an MVP level and has been unstoppable for the most part. Kyrie Irving has been the biggest x-factor for the Mavs because you just never know what you’re going to get from the guy. He is a good basketball player, but sometimes he isn’t all in with the team, but that is not the case with him this year. Kyrie has done nothing but prove it on the court this year and he is why this team has finally elevated to another level. The Thunder are a talented team from top to bottom, but at some point I expect them to run into a road block this postseason and I believe that will be in this round. The Mavs have the MVP of the league on their team and usually that plays in your favor in a seven game series. The Thunder have been fun to watch and look like they will be competitive for many seasons to come, but I think they will fall short in this one because the Mavs experience and Luka will be too much for the Thunder to overcome.

Mavericks in 7 games

Minnesota Timberwolves Vs Denver Nuggets

I’m expecting this matchup to be a battle! Both teams are stacked with talent and they are division rivals, so, they know each other quite well. Jokic has been playing at his typical MVP caliber level of play easily averaging a triple double a game, but his role players have grown into much more this season. Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., KCP, and Aaron Gordon have played a consistent level of basketball all season that this team has become too difficult to stop from scoring, and they actually play defense too! The Timberwolves have been on a tear all season led by Anthony Edwards, who has already had some standout games in the postseason, along with Rudy Gobert and Karl Anthony Towns, they have become an unstoppable force in the paint. The edge in this matchup is the Nuggets with their deep bench and their championship experience. In a tough battle between two top tier teams a series is always decided by who makes the least mistakes and is able to take advantage when the other team is down. I trust Denver in this situation more so than I do the Timberwolves. The Timberwolves have not been here before, they have no playoff experience, and are young. They are going to be tested in this round and they are going up against a beast in the Nuggets. It’s going to be a close matchup, but I’m going with Denver and the championship experience over the young guys in this one!

Nuggets in 6 games

 

Eastern Conference

Cleveland Cavaliers Vs Boston Celtics

The Cavaliers have had such an inconsistent season that continued on into the first round of the playoffs and now they will be playing a series against the best team in the East, the Boston Celtics. This is a team that will roll you over if they start to run away with and they won’t look back. They ran through the Eastern conference in the regular season and ran through the first round of the playoffs, so what do you think is going to happen in this one? I would imagine more of the same. The Cavs are honestly lucky they made it this far because they could have easily been knocked out in the first round by the Magic and I don’t think they will have what it takes to compete against this Celtics team. The Celtics are stacked and really should have no issues moving onto the Eastern Conference Finals!

Celtics in 5 games

Indiana Pacers Vs New York Knicks

It’s been a quite shocking season from the Knicks up to this point. They have had to deal with numerous injuries throughout the season and it has yet to take a toll on this squad. Jalen Brunson is having a career year and has carried this team all the way to the Semifinals! The Knicks are one of the best defensive squads in the league who play really scrappy basketball and are not afraid to get in your face. The Pacers have been a huge surprise this season with Tyrese Halliburton stepping into his own and really elevating his game to another level. The Pacers have a high flying offense, but they do have their down moments. I expect the Pacers to play hard in this series and won’t make it easy on the Knicks, but the defense of the Knicks is head and shoulders above what the Pacers have and I believe if shit gets out of hand that the Pacers will not be able to play catch up and the Knicks will start to run away with the series. It’s been a solid season from the Pacers and I have a feeling this postseason will be a let down, but it will help them grow in the future.

Knicks in 6 games