NBA 2019 Playoff Predictions: Who Finally Takes Down Golden State?

I know, it’s a little late.  But before we know the surefire winner of each series, I figured I’d share my NBA Playoff bracket.  Believe it or not, I don’t think Golden State’s championship-winning streak will stay alive.  But who could possibly beat the Warriors?  See my prediction below:

I have the Celtics taking down the Warriors in a 7-game series.  But how will they get there?

I think Boston should easily take down the Pacers.  With Victor Oladipo out of the picture, I cannot see Indiana doing much in these playoffs.  Kyrie Irving ruined the Celtics’ chemistry during the regular season, but I don’t think this will be as apparent in the playoffs, where the whole team will be motivated and willing to do whatever it takes to win it all.

The Pistons may have Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond to lead them, but that won’t be enough to pull off a series upset over Giannis Antetokounmpo and a powerful Milwaukee Bucks team.  However, the Celtics have multiple star players on their roster who will outplay Greek Freak’s teammates and help Boston win in the Eastern Conference semifinals.  I can’t see anyone getting in Toronto’s way until they face the Celtics.  The Raptors are by far the strongest team in their quadrant of the bracket, led offensively by Kyle Lowry and defensively by Kawhi Leonard.

But I do see Boston riding the momentum and overcoming adversity as they take down Toronto.  Their roster is stacked, so if the Celtics are on the same page motivation-wise and get off to a strong start (as I see them doing against Indiana), they could be a threat to Golden State.

The Warriors should not have a hard time with Western Conference opponents though.  Besides Boston, the Warriors are the only team I have sweeping their first round opponent.  The Rockets won’t be as easy an opponent as the Clippers, but a healthy Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant will outplay James Harden and Chris Paul.  I could see the Thunder, KD’s old team, making a run as well.  Portland is known for playoff choking, and Denver’s lack of experience could come back to haunt them.  I think they should be able to handle the San Antonio Spurs, but the Thunder might be a bit much for an inexperienced team like the Nuggets.

Golden State, however, will end Oklahoma City’s run.  With Marcus Smart back and the team united by a common goal, the Celtics should have a chance at Golden State and I’m staying optimistic with this bracket.  I’m sick of Golden State winning, and it would make it even better if the Celtics could be the team to finally beat them.  As long as Kyrie Irving’s selfish ways don’t come back to haunt them, the Celtics should have a chance.

That’s all for my playoff predictions this year.  Stay tuned for more Celtics playoff coverage soon.

NBA 2018-19 Predictions: Year of the Celtics

Welcome to my NBA 2018-19 predictions, where I will make my conference standings predictions as well as playoff predictions.  The Celtics made it very far last year, and that was with Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving hurt.  With the full squad healthy and Jayson Tatum bound for a huge year, could this be the year when they finally make the NBA Finals and beat the Warriors?  Read below to find out what I think.

Eastern Conference

Playoff Teams

1.  Boston Celtics (60-22)
2.  Washington Wizards (52-30)
3.  Toronto Raptors (51-31)
4.  Detroit Pistons (49-33)
5.  Cleveland Cavaliers (47-35)
6.  Milwaukee Bucks (46-36)
7.  Charlotte Hornets (46-36)
8.  Philadelphia 76ers (44-38)

I think this is the year for the east and the west to begin to look more balanced.  The Celtics have a championship-caliber starting 5 that can take this team very far.  I feel that despite Toronto’s addition of Kawhi Leonard, the Wizards, not the Raptors will be the #2 seed behind Boston.  After the signing of Dwight Howard, they filled their only major hole: center.  Their back court is stacked between John Wall and Bradley Beal.  The Raptors should also be in the mix, as well as the Pistons.  I think the acquisition of Blake Griffin is really going to impact Detroit this year, as Andre Drummond and Griffin make for a dynamic duo that leads the Pistons to a comfortable playoff berth under new head coach Dwane Casey.  Detroit lacks the depth of a championship contender, but they have what it takes to make a playoff run.

Most people immediately think that since LeBron James is gone, the Cavaliers are going to suck.  But I don’t think lack of talent was the problem with LeBron’s supporting cast.  I feel that the team relied way too heavily on LeBron James.  Expect Kevin Love, J.R. Smith and their teammates to lead the Cavs to a decent season.  You may be wondering, where are the Sixers?  I don’t think Philly will repeat what they had going last year.  I tend to trust veterans more than youngsters, but I don’t yet trust Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid to lead the Sixers to two straight Top 4 seeds.  They may prove me very wrong this year, but I’m just not comfortable predicting that yet.  The Sixers will make the playoffs with a low-end seed, alongside the Bucks (Greek Freak and their young roster will bring them back to the playoffs), and the Hornets (I think this is the year for this young squad to finally breakthrough).

I do not have the Pacers, a popular pick to earn a Top-4 seed, making the playoffs, and I will explain why below.

Non-Playoff Teams

9.  New York Knicks (42-40)                                                                                             

10.  Chicago Bulls (41-41)

11.  Miami Heat (41-41)

12.  Brooklyn Nets (37-45)

13.  Indiana Pacers (28-54)

14.  Orlando Magic (27-55)

15.  Atlanta Hawks (10-72)

I think this is the year that the Knicks (due to the return of Kristaps Porzingis) and the Bulls (due to a strong off-season) will go from the basement of the league to average teams that just miss the playoffs.  The Heat, who have a decent roster, but nothing that really stands out, are in the same situation.  The Nets should also get closer to that as their young core emerges.  Below those four teams, I have the Indiana Pacers.  I don’t see Victor Oladipo leading this team by himself like he did when he was traded last year.  I can’t see what he has around him that can lead to contention.  Bojan Bogdanovic and Oladipo are not enough to bring this team back to the playoffs, and I see the aforementioned teams as far more playoff-prepared.  I was shocked when they made the playoffs last year even.

I still see the Magic and Hawks finishing in the basement of the East, below Indiana.  Orlando had a versatile young core developing, but the losses of Oladipo and Elfrid Payton set them back.  The Hawks had a rough season in 2017-18, and they didn’t really do much to improve for this year.  They’re not rebuilding, but they don’t have any contending pieces either.  It’s time to go full rebuild for the Hawks, and I don’t expect much at all from them this year.

Western Conference

Playoff Teams

1. Golden State Warriors (66-16)
2.  San Antonio Spurs (55-27)
3.  Houston Rockets (54-28)
4.  Oklahoma City Thunder (53-29)
5.  Portland Trail Blazers (51-31)
6.  Minnesota Timberwolves (48-34)
7.  Los Angeles Lakers (45-37)
8.  Dallas Mavericks (43-39)

The Warriors may have added a star center, DeMarcus Cousins this off-season, but I could see them regress mildly after losing a good amount of bench depth.  After Golden State, I have the Spurs.  I think they will benefit largely from the acquistion of DeMar DeRozan.  With a healthy core, they will be in the running for a high playoff seed.  The Rockets and Thunder will put up a fight for the second seed as well.  Houston has most of what they had going last year, and they added another key piece in Carmelo Anthony.  The duo of Paul George and Russell Westbrook will boost the Thunder this year alongside off-season acquistions Dennis Schroder and Nerlens Noel.

The Blazers lack the front court talent to contend for a title, but the back court duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum should be enough to get them into the playoffs again.  I thought at first that this might be the year when the Timberwolves emerge as a title contender, but with Jimmy Butler leaving, I don’t see more than a low end playoff seed as this team will lack a true star.  I don’t think the Lakers will see much more than that either.  What key pieces around LeBron James that will help them contend?  When LeBron was in Cleveland, he had Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving alongside him, at least up until last year.  His signing with LA was a great personal move, but he shouldn’t expect to make it back to the NBA Finals just yet.  I have the Mavericks in the final Western Conference playoff seed.  With the additions of rookie Luka Doncic and veteran center DeAndre Jordan, they should at least contend for a back end playoff seed.

Non-Playoff Teams

9.  Memphis Grizzlies (42-40)

10.  New Orleans Pelicans (37-45)

11.  Utah Jazz (34-48)

12.  Phoenix Suns (31-51)

13.  Sacramento Kings (23-59)

14.  Denver Nuggets (15-67)

15.  Los Angeles Clippers (12-70)

Despite a weak 2017-18, the Grizzlies still have the same core from their playoff contention days.  I could see them making a run at a low end playoff seed.  Expect regression from the Pelicans with DeMarcus Cousins gone, but new acquistions in Elfrid Payton and Julius Randle will keep this team in the hunt for the playoffs.  With teams like the Mavericks and Lakers on the rise, I could see the Jazz slip a little bit this year.  They still have the same core from their run of playoff contention though, so they won’t be absolutely atrocious.

The Suns and Kings will improve slightly as the young talent begins to work in their favor, leaving the Nuggets and Clippers in the basement of the West.  Denver lost a lot in the off-season despite adding veteran Isaiah Thomas.  With a lot of the former basement dwellers of the Western Conference rising, Denver could regress significantly.  That leaves the Clippers, who will regress further with DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin gone.  They are left with an aging, declining core, and will need to go full rebuild after this season.

The Playoffs

Here is my projected bracket for the NBA 2019 Playoffs.  In the first round, I have all home teams winning.  The top half of the Eastern Conference bracket is a lot stronger than the bottom half.  I see the Celtics, Raptors, Wizards, and Pistons moving on with ease, but don’t be surprised if the Bucks upset the Raptors.

In the West, I have the Spurs continuing their bounce back from a rough 2017-18 with an impressive series win over LeBron James and the Lakers.  The Rockets and Warriors will win more easily.  It could be close between Oklahoma City and Portland, but the Thunder have far better front court talent, and that will work in their favor.

The Pistons may be my dark horse in the East this season, but I cannot see them beating this stacked Celtics squad in 7.  I also see this as the end for the Wizards, as Kawhi Leonard leads the Raptors past Washington’s all-pro back court duo.  In the West, I do see the Spurs’ magical run ending when they take on the 2017-18 Western Conference regular season champion Houston Rockets, who have not lost much since their 2017-18 dominance.  Golden State should take down the Thunder with ease.

In the Conference Finals, I have the Warriors and Celtics winning.  The Rockets couldn’t top Golden State last year, and now that the Warriors have added DeMarcus Cousins, I cannot see it happening this year.  The Celtics will have a close series against Toronto, but I think their young talent and dominant starting 5 will help them advance.

Now, we have the match-up we’ve been waiting for.  The dynasty (the Warriors) takes on the rising challenger (the Celtics).  This is bound to be one of the best playoff series’ in recent history.  But who will finish the job?  The Warriors may have a star-studded starting 5, but I see their lack of a bench hurting them here.  I think this is the year that the Golden State dynasty will be overthrown.  The Boston Celtics will win the NBA Finals in 2019, starting a new dynasty.

Who do you have going all the way in the NBA?  Comment with your thoughts below, and stay tuned for more Celtics and NBA coverage soon.