Over the past month I’ve been planning and posting my regular and postseason predictions. You can read my Eastern Conference Predictions and Western Conference Predictions by clicking on these links.
For those too lazy to do so, here are my NBA playoff seedings:
Eastern Conference
1. Miami Heat
2. Orlando Magic
3. Chicago Bulls
4. Boston Celtics
5. Atlanta Hawks
6. Milwaukee Bucks
7. Charlotte Bobcats
8. New York Knicks
Western Conference
1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Dallas Mavericks
3. Denver Nuggets
4. Oklahoma City Thunder
5. Utah Jazz
6. Portland Trailblazers
7. Phoenix Suns
8. San Antonio Spurs
First Round Eastern Conference
Miami over New York in 4 games
Sorry Knicks fans, LeBron chose to beat you, rather than join you.
Magic over Bobcats in 6 games
Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace are an impressive, athletic duo, but they need more help to make a serious playoff run. Memo to Michael Jordan: Sign a post-presence (not Kwame Brown again).
Bulls over Bucks in 5 games
As long as Boozer heals fine, Chicago will be tough to knock out of the postseason. Derrick Rose truly is that good.
Celtics over Hawks in 7 games
Rematch of the ’08 opening round? I think so. It’s going to take the C’s a couple games to transition into playoff mode.
First Round Western Conference
Lakers over Spurs in 4 games
Sorry Timmy D. Not this year, and probably not any year. The league is too damn good.
Mavericks over Suns in 7 games
This could be a potential upset. Dallas is as bad a playoff team as they come. Every year they seem to let their fans down.
Nuggets over Trailblazers in 6 games
Melo, JR Smith, and Billups are just too much for the Blazers to handle. I think they could beat a Dallas or Utah, but not Denver.
Thunder over Jazz in 5 games
Look out NBA, here comes Kevin Durant.
Eastern Conference Semifinals
Celtics over Heat in 7 games
How could I pick the Heat to beat Boston? Maybe after a couple seasons together they’ll win a title. Injuries have already taken some toll on the team, and a rejuvenated Celtics squad will be more than Miami can handle.
Bulls over Magic in 6 games
Joakim Noah can contain Dwight Howard to an extent, and that’s all he’ll need to do to ensure a Chicago trip to the conference finals.
Western Conference Semifinals
Thunder over Lakers in 7 games
I switched this a few times, but I’m going to stick with this. I’m sure some are shaking there heads, but I think the trio of Durant, Westbrook, and Green really have a shot at knocking off the Lakers. I’m probably biased as a Celtics fan, but wouldn’t it be great if they did?
Nuggets over Mavericks in 6 games
Bye-bye Dirk, bye-bye Mark Cuban. I hate to break it to you guys, but that championship is never coming.
Eastern Conference Finals
Celtics over Bulls in 7 games
Chicago won’t be able to match up with Boston’s size and strength down low. Rose will carry the team only so far this year, but I guarantee he won’t retire without a ring.
Western Conference Finals
Thunder over Nuggets in 7 games
Durant vs. Melo: Expect fireworks my friends. Jeff Green provides a major matchup problem for George Karl’s Denver squad as well.
NBA Finals
Celtics over Thunder in 6 games
Yup, Celtics and Thunder. Amazingly enough, this is actually what I believe will happen. My love of Boston and hatred of L.A. surely contributes to this, but it’s what I think. If the C’s do make it past Miami, I just can’t see them losing to anyone else. As long as they stay healthy, they deserve to be champions.
