nba predictions

Eastern Conference Finals Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (2) Toronto Raptors

Cleveland Cavaliers in 6

The Toronto Raptors reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time and it might end sooner than they expected. The Cleveland Cavaliers dominated the Detroit Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks without dropping any single game against both of those teams, while the Toronto Raptors’ series against the Indiana Pacers and the Miami Heat both went to a game 7, but luckily for the Raptors, both game 7 from those series were on their homecourt. 
The Toronto Raptors won their regular season bouts 2-1 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but that does not mean that their chances to win this series will increase because the Cavaliers have been superb all throughout the playoffs having played only 8 games in almost 5 weeks, and with Jonas Valanciunas on the sideline, the Raptors should step up big every game, but most importantly, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan needs to consistent for them to be able to go toe to toe against the Cavs. 

Western Conference Finals Preview: Golden State Warriors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

(1) Golden State Warriors vs. (3) Oklahoma City Thunder


Golden State Warriors vs Oklahoma City Thunder: Live Score, Highlights, Reaction. via Bleacherreport http://goo.gl/EGesF9

Golden State Warriors in 6

The Golden State Warriors swept (3-0) the Oklahoma City Thunder in the regular season bouts. That being said, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, and the Thunders seem to have a hard time against Golden State when all their games in the regular season against Golden State they had the lead heading into the fourth quarter and blew it all up, including the match where Stephen Curry shot from halfcourt to win the game in OT. Although Oklahoma lost all their match against Golden State, they still have the chance to turn this series around since they have been playing huge in the postseason after eliminating the San Antonio Spurs which was a huge boost to their momentum and confidence. But after the record breaking 73-9 regular season, the Golden State Warriors will play their hearts out each and every game to win the NBA Title twice in a row. Golden State Warriors vs Oklahoma City Thunder will be a classic matchup since both teams are putting everything on the line everytime they play against each other. This will surely be one exciting series and will put the fans at the edge of their seat the entire series.

But two things are for sure, the Oklahoma City Thunder will be hungry, they know they lost all their games against Golden State in the regular season, so they will not be go down without a fight and the Golden State Warriors will not let their record breaking regular season go down as one of the biggest disappointments in NBA history as they try to pour their hearts out to defend their title.

NBA Playoffs – First Round Prediction (Western Conference)

As the playoffs get started already. Let’s analyze the following match up in Western Conference

Golden Stats Warriors (1) vs. Houston Rockets (8)
This is going to be a battle between the 2 best scorer in the league, Curry and Harden. Most likely, they will be cancelling each other, but the main concern for Houston is the guys around Harden, can they step up and match up with the veteran players of GSW?

Prediction: Golden State Warriors in 4.

San Antonio Spurs (2) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (7)
Memphis can go toe-to-toe with San Antonio, if Marc Gasol and Mike Conley is not injured. Although, Memphis don’t have their top 2 players, I think San Antonio still needs to grind there way to win against this gritty Memphis team.

Prediction: San Antonio Spurs in 4

Oklahoma City Thunder (3) vs. Dallas Mavericks (6)
Dallas needs to face the Oklahoma City with their undermanned roster. They lost Chandler Parson due to Knee Injury and Deron Williams is still questionable to play. And they have another concern, that the duo of Durant and Westbrook, arguably the best duo right now in the NBA. Dallas will have a slim chance of winning this series if Dirk Nowitzki can turn back the hands of time.

Prediction: Oklahoma City Thunders in 5.

Los Angeles Clippers (4) vs. Portland Trailblazers (5)
This is going to be the most intriguing match up in the Western Conference. This is going to be Chris Paul against Damien Lillard, JJ Redick against CJ McCollum and Jamal Crawford against Allen Crabbe. That’s going to be the match ups that we need to look on this series. Pretty much equal in terms of back court, the only problem for Portland is Blake Griffin is back to DeAndre Jordan in the paint. And other than that. I think the experience and composure will be the biggest factor on this series. And that what’s lacking in Portland.

Prediction: Los Angeles Clippers in 5.

Western Conference Playoff Preview: Los Angeles Clippers vs. Portland Trail Blazers

(4) Los Angeles Clippers VS. (5) Portland Trail Blazers

LAC in 6

This series is expected to be the most even series in the Western Conference, but since Blake Griffin is expected to be back in action for the Clippers, the Los Angeles Clippers can close this series out in six games. The Portland Trail Blazers’ backcourt led by Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum can pretty much matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers’ backcourt led by Chris Paul and JJ Redick, but the Portland Trail Blazers’ frontcourt led by Mason Plumlee and Meyers Leonard are not as dominant as the Los Angeles Clippers’ frontcourt led by DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin. The Portland Trail Blazers had an amazing season even with them losing four of their starters last season, and they still managed to get the 5th seed in the Western Conference, but the Portland Trail Blazers seem to have no answer to the Los Angeles Clippers having lost their series against the Los Angeles Clippers 3-1, and if Blake Griffin will indeed be back in action for the Los Angeles Clippers, the Portland Trail Blazers will be having another problem to deal with. But who knows, if Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Ed Davis, and the rest of the boys in red-blue-black step their games up to the next level, the Portland Trailblazers could very well win against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Los Angeles Clippers’ frontcourt will be too much for the Portland Trail Blazers to handle, but no matter what the results will be in this series, this will be the most exciting series to watch due to it being the most even matchup in the 1st round in the Western Conference.

Western Conference Playoff Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. Memphis Grizzlies

(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Memphis Grizzlies

San Antonio Spurs in 4

Even though the Memphis Grizzlies made it into the playoffs, their run could very well end sooner than they thought. The injury-stricken Memphis Grizzlies lost their season series against the San Antonio Spurs by 4-0, and without their stars Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, the Memphis Grizzlies has no chance in winning a 7 game series against the San Antonio Spurs, and even if they have Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, it may still be not enough for them to upset the San Antonio Spurs. The San Antonio Spurs made a huge move before the season started by adding LaMarcus Aldridge and veteran David West, and it seemed like they are not yet contented with their roster and decided to sign Kevin Martin and another veteran, Andre Miller while the Memphis Grizzlies lost two of their cores and their chances of advancing to the 2nd round is pretty much impossible.

With Marc Gasol and Mike Conley sidelined, the Memphis Grizzlies has a very slim chance of winning against the very disciplined backcourt and the very dominant frontcourt of the San Antonio Spurs. The Memphis Grizzlies may win a game or two, but that’s very much all of it. The San Antonio Spurs already had most of their key players well rested even before the playoffs started. It will probably be one of the biggest upsets in NBA history if the Memphis Grizzlies manage to eliminate the San Antonio Spurs.

NBA Predictions: Who Wins And Why

With one day to go before the start of the NBA’s regular season, it’s time to take a look at who we predict will be raking in the trophies (both real and imaginary) this year.

2015-2016 CHAMPIONS: San Antonio Spurs
They’ve reloaded with LaMarcus Aldridge and David West. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, Boris Diaw and Patty Mills are all back. They’re just too good not to win it this year, presuming there are no major injuries.
EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS: Cleveland Cavaliers
Lebron James will lead his team back to the Finals but his supporting cast will be found lacking against the Spurs. Ironically, they would have won last year had Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love been healthy. This year, it won’t make a difference.
FINALS MVP: LaMarcus Aldridge
Aldridge completes his transition to the new Tim Duncan as the Big Fundamental reprises David Robinson’s role as the calming presence of this championship team.
REGULAR SEASON MVP: James Harden
After last year’s near miss, the Beard will stop at nothing to make sure he is a lock for this award. Expect a bunch of 40plus pint games and a couple of 50 point games from Harden, as he puts distance between him and LBJ/Curry/Davis.
COACH OF THE YEAR: Scott Skiles
Skiles will have the young Magic running, defending and grinding their way to the 7th-8th seed of the Eastern Conference. While they won’t have a chance against either the Cavs, their big in-season leap will earn Skiles the nod as the year’s best coach.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Anthony Davis

The big man keeps getting better year after year. He’s going to own this award for about the next 6-8 years.
SCORING CHAMPION: James Harden
Harden will average about 29.7 ppg, as he tries to bury his MVP competition under an avalanche of points.

REBOUNDING CHAMPION: Anthony Davis
Again, his year-on-year improvement will allow Davis to get even more boards, especially with the Pelican’s new, faster offense generating more possessions and more opportunities for rebounds.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Karl Anthony Towns
The Wolves’ rookie will have lots of opportunities to play and will benefit from Minessota’s high octane offense. The Wolves should also be a darkhorse for an 8th seed in the highly competitive West, which will make Towns look even better. Runner up Jahlil Okafor will suffer by comparison because his Philadelphia Sixers won’t improve enough to boost his stock.
UPSET OF THE PLAYOFFS: Chicago Bulls
The Bulls will be unlucky enough to face the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round and will struggle against the youth, length and versatility of the young Bucks. Butler will become the new face of the Bulls, Rose will still score buckets but won’t be able to turn the tide, and Mirotic will be more effective than either Joakim Noah or Pau Gasol.
TEAM OF THE FUTURE: Minnesota Timberwolves
They’ve got a bevy of budding superstars in Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine and Karl Anthony Towns. They’ve got solid young rotations players like Shabazz Muhammad, Adreian Payne and Giorgui Dieng. Their on-court leader, Ricky Rubio, is just 25 and Nikola Pekovic (29) is still youngish. In 2-3 years, this Wolves team will be a legitimate contender for the Western Conference crown.
MOST DIFFICULT FIRST ROUND MATCH UP: Milwaukee Bucks
They start a 6’6” point guard who’s also a ROY awardee in Michael Carter-Williams. They’ve got the league’s only active player who can play all five positions in 6’11” Giannis Antetokuompo. They’ve got 2 interchangeable rebounding bigs who are solid down the blocks as well as on the defensive side of the ball in Greg Monroe and John Henson. They’ve got a lights-out shooter in 6’7” Khris Middleton. And then there’s the sensational 6’8” Jabari Parker, who was making a case for being the ROY last year, until he got injured. Basically, the Bucks’ starting lineup will have, a 6”6” former ROY, a 6’7” shooter, a 6’11” Pippen clone, a 6’8” scorer and a 6’11” post scorer and rebounder. That’s what you call “Daaaaaaamn.”
And now, let the season begin.
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