The NBA Playoffs just started on Saturday, April 20th. The Lakers secured the 7th seed in the West and the Pelicans earned the 8 seed after the play-in games concluded. The Pelicans will be without Zion for the start of the playoffs after sustaining an injury vs the Lakers. The 76ers are very hot right now and they secured the 7th seed in the East with the return of Joel Embiid. The Heat earned the 8th seed but they will be without Jimmy Butler for at least the first round after he injured his MCL. Heading into the playoffs, the Celtics are the clear favorites to win the finals with teams like the Nuggets, Thunder, and Clippers following behind.
These are my playoff bracket predictions. Beginning with the first round, I believe the Celtics will sweep the Heat without Jimmy Butler. They are clearly the team in the NBA and they will run away with this series. I believe the Cavs will take care of the Magic in about 5 games. The Magic have over-performed all of their expectations this season but I think their lack of interior presence will hurt them vs. the Cavs rim protection and great guard play. In the first upset of the playoffs, I think the 76ers will beat the Knicks in 7 games. Joel Embiid missed 43 games this year and he is finally back. The 76ers are starting to hit their stride right now. Tyrese Maxey has emerged into being a superstar this year. The Knicks have been great this season with Jalen Brunson playing like a top-10 player in the whole league. Julius Randle is also out for the rest of the season and I just don’t think Brunson will be able to carry the scoring load past the 76ers. The Pacers were 4-1 against the Bucks in the regular season but I believe the Bucks will get their revenge in the playoffs. I trust Giannis, Dame, and Middleton to get the job done in the playoffs over a young Pacers team. The Bucks are also dealing with some injuries which could leave the door open for the Pacers longer than normal. The Bucks will win this series in 6 games. In the second-round matchups, I think the Celtics will also sweep the Cavs and move on to the Conference Finals. The Bucks and 76ers will go back and forth but I think Giannis finds a way to win this series in 7 games. A team coming off of a 7-game series that has struggled with injuries this season, fatigue will play a factor in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics will handle the Bucks in 6 games from a big outing from Jayson Tatum.
Moving to the Western Conference, the Pelicans will give the Thunder a little bit of trouble in the 1st round. This Pelicans team has a lot of young talent but without Zion, they will struggle to consistently pull out games. The Thunder are just too talented to lose this early though. They will win this series in 6 games. The Clippers have so much firepower this season with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook. I think I still like the Mavericks to win this series. This is the most well-rounded Mavericks team since they’ve acquired Luka. Kyrie Irving has been huge for this team and Daniel Gafford has been a great big man they added this season. This is the best series of the first round and the Mavericks will take it in 7 games. The Nuggets are the far superior team to the Lakers in about every facet of the game. They will sweep the Lakers for the second year in a row and Darvin Ham will be fired after Game 4. The Suns have the most stardom of any team in the NBA. Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal are a great trio but they lack any other help on the team besides Grayson Allen’s 3PT shooting. The Timberwolves big men will create some matchup nightmares for the Suns who lack any interior presence. Anthony Edwards will lead the Timberwolves to the next round in 6 games. In the next round, the Thunder will move past the Mavericks in 6 games. They are very well-rounded and I think they will be able to slow down Luka and Kyrie enough and they will be able to put up points in a hurry with Shai and Chet. In a bit of an upset, I think the Timberwolves will beat the Nuggets in 7 games. I believe that the Timberwolves are the best fit to guard Jokic with Gobert. Jaden McDaniels is also an elite defender who can shut down Jamal Murray. In the Western Conference Finals, Anthony Edwards will truly make a name for himself and lead this Timberwolves team to the NBA Finals. This will be a fantastic series that will go to 7 games between 2 up and coming teams in the league. Both have great young players and will have phenomenal playoff atmospheres. At the end of the day, I am trusting Anthony Edwards and KAT to get the job done and bring Minnesota to the Finals.
Finally, in the NBA Finals, the Celtics will beat the Timberwolves in 6 games. The Celtics are built so well defensively with Jrue Holiday now being on the team. He will be able to slow down Anthony Edwards. I think Porzingis will also give Gobert a lot of matchup problems by pulling him outside to the perimeter and knocking down threes. Jayson Tatum is the best player in this series and he is due to finally get over the hump and win his first NBA Finals. The Boston Celtics will be your 2024 NBA Champions.
