2018 NBA Finals Prediction

Photo by Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group

There are so many variables that will at least affect the margin of victory and number of games (possibly the winner) of this series, Kevin Love’s injury, Andre Iguodala’s injury, Steph Curry’s injury, Kerr’s and Lue’s rotation decisions. But the most important thing is really how engaged the Warriors are. If they play 100% in each quarter of each game, this SHOULD be a sweep. But, every slow start could lead to a loss if the Cavs take advantage of those. My guess is that there will be a couple games where the Warriors play with fire and the Cavs will take at least one of those (and even if the Warriors don’t take a game off, I can see LBJ putting everything he has left into ensuring they win at least one, even if he’s dead-tired for the rest of the series).

Warriors in 5

NBA Conference Finals Predictions

Photo by Ken Blaze/USA Today

Eastern Conference

Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

I’m gonna take a detour. It’s pretty cool for the Celtics that they’ve been able to get this far without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. That might speak to how weak the Eastern Conference is, but still, great for them. That being said, I’m actually pretty bummed that the Bucks fired Jason Kidd now. I don’t think Kidd was an unbelievable coach or anything, but he was better than Joe Prunty, and considering that the Bucks took the Celtics to 7, I wonder if with halfway decent coaching, they might’ve been here in the Conference Finals and we’d get to see Giannis and LeBron in this series.

Alright, about the actual series: all I can say is that I don’t think the Celtics will get swept. The Cavs are doing their thing and crushing these weaker Eastern Conference teams. It helps that the Celtics, much like the Pacers, seem like a team that doesn’t get rattled easily. The Cavs will win and will win convincingly, but I don’t think it’ll be a humiliating sweep.

Cavs in 5

 

Western Conference

Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors

Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images

I’m probably a little too confident for the Warriors, but I really feel like this might be similar to the last two Raptors/Cavs series. The Rockets had a great regular season, Chris Paul has had some great playoff games. Harden hasn’t looked great when things get tight. On the other hand, we don’t really know how well Curry’s knee is, so he may be more limited than we know. Either way, I don’t see the Rockets winning more than one, if the Warriors do their usual thing where the take their foot off the gas in Game 3 or 4. But, considering the fact that they’ll be playing Games 3 and 4 on the road, I think they’ll be ready to play.

Warriors in 4

 

NBA Western Conference Semifinals Predictions

Houston Rockets vs. Utah Jazz

Photo by Jeff Swinger/USA Today

It was already going to be a tough series for the Jazz, but now it sounds like Ricky Rubio may not be able to play in this series, and that’s going to make it even tougher for Utah. I still don’t think it’s impossible that they pull off an upset, their defense is good enough to totally mess up the Rockets, it’s just that the Jazz offense may not be able to score enough points to compete.

Rockets in 6

 

Golden State Warriors vs. New Orleans Pelicans

Photo by Michael DeMocker/NOLA.com

There are so many variables to consider with this series. Is Rondo really this good in the playoffs? How about Mirotic? Or were they just up against a bad Blazers defense? When will Steph be back? How good will he be? It’s tough to judge how either of these teams played in the last series both because of opponent and circumstance, but I think the Warriors will win it handily. Bringing Steph back may prove to be a challenge. I could actually see them only losing the first game he plays (or first game he starts) just because of the readjustment for him and for the rest of the team. The Pelicans might be for real, but I don’t think they’re beating the Warriors.

Warriors in 5

TBB’s Unsolicited NBA Awards

(photo by Soobum Im/USA Today Sports)

Please note: These are opinions, not predictions.

Individual Awards

Most Valuable Player

1. Stephen Curry – Golden State Warriors
2. LeBron James – Cleveland Cavaliers
3. Kawhi Leonard – San Antonio Spurs
4. Kevin Durant – Oklahoma City Thunder
5. Draymond Green – Golden State Warriors

Defensive Player of the Year

1. Kawhi Leonard – San Antonio Spurs
2. Draymond Green – Golden State Warriors
3. Paul Millsap – Atlanta Hawks

Rookie of the Year

1. Karl-Anthony Towns – Minnesota Timberwolves
2. Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets
3. Kristaps Porzingis – New York Knicks

Coach of the Year

1. David Joerger – Memphis Grizzlies
2. Steve Kerr – Golden State Warriors
3. Terry Stotts – Portland Trail Blazers

Executive of the Year

1. Neil Olshey – Portland Trail Blazers
2. Chris Wallace – Memphis Grizzlies
3. Masai Ujiri – Toronto Raptors

Sixth Man of the Year

1. Andre Iguodala – Golden State Warriors
2. Will Barton – Denver Nuggets
3. Jamal Crawford – Los Angeles Clippers

Most Improved Player

1. Kemba Walker – Charlotte Hornets
2. C.J. McCollum – Portland Trail Blazers
3. Draymond Green – Golden State Warriors

Team Awards

All-NBA First Team

G – Stephen Curry – Golden State Warriors
G – Chris Paul – Los Angeles Clippers
F – LeBron James – Cleveland Cavaliers
F – Kawhi Leonard – San Antonio Spurs
C – Anthony Davis – New Orleans Pelicans

All-NBA Second Team

G –  Russell Westbrook – Oklahoma City Thunder
G – Damian Lillard – Portland Trail Blazers
F – Draymond Green – Golden State Warriors
F – Kevin Durant – Oklahoma City Thunder
C – Andre Drummond – Detroit Pistons

All-NBA Third Team

G –  Klay Thompson – Golden State Warriors
G – Kyle Lowry – Toronto Raptors
F – Paul Millsap – Atlanta Hawks
F – Paul George – Indiana Pacers
C – Karl-Anthony Towns – Minnesota Timberwolves

All-Defense First Team

G –  Jimmy Butler – Chicago Bulls
G – Chris Paul – Los Angeles Clippers
F – Kawhi Leonard – San Antonio Spurs
F – Draymond Green – Golden State Warriors
C – Rudy Gobert – Utah Jazz

All-Defense Second Team

G –  Klay Thompson – Golden State Warriors
G – Danny Green – San Antonio Spurs
F – Paul Millsap – Atlanta Hawks
F – Tim Duncan – San Antonio Spurs
C – Al Horford – Atlanta Hawks

All-Rookie First Team

Karl-Anthony Towns – Minnesota Timberwolves
Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets
Kristaps Porzingis – New York Knicks
Justise Winslow – Miami Heat
Emmanuel Mudiay – Denver Nuggets

All-Rookie Second Team

Devin Booker – Phoenix Suns
Frank Kaminsky III – Charlotte Hornets
D’Angelo Russell – Los Angeles Lakers
Myles Turner – Indiana Pacers
Trey Lyles – Utah Jazz