Early Season NBA Predictions

December 23, 2009

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Now that we are a third of the way through the NBA season, it might be time to start thinking a little harder about which teams are going to make the playoffs and which teams are poised to make a run once they do reach the post-season.  Magnus Johnson gave his thoughts in an article on early season NBA predictions so we thought we’d take a closer look.

East

1. Boston Celtics: Rasheed Wallace has been huge this year, helping the C’s fight for the No. 1 seed and pull away from the other three powerhouses in the East.

2. Atlanta Hawks: Mike Bibby, Joe Johnson, and Al Horford are just a few names affiliated with the Hawks’ ride to greatness this season, and it’s looking up for ATL.

3. Orlando Magic: Vince Carter has more than replaced Hedo Turkoglu, and one can only imagine how great the Magic will be once Jameer Nelson gets back.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers: Shaq hasn’t quite lived up to expectations, but a lot of other players have contributed to a so far disappointing season that the Cavs were supposed to dominate.

5. Detroit Pistons: This star-filled lineup hasn’t developed the chemistry needed to do well in this league, but once they do, they’ll not only get to .500, they’ll get well above it.

6. Miami Heat: Although the Heat is becoming a one-man show again, it’s important to remember that one-man show is run by D-Wade.

7. Toronto Raptors: Turkoglu hasn’t been a star up in “Eh?” country, but he and Bosh put together will make it to the playoffs, if not very far into them.

8. Washington Wizards: Agent Zero hasn’t brought the Wizards up to their expected level this season, but a late-season run will help them cling to the last playoff spot.

West

1. Los Angeles Lakers: Come on. Didn’t everybody know this would be how it finishes? Gasol, Odom, Kobe, Bynum, and Artest can only equal one thing: success.

2. Denver Nuggets: ‘Melo’s patented yelling of “I’m Back!” early in the season left people thinking, “When did he leave?”

3. Dallas Mavericks: Shawn Marion has helped the Mavs start their season surprisingly, and I don’t think Dirk is going to let them finish any other way.

4. San Antonio Spurs: SA’s slow start can only be described as shocking, but Tim Duncan and the Spurs have clawed their way to .500 already, and won’t stop there.

5. Oklahoma City Thunder: Although those hideous KD creamsicle shoes didn’t work, KD himself should work in helping OKC come back from a slow start and clinch their first franchise playoff berth.

6. Phoenix Suns: Wow. An all-but-shocking start to the season for the Suns won’t last forever, but the aging Suns won’t fall too far and will definitely make the playoffs no matter what.

7. New Orleans Hornets: CP3 has had a disappointing start to the season along with the rest of the Bees, but they’ll come around and push their way onto the playoff chart real soon.

8. Sacramento Kings: Tyreke Evans has been no less dominant in Sacramento than he was in Memphis, and he’ll soon find himself preparing for a date with Kobe Bryant.

Playoffs – Round One

East

1. Boston over 8. Washington, 4-1

2. Atlanta over 7. Toronto, 4-3

6. Miami over 3. Orlando, 4-3 (intersting upset, but the Heat do seem to have the Magic’s number here lately)

4. Cleveland over 5. Detroit, 4-2

West

1. Los Angeles (L) over 8. Sacramento, 4-0

2. Denver over 7. New Orleans, 4-3

3. Dallas over 6. Phoenix, 4-2

5. Oklahoma City over 4. San Antonio, 4-2 (bold prediction here since the Thunder are currently not even in the top 8 out West)

Playoffs – Round Two

East

1. Boston over 6. Miami, 4-2

4. Cleveland over 2. Atlanta, 4-3 (maybe an upset on paper, but LeBron James and upset don’t really fit together in the same sentence)

West

1. Los Angeles (L) over 5. Oklahoma City, 4-1

3. Dallas over 2. Denver, 4-3


Playoffs – Conference Championships

East

1. Boston over 4. Cleveland, 4-2

West

1. Los Angeles (L) over 3. Dallas, 4-2

Playoffs – Finals

1E. Boston Celtics over 1W. Los Angeles Lakers, 4-3 (what a great matchup this would be, but I think the Lakers get the best of the Celtics and get a little revenge from two years ago)

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