Who is going to win the NBA Finals?
History
The NBA Finals is a championship to crown the best basketball team in the world. It happens every year and has happened every year since 1946 where the Philadelphia Warriors emerged victorious over the Chicago Stags. There are 16 teams that contend for the title until 2 years ago when they put in a play-in tournament so now a 9 or 10 seed can make the playoffs and if they get lucky even win it all.
Western Conference
The NBA is split into 2 conferences, the east and west. In the Finals the best team from the east and the best team in the west play each other for the championship. In the west there are a couple of favorites to win the west: Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, and the Phoenix Suns lead the betting odds to win the west. The Nuggets are looking like real contenders right now and they will at least end up in the western conference finals and even the finals. The Kings and the Warriors the 2nd and 3rd in betting odds play each other in the first round. That the Warriors will beat the Kings because of De’Aaron Fox’s hand injury and even making a push deep into the playoffs and surprising a lot of people because this team is very good. Then there is the Phoenix Suns who are trash. They can’t even beat a Clippers team that has 2 of their superstars out because of an injury. They might get past the first round but in the second round they are going to get beat . My pick to win the west is the Lakers. LeBron is going to start playing at a high level and if Anthony Davis stays healthy, they are going to be a very hard team to beat.
Lots of people think the Phoenix Suns are going to win because their roster is very good with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and DeAndre Ayton. The Suns aren’t even that good, they can beat a beat up Clippers team who has two of their superstars out and they have no communication with each other on the court at all.
Eastern Conference
Then there is the Eastern Conference. The betting odds have 3 heavy favorites, the top 3 seeds: Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Boston Celtics. The Bucks are a toss up team but with Giannis getting injured and the Heat going up 3-1 on them they are going to get beat in the first round and if somehow they survive this round they will lose the next round. Then there are the Celtics who are a very good and well rounded team with the young superstars and the old veterans. They dropped a game last night making it 3-2 in their series but they will get a win in the next two games and win their series but they will get stopped when they meet the 76ers in the second round. This leads to my pick out of the east: The Philadelphia 76ers. They have the MVP in Embiid and they have Harden and a ton of very talented role players. They are playing so well right now and they will make it all the way to the Finals.
Lots of people like the Celtics to win the East but they will have to see the 76ers in the next round who swept their opponent and are going to have more rest than them. Also, the 76ers have more firepower than the Celtics and with the MVP on your team you have someone to go to when you can’t find a way to score.
The Finals
Then that brings us to the Finals: The Los Angeles Lakers vs. The Philadelphia 76ers. This will be a very good battle between two very good teams. Lebron is going to take over but not as much as he’s used to because he’s starting to get out of his prime. This is why the 76ers are going to win the finals in 6. Embiid is going to be way too much for Anthony Davis and the Lakers and with Tyrese Maxey and James Harden as the guards no one is going to be able to stop them.
In conclusion, this year’s playoffs is going to be a very entertaining one to watch and there are going to be a lot of teams that surprise people.
Kyle Newell
11th Grade
Kyle likes to hangout with friends and play videogames. Kyle also like to go to the YMCA to lift and play basketball.