2023 NBA Playoff and Award Predictions
Eric Hartline/USA TODAY
With the 2022-2023 NBA regular season coming to a close, all 16 teams in the playoffs have been decided and seeded. Now, all that’s left is for the madness to ensue.
The Golden State Warriors are coming off of their fourth title, as they defeated the Celtics in six games in last year’s Finals. This season, while the Warriors are still in the playoffs, they aren’t nearly as dominant as they were before. They ended with a 44-38 record and the six seed in the West. The Celtics, however, ended with a 57-25 record and the two seed in the East. Oddsmakers has the Milwaukee Bucks as the favorite to win the NBA championship with the Celtics and Suns just behind them. Golden State and the Philadelphia 76ers are listed as the fourth and fifth most likely to win it.
Eastern Conference Seeds and Predictions
- Milwaukee Bucks (58-24)
- Boston Celtics (57-25)
- Philadelphia 76ers (54-28)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (51-31)
- New York Knicks (47-35)
- Brooklyn Nets (45-37)
- Atlanta Hawks (41-41)
- Miami Heat (44-38)
The Bucks are without a doubt one of the best teams in the NBA, if not the best. Giannis Antetokounmpo was superior all year and has a chance to win his third MVP award. Milwaukee last won the championship in 2021, where they defeated the Phoenix Suns in six games. If the Bucks are to win, it would be their third time hoisting the trophy.
Boston is coming off of one of their best seasons in recent history. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown dominated in not only scoring but in defending, too. The Celtics haven’t been this good since their 2008 championship win with Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett. They will have to go through a surprisingly tough Eastern Conference this year if they want to get back to the stardom they had in 08.
The Philadelphia 76ers are once again are a scary team in the East. Joel Embiid and James Harden both had miraculous seasons with both of them being finalists on the most recent KIA NBA MVP Ladder. The last time Philly made it past the second round was in 2001, where they lost in the Finals to Philadelphia native Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. We’ll see if the Sixers can finally get past the second round for the first time in 22 years.
The Cleveland Cavaliers shocked the world with an incredible bounce-back season from being one of the worst teams in the NBA to a powerhouse in the East. On the shoulders of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs fought for the four seed in the Eastern Conference and will battle against New York in the first round. The Cavaliers look to make a playoff push and continue to surprise the fans.
New York is back in Playoff basketball as Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson decided to go on an offensive rampage. Due to their efforts, the Knicks are a competitive team that can go toe-to-toe with any other team in the league. The last time New York was in the Playoffs (excluding the 2019-2020 season where there were 10 less games), it was 2013 and their star player was Carmelo Anthony. Can the Knicks make a push and win a playoff series once again?
After 2 blockbuster deals near the trade deadline, Brooklyn went from contenders to pretenders. This Nets squad went 12-15 after both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant were traded. While this team still isn’t bad, Philadelphia shouldn’t have any issues defeating this team. The surprising thing, however, is that Brooklyn finished with a better seed this year than they did last year, even without KD and Irving.
The Atlanta Hawks surprised many when they defeated the Heat in South Beach on Tuesday Night in the play-in tournament. Although Trae Young did have a down year, the addition of Dejounte Murray helped offset Young’s play. The last time the Hawks won a championship was in 1958 and they probably will not not win it here in 2023, but there is a chance that they defeat the Celtics in the first round, the team tied for the most championships won in NBA history. We’ll see if the Hawks can pull off the first round upset.
Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat are back in the Playoffs. Butler and Adebayo used each other’s skills to their advantage and were a dominant duo when they needed to be. Tyler Herro also helped Miami stay competitive. Max Strus stole the show in the Heat’s second play-in game with 31 points. The Heat will play against the Bucks in the first round, but we will see if they can shock the world and pull off the upset.
Western Conference Seeds and Predictions
- Denver Nuggets (53-29)
- Memphis Grizzlies (51-31)
- Sacramento Kings (48-34)
- Phoenix Suns (45-37)
- Los Angeles Clippers (44-38)
- Golden State Warriors (44-38)
- Los Angeles Lakers (43-39)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (42-40)
Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets had a stellar season and are in the driver’s seat in the West for the first time in franchise history. Jokic had an MVP-caliber year averaging about a 25 point triple-double per game. The Nuggets have never won a championship in their entire team history. This year may be the season where things change in Denver.
The Memphis Grizzlies surprised fans and experts alike by becoming the two seed in the West. Other than his mid-season controversy, Ja Morant had an outstanding season with almost no downside to him. Memphis is looking to repeat their excellence from last year. Can Ja Morant send the Grizzlies to a Finals run?
Sacramento shocked the world when they ended the season with the three seed. De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis both had excellent seasons and were selected as All-Stars. The last time that the Kings were even in the Playoffs was way back in 2006. That was the longest playoff drought in North-American sports. Sacramento will play against the Warriors in the first round of this year’s Playoffs.
The Phoenix Suns are the team to beat in the West. With Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Chris Paul, the Suns are an unstoppable force on offense. Phoenix was undefeated with KD in the lineup, and they look to keep that streak going during the Playoffs. The Suns will take on the Clippers to start off their postseason.
Los Angeles has been taken from a disappointment to a top team in the NBA. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George finally clicked this year, and for the most part, stayed injury-free. The Clippers still have not won a championship in their franchise history and look to change that in 2023.
Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors are back in business. Coming off the NBA title against the Boston Celtics, they look to repeat their greatness from last year. The trio of Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green may be in their final season together, and they look to make it count.
The other team in LA, the Lakers, look to make a run in the playoffs this year. Anthony Davis and LeBron James were possibly the best duo in the NBA when healthy. Even though James’ squad started 2-10, they prevailed and look to make their mark by taking down Ja Morant and the Grizzlies in the first round.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are back in the playoffs after defeating the Thunder in the final play-in game. The T-Wolves haven’t won a playoff series since way back in 2004 where they defeated the Sacramento Kings in the Western Conference Semifinals. Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that they will break this streak this year as they have to face one of the best teams in the NBA in the Denver Nuggets. We’ll see if they can pull off the major upset.
NBA Playoffs: Matchups
Eastern Conference First Round
1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. 8 Miami Heat (MIL in 6)
2 Boston Celtics vs. 7 Atlanta Hawks (BOS in 6)
3 Philadelphia 76ers vs. 6 Brooklyn Nets (PHI in 5)
4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 5 New York Knicks (NYK in 7)
Western Conference First Round
1 Denver Nuggets vs. 8 Minnesota Timberwolves (DEN in 4)
2 Memphis Grizzlies vs. 7 Los Angeles Lakers (MEM in 6)
3 Sacramento Kings vs. 6 Golden State Warriors (GSW in 7)
4 Phoenix Suns vs. 5 Los Angeles Clippers (PHX in 5)
Eastern Conference Semi Finals
1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. 5 New York Knicks (MIL in 6)
2 Boston Celtics vs. 3 Philadelphia 76ers (PHI in 7)
Western Conference Semi Finals
1 Denver Nuggets vs. 4 Phoenix Suns (PHX in 6)
2 Memphis Grizzlies vs. 6 Golden State Warriors (GSW in 6)
Eastern Conference Finals
1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. 3 Philadelphia 76ers (PHI in 7)
Western Conference Finals
4 Phoenix Suns vs. 6 Golden State Warriors (PHX in 7)
