One Through Eight

 

What a year for the playoffs so far. Amid the boring blowouts and constant injuries, there have been some truly excellent games. The result is the first ever playoffs with every playoff seed represented, from the "underdog" Heat to the "favorite" Nuggets. A 7 beat a 2, an 8 beat  a 1, and things have been pretty crazy overall.

We will now be treated to the following matchups:

Nuggets vs Suns (2x MVP without a title faces 2x champ KD and Devin Booker)

Celtics vs 76ers (Favorite, most complete team vs injured MVP candidate Embiid and Harden)

Warriors vs Lakers (Curry vs LeBron, Warriors dynasty vs still-exploring Lakers squad)

Knicks vs Heat (Tough and deep Knicks squad vs the fire and genius of Butler and Spoelstra)

Sadly, the Cavs are out, which probably deserves its own article. But excitingly, my 2 picks to play in the Finals from the start of the season have survived the first round: The Warriors and the Heat! I really don't know what will happen from this point forward, but here are some of my thoughts:

1. Suns over Nuggets in 7

Jokic is perennially overrated, and never has what it takes against the stiffest playoff competition. KD is proven and has come out on top on this battlefield. More scoring power, more experience, more wins. 

2. Celtics over 76ers in 6

Embiid is not going to be at his most effective, and he has an illustrious injury history. The Celtics are solid from top to bottom, and they have unfinished business from last year.

3. Warriors over Lakers in 6

It just comes down to injuries. If LeBron and AD are healthy enough, I honestly think they have the edge. LeBron can beat the warriors when his co-stars are healthy. If either of them is ailing, and the Warriors don't have their own injury disaster, the Warriors will take it with relative ease. However, I have little faith in the Warriors to stay healthy. Thompson and Curry rarely play 5 consecutive games without straining, spraining, or twisting something. LeBron has by far the less terrifying injury history. My prediction is that all the stars are limited in the series, but the Warriors' experience and team dynamics gives them the victory.

4. Heat over Knicks in 6

This one is contingent on Butler's health, but I think the Heat are the better team. I wrote at the start of the season about how badly Butler wants this ring. Absolutely no one in the league plays on his level come playoff time, period. Without an injury to key role players, he would have taken down the Lakers in 2020. He was the rightful Finals MVP. He is not going down to the New York Knicks.

Conference Finals

And that would bring us to the Conference Finals! Celtics vs Heat and Warriors vs Suns. So much history - the Celtics and the Heat matched up in LeBron's era with some classic games, and Warriors vs Suns would be a matchup of former teammates Curry and KD. If Butler is healthy, I again have to take the Heat - they are such a fun and stunningly good 8-seed underdog. Imagine bottom-seeded Miami in the NBA Finals! In the other matchup, I take the Warriors. I still think Booker is a choke artist despite his heroics so far and KD is incredibly delicate. This then sets me up for what I predicted before the first game of the season:

NBA Finals

Ok, Warriors vs Heat Finals. Four teams have managed to interrupt the Warriors Dynasty from 2015 through 2022: The Cavs, the Raptors, the Lakers, and the Bucks. We will now see the final interruption - the team that will end this dynasty for good: the Miami Heat. If Miami's core can remain healthy, there are very few forces on earth that could stop this team. And I don't think the Warriors are one of them.

Let's see what happens!