This year’s NBA playoffs promise much excitement, with great match ups and great players. It is never clear who will win the championship, but this year there are so many good teams it has felt like it has never been less clear with big wins, like the Minnesota Timberwolves unexpectedly, crushing the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors beating the Houston Rockets.
This year some bad teams over the years have a good shot at winning the championship like the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Los Angeles Clippers. The playoffs also come with great players, that this year include MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, finalists Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jason Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, Lebron James, Stephen Curry, Cade Cunningham, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Anthony Edwards.
Some games have been really close already like Game 1 of the Clippers-Nuggets series, the game went into overtime after the Clippers having a good lead then the Nuggets coming back for a tie then a win in overtime. The series is currently tied 1-1. Other games have had blowouts, like Game 1 of the Thunder-Grizzlies series where the Thunder won 131-80.
My predictions for the first round in the Western Conference are the Thunder will sweep the Grizzlies, because the Thunder are too strong for the Grizzlies and already beat them by 51 points in Game 1. The Nuggets will beat the Clippers in 7, just slipping by. The Lakers are going to beat the Timberwolves in 6, as it is going to be a closer series than people might think. The Warriors are going to beat the Rockets in 5, because Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler are going to adjust to the physicality of the Rockets and win.
My predictions for the first round in the Eastern Conference: I will take the Cavs in a “gentleman’s sweep” over the Heat, because I think that Tyler Herro and Co. will pull one back but it won’t nearly be enough. Initially, before the series I thought the Bucks were going to beat the Pacers, but as I see it now I think the Pacers are going to win in 5 because they already have a good lead, they will let one slide and that’s it. The Pistons in a “gentleman’s sweep” over the Knicks, because Cade Cunningham & Co. are just too good versus the Knicks all around. Lastly, the Celtics are going to sweep the Magic, because they overpower the Magic on all fronts with Jason Tatum, Jaylen Brown and others. This year’s playoffs are going to be very exciting so pick your team and have fun watching the 2025 NBA Playoffs.