2020 NBA Playoff Seedings & Predictions

Best duo in the NBA?

The NBA season is here, which means it’s time to give out predictions for the season. We witnessed the dethroning of the Warriors (mainly due to injuries), not to discredit the Toronto Raptors, the Raptors handled their business and played outstanding basketball during their incredible playoff run. This past off-season has been one of the wildest off-seasons in NBA history due to the amount of player movement and balance of power in the NBA. This will be one of the most interesting seasons in recent memory since we are beginning the era of the dynamic duos. The things I will be looking forward to this season starts with. Who will be MVP? Who will be the best duo? Who will come out the West? Who will win the battle of LA? Will James Harden be the first player since Kobe Bryant to score 80 in a game? How far can Stephen Curry get with this year’s Golden State team without KD & Klay? Are the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers the favorites in the East with the departure of Kawhi Leonard? Or will another team surprise us and come out the Eastern Conference. Sleeper teams in the Western & Eastern Conference? Last but not least, (couldn’t forget about this one). Will Zion Williamson take the NBA by storm? Here are my playoff seedings and predictions.

Eastern Conference Seeds:

1. Milwaukee Bucks

2. Philadelphia 76ers

3. Boston Celtics

4. Miami Heat

5. Indiana Pacers

6. Toronto Raptors

7. Brooklyn Nets

8. Orlando Magic

First Round:

E1 Milwaukee over E8 Orlando

E4 Miami over E5 Indiana

E3 Boston over E6 Toronto

E2 Philly over E7 Brooklyn

Second Round:

E1 Milwaukee over E4 Miami

E2 Philly over E3 Boston

Conference Finals:

E2 Philly over E1 Milwaukee

Western Conference Seeds:

1. Denver Nuggets

2. LA Clippers

3. Houston Rockets

4. Utah Jazz

5. LA Lakers

6. Portland Trailblazers

7. Golden State Warriors

8. San Antonio Spurs

First Round:

W1 Denver over W8 San Antonio

W5 LA Lakers over W4 Utah Jazz

W3 Houston over W6 Portland

W2 LA Clippers over W7 Golden State

Second Round:

W5 LA Lakers over W1 Denver

W2 LA Clippers over W3 Houston

Conference Finals:

W2 LA Clippers over W5 LA Lakers

NBA Finals:

W2: LA Clippers over E2 Philly

NBA Champions: LA Clippers

This was certainly a tough choice for me, especially since there are no clear-cut favorites this upcoming season in my opinion. With that being said, the LA Clippers are my pre-season pick to win the championship. Barring injuries to their core pieces, I predict the LA Clippers to win their first ever championship over the Philadelphia 76ers in seven games. The culture that the Clippers has built among Jerry West, Doc Rivers, the players, and throughout the rest of the organization has been exciting to watch over the years. This is the same Clippers team that took the fully loaded Golden State team to six games in the playoffs. Except the Clippers added Kawhi Leonard & Paul George to their team. The Clippers are expected to be one of the best defensive teams with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Pat Beverley, Montrezl Harrell, Mo Heartless, Landry Shamet just to name a few defensive minded players on their roster. Overall, the star power of Kawhi Leonard & Paul George, how scary their defense could potentially be, their depth, their team chemistry, and Kawhi Leonard’s championship pedigree are my reasons as to why, I picked the LA Clippers to be 2020 NBA Champions. Therefore; I believe the trophy will be brought back to LA except the title will be under the Clippers name.

"The New Look Clippers"