NBA Restart in Orlando: Final Seedings and Playoffs Round-by-Round Predictions
- Tramaine Griifin
- Jul 29, 2020
- 9 min read
Updated: Sep 13, 2020
This has been a chaotic year. However; one thing we know for certain, is an NBA champion will be crowned for the 2019-20 season.
In case you didn’t know, 22 teams arrived in Orlando earlier this month, for the restart. Upon the restart beginning July 30th, all 22 teams had a mini training camp and three scrimmage games in order to prepare for the restart.
With only eight regular-season games to prepare for the playoffs, there won't be a lot of time for teams to move up and down the standings or for the teams who are on the outside looking in, to fight their way in. Home-court advantage will no longer play a factor as well. With all 22 teams playing in Walt Disney inside an empty gym.
With the restart beginning tomorrow and given the new change of scenery, here are my final seedings and playoff predictions in Orlando.
Final Standings Predictions
Eastern Conference
1. Milwaukee Bucks
2. Toronto Raptors
3. Boston Celtics
4. Miami Heat
5. Philadelphia 76ers
6. Indiana Pacers
7. Orlando Magic
8. Brooklyn Nets
Western Conference
1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Los Angeles Clippers
3. Denver Nuggets
4. Houston Rockets
5. Oklahoma City Thunder
6. Utah Jazz
7. Dallas Mavericks
8. Portland Trailblazers
I think it's safe to say, that the race for 8th will be a lot more entertaining in the West than for the East.
With Portland getting a healthy Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins back, along with Damian Lillard always finding a way to get his teams into the playoffs, when people doubt them, time and time again. I believe Portland edges out all of the other teams (due to their experience and Dame ability to single-handily carry a team) and stay within four games of Memphis and force them into a play-in-game.
I believe that Portland wins two games against Memphis in the play-in-games and faces the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round.
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
1 Milwaukee vs. 8 Brooklyn
It's official that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are not coming back this season, therefore; I expect Milwaukee to have no problems with a depleted Brooklyn team. However; expect Brooklyn to challenge Milwaukee as the best team in the East next season.
Result: Milwaukee in 4
2 Toronto vs. 7 Orlando
A repeat of last year's opening round, and I expect the same result from last year as well. Jonathan Isaac status for Orlando is unknown. Which is huge for Orlando because Jonathan Isaac is Orlando's best chance in slowing down Pascal Siakam. This Toronto team is even better defensively from last year's title team. If Orlando is without Isaac, expect this series to end very quickly.
Result: Toronto in 5
3 Boston vs. 6 Indiana
Victor Oladipo playing status is still unclear to me. Also, the loss of Domantas Sabonis is a big blow for Indiana. While this would be a very interesting series, if Indiana were fully healthy, I just believe that Boston have too much talent for Indiana. Boston should beat this derailed Indiana team pretty easily.
Results: Boston in 5
4 Miami vs. 5 Philly
Easily the best match-up of the first round. This will be a match-up of two of the more physical teams in the NBA. Both Miami and Philly were fantastic at home and not very good on the road. Everyone are playing at a neutral site, so this should be very interesting. Philly is the more talented team, and Ben Simmons aggressiveness will be key in this series. Joel Embiid vs Bam Adebayo will be the match-up to watch. The playoff experience of Al-Horford (despite him having a disappointing season so far) and Jimmy Butler will be vital for both teams. Miami would have the coaching advantage in Erik Spoelstra (who I believe is the most underrated coach in the NBA) and I believe that Miami will prevail in this series due to their togetherness and toughness.
Result: Miami in 7
Western Conference Quarterfinals
1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. 8 Portland
I previously predicted that Portland would wind up getting that last playoff spot. And Portland reward, is facing LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. With Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins back healthy, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum will make this series more competitive than what people expect. Especially with the Lakers lack of guard play and perimeter defenders. Despite Portland just about healthy, I expect the Lakers move on.
Result: Lakers in 6
2 Los Angeles Clippers vs. 7 Dallas
Even though, I have a concern of the Clippers chemistry and lack of reps together. The Clippers are one of the most talented teams and has the deepest roster in the NBA. While Dallas has the best offense in the league this season, this will be Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis first playoff appearance. The difference in experience is noteworthy and the Clippers are just too good on both ends but this will be good experience for Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis.
Results: Clippers in 5
3 Denver vs. 6 Utah
The styles of play for both teams will make this series interesting. I have big question marks for both teams. However; the match-up I would keep my eye on would be Nikola Jokic vs Rudy Gobert. The Jazz will also be without Bojan Bogdanovic (second leading scorer on the team at 20.2 PPG), which is a big blow for them. Meanwhile, the questions for Denver, is that can Jamal Murray be the number two guy for Denver and will anyone step-up and be their third consistent scorer? Could it be Michael Porter Jr (showing flashes of great potential) or Bol Bol? Due to Bol Bol's emergence here in Orlando so far? I believe this will be a long and a grind type of series.
Result: Denver in 7
4 Houston vs. 5 Oklahoma City
To me, this would be the most entertaining series in the first round. Chris Paul vs James Harden. You can't tell me that you wouldn't be excited for this match-up. Especially with how everything went down. With, James Harden being the main reason for Chris Paul getting traded. Both teams thrives on small-ball lineups and I know in the playoffs, the game usually slows down, but I think this particular series would be an fast-paced. With the Thunder lack of perimeter wing defenders for Harden, I believe that will be the difference in this series. I expect this series to be competitive and chippy, but I believe that Houston has too much offensive firepower for Oklahoma City.
Result: Houston in 6
Eastern Conference Semifinals
1 Milwaukee vs. 4 Miami
On paper, I believe that Milwaukee are the better team but Miami have the personnel and a plethora of defenders (Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Jae Crowder, Andre Iguodala) to slow down Giannis. The game slows down in the playoffs, and both has question marks that they will need to answer if either team want to advance. Starting with Milwaukee. Can Giannis hit enough outside shots, which he had problems with during the Toronto series last season. And can Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe be the number two and three options on a contender? Now for Miami. It's a matter of if Miami can generate enough offense to overcome Milwaukee. And will anyone besides Jimmy Butler emerge offensively in this series? Miami will make this a very difficult series for Milwaukee, but I believe Milwaukee will prevail and win this series.
Result: Milwaukee in 7
2 Toronto vs. 3 Boston
This series is a toss-up for me. Toronto continues to impressive more every time I watch them play. The match-up I will be looking forward to the most, is Jayson Tatum vs Pascal Siakam. Toronto has the advantage in the front-court, whereas, Boston has the advantage in the back-court. Although, I do have concerns about Kemba Walker's knee. I think the biggest key in this series is whoever wins the star match-up (Jayson Tatum vs Pascal Siakam) will win the series. I believe that Jayson Tatum will be the best player in this series, and will take that next step towards being a superstar.
Result: Boston in 7
Western Conference Semifinals
1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. 4 Houston
The contrast in styles in this series will be interesting to observe. While small ball is unproven in the playoffs. The bigger question here is who on Houston can guard Anthony Davis? I could be a disastrous match-up for Houston because Anthony Davis is quick enough to guard the perimeter and is a match-up nightmare in the paint for Houston. Although, the lack of perimeter defenders for James Harden and Russell Westbrook will be a question mark for the Lakers. The Lakers have enough rim protectors in Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard, and JaVale McGee to make things tough for James Harden and Russell Westbrook. I believe the Lakers have too much size for Houston and the small ball experiment will come to an end for here for Houston.
Result: Los Angeles Lakers in 6
2 Los Angeles Clippers vs. 3 Denver
I had Denver barely getting by Utah in the first round. Utah is a good team, however; the Clippers are a lot better than Utah. The perimeter defense of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Patrick Beverly should make things very tough for Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. I still have a lot of question marks about Denver outside of Nikola Jokic. However; Bol Bol could be the x-factor but I believe it's asking too much for a rookie who hasn't played in an official NBA game yet to step into that kind of role in this type of situation. As good as Denver are, the Clippers are an overall better team, and I believe that the Clippers will win this series pretty easily.
Result: Los Angeles Clippers in 5
Eastern Conference Finals
1 Milwaukee vs. 3 Boston
These two teams met last year in the semifinals, where the Milwaukee Bucks beat Boston in 5. I don't think things will be as easy this time around for Milwaukee. This is a different Boston team from the one that met Milwaukee last year in the playoffs. This Boston team isn't facing any chemistry or locker room issues. The swap of Kyrie Irving for Kemba Walker has been beneficial for both parties. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have taken that next step in their games and as leaders. And Gordon Hayward is slowly returning back to his old-self. This series will come down to limiting the effectiveness of Giannis Antetokounmpo. This is where Boston's lack of size will really hurt them, because I don't think Boston has the size to defend Giannis or this Bucks squad. Boston is definitely on the rise but I believe that this is the year where Giannis breaks through and makes his first finals appearance.
Result: Milwaukee in 6
Western Conference Finals
1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. 2 Los Angeles Clippers
The battle of Los Angeles, I predicted that these two teams would meet in the Western Conference Finals at the beginning of the year, and I'm sticking with that prediction. The star power and depth between these two teams are the best in the league. The Clippers did win two out of the three match-ups before the hiatus, but right before hiatus, the Lakers had a statement win against the Clippers. Of course, all eyes will be on the LeBron vs Kawhi match-up. Anthony Davis will be the x-factor and difference maker because the Clippers don't have an answer for Anthony Davis. The role players in this series will also be huge. That's where the Clippers have the advantage because the Clippers are the deeper team and have multiple 'shot creators' and 'shot-makers'. Whereas, the Lakers doesn't have any play-makers outside of LeBron and the biggest question mark for the Lakers is who will be their consistent third scorer? I do believe that this layoff favors LeBron. I believe that this will a seven-game series and I rarely bet against LeBron James (especially in game 7s). However; I'm not as confident in this pick as I was, before the hiatus (due to their lack of reps together as a whole team), I believe the Clippers barely get by the Lakers due to their plethora of perimeter defenders for LeBron James and multiple shot creators along with the fact that the Lakers has no play-makers nor consistent scorers outside of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Results: Los Angeles Clippers in 7
NBA Finals
1 Milwaukee vs. 2 Los Angeles Clippers
The battle of two of deepest rosters in the league. The battle of last year's regular season MVP vs the Finals MVP. Although, the Bucks won both meetings this season, the Clippers didn't have their full squad in either of those meetings. This will be another tough series for Giannis due to the Clippers plethora of wing defenders that they could throw at him. The Bucks will need Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe to step-up in order to relieve pressure off of Giannis. Given those two-playoff histories, I'm not confident that those two will be able to performance to that level. The key for the Clippers in this series, will be the defensive play of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Marcus Morris on Giannis Antetokounmpo. If the Clippers can contain Giannis in the paint and force him into taking outside shots, the Clippers will be 2020 NBA Champs. The Clippers were my pre-season pick and I'm sticking with it, due to the reasons I stated above.
Result: Los Angeles Clippers in 6
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