Western Conference and NBA Finals Predictions

The NBA comes back at the end of July, so it is time for the Western Conference and NBA Finals preview. The 8 teams from the west that I predict to make the playoffs are the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, and the Portland Trailblazers. There are 2 contenders and 1 dark horse to reach the NBA Finals and represent the Western Conference. The Los Angeles Lakers have the best record in West at 49-14 and added a top 5 player in Anthony Davis, this summer making them a heavy favorite led by Lebron James. The Los Angeles Clippers signed reigning finals Kawhi Leonard and traded for Paul George. The Clippers did both moves while keeping their team’s core from last year together giving them a great chance to make it to the finals. The Denver Nuggets have great young core looking to build on their second-round appearance from last season. They are led by All Star Center Nikola Jokic. The Utah Jazz are a good team led by Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. The Oklahoma City Thunder surprised the entire league; many figured the team would be in rebuild mode and not in playoff contention; once theThunder traded both Paul George and Russell Westbrook. Instead the Thunder led by Chris Paul will be making the playoffs.  The Houston Rockets led by James Harden and Russell Westbrook are trying to win a championship playing small ball. The Dallas Mavericks have had a good season with Luka Doncic emerging as a star and with the help Kristaps Porzingis have the Mavs in the playoffs. The Trailblazers finally have a healthy team and I fully expect them to gain the 8^th seed when the NBA goes into the playoffs. If they didn’t play the Lakers in the first round, they could make noise in the playoffs. The 2 contenders are the Lakers, and Clippers,and the dark horse is the Houston Rockets.

The Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have the best record in the Western Conference at 49-14 and are led by Lebron James and Anthony Davis. The Lakers missed the playoffs last year and then traded for Anthony Davis and revamped the team with free agents that fit the play styles of James and Davis. James and Davis are arguably the best tandem in the NBA. There are three things that can derail the Lakers from reaching the NBA finals; which are 3pt shooting, Free throw percentage, and turnovers. The Laker are ranked 17^th in 3-point percentage but are ranked just 22^nd in 3 pointers made at 11 a game. In addition to the lack of 3- point shooting the Lakers are also not great at the free-throw line. They have the 3^rd worst free throw percentage in the league at 73%. Lastly, they average the 8^th most turnovers per game at 15 and must cut it down to likely 12 to win the championship.

The Los Angeles Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers pulled off the biggest trade of the offseason when they acquired Paul George. This is the biggest trade because the Anthony Davis trade everyone knew was going to happen, but the George trade happened out of nowhere. The trade ensured that Kawhi would sign with the Clippers. They one of the best perimeter defenses in league with all the length they have at each position. The three things that concern me about the Clippers are Chemistry, Steals, and Transition Defense. The Clippers are ranked 24^th in the league at getting steals; this is crucial because as the playoffs get deeper the fewer possessions you likely will have in a game. Steals are a great way to gain extra possessions in a game. In addition, the Clippers must improve their transition defense; they are ranked 20^th in opponent Fast break points. This means they give up the 11 most fast break in the league; this a key stat because in most games Fast break points can help stretch leads and cut deficits. Lastly, my biggest concern is their chemistry. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard have both missed double-digit games due to injury and load management and in crunch time I see possible miscommunication can occur in the thick of the playoffs.

Houston Rockets,

The one dark horse team is the Houston Rockets. Th Rockets have one of the best backcourts in the league this season in Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. They have two former MVPs in Westbrook and Harden who each carried the team at some point this season. The overall concern I have about the Rockets their determination to play small ball and just 3’s. They take the most 3’s in the league at 46 3 pointers attempted per game. Also, they traded Clint Capela who was extremely vital to the teams rebounding ability. Once they traded Capela they slide to 4 worst rebounding team in the league at just 39 rebounds a game. They are just living by the 3 pointers and layups. If the Rockets can hit 3’s then they have a chance to get to the finals otherwise it will be them going home in the second round.

Prediction

I predict that the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers will meet in the Western Conference Finals. The Lakers will win in 7 games with Anthony Davis being the driving force and leading the NBA title over the Boston Celtics in 6 games. Davis will be named the NBA Finals MVP and capture his first NBA Championship.

* All statistics are from www.nba.com