Matt Johnson
The first round of the NBA Playoffs are in the books and it delivered a few surprises with the Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets all eliminated. That creates even more intrigue in the second round and our latest set of NBA playoff predictions.
Let’s dive into our NBA Conference Semifinals predictions.
(4) Los Angele Lakers vs (1) Oklahoma City Thunder
There is still no timeline for Luka Doncic to return, so we’re operating on the assumption that he won’t play in the Western Conference Semifinals. For the Los Angeles Lakers, that means relying on a 41-year-old LeBron James after he averaged nearly 40 minutes per game versus Houston along with Austin Reaves. Not only do the Oklahoma City Thunder have reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the best player in basketball right now, but they rarely turn it over as a team (12.0, second-fewest in NBA) and they are excellent defensively. The Lakers’ lack of shooting and bucket-getters will be exposed immediately in this series and it’ll be over quickly.
- Prediction: Oklahoma City Thunder sweep Los Angeles Lakers
(6) Minnesota Timberwolves vs (2) San Antonio Spurs
The Anthony Edwards injury certainly makes this series more interesting. It now appears the Minnesota Timberwolves star will return for the Western Conference Semifinals; it’s only a question of how effective he’ll be playing through a bone bruise. Minnesota went 2-1 during the regular-season series, but the final two matchups in January were decided by 4 total points. The Timberwolves will, however, be without Donte DiVincenzo. All eyes will naturally be on the head-to-head battle between Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert. Given the absurd level Wembanyama is playing at on both ends of the court, we’re taking San Antonio to win with its star power and depth.
- Prediction San Antonio Spurs win in six games
(4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs (1) Detroit Pistons
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons both barely survived the first round, so there isn’t any rest vs. rust debate to be had for the Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup. What Cleveland brings to the table is the All-Star guard tandem of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, each of whom is capable of taking over a game. There are two issues for the Cavaliers, however. First, Detroit can bring a defensive intensity and plan of attack to both Mitchell and Harden. More importantly, while Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley are very good bigs, Pistons centers Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart bring far more physicality. We just don’t see Cleveland having the toughness or the consistency to win this series.
- Prediction: Detroit Pistons advance in six games
(7) Philadelphia 76ers vs (3) New York Knicks
The New York Knicks are probably the best team left standing in the Eastern Conference. With that said, the Philadelphia 76ers are embracing the underdog role and there’s nothing Joel Embiid would love more than to snuff out the Knicks to punch his ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals. Where New York could run into a bit of trouble is the fact that Embiid can be a stopper against Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges is bringing nothing offensively. Philadelphia could pull off another upset if everyone stays healthy, but that’s far from a given and New York has better answers for Embiid than Boston did. Ultimately, the deeper and more defensive-minded team advances.
- Prediction: New York Knicks in in seven games
