NBA Predictions After the Break
It's break time for the NBA as they are enjoying All-Star Weekend in some fashion. This year the All Star event takes place in New Orleans and the Pelicans are the host team. This weekend we'll see some dunks, threes and of course the All-Stars that were selected to be there, but this is not what this blog is about. While this weekend is all about fun, once it ends, teams will be focused on holding their seed for the playoffs or trying to make that last big push to earn a playoff spot. I sat and discussed with my friend, and fellow writer of this blog Craig Brallier and we picked which team from each Conference will make a run, which team we think will cool off, and one wildcard team in the NBA.
1. What team in the Eastern Conference will make a run after the break?
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Craig: "I'm taking Boston. I.T. (Isaiah Thomas) has been nothing short of great this season and they have the best supporting staff in the East, to go along with the best coach in the East in Brad Stevens."
Ironically enough, I completely agree with Craig on this one. Boston has shown that they can play on a whole other level as of late. This is not so surprising because this young team has shown that they would be a contender the last few years, but felt that they were missing one more player to make that run. Signing Al Horford in the off-season just may have been that guy. Not to mention how I.T. has been taking over games as of late. He shows everyone that size does not matter.
2. What team in the Eastern Conference do you think will cool off?
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Craig: "Cleveland is going to cool off. Without Kevin Love, they will either have to rest LeBron James, or run him into the ground. Neither of those options is going to be ideal for the Cavaliers."
Looking at the Eastern Conference standings there are a couple of teams that stand out to me. The first is the Washington Wizards. This team has been doing very well the last few weeks. While this team does have a lot of playmakers, the last few seasons they have dealt with injury. With a healthier team this season they are not disappointing, but can they keep it up is the question that I ask. The other team is the Cavaliers. Again I agree with Craig because even though James is still the best player in the league, he cannot do it all by himself. James has come out and made it public that he wants a playmaker, and losing Kevin Love to injury does not help that situation any.
3. What team in the Western Conference do you think will make a run after the break?
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Craig: "I'm taking Utah in the West. Gordon Hayward is having a great season, Rudy Gobert is one of the best bigs in the game and I think their roster is good enough to make a push to the 3 or 4 seed."
This pick was a hard one for me, because there are many good teams that just have not found the success that they want, but I think I'm picking the Trail Blazers of Portland. This team looked as if were going to be in shambles after LaMarcus Aldridge signed with the Spurs in 2015. But this team stepped up. Now it is led by Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. This team's record does not show how good this team really is. Just being a few games out of the playoffs, it would not surprise me if we see them fighting for that final spot.
4. What team in the Western Conference do you think will cool off?
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Craig: "I'm expecting the Clippers to cool off after the break. They just seem like they're at a standstill right now, I don't see them recovering anytime soon."
While I agree with Craig, I have to say the Oklahoma City Thunder are going to cool off. This team is led completely by Russell Westbrook. If he does not drop a Triple-double, it seems like this team struggles. Currently the 7th seed, with a few games ahead of the 8th seed, I could still see them dropping to the 8th seed or maybe even out of the playoffs, although that seems unlikely.
5. Which team is the league do you think is the biggest Wildcard?
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Craig: "My wildcard team is the Knicks. They're only a few games out of the 8th spot in the East, and Melo (Carmelo Anthony) looks like he actually likes playing basketball again. Unless Phil Jackson comes up with a blockbuster deal to get rid of Melo, I expect him and Kristaps Porzingis to lead the Knicks to the 8th seed in the Playoffs. With an early first round exit via Cleveland of course."
My wildcard team would have to be the Timberwolves. While they currently are not in the Playoffs, they are just a few games out of the 8th seed in the West. This team is led by the future of the NBA in Andrew Wiggins and KAT (Karl-Anthony Towns.) These two can led this team to an 8th seed, which would be huge for this franchise. The only thing I could see holding them back is not having the play of their third young star, Zach LaVine, who is out for the season.
There it is folks, our picks for the last few months of the season. It will definitely be an interesting finish for sure.
