BRACKET PREDICTIONS FOR 2024 NBA PLAYOFFS: WHO WINS EAST, WEST CONFERENCES? WHO WINS FINALS?
The NBA Play-In Tournament begins Tuesday. The New Orleans Pelicans, Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks will fight for their playoff lives in front of our very eyes.
The traditional 16-team playoff beings on Saturday. That's where we'll get to see each teams' true colors. Will the Boston Celtics crumble again when it matters most? Is Joel Embiid healthy enough to help lead the 76ers on a deep playoff run? Are the Oklahoma City Thunder really playing at the level expected of a 1 seed?
With so many questions running through our minds, it's hard to predict exactly what is going to happen. Here are the latest predictions from around the internet:
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Eastern Conference predictions
CBS Sports: Boston Celtics
Every member of the CBS Sports staff believes the Eastern Conference is the Boston Celtics' to lose. Jack Maloney writes: "Brad Stevens' offseason maneuverings have given the Celtics all the tools to finally break through and win a title with the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown core. Are there still concerns about their late-game offense? Of course. But they have been the best team in the league all season long because they have five legitimate options on offense, shoot 3-pointers at an elite rate and can dial it up defensively to a level most cannot reach."
Bleacher Report: Boston Celtics
Tyler Conway writes, "The Celtics are the NBA's best team on paper and in practice. They dominated the regular season to the point there is almost no historical data equivalent. The last team to win their conference by at least 10 games was the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors, perhaps the greatest team in NBA history."
Sportsnaut: Boston Celtics
Vincent Frank writes, "The Boston Celtics remain the cream of the crop in the Association as the NBA Playoffs get going. That includes posting a 9-3 record against other top-end title contenders in the Eastern Conference this season. The trio of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis are averaging a combined 70.3 points, 21.0 rebounds and 10.5 assists per game."
Western Conference predictions
CBS Sports: Denver Nuggets
Brad Botkin writes, "Denver spending the majority of the season on autopilot doesn't change the fact that it is the best team and Nikola Jokic is the best player."
Bleacher Report: Denver Nuggets
Tyler Conway writes, "this season has increasingly felt like a collision course between Boston and Denver, and there's no reason to back down now. Nikola Jokic is the NBA's best player and one of the greatest offensive forces the game has ever seen."
Sportsnaut: Denver Nuggets
Vincent Frank writes, "The Denver Nuggets' falling to the second seed out west was a bit of a surprise. The defending champions will now likely be forced into a Round 1 matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans or Los Angeles Lakers. That’s not an ideal scenario for Nikola Jokic and Co. Don’t expect an easy series for Denver in the first round of the NBA Playoffs."
NBA Finals predictions
CBS Sports: Celtics over Nuggets
James Herbert writes, "If these two teams were playing this week, I might pick the Nuggets, even though Boston's statistical profile is more impressive. Their path to the Finals will likely be more taxing, though, and they have less room for error - if any of Denver's starters has to miss any amount of time, I'll be extremely concerned."
Bleacher Report: Celtics over Nuggets in six
Tyler Conway writes, "The Celtics have a cohesive, star-laden roster of their own and lost just four home games all season. In a season where only one team felt truly in a class of its own, it's hard to see anything but the Celtics hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy."
Sportsnaut: Celtics over Nuggets in six
Sportsnaut's Vincent Frank has the same Finals that everyone else does, but the path to the Finals is really interesting here. Not only does Frank have the Golden State Warriors emerging from the play-in tournament, but he also has them going all the way to the Conference Finals, taking down the Oklahoma City Thunder in 6 and Dallas Mavericks in 7 along the way. In the Eastern Conference, Frank believes the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, Boston and New York, will duke it out for the chance to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy. However, despite the Celtics holding a stellar 4-1 record against the Knicks this year, Frank has that Conference Finals going to seven games.
NBA playoff standings
The top six teams in each conference automatically make the playoffs. Teams in positions 7-10 qualify for the play-in tournament.
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
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NBA Eastern Conference playoff bracket
Here's how the first round of the playoffs would shake out in the East if the season ended after Sunday.
- No. 1 seed Boston Celtics vs. No. 8 seed (Winner of the Play-In Tournament)
- No. 2 seed New York Knicks vs. No. 7 seed (Winner of the Play-In Tournament)
- No. 3 seed Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 6 seed Indiana Pacers
- No. 4 seed Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 seed Orlando Magic
NBA Western Conference playoff bracket
Here's how the matchups look with the current standings in the Western Conference.
- No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8 seed (Winner of the Play-In Tournament)
- No. 2 seed Denver Nuggets vs. No. 7 seed (Winner of the Play-In Tournament)
- No. 3 seed Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 6 seed Phoenix Suns
- No. 4 seed Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 5 seed Dallas Mavericks
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bracket predictions for 2024 NBA playoffs: Who wins East, West conferences? Who wins Finals?
2024-04-15T22:52:14Z dg43tfdfdgfd