NBA Season Predictions

by Harry Bro

While putting the finishing touch on my Utah Jazz Season Preview, the predictions (the finishing touch is the post below, the Season Preview is four down), I decided that I might just put together some comprehensive season predictions (which I did in the process of completing the Jazz predictions).

WESTERN CONFERENCE
West Analysis: I think (as do others) that many of the teams are going to good, which is why you see talented teams in 9-13 and another at 15.

SEED         TEAM
1                 Oklahoma City Thunder
2                 Memphis Grizzlies
3                 Portland Trail Blazers
4                 Los Angeles Lakers
5                 Los Angeles Clippers
6                 Dallas Mavericks
7                 Utah Jazz
8                 San Antonio Spurs
9                 New Orleans Hornets
10               Golden State Warriors
11               Denver Nuggets
12               Minnesota Timberwolves
13               Houston Rockets: Note that most predictions I've read put Houston as bad...I don't know.
                   I'm just going with them.
14               Phoenix Suns
15               Sacramento Kings


EASTERN CONFERENCE
East Analysis: More teams are putrid here than in the West, making it much easier to predict.

SEED         TEAM
1                 Miami Heat
2                 Chicago Bulls
3                 Indiana Pacers
4                 New York Knicks
5                 Boston Celtics
6                 Philadelphia 76ers
7                 Atlanta Hawks
8                 Orlando Magic
9                 Milwaukee Bucks
10               Charlotte Bobcats
11               Detroit Pistons
12               Cleveland Cavaliers
13               New Jersey Nets  
14               Washington Wizards
15               Toronto Raptors


PLAYOFFS

WEST
QUARTERFINALS
Thunder (1) beat Spurs (8) in 5 games.
Grizzlies (2) beat Jazz (7) in 5 games.
Mavericks (6) beat Trail Blazers (3) in 6 games.
Clippers (5) beat Lakers (4) in 6 games.
SEMIFINALS
Grizzlies (2) beat Mavericks (6) in 5 games.
Thunder (1) beat Clippers (5) in 6 games.
CONFERENCE FINALS
Thunder (1) beat Grizzlies (2) in 7 games.

EAST 
QUARTERFINALS

Heat (1) beat Magic (8) in 5 games.
Bulls (2) beat Hawks (7) in 6 games.
Pacers (3) beat 76ers (6) in 6 games.
Knicks (4) beat Celtics (5) in 6 games.
SEMIFINALS
Heat (1) beat Pacers (3) in 6 games.
Bulls (2) beat Knicks (4) in 5 games.
CONFERENCE FINALS 
Heat (1) beat Bulls (2) in 6 games.

 





 Heat (1) beat Thunder (1) in 7 games.


Sources: nba.com (standings and article), NBA game tapes bought of iTunes, espn.com, NBA 2K12 playoff format, logo image: http://pardonmybias.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/nba_finals_logo.jpg