Welp, the time has come.
It’s NBA Playoff Time!
Everyone loves the playoffs, right? The long weekday nights spent up watching great west coast games. The 1st weekend of quadruple headers on both days. The inevitable overreaction to Game 1 losses.
You know you love it….and here at Champagne in The Locker Room, we are right along with you.
Here are our official predictions of who will bring home this year’s NBA Championship.
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Diego
Warriors over Cavs in 6
Deja Vu all over again!
In the East, I obviously have the Cavs coming out. It should be a cakewalk for those guys as every team in the East is flawed just enough to not put any fear into the Lebron James-coached Cavs (LOL). I really like how Miami is playing right now and they could pose a threat if Chris Bosh can return and give them any sort of contribution. If not, it really doesn’t matter.
Sometimes, teams just have special seasons. This year, its Golden State’s turn to enter rarified air. Will this team be mentioned with the all time greats? That remains to be seen. But if you include what I believe will be a 2nd consecutive NBA Championship, they must be listed in the pantheon of the great Celtics teams of the 60s and mid 80s, Showtime Lakers of the 80’s, and of course the Chicago Bulls teams of the 90s. The issue with this team in my opinion is will the pursuit of the single-season all time record hinder their collective energy to run through this playoff gauntlet? Playing 3/4ths of the season as every team’s’ “Game of the Year” seemed to take a toll late in the year. I believe they will be rejuvenated because immortality is a great motivator for anyone. Now I wouldn’t be suprised in the least if San Antonio, Oklahoma City or even the Clippers come out of the West, but its Lightskinned Season and Golden State wins in the Finals 4-2.
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DJ T-Why
Spurs over Cavs in 5
Yeah, I said it!
I’m not a Warriors believer. Although their season has been unreal…coming off of winning an NBA Championship to go on and break the 72 game regular season winning record set by the ‘96 Chicago Bulls. Unimaginable. They have best (basketball) shooter I’ve ever seen in my life. And yet, I’m not buying it. Before last season I had never heard of Draymond Green. Before last season, Steph Curry was a good player, but not that guy. Before last season, Klay Thompson was just…nevermind.
Ok, truth time. I don’t want the Warriors to win, at all, ever. This is Mark Jackson’s team. Well, it was. Until THE MAN, came and stole his team. We can’t have anything. They took our land. They took Rock n Roll. They took all of George Washington Carver’s inventions and left him penniless in a basement, still trying to play a phonograph record with a peanut. Where is the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D when you need them?
All jokes and conspiracy theories aside, my real prediction is the Spurs, while not a better team, will simply outpace the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. The quest to catch the Bulls will ultimately be their demise. Instead of resting players when the #1 seed was clinched, they kept playing hard. No rest leading up to the playoffs. What good is a regular season record if you don’t win the Championship? None. And as for the Cavs, they’ll will stumble their way through a weak Eastern Conference to the finals, but Captain Headband ‘n nem can’t beat the Spurs in a 7-game NBA Championship series, b.
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Scottie
Cavs over Warriors in 6.
I know what you’re probably saying to yourself: “C’mon homie, Riley Curry don’t LOSE in the Finals!” Or maybe: “Lebron’s hairline has passed its prosper stage, he’ll never win another Finals unless he gets one of those hightop fade weaves from Instagram so he looks like a Duke player from their 2015 run!”
In all seriousness, the Warriors LOOK pretty unstoppable, they have set the all-time record for regular season wins at 73, Steph Curry came off an MVP run last season and looks even more ridiculous…and STILL, I’m picking the Cavs.
The Warriors will have a tough road to the Finals and won’t get the pass they did last year where they still snuck up on teams and avoided facing many of the top PG’s in the league. This season, every night, someone will attack Steph and force him to expend energy on defense. In a Finals matchup, they will be much more fatigued from chasing history in the regular season and fighting for their lives to get through the West. The Lebron’s proved last year that they can slow the pace enough to make the Warriors play in a very uncomfortable style. They’re improved as a shooting team and I think will roll out a game plan with lots of Lebron post-ups, pick and pop action with Kyrie and K-Love and if J.R. (we call him “A-R” cause he’s gonna shoot off the break) Smith can find consistency, they will spread the floor enough to allow the Cavs to attack the middle. Plus, Lebron will be SUPER motivated coming off a season where he wasn’t the biggest deal in the league, along with taking the hit for a coach getting fired and being less than a stellar leader…he’ll be locked in and super focused. The key will be to keep games in the 90’s, limit transition buckets and keep the general pace on the slower side.
I KNOW it’s a long-shot, but if the Cavs can manage it, I can see them getting the Dubs out of there in Six, creating MAJOR drama going into next season, which is great business for the League. Anyway, EVERYBODY is going to pick GSW, I decided to live a little. Happy Playoffs!
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The Abominable Mike Madison
Warriors over Cavs 4-1
Cavs will breeze through East with a little bump in the road at Toronto. Warriors will be put through the torture rack, but come out of the West. They trounce the Cavs because they’re just flat out better, and LeBron will go into full “bitch mode” a la Mavs series or that other time when he found out his teammate was crackin his moms. Cole world.
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Smith The Brawler
Thunder over Cavs in 7.
Let me say, the mere thought of having to hear “Back 2 Back” by Drake, for the next year single handedly drives me to want, scratch that, NEED Golden State to not win it all. It just can’t happen. That being said, Golden State obviously are a juggernaut. Following up a record 73 wins with a consecutive title seems inevitable. Let me tell you, the top four in the west is as good as a top for can get. That’s where the Westbrook, & Durant led Thunder come in. Aside from Russ’s triple double palooza this season, OKC, along with everyone besides Kobe and GSW, have flown under the radar this season. But while we were fawning over Golden State, KD & Russ kinda kicked their games up a notch. I see them breaking through the glass ceiling and knocking off San Antonio in the second round. Followed by dethroning the juggernaut that is the Warriors.
Of course over in the east there isn’t much to talk about. Besides a likely Cavs vs Heat conference finals, which I predict will happen, the Heat are just too talented for the remainder of the conference. A rematch between a more seasoned KD and Russ vs LeBron n Nem will be legendary. They take each other’s best shots until game seven where the OKC duo become true legends both recording 40 points to cap off an epic finals. I’m getting cised just typing it! Oh and while I’m at it, KD ain’t coming to your team this summer. So go ahead and brace yourself for your team signing Nic Batum to a max deal.
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Chris
Cavs over Spurs in 6
I know , I know, I KNOW……But what about the Warriors???? I think that they used so much energy over the season to break the 72-10 record that they will fizzle out in the playoffs. Steph is gonna be Steph, but I don’t think Steph and the supporting cast will be enough to take down the Spurs in a 7 game series. I also believe that Lebron just will not let the Cavs not make the finals. They are all healthy….Even though they sputtered throughout the season and didn’t particularly play well, they are still the number 1 seed in the East and will roll over everyone in their way come playoff time. I picked them over the spurs for one reason and one reason only. Lebron James. Sure, Kawhi will be checking him. He will do a good job, but no one completely shuts down Lebron James. He will find a way to impact the game. His will to win along with the eternal chip on his shoulder will power the Cavs through to their first NBA championship.
