Early 2012-13 NBA Predictions

     The NBA schedule was released a mere two hours ago, which got me pretty excited. I was grateful that we actually had a season last year that really was intriguing. Think about it. The Miami Heat, the league's villain, won the championship by overcoming a lot of adversity that included defeating the old, veteran Boston Celtics who just nearly completed one last run with the big three by heading back to the NBA Finals. In the Western Conference, a changing of the guard officially took place with the young and energetic Oklahoma City Thunder defeating the established San Antonio Spurs. Heading into this upcoming seasons, many headlines remain while some new ones will cause most of the stir in the league. For starters, how will Miami handle winning their first championship, will they be more dominant this year or will they take a step back? How will the Thunder rebound after a somewhat disappointing conclusion to last year? Will the Lakers return to the NBA Finals after acquiring Steve Nash? Which New York team will garner the most attention and have the most success, the new look Brooklyn Nets or the Jeremy Lin-less New York Knicks? Can Derrick Rose return in time to turn the Bulls back into a legitimate championship contender? Here are my predictions for the upcoming season.

Note- These were made before Dwight Howard was traded, obviously some of these predictions would change because of the recent trade

Eastern Conference

1  Miami- 66-16

     Looking past the big three for a moment, the Heat are now one of, if not the deepest team in the NBA with supporting guys like Mario Chalmers, Ray Allen and Shane Battier. The key question will be whether Dwyane Wade can stay healthy and continue his play at a superstar level. 

2  Indiana- 52-30

     Indiana comes out on top in the Central division due to Derrick Rose's recovery. But let's give credit where credit is due, Indiana is deep with many good players on their roster and there is no doubt they can take that next step this year and appear in a conference finals. 

3  Philadelphia- 49-33

     Philadelphia was lucky that Derrick Rose got hurt, but it wasn't luck that pushed the Boston Celtics to the brink of elimination. The 76ers are up and coming and they can certainly play with any of the teams in the East besides Miami. 

4  Boston- 46-36

     The Celtics lost Ray Allen. Believe it or not, it is no big deal at all. Allen was breaking down and he really wasn't of that much help to them in the regular season. The team is becoming more and more in the hands of Rajon Rondo, one of the game's most dynamic players. The Celtics are still in very good position to make another run at a conference title because their starting five is nearly as good as any other team in the league, the only problem is whether the Celtics can bring it night in and night out to get in as good a position as possible to make their road easier in the playoffs.

5  Brooklyn- 45-37
     As constituted, the Nets have enough in place to certainly be a playoff team. But wait until Dwight Howard comes to Brooklyn midseason. The Nets will become a legitimate threat to the Miami Heat with the trio of Howard, Deron Williams and Joe Johnson. Brooklyn will immediately have a team to root for that will compete and probably be better than the New York Knicks.

6  Chicago- 43-39
     The Bulls are perfectly capable of making the playoffs without Derrick Rose, but they will go nowhere without him. The good news is Rose is expected to return by midseason and give the rest of the East a run for their money.

7  New York- 43-39
     The very short Jeremy Lin era is over and now the Knicks will try their luck with Raymond Felton and Jason Kidd at point guard. I like the Felton move because the only consistency the Knicks have had the past three years besides the short Lin era was when Felton and Amare Stoudemire were together in New York. However, the Knicks are what they are. They are an up and down, just over .500 team because Carmelo Anthony will shoot you into and shoot you out of games. The Knicks are always dangerous, but they haven't proved anything yet.

8  Detroit- 38-44
     I like the Pistons to break out this year namely because of Greg Monroe. Monroe is a stud and is one of the best big men in the game to watch because of the way he sees the floor at his position. The Pistons have other young players like Rodney Stuckey and Brandon Knight and that combination of youth will see them make a surprise playoff appearance.

9  Atlanta- 35-47
     The Hawks no longer have the face of the franchise in Joe Johnson, so the key question will be how do they recover from that loss. The Hawks will rely on Josh Smith and Al Horford, which can certainly be enough to make the playoffs as long as both are content in trying to win in Atlanta.

10  Milwaukee- 32-50
     The backcourt is deadly with Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis. Unfortunately, you can't just have a great backcourt and expect to automatically make the playoffs. Without any big men of note, the Bucks will be a borderline playoff team but end up missing out.

11  Cleveland- 31-51
     Kyrie Irving should continue to get better and better. But the Cavaliers don't have any other solid supporting players to build around Irving due to some poor drafting besides the selection of Irving last year. The Cavaliers will have another long season.

12  Orlando- 29-53
     The Magic are almost certain to lose Dwight Howard, right? Well I am going to assume Howard is eventually shifted to the Nets midseason, sending Orlando into a downward spiral.

13  Toronto- 24-58
     The Raptors are the definition of a listless basketball team. Another year, another year of lottery selections.

14  Washington- 23-59
     The Wizards are the least disciplined team in the NBA and they are terrible to watch. There is hope with the overrated John Wall though I guess.

15  Charlotte- 12-70
     The Bobcats have nowhere to but up, right? Well, they are going to be just as bad unfortunately because Kemba Walker and rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist won't have that much of an impact.

Western Conference

1  Oklahoma City- 62-20
     How are the Thunder going to respond after falling a little bit flat in the Finals last year? I think they will respond just fine as long as they stay healthy. They are too talented not too. They have the scoring and enough defense to be one of the top seeds next year almost for certain.

2  San Antonio- 59-23
     Every year is always the year that San Antonio is supposed to fade. Well, the trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili has continued to stay healthy, so why are they going to fade now? The youth is starting to emerge which will help Duncan, Parker and Ginobili rest up for the playoffs as the Spurs grab one of the top seeds once again.

3  Los Angeles- 58-24
     I love the Steve Nash acquisition offensively. Defensively, the Lakers are still in the same position they were last year, if not worse. That being said, the Lakers will certainly be explosive enough to contend in the West, although they have some depth concerns.

4  Los Angeles- 55-27
     The Clippers were a bit of a disappointment last year, bowing out in unimpressive fashion against the Spurs last year. Chris Paul will be healthier than he was last year and he will be in the MVP conversation once again. The Clippers are one of the deeper teams in the NBA and they will be more of a threat in the West this year.

5  Memphis- 50-32
     Memphis has enough in place to be a team that could sneak into serious contention if one or two of the top teams slip up. Memphis will always be dangerous, but they just don't quite have enough to get over the hurdle of the second round.

6  Denver- 49-33
     Denver is one of the more interesting teams to watch because they don't have one star player, yet they pushed the Lakers to 7 games last year. I can't see them advancing past the first round this year, but they are a near certain playoff team.

7  Minnesota- 44-38
     The Timberwolves were rolling until Ricky Rubio went down with a torn ACL. Assuming Rubio comes back and he returns to form, the Wolves will surprise and make the playoffs behind Kevin Love and just enough depth behind him.

8  Dallas- 43-39
     No more Jason Kidd and Jason Terry in Dallas, so it will be squarely on the shoulders on Dirk Nowitzki (as if it wasn't in the first place). The Mavericks will struggle to get in will almost certainly not make it out of the first round just because they are not as deep as they were a couple years ago.

9  Portland- 41-41
     The Blazers disappointed last season, falling short of playoff expectations. I would not be surprised at all if they made the playoffs this year, but at this point, they are the odd man out once again.

10  Golden State- 39-43
     I like Stephen Curry a lot and the Warriors front court is much improved. That being said, they are another year or two away from making the playoffs because they lack the necessary depth to consistently win enough games in the regular season.

11  Utah- 36-46
     The Jazz were a surprise playoff team that was bounced immediately by the Spurs. I could see them getting back their this year because they have a few good players, but a drop off is what I predict because they did nothing in the offseason to improve while a few other teams did.

12  Sacramento- 32-50
     The Kings are improving, there is no doubt. But there is something missing with this team that I can't put my finger on. It will be another long season in Sacramento, but not quite as long as some of the ones in recent years.

13  New Orleans- 31-51
     Anthony Davis is a stud, but he will not make enough of an impact to lead the Hornets to the playoffs just yet. However, the future is bright and the Hornets will have their moments this upcoming season.

14  Houston- 27-55
     The Rockets will miss out on the playoffs because they made too much of an effort of acquiring Jeremy Lin and not enough of an effort of retaining players like Luis Scola who almost made Houston into a playoff team last year. The Rockets got worse this offseason and Jeremy Lin won't do enough to get them into the playoffs.

15  Phoenix- 24-58
     The Suns tried to make amends for letting Steve Nash go by acquiring Goran Dragic, Luis Scola and Michael Beasley, but I feel that Nash's presence will truly be missed after they realized how much he did for the Suns organization. 

Playoffs

Quarters

1)Miami over 8)Detroit 4-1- Not much of a surprise here, the Heat will walk all over the Pistons although I'll say the Pistons grab one game for the hell of it. 
Game 1- MIAMI 111-94
Game 2- MIAMI 116-87
Game 3- Miami 91-81
Game 4- DETROIT 100-97
Game 5- MIAMI 105-89

7)New York over 2)Indiana 4-2- Upset number one of my postseason predictions. The Pacers made the second round last year and made Miami sweat a little, yes. But beating the Dwight Howard-less Orlando Magic wasn't that impressive. The Knicks will finally produce, beating the Pacers in a thrilling six game series. 
Game 1- INDIANA 107-101
Game 2- New York 98-84
Game 3- NEW YORK 112-91
Game 4- Indiana 109-108 OT
Game 5- New York 101-97
Game 6- NEW YORK 105-94

6)Chicago over 3)Philadelphia 4-1- Philly upset Chicago last season when Derrick Rose went down with his knee injury, but Chicago will upset Philadelphia in impressive fashion.
Game 1- Chicago 101-89
Game 2- PHILADELPHIA 106-102
Game 3- CHICAGO 111-100
Game 4- CHICAGO 87-83
Game 5- Chicago 91-75

5)Brooklyn over 4)Boston 4-2- Too much Dwight Howard as the Celtics have no answer down low for Howard. In a highly competitive series, especially at the guards between Deron Williams and Rajon Rondo, Brooklyn wins their first ever playoff series. 
Game 1- Brooklyn 85-78
Game 2- BOSTON 89-86 OT
Game 3- BROOKLYN 104-101
Game 4- BROOKLYN 114-107
Game 5- BOSTON 93-92 OT
Game 6- BROOKLYN 121-117 2OT

1)Oklahoma City over 8)Dallas 4-0- Dallas doesn't have nearly enough firepower to hang with Oklahoma City as the Thunder roll the Mavericks.
Game 1- OKLAHOMA CITY 104-91
Game 2- OKLAHOMA CITY 97-83
Game 3- Oklahoma City 100-98
Game 4- Oklahoma City 107-102

2)San Antonio over 7)Minnesota 4-1- In the playoff debut of Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio, they exit very quickly at the hands of the Spurs in five games.
Game 1- SAN ANTONIO 114-102
Game 2- SAN ANTONIO 93-87
Game 3- MINNESOTA 87-80
Game 4- San Antonio 93-90 OT
Game 5- SAN ANTONIO 104-99 OT

3)Los Angeles over 6)Denver 4-1- In a rematch of last year's Western Quarters, the Lakers don't have nearly as much trouble with the Nuggets, advancing in five games behind the duo of Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant. 
Game 1- LOS ANGELES 104-102
Game 2- LOS ANGELES 99-72
Game 3- Los Angeles 106-87
Game 4- DENVER 97-93
Game 5- LOS ANGELES 110-100

4)Los Angeles over 5)Memphis 4-2- Another rematch from last year, the Clippers defeat the Grizzlies in a hard nosed series behind Blake Griffin elevating his performance to get the better of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. 
Game 1- LOS ANGELES 101-98
Game 2- Memphis 106-93
Game 3- Los Angeles 106-103
Game 4- MEMPHIS 84-73
Game 5- LOS ANGELES 112-110 OT
Game 6- Los Angeles 94-80

Semis

5)Brooklyn over 1)Miami 4-3- In perhaps the biggest upset of the postseason, the Nets knock off the defending champion Miami Heat behind another stellar performance from Dwight Howard, taking advantage of Chris Bosh down low to shock the Heat.
Game 1- Brooklyn 102-97
Game 2- MIAMI 96-91
Game 3- Miami 111-97
Game 4- BROOKLYN 127-98
Game 5- MIAMI 92-91
Game 6- BROOKLYN 87-83
Game 7- Brooklyn 98-94
6)Chicago over 7)New York 4-0- Just when New York Knick fans thought their team was turning the corner, they get destroyed by a deeper, hungrier Bulls team. 
Game 1- CHICAGO 104-102 OT
Game 2- CHICAGO 112-86
Game 3- Chicago 97-82
Game 4- Chicago 103-88

1)Oklahoma City over 4)Los Angeles 4-3- In a terrific matchup at the point between Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook, Paul does all he can working with Blake Griffin to push the Thunder to the brink, but Kevin Durant elevates his game once again to lead the Thunder to their third straight Western finals. 
Game 1- Los Angeles 98-88
Game 2- Los Angeles 102-87
Game 3- Oklahoma City 101-95
Game 4- LOS ANGELES 87-85
Game 5- OKLAHOMA CITY 115-98
Game 6- Oklahoma City 121-104
Game 7- OKLAHOMA CITY 93-88
3)Los Angeles over 2)San Antonio 4-2- The matchup brings back memories of the good old Western Conference back in the mid-2000's and in this one, the Lakers, the slightly more dynamic team offensively and the more powerful team down low sneak by the Spurs to get back to the Western Finals. 
Game 1- SAN ANTONIO 97-94
Game 2- Los Angeles 102-93
Game 3- LOS ANGELES 95-90
Game 4- San Antonio 103-83
Game 5- Los Angeles 97-95
Game 6- LOS ANGELES 107-102

Conference Finals
6)Chicago over 5)Brooklyn 4-2- The memorable ride for the Brooklyn Nets ends at the hands of Derrick Rose who gets the better of Deron Williams to will the Bulls back to their first NBA Finals since the Jordan Era.
Game 1- BROOKLYN 87-80
Game 2- Chicago 134-130 2OT
Game 3- CHICAGO 107-103
Game 4- Brooklyn 109-93
Game 5- Chicago 111-106
Game 6- CHICAGO 105-98

1)Oklahoma City over 3)Los Angeles 4-2- The Lakers acquired Steve Nash so they can contend with and beat the Oklahoma City Thunder. But the plan fails as the Thunder get the better of the Lakers once again behind a great series from Russell Westbrook.
Game 1- OKLAHOMA CITY 108-103
Game 2- OKLAHOMA CITY 114-97
Game 3- Oklahoma City 101-99
Game 4- LOS ANGELES 107-100
Game 5- Los Angeles 96-87
Game 6- Oklahoma City 89-83 

NBA Finals
Oklahoma City Thunder over Chicago Bulls 4-2
Finals MVP: Kevin Durant
     The Thunder get the better of the Bulls, officially washing out the taste of losing in last year's finals by defeating the Bulls in six games. Kevin Durant averages over 30 a game and steps up in two clutch situations to outshine Derrick Rose and win his first NBA title. 
Game 1- OKLAHOMA CITY 109-107
Game 2- OKLAHOMA CITY 103-95
Game 3- CHICAGO 97-94 OT
Game 4- CHICAGO 102-91
Game 5- OKLAHOMA CITY 99-97 OT
Game 6- Oklahoma City 88-84