Who will claim a Champions League Spot?

By: Adamo Marinelli

July 31st, 2020

     With the Premier League season coming to a close this past week, we will look at who will qualify for the Champions League, the Europa League, and the FA Cup, and how each team will fare in their respective tournaments.

     For the first time in over 30 years, Liverpool won the Premier League. They finished with a record of 32-3-3, claiming an astounding 99 points, one short of the famous 100 point milestone. They were the best defensive team, allowing only 33 goals against.

     Manchester City finished 2nd in the Premier League, earning a 26-3-9 record, for 81 points, an impressive feat. However, they scored the most goals in the league with 102, 17 more than Liverpool, and they still had a great defense and counterattack.

     Manchester United finished with 66 points, good enough for 3rd in the league with a record of 18-12-8. They had a goal difference of +30 goals, showing their depth on defense and in the midfield and their strength and creativity on offense.

     Finally, Chelsea finished 4th in the Premier League, earning a 20-6-12 record good enough for 66 points. They had 4 more losses than Manchester United, which is why the finished 4th. Their offense is talented, but their defense gave up 54 goals, which will be a problem in the Champions League against the best European teams.

     These four teams are guaranteed to qualify for the Champions League group stage next season and will play against the other best teams in leagues across Europe for a chance to win the Champions League.

    Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Chelsea also qualified for the FA Cup alongside 5th place Leicester City, 6th place Tottenham, 7th place Wolverhampton, 8th place Arsenal, 9th place Sheffield United and several other Premier League teams.

     The FA Cup Final is tomorrow, and it will see Chelsea take on Arsenal. Chelsea beat Leicester City 1-0 in the quarters and they beat Manchester United 3-1 in the semifinals, holding off Man U’s explosive offense with their stellar defense, passing accuracy and ball control abilities. 

     Arsenal, after having a lackluster season winning only 11 games to that point, beat Sheffield United 2-1 in the quarter-finals, and Man City 2-0 in the semi-finals, shutting down Man City with their aggressive defense. Their strong offense is led by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Three days before their win against Man City, they also beat Liverpool 2-1, however, Liverpool was taken out of the FA Cup with a 2-0 loss to Chelsea on March 3rd, 2020.

     Chelsea is considered the favorite to win this game as they are the better team offensively and arguably have a better roster, however, they have surrendered more goals than Arsenal. Arsenal has been to 21 FA Cup Finals, the most in Premier League history and Chelsea has won 7 of 9 FA Cup Finals, their only losses coming to Arsenal. This game will be interesting. Chelsea has a spot in the Champions League group stage next year, so if Arsenal wins, they will also qualify for the Champions League group stage, sending 5 English teams to the Champions League group stage.

     Finally, the winner of the Europa League, which will be decided on August 21st will also be guaranteed a spot in the Champions League Group stage next season.

     Arsenal lost to the Olympiacos 2-2 on aggregate, as the Olympiacos scored more away goals in both matches.

     The Wolverhampton beat Espanyol 6-3 on aggregate and are tied 1-1 with the Olympiacos heading into the 2nd leg. 

     Manchester United beat Club Brugge 6-1 on aggregate and leads LASK 5-0 heading into their 2nd leg. They will likely win their 2nd series.

     Manchester United, Inter Milan, AS Roma, Sevilla, and Wolverhampton are favorites to win the Europa League and get a spot in the Champions League.

     The Champions League will be nothing short of fascinating next season, guaranteed.

NHL 2020 Playoff Predictions

By: Adamo Marinelli

July 20th, 2020

     As we inch closer to the return of playoff hockey, it is time to analyze every series and make a prediction of who will be crowned 2020 Stanley Cup Champions. 

    The hub cities for the NHL playoffs are Edmonton and Toronto. Allegedly, Edmonton will host the play-in round and the next two rounds. Toronto will host the Conference and Stanley Cup Finals. The play-in round is best of 5 series, all four other rounds are best of 7 series. 

     There are a lot of talented teams in the hunt for the Stanley Cup this year, so these playoffs will be very entertaining. 

Play-in round: 

Montreal vs Pittsburgh: The Penguins are the better team on paper, offensively and defensively, and had a much better record this season than the Canadiens. But, in a best-of-5 series, all it takes is a goalie to stand on his head for three games to turn the series around. Carey Price has shown he can do this. The Canadiens’ roster does have some talent on both sides of the puck as well. However, I see the Penguins moving on in 4 games. 

New York vs Carolina: In a tight metropolitan division, the fourth-place Hurricanes are only 2 points ahead of the 7th seed Rangers. Both teams are talented, despite this, the Hurricanes have more youth on their roster and with their dominant trade deadline, improving their depth offensively and defensively, I see the Hurricanes winning in 5 games.

Florida vs New York: In 2016, the Islanders beat the Panthers in the playoffs, advancing to the 2nd round for the first time in 23 years. The Islanders finished with 2 more points than the Panthers which got them ‘home-ice advantage’ despite being the lower seed in the tougher Metro division. The Isles swept the season series 3-0 and I expect a similar playoff result, the Isles will win in 4 games.

Columbus vs Toronto: The Maple Leafs always do well in the regular season despite having a weaker defense as their strong offense - which is 2nd in the league in goals with 237 - makes up for it. In the playoffs, however, their lack of defense haunts them and they lose. The Blue Jackets aren’t an offensive arsenal like Boston or Tampa, but they do have crafty veterans that can score. I see the Blue Jackets winning in 5 games as the Leafs’ offense will keep them alive.

Chicago vs Edmonton: The Oilers were able to do enough offensively this year to finish 2nd in the Pacific division. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaital recorded 97 and 110 points and they are only two of the Oilers’ offensive weapons. On defense, they are middle of the pack but their strong offense should be enough to beat the Blackhawks who had a rough season, just sneaking their way into the playoffs finishing 7th in the Central. Edmonton wins in four. 

Winnipeg vs Calgary: The Flames and Jets both had pretty good seasons, finishing with 80 and 79 points respectively. The Flames have the ‘home-ice advantage’ due to better division seeding. The Flames and Jets are pretty similar teams offensively and defensively, the Jets have a slight edge in goals, goals against and shots. Both teams have a handful of very skilled players on their roster and both are capable of winning this series. I believe the Jets will win in 5 games. 

Arizona vs Nashville:  The Coyotes and Predators have both had decent seasons finishing 5th in their respective division, however, the Predators finished with 2 more wins. The Predators were the better team offensively, scoring more goals, and spending more time in the offensive zone generating shots and chances. The Coyotes have a better defense allowing only 183 goals this year, 3rd best in the league, and limiting time spent in their own zone. Defense wins championships, the Coyotes will win in 5.

Minnesota vs Vancouver: The Wild and Canucks both had similar records this season, but the Canucks get the ‘home-ice advantage’ due to finishing higher in a weaker Pacific division. Both teams are pretty good offensively, the Wild scored 218 goals, the Canucks scored 224 and both teams are middle of the pack defensively, allowing 217 and 214 goals respectively. The Wild lead the season series 2-1 but the youth on the Canucks’ roster helps me see them winning in 4.

Before we get into the round of 16, I know the top 4 teams in each conference are playing round-robin games to determine the seeding. However, for the sake of this article being done before the games start, I will use the seeding from when the season paused on March 12th.

Round of 16:

Columbus (9) vs Boston (1): The Blue Jackets are a solid team on offense and on defense, but there is a reason that the Bruins won the President’s trophy this season. They have so much depth on both sides of the puck and their line consisting of David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron, and Brad Marchand is tough to stop for a lot of defenses. Not to mention, the Bruins lead the league in fewest goals against with only 167. The Blue Jackets are 6th worst in the league in scoring with only 180 goals. I have the Bruins winning in 5 games.

New York Islanders (7) vs Tampa Bay (2): The Islanders are a solid team and they posted another excellent record under HC Barry Trotz. They were on pace for their 2nd straight 100 point season. The Lightning are the best offensive team in the league, scoring 243 goals this season. The Islanders are one of the better teams defensively allowing only 190 goals, the 5th fewest in the league but they rank 24th in goals scored. You need to score to keep up with an offensive firehouse. The defense won’t hold forever. Tampa Bay will win in 6 games.

Carolina (6) vs Washington (3): The Hurricanes improved their roster vastly this trade deadline, acquiring Vincent Trocheck to strengthen their forward depth and give them someone who can win faceoffs and puck battles and acquiring Sam Vatanen and Brady Skjei, two stellar defensemen. The Capitals had another stellar year winning their division and they’re as productive on offense as ever with Alex Ovechkin, who is competing for the Maurice Richard trophy. They can score at ease, have depth on defense and Holtby has been good in net. But, the Hurricanes beat the Capitals last year in the playoffs. They’ll do it in 7 games this year. 

Pittsburgh (5) vs Philadelphia (4): Both the Penguins and Flyers have played great hockey this season; the Flyers finished only 3 points above their state rivals. The Penguins led by Crosby and Malkin rank 13th in goals scored and 11th in goals-against indicating depth and talent on both sides of the puck. Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry have been very reliable in net. The Flyers rank in the top 10 in the league in goals for and goals against, are strong defensively, and are disciplined ranking 9th fewest in penalty minutes. This is a tight series, I got Flyers in 7 games.

Winnipeg (9) vs St. Louis (1): The Blues have been playing some impressive hockey this year, which is why they won the western conference. The defending champions are looking for a repeat and are poised to do it. The Jets are a solid team offensively and defensively with some talented youth around Patrick Laine, however, the Blues are a top 10 defensive team in the league, allowing only 190 goals, 5th best, they do a great job preventing shots and are not in their own zone very often. They have some offensive weapons like Vladimir Tarasenko, Ryan O’Reilly and Jaden Schwartz who can score and create chances and Jordan Binnington is posting another great season. The Blues will win in 5 games.

Vancouver (7) vs Colorado (2): The Canucks are able to score a lot of goals - they have 224, 9th best in the league - despite being in the bottom 10 in shots generated due to their excellent playmaking skills, and excelling at finding the open man. They are middle of the league defensively allowing the 16th fewest goals but give up a lot of chances. They are physical and don’t make it easy for their opponents. The Avalanche are one of the best offensive teams in the league, thanks to their talented roster, scoring 236 goals, which is 3rd best in the NHL, and also scoring the most goals in the 1st and 2nd period. They’re top 10 in shots on goal and are good defensively allowing the 5th fewest goals against. The Canucks won’t be able to keep up. The Avalanche will win in 6.

Arizona (11) vs Vegas (3): The Coyotes are more of a defense-oriented team, ranking 22nd in the league with only 190 goals. However, they have been stout defensively, limiting the opponents’ time in their zone with their physicality, with their ability to break up passes and their counterattack. However, the Golden Knights have one of the best rosters in the league and are built to compete for a Stanley Cup now. With loads of talent on offense and defense such as Max Pacioretty, Marl Stone, Jonathan Marchessault, Alec Martinez, Shea Theodore, and William Karlsson and excellent goalie play from Fleury, the Knights will not lose. Knights in 5.

Edmonton (5) vs Dallas (4): The Oilers and Stars are both similar teams. They both have superstars on their roster, Connor McDavid, and Leon Draisaitl leading the way in Edmonton; Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin leading the way in Dallas. The Oilers had the advantage in offensive production, McDavid and Draisatl combined for 207 points; Benn and Seguin combined for only 89 points. However, the Stars had the edge defensively allowing fewer goals and fewer shots on goal. It is a pretty even series, it just depends on who wins the first game and carries the momentum for the rest of the series. I believe Edmonton will win in 7.

Conference Semi-Finals: 

Philadelphia (4) vs Boston (1): The Flyers are a well-built team and have a roster full of talent with players like Claude Giroux, Travis Konecny, Jakub Voracek, and Justin Braun among others. They finished only behind Washington in their division and tied the Bruins for 7th best in the league with 227 goals scored, despite registering 81 fewer shots on goal than the Bruins. Even though the Bruins led the league in fewest goals against with 167 - the Flyers were 8th with 191 - the Flyers led the league in fewest shots on goal allowed by opponents. Both teams have lots of talent on their roster, the Flyers can score as much as Boston and both teams are very good defensively, limiting scoring. This will be a tight series, but I have Boston in 7 games.

Washington (3) vs Tampa Bay (2): Last season, the Lightning led the league with 62 wins and finished with 128 points. They were Stanley Cup favourites before proceeding to get swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets, the 2nd wild card team. The Lightning are a talented team with a well-balanced roster and lead the league in goals scored with 243. They are a top 10 defensive team in the league as well, with their physicality, and their ability to win puck battles and limit shots and attacking time. However, the Capitals also have a talented roster. The Capitals tied for 2nd in the league by scoring 236 goals. They also led the league, scoring 95 in the 3rd period indicating they can come back from a deficit or bury their opponents easily. Their defense and goaltending have also been in the top half of the league all year. I have the Capitals in 6. 

Edmonton (5) vs St. Louis (1): The Edmonton Oilers are a well-balanced team, with the best power-play unit in the league, clicking at a 29.5% efficiency, well ahead of Boston’s powerplay which ranked 2nd at 25.2%. This unit led by McDavid and Draisatl are even slightly better than the most efficient Gretzky era power play, which clicked at 29.3%. They are top 10 in the league in scoring with 223 goals and have one of the best superstar duos in the league. However, the Blues are a great defensive team, allowing only 190 goals, 5th fewest in the league, and do a great job limiting opponents’ time in their zone with their ability to break up a play. However, the Blues’ penalty kill is not as strong as it was in their Stanley Cup run last season. It ranks 18th in the league, only killing 79.7% of their penalties. This is worrisome against a team like the Oilers. For this reason, I believe the Oilers will move on in 7 games. 

Vegas (3) vs Colorado (2): The Avalanche are one of the best teams in the league this season. They are tied for 2nd in goals scored with the Capitals with 236; they also led the league in first and second-period goals with 73 and 95 respectively. They are also one of the best defensive teams in the league allowing 190 goals, the 5th fewest in the NHL. They are physical, can win puck battles, and are good in the faceoff dot. The Avalanche had one of the best penalty-killing units in the league as well, ranking 4th overall killing 83.3% of their penalties. Their powerplay has been a bit underwhelming despite their incredible ability to score with their stacked roster. They rank 19th in the league scoring 41 times in 241 chances. The Golden Knights are a very good team with a talented roster of crafty veterans who have plenty of playoff experience, can score goals, defend their zone. They even have a top-10 powerplay unit and are tied for 2nd in the league for fewest short-handed goals allowed with 3. However, I have the Avalanche in 6.

Conference Finals: 

Washington (3) vs Boston (1): A series between these two star-studded teams will be a very exciting one. Both teams have a large handful of very talented players and both have depth on offense and defense. For the Bruins, it is their ‘production line’ consisting of David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron, and Brad Marchand that is often the killer for most defenses. This line is especially dangerous on the powerplay, their special teams unit is ranked 2nd in the league. They are good defensively as well, allowing only 165 goals the fewest in the league. The Capitals can score and are tied for 2nd in the league with 236 goals, meaning, in theory, they can keep up with Boston offensively, but will they be able to get the best of Boston’s defense? I don’t think they can. Washington ranks middle of the pack defensively and will only withstand Boston’s offense for so long. I have the Bruins winning in 6 games.

Edmonton (5) vs Colorado (2): This series would be extremely entertaining to watch. The Oilers are a well-balanced team, with depth on both sides of the puck, however, all eyes will be on Oilers’ superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, to see if their regular-season production can continue into the playoffs despite limited playoff experience for the majority of the players on the Oilers roster. Despite finishing near the bottom of the league in shots on goal, the Oilers are a fast team and finished 11th in goals. Their special teams unit is consistent, finishing 14th on the powerplay and penalty kill. They finished 20th in goals against with 215, however, and opposing teams do spend a lot of time in their zone. For an offensive juggernaut like the Avalanche, who tied with the Capitals for 2nd in scoring with 236 goals and who start strong leading the league in 1st and 2nd-period goals, the Oilers will need to do a lot of game planning to adjust their defensive schemes or else they will get buried. I think the Avalanche will win in 7.

Stanley Cup Finals: 

Colorado (2) vs Boston (1): When it is all said and done, Boston will make consecutive Finals appearances and the Avalanche will play in their first Stanley Cup Finals series since 2001 and attempt to have a perfect 3-0 record in the Finals. As I have said many times already throughout this piece, both the Avalanche and Bruins are very skilled teams. This is why they finished 2nd and 1st in their respective conferences. Both teams have several superstars on their roster, they have excellent depth on offense and defense, and both teams have solid goaltenders. Tukka Rask had an excellent season in Boston and is a Vezina Trophy candidate. Philip Grubauer isn’t as great as Rask, however, he had a good year winning 18 games, and posting a save percentage of .916% and a goals against average of 2.63. Both teams also have a lot of playoff experience, but the Bruins have more than the Avalanche. Both teams are good on special teams and both teams are well-coached. Bruins’ head coach Bruce Cassidy - based on record and wins - has a slight advantage over Jared Bednar, but both coaches are former hockey players and are brilliant hockey minds. One could argue that Cassidy has a slightly better roster to get him more wins, but it’s the coach’s job to build a roster that has chemistry. This series could really go either way, however, I believe the Bruins will win their 7th Stanley Cup in 7 games with their slight edge in goaltending and coaching. 

Conclusion: 

     There are a lot of talented teams in both conferences that have a chance to win the Stanley Cup this year. With more teams in the playoffs, the race for the Stanley Cup will be that much more exciting.

Who Will Win the 2020 NBA Championship?

By: Adamo Marinelli

July 9th, 2020

     As the NBA’s return to play is approaching even nearer, it is time to predict which two teams will play in the Finals and which team will ultimately be crowned as world champions.

Who are the contenders?:

     Naturally, there are some teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, LA Clippers, and LA Lakers that are true contenders to win the championship. 

     Next on the ladder are potential contenders, like the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets, and Denver Nuggets. 

     Finally, you have dark-horse teams that could win if everything goes right, like the Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, and even the Dallas Mavericks.

     However, the teams that I believe will be going to the Finals are the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Clippers. Here’s why. 

Western Conference: 

     The Western Conference has a plethora of elite teams. There is a lot of hype surrounding the Lakers especially with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. This is also a special year for the Lakers after Kobe Bryant’s tragic passing.

     The Houston Rockets have a pair of superstars and are running out of time to win a championship with their current core. The Denver Nuggets are a young team full of superstars who can play defense, shoot the ball from a distance and drive to the hoop. 

     However, the Los Angeles Clippers are the team to beat in the Western Conference. They have arguably more depth and are the more complete team than their Los Angeles counterparts. They have more depth on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. They have two of the best players in the NBA in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. In addition, they have Patrick Beverly, one of the best defenders in the NBA and also a point guard who can run the offense efficiently and get the ball to anyone on the court. 

     Statistically speaking, they ranked 4th in the NBA with 116.2 points per game and 3rd in offensive rating, with 113.6. They did all of this despite having Kawhi Leonard only play 51 games (which ranks 5th on the team) and Paul George only played 42 (which ranks 11th on the team). This proves for sure that the Clippers are very well-rounded. 

     Their offense does get a huge boost because they excel in a few areas, but their offense also doesn’t have any weak spots either. They have two big strengths that have allowed them to be a top-5 offense. Their team rebounding ability and their ability to get to the free-throw line. The Clippers were able to average 11 offensive rebounds per game and 48 rebounds per game, which cracks the top 5 for both categories. The Clippers attempted the most free throws in the entire NBA with 26.2 attempts per game and shot 79% from the line, which was good enough for 8th best in the league. 

      However, with two elite players like Leonard and George and an amazing supporting cast with guys like Pat Beverly, Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell, JaMychal Green, Marcus Morris, and Landry Shamet among others, it is pretty clear that this team is able to score points, from anywhere on the court. Kawhi Leonard is a game-changer, being able to score points at ease driving to the rim, shooting from mid-range and he has even perfected his three-point game as well. Defensively, he is a two time defensive player of the year and his stats prove that he is one of the best defenders in the league along with Patrick Beverly and others. Paul George and Pat Beverly are elite too, great defenders, great playmakers, and can score too.

     On defense, they were productive as ever. Clippers’ head coach Doc Rivers puts a huge emphasis on being physical defensively, his roster is full of talented defenders like Beverly and Leonard, and they put their talents on display with their high level of production on defense. They allowed a higher than normal 109.7 points per game, which was 13th best in the league, but they were 5th in the NBA with an excellent defensive rating of 107.2.

     The Clippers didn’t exactly excel when it came to steals and blocks, sitting in the bottom half of the league in both of those categories. They recorded only 7 steals and 5 blocks per game. However, the Clippers more than made up for it by preventing high percentage shots. The Clippers excelled at contesting shots and limiting opponents’ open looks. They limited opposing teams to shoot only 43.6% from the field and 34% from deep which were both top-3 marks in the entire league. On top of that, they did a good job preventing ball movement, allowing only 23 assists per game, 8th best in the league. Minimizing passes allows the defense to know where the ball is at all times and will prevent open looks. This is an excellent thing to excel at come playoff time.

     However, the biggest weakness for the Clippers defensively is allowing their opponents to take too many free throws (their opponents averaged 25 a game) and too many offensive rebounds (on average their opponents would get 11 each game). Thankfully, the opposition only shot 76% from the line and the Clippers were good at getting their own offensive rebounds which offsets them giving so many rebounds up. 

     Not to mention, Doc Rivers is one of the best coaches in the NBA along with Nick Nurse, Brad Stevens, Gregg Popovich, Erik Spoelstra, and Mike Budenholzer. His defensive schemes wreak havoc on opposing offenses and he likes to play a fast-paced game which allows his team to get up and down the court quickly to catch defenses off-guard and to force turnovers. He’s also willing to get a few technical fouls to stick up for his players. With his star-studded roster, he will help the Clippers be championship contenders for years to come. 

     Finally, here is the real kicker on why the Clippers are championship contenders. They have only played 12 games this season with a fully healthy roster. In those games, they are 11-1. They’ve beaten the Lakers, Nuggets, Rockets, Heat, 76ers, Thunder, Grizzlies, Spurs, Suns, Warriors, and Timberwolves. Their only loss came to the Lakers. Most of these opponents are formidable - this means the Clippers can face any challenge in the playoffs, even the best of the competition in the Western conference such as the Rockets, Nuggets, and their Los Angeles rivals in the Lakers, who they beat in 2 of 3 head-to-head matchups this season.    

     I can see the Clippers beating the Mavericks in 5 or 6 games, as the Mavs are still a really young team that is developing, I can see them beating the Nuggets - another skilled team in the Western conference with several young, talented players - in 6 or 7 games, and I can see them beating the Lakers in a tight 7 game series in the West Final. The Clippers will get a slight edge just like they did in the regular season.

Eastern Conference: 

     There are many talented teams in the Eastern Conference as well. Teams like the Milwaukee Bucks and the Toronto Raptors are elite contenders, the Boston Celtics, and Philadelphia 76ers are contenders and the Miami Heat are a dark-horse contender. 

     The Bucks are a very talented team, there is no doubt about that. With Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, Eric Bledsoe among many others, it’s not a surprise that the Bucks have clinched the NBA’s best record for two years in a row. 

     The Raptors are arguably the most resilient team in the league. The defending champions have faced injury after injury this season and are in the top-10 list of man-games missed due to injury and yet Nick Nurse has adapted time and time again and has used his coaching brilliance along with the Raptors’ depth to help the Raptors finish 2nd in the East. 

     However, I believe the Celtics are the team to beat in the East this season. They have a young team bursting with talent on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. They have Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown, two young but skilled players rising to superstardom and Gordon Hayward, Kemba Walker, Enes Kanter, and Marcus Smart, four veterans that will continue to make the team excel. On top of that, they have many intriguing prospects in the G-League, including Tacko Fall. 

     On offense, the Celtics are not an extremely high volume production team, however, they continue to play an efficient and creative style of basketball. The Celtics are tied with the Nuggets with the 5th best record in the league, ranked 11th in points per game but saw immense success due to an impressive 112.9 offensive rating, 5th best in the NBA. They weren’t the most fast-paced team but were consistently able to impose their will on their opposition and make their lives difficult.

     The Celtics are very effective in a few categories which really helps their offense succeed. They rank in the top 10 in offensive rebounds and rebounds in general which is huge for getting 2nd chance points and preventing their opponents’ from getting 2nd chance points. They also play a mistake-free brand of basketball, which is head coach Brad Stevens’ style. This means they don’t turn the ball over. They limited turnovers to just below 14 a game, on average, which is good for 7th in the NBA.

     The Celtics are in the middle of the pack when it comes to shooting percentages and assists (sharing the basketball). However, the combination of getting a lot of offensive rebounds and minimizing turnovers allows them to still score a lot of points even if they are not the most efficient shooting team. 

    The Celtics ranked 18th in the NBA in field goal percentage shooting 46% from the field. They were an extremely isolation oriented team with 6.8% of their possessions being isolation sets. This isolation offense slowed down ball movement, which is why they rank bottom 6 in the league with only 22.8 assists per game. However, they made up for lack of passing with their consistent scoring ability from mid-range and their decent three-point shooting, hitting just over 36% from three. A lot of their offense came from their 4 superstars in Jayson Tatum, Jaylon Brown, Kemba Walker, and Gordon Hayward. However, Marcus Smart had a career-high 13.5 points per game while shooting 35% and their two bigs Daniel Theis and Enes Kanter helped with rebounds and put up a respectable amount of points per game. This offense is one small step away from being elite.

     On defense, is where the Celtics really excel. And as they say, defense wins championships. The Celtics were arguably one of the best defensive teams in the NBA this season. They combined elite defensive athletes with great team defense schemes which allowed them to often neutralize game plans of other teams.

     The Celtics’ elite defense is evident when watching them play. Their greatness is seen in every category. They ranked 4th in defensive rating, 2nd in opponents’ points per game, 2nd in opponents’ assists, 4th in opponents’ field-goal percentage, and 3rd in opponents’ 3 point field goal percentage. As if this wasn’t impressive already, they limited opposing teams to 106.8 points per game, 22 assists per game, 44% from the field, and 34% from deep.

     These statistics prove how dominant their defense was in every metric this year. On top of limiting the opposition’s scoring ability, they were also able to force turnovers and effect shots. They recorded over 8 steals per game, 5.6 blocks per game, and forced their opponents to commit just over 15 turnovers per game. These are all top 10 numbers.

     The Celtics’ defense was indicative of wonderful teamwork, chemistry, and schemes but also because of their elite defensive players. The Celtics had four players rank in the top-35 players for defensive win shares. Tatum was 9th, Smart was 18th, Hayward was 20th and Brown was 33rd.

     Finally, let’s not forget, Brad Stevens is one of the best coaches in the NBA along with Nick Nurse, Doc Rivers, Gregg Popovich, Erik Spoelstra, and Mike Budenholzer. His defense was one of the best in the NBA and he gives his players more chances to get open looks with his isolation offense. It allows for more points to be scored. He has spent 7 seasons in Boston and made the playoffs 5 times, only having two losing seasons. With the emergence of Tatum and Brown, he has proven he can win and develop players at the same time. He’ll help the Celtics contend for years to come.

     I can see the Celtics beating the 76ers in 6 or 7 games, beating the Heat in 5 or 6 games and beating either the Bucks or Raptors in a tightly contested 6 or 7 games in the East Final.

Who will win?:

     If the 2020 NBA Finals does end up being between the Clippers and Celtics, then we know it will be a close series. It will be a matchup between two of the best defensive teams in the league. The Clippers are a well-rounded team on both sides of the ball with two elite super-stars in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to help carry the load. The Celtics are a very well rounded team on both sides of the ball. They don’t necessarily have a top-5 player in the league, but they are one of the best defensive teams in the league and can frustrate opposing defenses with their offense, particularly their shooting abilities.

     This series is not going to end before 6 games. The most likely scenario is the series goes 7 games. This series would go to whoever has the home-court advantage. That would be the Clippers, who finished 1 game better than the Celtics in the regular season. However, in the bubble, there will be no home-court advantage. I predict, however, that the Clippers will beat the Celtics in 7 games due to their super-star presence. The Celtics are a great team but don’t have a ‘Kawhi’ type player. That will be the difference.