Adamo Marinelli
April 16, 2022
The 2022 NBA playoffs start today. There are a lot of talented teams competing for the championship. Can the Milwaukee Bucks defend their title or will we have a new champion?
EAST:
Round 1:
Miami Heat over Atlanta Hawks in 5 games
The Hawks are a tremendously skilled young team with a lot of potential after an incredible run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, however, the Heat are one of the best defensive teams in the league, are one of the best shooting teams in the league, and have a lot of talent in their starting lineup and on their bench. The Heat win relatively easily with Kyle Lowry, Bam Adebayo, 6th man of the year candidate Tyler Herro and one of the best coaches in the NBA.
Toronto Raptors over Philadelphia 76ers in 6 games
Nick Nurse is a better coach than Doc Rivers and thus the Raptors will be able to take advantage of the 76ers’ weaknesses better than the 76ers can take advantage of the Raptors’ weaknesses. The Raptors are a better defensive team than the 76ers and even though the 76ers have more superstar power, the Raptors will find a way to use their depth, grittiness, their ability to shoot the ball well from the field and from three, their ability to move the ball to get open looks and their ability to win close games to their advantage. Philadelphia is a formidable opponent, but with the way Pascal Siakam has been playing recently, the rise of Scottie Barnes, and great two way games from Fred Van Vleet, OG Anunoby, Gary Trent Jr., and Khem Birch on a consistent basis, this Raptors team has what it takes to beat anyone. If Joel Embiid is able to dominate the paint and kick it out to open shooters after drawing a second defender and if James Harden plays to his potential, the 76ers will win the series. However, the Raptors have held Embiid in check all season, have limited his effect on the game, and have frustrated him. Also no disrespect to Harden, but he is not very reliable in the playoffs either. Nick Nurse will be able to employ various defensive schemes to limit Embiid’s production and force his teammates to make the big shots which they will not be able to do consistently against a gritty Toronto defense.
Milwaukee Bucks over Chicago Bulls in 5 games
The Bulls started the season very well and looked like championship contenders. Down the stretch, they struggled as a result of injuries and a tough schedule. Milwaukee’s current roster has a ton of experience in the playoffs and a ton of chemistry. They are very efficient on both sides of the ball and are extremely well-coached. The Bulls aren’t the same team as they were in the first half of the season; the Bucks will cruise past the Bulls.
Brooklyn Nets over Boston Celtics in 7 games
The Boston Celtics started the season slowly but played amazing on both sides of the ball down the stretch. They earned the second seed in the Eastern conference and defensive player of the year candidate Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown are all having great seasons. However, the injury to Robert Williams, their best defensive player will hurt the Celtics. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are both great offensively and the Nets have a near-perfect record when they are both healthy. They will take advantage of Williams’ injury and win big in game seven.
Round 2:
Miami Heat over Toronto Raptors in 6 games
The Heat and Raptors are two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Both have talent all over their roster, a fantastic head coach, and are championship contenders. The Raptors’ tremendous defense, excellent transition offense, ability to win close games, and Nick Nurse’s ability to adjust on the fly will help them stay competitive in the series, however, the Heat are the best shooting team in the league, and have more depth than the Raptors which will ultimately help the Heat win the series. The Raptors are mobile defensively, but the Heat are tremendous at moving the ball, which leads to a lot of open shots. They rank 5th in the NBA in assist percentage (they have an assist on 66.4% of their buckets.) Both teams are good offensively but the Heat have the advantage. Tyler Herro is a fantastic shooter and he doesn't even start, which shows the amount of talent and depth on the Heat’s roster. The Raptors have reliable guys on the bench like Yuta Watanabe, Malachi Flynn, and Svi Mykhailiuk, but it isn’t as good as the Heat’s bench.
Milwaukee Bucks over Brooklyn Nets in 7 games
A rematch of last year’s East semifinal. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. Durant and Irving are both very good players and have played extremely well in their limited time together, but the keyword is limited. The Bucks have a ton of playoff experience and their team chemistry is very high after being together for multiple seasons and winning a championship last year. Antetokounmpo is also one of the best players in the league and is an MVP for a reason. The Bucks are the better defensive team, they will make life difficult on Irving and Durant. They will force turnovers and hurt the Nets with their great transition offense. No disrespect to Steve Nash, but the Bucks are also better coached under Mike Budenholzer and will be able to adapt to anything the Nets throw at them. In 2021, Durant’s foot was an inch over the three-point line, which led to the game-winning shot only tying the game. This year, the Bucks will win by more than an inch; it will be a 20-point game 7 win.
ECF:
Milwaukee Bucks over Miami Heat in 7 games
The Bucks and the Heat are arguably the two best and most well-rounded teams Eastern Conference. This will be a very entertaining series and will come down to the wire. Both teams have played in a final recently, with the Heat losing to the Lakers in 2020 and the Bucks beating the Suns in 2021. Both teams are incredibly talented, well-coached and both have top 10 offenses in the NBA and both are great defensively, but the Heat have the better defensive rating. The Heat are the best shooting team in the NBA and the Bucks are near the bottom of the league in defending the three, but they will dominate the paint. The Bucks will get back to the finals in overtime of game 7.
WEST:
Round 1:
Phoenix Suns over New Orleans Pelicans in 5 games
The Pelicans have a lot of young pieces with a ton of potential. With a few more years of good drafts, solid free agent signings, and if they develop their stars correctly, they have the skill to compete for consistent spots in the playoffs. They have a solid roster right now and beat the Clippers in a hard-fought game to earn the eighth seed but the first seed Pheonix Suns are the much better team. They have the best record in the NBA, have been the best team all season with 64 wins, are the best offensive team in the NBA, and are the third-best defensive team in the league. Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and DeAndre Ayton have been incredible this season and are on a mission for another potential title run. It will start with a relatively easy series win vs the Pelicans. The Pelicans have the talent to win one game, but that is all they’ll get
Utah Jazz over Dallas Mavericks in 6
The Mavericks are the better team and are the favourites in this series, however, with Luka Doncic being out for game one and potentially game two, the Jazz will take an early series lead and never look back. Rudy Gobert is excellent at defending the paint and he’s a defensive player of the year favourite. The Mavericks will have a tough time scoring buckets in the paint against Gobert and will have a tough time shooting from deep. Donovan Mitchell will dominate offensively with his excellent ball-handling, great shooting, and ability to get the ball to any of his teammates anywhere on the floor.
Golden State Warriors over Denver Nuggets in 5
Steph Curry is one of the best offensive players and the best shooter in the NBA and is back from his injury, Klay Thompson has had an incredible season, and Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, and Andrew Wiggins have all been an integral part of the Warriors’ success this year. Nikola Jokic is likely going to win his second consecutive MVP while recording 2000+ points, 1000+ rebounds, and 500+ assists in a single season, however, with Jamal Murray injured, Jokic is the only superstar on the Nuggets. The Warriors have more experience and will win.
Memphis Grizzlies over Minnesota Timberwolves in 7
Two young, physical, and feisty teams with a handful of superstars. This will be the closest and most entertaining series in the first round. The Timberwolves had a good regular season and Patrick Beverly got his revenge against the Clippers in the play-in game to secure the seventh seed, but the Grizzlies are the better team with Ja Morant, Dillon Brooks, Steven Adams, and Jaren Jackson Jr. who have all had good seasons. Timberwolves keep it close with their defense but the Grizzlies win the series.
Round 2:
Phoenix Suns over Utah Jazz in 5 games
The Utah Jazz have a bright future with several key pieces like Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert,
and Mike Conley, but the Suns are the better team. The Jazz has the best offensive rating in the NBA at 116.2 but the Suns’ defense is among the best in the NBA along the perimeter and in the paint. Also, the Suns’ offense is explosive, especially midrange jumpers in the paint and three-pointers; they have the fourth-best offensive rating in the NBA Devin Booker and Chris Paul are better than Mitchell and Conley and the Suns have the better coach. Gobert will cause the Suns some problems, but they’ll be able to adapt and exploit the Jazz’s weakness on defense. The Suns can move the ball well and Gobert is slow getting off screens to help.
Golden State Warriors over Memphis Grizzlies in 6 games
The Grizzlies have a talented young core and will compete for NBA championships for many years. The Grizzlies finished second in the Western Conference, three games ahead of the Warriors. As an 8th seed, the Grizzlies lost in the first round to the Jazz. They are much better on both sides of the ball this season. They are physical defensively, move the ball well, and can shoot well too. Despite this, with Curry, Thompson, Green, and Iguodala all fully healthy and with youngsters Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga on the rise, the Warriors are a better team. They also have more playoff experience and have won multiple championships with this core. The Grizzlies will put up a fight but ultimately come up short.
WCF:
Phoenix Suns over Golden State Warriors in 7 games
These are two of the best teams in the Western Conference and arguably two of the top 5 teams in the entire NBA. The Suns have the 3rd best efficiency in the NBA at 106.8, are extremely mobile, physical, and can create turnovers. They average under 8.6 steals a game, are 6th best in the league, and have a fantastic transition defense, allowing only 14.8 opponents points per game off turnovers. They are also one of the best defensive rebounding teams in the league. The Warriors have the second-best defensive efficiency at 106.6, are the second-best defensive rebounding team, and also force 8.8 steals per game, 3rd in the NBA. Both teams have incredible defenses, it will be difficult for both teams’ offenses to be consistently effective. The Suns are great at moving the ball around to get open shots, which will be a great way to open up the Warriors’ defense. The Warriors can shoot the ball extremely well from anywhere on the floor. This series can go either way, but the home-court advantage will be the difference.
NBA FINALS:
A rematch of the 2021 Finals. The Phoenix Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks. This finals matchup would not surprise me at all, as these two teams are arguably the best in their respective conference. The Suns dominated their opponents all season long finishing 64-18 and although the Bucks finished third in the East at 51-31, it was a very tight race and they have Giannis Antetokounmpo, arguably the best player in the NBA right now. Both teams are known for their aggressive defense and lethal transition game. Both teams have superstars at every position and are extremely well-coached; Monty Williams and Mike Budenholzer have done a fantastic job all year long overcoming any challenges thrown their way. Both teams have top 5 offenses in terms of shooting percentage, rebounding, and assist percentage. Even though both teams know how to win in the playoffs, the Bucks have more playoff experience with their current core. I can see the Bucks repeating just as easily as I can see Chris Paul get his elusive first ring with the Suns. Both of these teams are great and this series will definitely go to seven, but I have the Suns winning on their home court in overtime.
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