2013 NBA Playoff Predictions

The Magic are sitting at home.  Oh, well.  It's still playoff time.  Let's do this.

Eastern Conference

First Round:

(1) Miami over (8) Milwaukee in four.  Soon enough, we'll forget this one ever happened.

(2) New York over (7) Boston in five.  The studio crew on ABC is trying to convince us that Boston can still be a legitimate threat to the Heat in the east.  Bill Simmons says that the Celtics have an "identity" now, whatever that means.  I say that they're a 41 win team, that won't have the chance to test the Heat.

(3) Indiana over (6) Atlanta in five.  DE-FENSE.  Or something.

(4) Brooklyn over (5) Chicago in seven.  Not sure what to make of this series.  Deron Williams is playing better, or so I hear.  Derrick Rose won't play, or so I hear.

Conference Semis:

(1) Miami over (4) Brooklyn in five.  Only because it seems wrong to pick the Heat to sweep both of their first two series.

(2) New York over (3) Indiana in seven.  I think there are only two teams in the East who really can challenge the Heat.  These are those two.  I'm going chalk.  So sue me.

Conference Finals:

(1) Miami over (2) New York in six.  I think the Knicks can beat the Heat.  But the Heat also were 12 games better over a season where they've probably been on auto-pilot for the past one or two months.

Western Conference:

First Round:

(1) Oklahoma City over (8) Houston in six.  Houston's an eight seed?  That doesn't seem right.  I'm not getting cute here, though.  The Rockets are tremendous for an eight seed... but still an eight seed.

(2) San Antonio over (7) Los Angeles in six.  I have no idea what to expect here.  If Dwight were to put the Lakers on his back and rip off a bunch of 28-16-4 performances on the way to an upset, it wouldn't be surprising, only a reminder that he was once the consensus second best player in the game.  But even if he breaks out, I can't imagine that a team that will probably rely on Jodie Meeks to knock down a big shot or two can beat the Spurs.

(3) Denver over (6) Golden State in five.  I love everything about this series, except that one of these teams has to lose.

(5) Memphis over (4) Los Angeles in seven.  Only because I needed an upset.  If Memphis loses, though, do they blow things up and trade Z-Bo to build around Conley and Gasol?  I'm afraid to say it, but they may be the Hawks of the West.  I hope I'm wrong.

Conference Semis:

(1) Oklahoma City over (5) Memphis in five.  OKC just might be the best team in the league.  Stay tuned.

(3) Denver over (2) San Antonio in six.  Everyone says that a team without a star can't win in the playoffs.  I think they are wrong.  But even if they are not, who, exactly is taking over this series on the Spurs?  Tim Duncan?  A hobbled Tony Parker?

Conference Finals:

(1) Oklahoma City over (3) Denver in seven.  As much as I love Denver, OKC had the best point differential in the league this year.  They'll get back to the finals.

Finals:

(1) Miami  over (1) Oklahoma City in seven.  REMATCH ALERT!!  This feels like the moment we've been waiting for since last June.  OKC will get a little bit closer, but once a team establishes itself as the best in the NBA, I'm picking them until they prove me wrong.  Last year, I took the Thunder.  I'm not getting burned by the Heat again.  (See what I did there?  Get it?)