Way too early NBA Finals predictions
With the NBA season about to tip off, it’s time to predict the teams that will make the NBA Finals and win it all.
Chris’ Prediction: Milwaukee Bucks def. Los Angeles Clippers
The Bucks come into the season once again led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, which immediately makes this team a top competitor.
After winning the NBA Finals in 2021, the team lost last season in seven games to the Boston Celtics in the playoffs, but that was without Khris Middleton due to a MCL sprain. Middleton was crucial for the Bucks the year before, averaging 23.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game in the playoffs.
If their big three of Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Jrue Holiday are all healthy, they already proved they can win an NBA Championship and still have the supporting pieces necessary to make a run at the title.
Additionally, the Bucks retained all of their rotation players this offseason. They signed Joe Ingles this offseason, which should only make the team better. This team has lots of continuity on top of their talent, which proved last season to be crucial in the playoffs.
Compared to the Bucks, the Clippers come into the season with a lot more questions.
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have played a total of 104 games together since joining forces in 2019. Injuries always seem to hit the Clippers at the wrong time, but this team has real championship potential when healthy.
Along with their two stars, the Clippers have a ton of depth and numerous switchable wing defenders. The roster includes role players such as John Wall, Normal Powell, Robert Covington, Reggie Jackson, Terance Mann and Marcus Morris Sr., just to name a few.
Leonard missed all of last season with a partially torn ACL that he suffered during the 2021 Playoffs and George is also coming back from an injury, suffering a UCL injury in his elbow last December.
The injuries are a concern, but the stars have had lots of time off to recover, and with lots of load managing, this team can win the title. Don’t count on them to be a top seed in the conference, but come playoff time, this team should be considered as the top threat to come out of the Western Conference.
Nolan’s Prediction: Denver Nuggets def. Brooklyn Nets
Predicting two teams with no Finals experience with their current cores, both of which are littered with injury concerns might not be the smartest idea.
That being said, I simply am refusing to ignore the talent that both of these rosters possess, and believe that both franchises are ready to win their first ever NBA Finals.
The Brooklyn Nets are a group mired in controversy, surrounded with questions and concerns, and all around doubted despite their immensely talented roster. After a long and stressful offseason surrounding Kevin Durant trade rumors, the core is finally locked in, and looked very good in a 107-97 preseason win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
The key to the Nets season will be reliable play from the younger members of the team. Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons, Joe Harris, Patty Mills and Seth Curry make up the veteran core led by Durant, but younger players are hungry and ready to make an impact on a talented roster.
Watch out for big seasons from Nic Claxton, Cam Thomas, and Kessler Edwards — they might be young, but they are ready to take a step up on a team with championship aspirations.
There hasn’t been a more game-breaking player in all of basketball than Nikola Jokić the past few seasons. The back-to-back MVP winning 7-foot Serbian is a human highlight reel. Last season, The Joker became the first player to ever record 2000 points, 1000 rebounds and 500 assists in one season.
This year, he is finally set up to get something he truly lacked in his historic two-season stretch: some help.
After over 18 months of recovery, Jamal Murray is finally coming back to the court for the start of the season. Don’t expect too much from him early on as he still tries to regain his footing on an NBA workload, but keep your eyes open for a potential first-time all-star appearance from the Blue Arrow.
Other players to watch out for on this extremely deep squad are Michael Porter Jr., who has looked great in summer workouts all year long, Kentavous Caldwell-Pope, who will act as a flamethrower for Jokić to hit on the wings and Bones Hyland, who is a sneaky pick to win Sixth Man of The Year.
Charlie’s Prediction: Los Angeles Clippers def. Boston Celtics
With an elite core and a plethora of quality role players, The Los Angeles Clippers have what it takes to win the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.
It won’t be easy for Ty Lue and his squad with teams like the Warriors, Nuggets and Suns in hot pursuit, but if Kawhi Leonard and Paul George can stay healthy, this team will be dangerous.
Norman Powell, one of the NBA’s most underrated players, will likely be the third option behind Leonard and George. In the 2021-22 campaign, Powell tallied 19.0 points and played 32.4 minutes per game. When the superstars need some rest, Powell should be able to provide an offensive spark.
Center Ivica Zubac should provide consistent rim protection night in, and night out. In a recent report, Ty Lue said he will start Reggie Jackson and bring offseason acquisition John Wall off the bench. If healthy, Wall should be a reliable asset on both offense and defense.
Offseason acquisition John Wall and veteran Reggie Jackson will likely split time at the point guard position and can
I think this roster is set up for both regular-season and postseason success. Their deep bench will allow the Clippers to be conservative regarding minutes played for Leonard and George.
Former 7th overall prospect Brandon Boston Jr, and Nicolas Batum, should help the Clippers during the dog days of the NBA season. Robert Covington and Marcus Morris Sr. are veterans that will eat up minutes and don’t sleep on the upside of Tre Mann and Luke Kennard.
Last season the Clippers became the first team in NBA history to come back from multiple 0-2 deficits in one postseason despite Kawhi Leonard tearing his ACL midway through the second round. Even without Leonard’s contributions, the Clippers took the Suns all the way to six games in the Western Conference Finals in a losing effort.
If both George and Paul are healthy come playoff time, it’s championship or bust for Ty Lue and the Los Angeles Clippers.
According to FanDuel, the Clippers are currently listed at +700 to win the NBA championship behind the Boston Celtics (+600) and the Milwaukee Bucks (+550).
I see the Celtics coming out of the Eastern Conference. Adding Malcolm Brogdon to the mix could be what the doctor ordered for the Celtics. Superstars Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum now have NBA Finals experience and have a capable supporting cast.
Robert Williams III and Marcus Smart are defensive studs, and role players like Grant Williams, Payton Pritchard, and Derrick White are in a position to make huge strides.
I’ll roll the dice and say the Clippers stay healthy and take down the Celtics in seven games.
Christopher Reynolds is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email him at clr5971@psu.edu.
Nolan Collery is a first year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email njc5848@psu.edu
Charles Lebowitz is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email cpl5424@psu.edu
About the Contributors
Charlie Lebowitz
Sophomore / Broadcast Journalism
Charles “Charlie” Lebowitz is a sophomore from Baltimore, Maryland majoring in broadcast journalism at Penn State. He is a writer and play-by-play announcer for Penn State’s CommRadio. If you’d like to contact him, email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Christopher Reynolds
Second-Year /
Christopher Reynolds is a first-year student from Pawling, New York. He is majoring in Broadcast Journalism and is an active member of CommRadio. His recent projects include podcasts about the NBA, NFL, and fantasy football. His other passions include following the MLB and PGA. To contact Christopher, email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Nolan Collery
Freshman /
Nolan Collery is a first-year student at Penn State, majoring in Broadcast Journalism. This is his first semester as a member of CommRadio, where he creates content for the sports department. Outside of CommRadio, Nolan is a member of CommMedia’s After The Whistle, as well as a PSNTv Network member, where he hosts ‘Hot Takery’ on Penn State Sports Night. Outside of his schoolwork, Nolan likes to play flag football, miss open layups at the IM building, and take long walks on the beach.
Reach out to Nolan by emailing him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
