2014 NBA Finals Prediction

[hyperkid99]

What's your Finals matchup prediction for 2014?

Mine is: Clippers over Heat in 7

[Southside]

How do you even know the Heat are going to make the Finals next year? Have you forgotten that D Rose is coming back, NY Knicks with Carmelo, Hardaway Jr., and J.R. Smith? Even Indiana with Paul George and Hibbert!

Clippers couldnt even make it past Memphis! Look at all the raw people the Clippers have, Blake Griffin, Deandre Jordan, Chris Paul and they got blown out in the first fucking round of the playoffs...

Indiana & Chicago are going to be running the East in 2014.

Rose,Butler,Deng,Noah in the post....It's over.

In the West, I believe its going to be OKC,Denver, and possible the Clippers...

[Austinb13]

What's your Finals matchup prediction for 2014?

Mine is: Clippers over Heat in 7

Heat over the Rockets game 6

[Camazotz]

How do you even know the Heat are going to make the Finals next year?

They've made it three times in the past three seasons, and won the NBA Finals twice in a row. I think it's a fair assumption to make.

Have you forgotten that D Rose is coming back

Gee, a guy that missed more than a calender year of basketball when the doctors cleared him as healthy in March. Excuse me for being skeptical about his return.

NY Knicks with Carmelo, Hardaway Jr., and J.R. Smith?

I'm just shaking with fear :eek:

Even Indiana with Paul George and Hibbert!

They've got much more than that, they stand the best chance to beat the Heat.

Clippers couldnt even make it past Memphis! Look at all the raw people the Clippers have, Blake Griffin, Deandre Jordan, Chris Paul and they got blown out in the first fucking round of the playoffs...


With the addition of the greatest coach in the NBA right now, they kept Redick, and with Griffin and Jordan with more experience. They're a Top 4 team in the West. Plus they lost to Memphis in 6 last year.

Indiana & Chicago are going to be running the East in 2014.

No dude, Miami, Indiana, and Brooklyn are going to be running the East. Chicago can sit in the fourth spot. New York in fifth. Six through eight can be Cleveland, Detroit, Washington, or maybe even Toronto in whatever order they can get themselves in before getting destroyed in the first round.

Rose,Butler,Deng,Noah in the post....It's over.


Yeah, because that worked out so well in 2011. And 2012.



In the West, I believe its going to be OKC,Denver, and possible the Clippers...

Denver? The guys who just lost Iggy, lost the reigning Coach of the year, and gained one potentially decent player in Hickson? Don't count on them making the top 6 spots, possibly not even the playoffs. Those last 3 spots are pretty open.

1. San Antonio Spurs
2. OKC Thunder
3. LA Clippers
4. Golden State Warriors
5. Houston Rockets
6. Memphis Grizzlies
7. Denver Nuggets
8. Minnesota Trailblazers

9. Portland Trailblazers

[Southside]

They've made it three times in the past three seasons, and won the NBA Finals twice in a row. I think it's a fair assumption to make.



Gee, a guy that missed more than a calender year of basketball when the doctors cleared him as healthy in March. Excuse me for being skeptical about his return.



I'm just shaking with fear :eek:



They've got much more than that, they stand the best chance to beat the Heat.




With the addition of the greatest coach in the NBA right now, they kept Redick, and with Griffin and Jordan with more experience. They're a Top 4 team in the West. Plus they lost to Memphis in 6 last year.



No dude, Miami, Indiana, and Brooklyn are going to be running the East. Chicago can sit in the fourth spot. New York in fifth. Six through eight can be Cleveland, Detroit, Washington, or maybe even Toronto in whatever order they can get themselves in before getting destroyed in the first round.



Yeah, because that worked out so well in 2011. And 2012.



Denver? The guys who just lost Iggy, lost the reigning Coach of the year, and gained one potentially decent player in Hickson? Don't count on them making the top 6 spots, possibly not even the playoffs. Those last 3 spots are pretty open.

1. San Antonio Spurs
2. OKC Thunder
3. LA Clippers
4. Golden State Warriors
5. Houston Rockets
6. Memphis Grizzlies
7. Denver Nuggets
8. Minnesota Trailblazers

9. Portland Trailblazers

I forgot about Golden State, they have a pretty decent team, so my final list is OKC, Clippers, Golden State, my toss ups are Houston,Spurs, and Denver.

Denver is going to have Nate Robinson, a 5'9 guy who basically carried the Bulls. Also,Ty Lawson and Javale Mcgee are pretty solid players, dont count out Denver....


Why dont you believe in the Knicks? Carmelo had the scoring title last year, Tyson Chandler is a good,experienced big man, J.R. Smith is a solid player, Hardaway is going to be a good addition to the Knicks.

Brooklyn before Chicago? Please explain why..
We beat Brooklyn WITHOUT D Rose, we also had plenty of banged up people(Noah,Deng). We beat the Heat a few times without D Rose also, if we have a healthy squad this year were going to run the East along with Indiana, Miami.

A healthy Bulls squad can tear apart the Heat.I doubt the Bulls can make it to the Finals this year, but were sure going to give the Heat a good duel.
Deng is a solid player, I dont need to explain D Rose, you've seen him play, Jimmy Butler is developing into a solid player, Noah is good in the post.

I think Blake Griffin is overrated as fuck, hes just rated so high because hes a good dunker. I'd take Deandre Jordan over Griffin ANY DAY

[Foamy]

My opinion: thunder over Brooklyn in 7

[cant_stop18]

Bulls over Spurs/Clippers in 7

[Camazotz]

I forgot about Golden State, they have a pretty decent team, so my final list is OKC, Clippers, Golden State, my toss ups are Houston,Spurs, and Denver.

Denver is going to have Nate Robinson, a 5'9 guy who basically carried the Bulls. Also,Ty Lawson and Javale Mcgee are pretty solid players, dont count out Denver....

Nate was fantastic in the playoffs. In the regular season, not so much. I think the Nuggets have the potential to be a 7 or 8 seed, but I think the loss of Karl and Iggy might limit them in the long run.

Why dont you believe in the Knicks? Carmelo had the scoring title last year, Tyson Chandler is a good,experienced big man, J.R. Smith is a solid player, Hardaway is going to be a good addition to the Knicks.

I never count on Carmelo or JR in the postseason. History tends to repeat itself. I think they'll definitely finish fourth or fifth, and have a good chance of losing in the first round because of their inconsistencies. Hardaway is laughable compared to Shumpert, I would never bet on the Knicks in the playoffs.

Brooklyn before Chicago? Please explain why..
We beat Brooklyn WITHOUT D Rose, we also had plenty of banged up people(Noah,Deng). We beat the Heat a few times without D Rose also, if we have a healthy squad this year were going to run the East along with Indiana, Miami.

A healthy Bulls squad can tear apart the Heat.I doubt the Bulls can make it to the Finals this year, but were sure going to give the Heat a good duel.
Deng is a solid player, I dont need to explain D Rose, you've seen him play, Jimmy Butler is developing into a solid player, Noah is good in the post.

You can never know how Rose comes back after that injury; he could be his same old self, or he can be very limited. Only time will tell. As for the Bulls, they lost Hamilton (not much of a loss) and Robinson (their only energy last year in the playoffs). They haven't really gained anyone other than Bellinelli, who is too inexperienced and inconsistent, in my opinion. As for the Nets? They've got All-Stars at every position: Garnett will carry their defense and energy, Pierce will give them scoring and defense, and Kirlienko can do whatever they ask for. This is a different Nets team, and I think they'll have more success than the Bulls.

I think Blake Griffin is overrated as fuck, hes just rated so high because hes a good dunker. I'd take Deandre Jordan over Griffin ANY DAY

Blake Griffin (http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/griffbl01.html) has a career average of 20.4 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 3.6 APG, .9 SPG, and .6 BPG.

DeAndre Jordan (http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jordade01.html) has a career average of 6.7 PPG, 6.6 RPG, .3 APG, .4 SPG, and 1.5 BPG.

Per 36 minutes, Blake Griffin still dominates offensively and shoots over 20% better from the free throw line. Honestly, the only edge Jordan has over Griffin is blocks and defending the post. Griffin is the better overall defensive player, and is clearly better offensively.

There are a ton of Blake Griffin haters that don't really know the game, and judge him only by his hype. If you actually watch the game, the dude has decent post moves, moves the ball well, and scores and rebounds as good as a top power forward in the league.

Skill-set wise, Griffin isn't the best power forward in the league (I'd give that to Kevin Love), but he's a better overall player than the other top rebounders (Pekovic and Vucevic) and is athletic enough to compete with the tough opponents (Zach Randolph). And the man's only 23/24 years old.

Griffin is definitely Top 5 power forward in the league, I'd put him at 2 or 3 depending on how you classify the Forward/Centers like Randolph, Garnett, Duncan, etc. But Griffin is definitely the future of power forwards to come, and he'll surpass the old guys after they retire, and he has the potential to become a major face of the NBA because of his marketability, talent, and youth.

[Southside]

Nate was fantastic in the playoffs. In the regular season, not so much. I think the Nuggets have the potential to be a 7 or 8 seed, but I think the loss of Karl and Iggy might limit them in the long run.



I never count on Carmelo or JR in the postseason. History tends to repeat itself. I think they'll definitely finish fourth or fifth, and have a good chance of losing in the first round because of their inconsistencies. Hardaway is laughable compared to Shumpert, I would never bet on the Knicks in the playoffs.



You can never know how Rose comes back after that injury; he could be his same old self, or he can be very limited. Only time will tell. As for the Bulls, they lost Hamilton (not much of a loss) and Robinson (their only energy last year in the playoffs). They haven't really gained anyone other than Bellinelli, who is too inexperienced and inconsistent, in my opinion. As for the Nets? They've got All-Stars at every position: Garnett will carry their defense and energy, Pierce will give them scoring and defense, and Kirlienko can do whatever they ask for. This is a different Nets team, and I think they'll have more success than the Bulls.



Blake Griffin (http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/griffbl01.html) has a career average of 20.4 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 3.6 APG, .9 SPG, and .6 BPG.

DeAndre Jordan (http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jordade01.html) has a career average of 6.7 PPG, 6.6 RPG, .3 APG, .4 SPG, and 1.5 BPG.

Per 36 minutes, Blake Griffin still dominates offensively and shoots over 20% better from the free throw line. Honestly, the only edge Jordan has over Griffin is blocks and defending the post. Griffin is the better overall defensive player, and is clearly better offensively.

There are a ton of Blake Griffin haters that don't really know the game, and judge him only by his hype. If you actually watch the game, the dude has decent post moves, moves the ball well, and scores and rebounds as good as a top power forward in the league.

Skill-set wise, Griffin isn't the best power forward in the league (I'd give that to Kevin Love), but he's a better overall player than the other top rebounders (Pekovic and Vucevic) and is athletic enough to compete with the tough opponents (Zach Randolph). And the man's only 23/24 years old.

Griffin is definitely Top 5 power forward in the league, I'd put him at 2 or 3 depending on how you classify the Forward/Centers like Randolph, Garnett, Duncan, etc. But Griffin is definitely the future of power forwards to come, and he'll surpass the old guys after they retire, and he has the potential to become a major face of the NBA because of his marketability, talent, and youth.

I dont believe the Nets will be a big threat in the East, im sorry, I just dont see it happening. I dont see the Nets beating Chicago, Indiana, or the Heat. They might be able to duke it out against the Knicks and the other few weak teams in the East. Garnett PPG has steadily been dropping over the last few years, so has his rebounds,I dont see Garnett as a threat on the Nets. I do see Paul Pierce as a threat...

I think the Bulls have a decent chance at atleast making it to the conference finals, we've beaten Indiana 3 or 4 times last season without D Rose. Why dont you believe in Deng and Noah? Have you seen how Jimmy Butler has blossomed into a solid player?

I just dont see the Clippers as a threat in the West, they couldnt even get past Memphis and they have one of the best PG's in the league, and Blake Griffin. How are they going to get past the OKC, Spurs, or maybe even Golden State?

Allen Iverson is the best NBA player ever.

[Camazotz]

I dont believe the Nets will be a big threat in the East, im sorry, I just dont see it happening. I dont see the Nets beating Chicago, Indiana, or the Heat. They might be able to duke it out against the Knicks and the other few weak teams in the East. Garnett PPG has steadily been dropping over the last few years, so has his rebounds,I dont see Garnett as a threat on the Nets. I do see Paul Pierce as a threat...

Both of these guys have been asked to go out of their comfort zones (overplaying, KG playing out of position, style of play that doesn't fit their strengths) for the past few years. Limited to 20-25 minutes per night, both of these guys can contribute quality minutes and lasting the long stretch of the NBA season. This is the perfect role for them. As a Celtics fan, I think this was the best possible situation for them as players, although I obviously would've loved to see them stay. Expect great things from both of these guys, they'll fit well into this system.

I think the Bulls have a decent chance at atleast making it to the conference finals, we've beaten Indiana 3 or 4 times last season without D Rose. Why dont you believe in Deng and Noah? Have you seen how Jimmy Butler has blossomed into a solid player?

Pacers (http://www.nbauniverse.com/results_by_team/2012_2013_pacers.htm) won 3 out of the 4 match-ups against the Bulls last season, I have no idea what you're talking about there. Plus they're going to be more developed, more experienced, and have a deeper bench with Scola. Bulls haven't improved, and Rose has been out for a while.

Deng is inconsistent but okay when on a hot streak, Noah is a pretty strong, consistent player. Butler is coming along, but not yet a "dependable" player. I just think the Bulls are a riskier pick because of these reasons along with Rose coming off such a serious injury and being out of the game for over a year. The safer picks are Miami, Indiana, and Brooklyn.

I just dont see the Clippers as a threat in the West, they couldnt even get past Memphis and they have one of the best PG's in the league, and Blake Griffin. How are they going to get past the OKC, Spurs, or maybe even Golden State?

They're a good enough team that, if they peak, can beat any team in the NBA. However, I agree, I wouldn't bet money on them going to the NBA Finals and they're not as a safe pick as OKC or San Antonio. If I were to guess the 2014 NBA Finals, I'd say Heat beat the Thunder in 6.

Allen Iverson is the best NBA player ever.

Lolwat? I wouldn't even put him in Top 20, probably not Top 30 either.

We've talked about our Top 10's before in the thread about "Who's the Greatest Ever?" Iverson never came up once other than being a personal favorite.

[Southside]

Both of these guys have been asked to go out of their comfort zones (overplaying, KG playing out of position, style of play that doesn't fit their strengths) for the past few years. Limited to 20-25 minutes per night, both of these guys can contribute quality minutes and lasting the long stretch of the NBA season. This is the perfect role for them. As a Celtics fan, I think this was the best possible situation for them as players, although I obviously would've loved to see them stay. Expect great things from both of these guys, they'll fit well into this system.



Pacers (http://www.nbauniverse.com/results_by_team/2012_2013_pacers.htm) won 3 out of the 4 match-ups against the Bulls last season, I have no idea what you're talking about there. Plus they're going to be more developed, more experienced, and have a deeper bench with Scola. Bulls haven't improved, and Rose has been out for a while.

Deng is inconsistent but okay when on a hot streak, Noah is a pretty strong, consistent player. Butler is coming along, but not yet a "dependable" player. I just think the Bulls are a riskier pick because of these reasons along with Rose coming off such a serious injury and being out of the game for over a year. The safer picks are Miami, Indiana, and Brooklyn.



They're a good enough team that, if they peak, can beat any team in the NBA. However, I agree, I wouldn't bet money on them going to the NBA Finals and they're not as a safe pick as OKC or San Antonio. If I were to guess the 2014 NBA Finals, I'd say Heat beat the Thunder in 6.



Lolwat? I wouldn't even put him in Top 20, probably not Top 30 either.

We've talked about our Top 10's before in the thread about "Who's the Greatest Ever?" Iverson never came up once other than being a personal favorite.

Iverson is better than any current NBA player, the main reason I have a big respect for him is that he's 6 feet and yet had 4 Scoring titles in his career. Just think of the people who were playing when Iverson was in his prime, Prime Kobe, Prime T-Mac, Prime Vince Carter, Prime KG, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, countless more. I bet if he came back to the league right now he'd be averaging between 10 and 15 PPG. Best "small man" of all time, maybe the best NBA player of all time.

Deng is very consistent in my opinion, well experienced, pretty good on the defensive side too. Jimmy Butler is going to be a All Star in a year or two,your right, not dependable but he sure is going to be a big name this season. I think the Nate Robinson trade was the stupidest thing ever, he always came through when you needed him the most. Having another decent PG could have took a bit of stress off of D Rose.

What do you think about Houston?

I dont think the Spurs are going to do well this year for some reason...

[Camazotz]

Iverson is better than any current NBA player

Wrong.

...the main reason I have a big respect for him is that he's 6 feet and yet had 4 Scoring titles in his career. Just think of the people who were playing when Iverson was in his prime, Prime Kobe, Prime T-Mac, Prime Vince Carter, Prime KG, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, countless more. I bet if he came back to the league right now he'd be averaging between 10 and 15 PPG. Best "small man" of all time, maybe the best NBA player of all time.

Wilt Chamberlain averaged 50 points a game for an entire season. He has practically double the scoring titles as Iverson. Durant already has 3 scoring titles at age 24, one away from Iverson's career total. Kareem has 14,019 more points than Iverson. There are so many instances of great scorers, I don't see how you can think that (scoring) equates to "greatness." Regardless of his height, he was largely a failure (look at him now) and wasn't successful in the postseason.

As for the best NBA player of all time? Not even close.

Deng is very consistent in my opinion, well experienced, pretty good on the defensive side too. Jimmy Butler is going to be a All Star in a year or two,your right, not dependable but he sure is going to be a big name this season. I think the Nate Robinson trade was the stupidest thing ever, he always came through when you needed him the most. Having another decent PG could have took a bit of stress off of D Rose.

Yeah, well I don't think that lineup isn't stronger than Miami, Indiana, or even Brooklyn. However, I do think this team is better than New York, and has a good chance of making it to the second round of the playoffs.

What do you think about Houston?

Houston will have less chemistry problems than the Lakers, but I don't think they'll be great right away. I think they'll land in the fourth or fifth seed in the West. They can only be a contender if they peak at the right time, but I don't think it's likely.

I dont think the Spurs are going to do well this year for some reason...

People have been saying that every season for the past several years. Coach Pop knows how to rest his guys, give potential All-Stars like Leonard his minutes, and make his team successful in both the long run (season) and the playoffs. They'll do well, just like they always do.

[Southside]

Wrong.



Wilt Chamberlain averaged 50 points a game for an entire season. He has practically double the scoring titles as Iverson. Durant already has 3 scoring titles at age 24, one away from Iverson's career total. Kareem has 14,019 more points than Iverson. There are so many instances of great scorers, I don't see how you can think that (scoring) equates to "greatness." Regardless of his height, he was largely a failure (look at him now) and wasn't successful in the postseason.

As for the best NBA player of all time? Not even close.



Yeah, well I don't think that lineup isn't stronger than Miami, Indiana, or even Brooklyn. However, I do think this team is better than New York, and has a good chance of making it to the second round of the playoffs.



Houston will have less chemistry problems than the Lakers, but I don't think they'll be great right away. I think they'll land in the fourth or fifth seed in the West. They can only be a contender if they peak at the right time, but I don't think it's likely.



People have been saying that every season for the past several years. Coach Pop knows how to rest his guys, give potential All-Stars like Leonard his minutes, and make his team successful in both the long run (season) and the playoffs. They'll do well, just like they always do.

Every guy you just named was over 6'5, Kareem played for 20 seasons so I dont believe you can really compare those guys to Iverson. You know how small of a guy A.I. was and he dominated the NBA for atleast 2-3 years in the early 2000's, thats why I have a enormous love and respect for him. He failed in the postseason because he didnt have a good team built around him, as much as I dislike Lebron, he has a good team built around him. Jordan had a good team built around him with Scottie, Kukoc(Best Euro NBA Player Ever), Horace Grant, Kerr, Paxson, Rodman. Maybe I am being biased with the "Best Ever" player claim, though he is no doubt one of the best scorers of all time hands down.

I'll agree that we dont have that much of a strong lineup, though we have a pretty consistent one. Three all stars(Deng,Noah,Rose) and a potential one(Butler), I just dont think you can count us out yet. Honestly, I believe the Bulls and Indiana are the only teams in the East that can stop the Heat.

I just think as Duncan and Parker get older, the Spurs are going to start going downward...

[Camazotz]

Every guy you just named was over 6'5, Kareem played for 20 seasons so I don't believe you can really compare those guys to Iverson. You know how small of a guy A.I. was and he dominated the NBA for at least 2-3 years in the early 2000's, that's why I have a enormous love and respect for him.

Allen Iverson (http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/iversal01.html) averaged 26.7 points per game, and 23.3 points per 36 minutes.

At 6'2", Jerry West (http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/westje01.html) averaged 27 points per game, and 24.8 points per 36 minutes. He dominated his era like Iverson dominated his, but better. Unlike Iverson, he won an NBA Championship. His career PER is 22.9, compared to Iverson's 20.9. No doubt, "The Logo" is far superior to Iverson in anybody's Greatest Player rankings.

At 6'1", Nate "Tiny" Archibald (http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/architi01.html) averaged 19 PPG and 7.5 APG per 36 minutes. Unlike Iverson, he won an NBA Championship.

Both of these guys made the NBA's 50th Anniversary list of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. Although Iverson wasn't present in the league when this list was created, I don't think he'd make it into an updated list over other superior point guards like Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, or Chris Paul.

Jordan had a good team built around him with Scottie, Kukoc(Best Euro NBA Player Ever), Horace Grant, Kerr, Paxson, Rodman. Maybe I am being biased with the "Best Ever" player claim, though he is no doubt one of the best scorers of all time hands down.

:yes:

I'll agree that we dont have that much of a strong lineup, though we have a pretty consistent one. Three all stars(Deng,Noah,Rose) and a potential one(Butler), I just dont think you can count us out yet. Honestly, I believe the Bulls and Indiana are the only teams in the East that can stop the Heat.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see :yummy:

I just think as Duncan and Parker get older, the Spurs are going to start going downward...

Everyone is getting older. Duncan can still play at an elite level as an "older guy" because Coach Pop knows how to distribute minutes while giving the opportunity to succeed. Tony Parker is only 31 years old and was an NBA candidate last season, much more than I can say about anyone from the Bulls in 2013. The only "old" players on the Spurs are Duncan and Ginobili, and only Manu was disappointing last season (post-season, at least). The Spurs have been battling that reputation for years, and yet they've been the most solid dynasty in the 21st century.

[TheBigUnit]

For the West itll possibly be: Houston, OKC, Spurs or Clippers

For ths East: Heat, Brooklyn, Knicks, Memphis or Indiana and maybe Chicago

[trimm_tom]

spurs sweep every series then bury Lebron