2024 NBA Playoffs Update and Predictions

Back in October, I predicted which teams would make the 2024 NBA Playoffs. I’m proud to say that I got 12 out of the 16 playoff teams correct: 6 out of the 8 teams in both the Eastern and Western Conferences.

In the East, the two teams I incorrectly picked were the Bulls and Hawks, while the two in the West were the Warriors and Kings. These four teams were the four teams to lose in the play-in tournament, so I was very close to getting all the teams right.

Moving on to the actual playoffs this year, they have not disappointed and have certainly shown a flair for the dramatic thus far.

Starting with the East, the top-seeded Boston Celtics took an expected win over the 8 seed Miami Heat in game one by a 20-point margin, as the Heat are without injured star player Jimmy Butler.

In the 2 vs. 7 matchup, my favorite team, the New York Knicks, started off the series with a 7-point win against the 76ers, then snatched a thrilling game two victory.

The Knicks were down five points with 30 seconds remaining in the second game, and it looked like the 76ers had the game won. However, Jalen Brunson hit a 3 to cut the lead to 2, and after a Knicks steal, Donte DiVincenzo hit a three of his own to give them a one-point lead that they wouldn’t relinquish.

In the 3 vs. 6 series in the East, the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers have split the first two games. The Bucks won without star Giannis Antetokounmpo in game one, led by Damian Lillard, but Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers responded by winning game two.

In the 4 vs. 5 series, the Cleveland Cavaliers have taken a 2-0 lead over the Orlando Magic, much to the dismay of Hills News managing editor Zach Jaworksi, who is the only Magic fan I’ve ever met.

Moving on to the West, the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder won a close game against the New Orleans Pelicans, who were missing star forward Zion Williamson. I expect this to be a very close series, especially if Williamson returns to action soon.

In the next matchup, the defending champion Denver Nuggets have continued their domination of the Los Angeles Lakers, taking a 2-0 lead in the series to make it 10 straight wins over the Lakers. The Lakers had a 20-point lead in game two, but the Nuggets came all the way back and won on a Jamal Murray buzzer-beating jump shot.

In the 3 vs. 6 in the West, the Minnesota Timberwolves have won the first two games against the Phoenix Suns in resounding fashion. It will be interesting to see if the Suns, who have one of the best rosters in the league on paper, can turn things around.

In the 4 vs. 5 series in the West, the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks have split the first two games. The Clippers won game one without Kawhi Leonard, but the Mavericks win game two in Leonard’s return to action, knotting the series at 1-1.

With all the series recapped, I’ll give you my predictions for the rest of the playoffs. In the East, I have the Celtics, Knicks, Bucks and Cavaliers winning in round 1, the Celtics beating the Cavaliers and Knicks beating the Bucks in round 2, and the Celtics beating the Knicks in 7 games in the Eastern Conference Finals to advance to the NBA Championship.

In the West, I have the Thunder, Nuggets, Suns and Clippers winning in round 1, the Clippers beating the Thunder and Nuggets beating the Suns in round 2, and the Nuggets beating the Clippers in 5 games in the Western Conference Finals to advance to the NBA Championship.

Lastly, in the NBA Championship, I have Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets beating the Celtics in a close 7 game series to win their second straight NBA Championship.