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MEGA POST: NBA Season Predictions and a 5 Out SPECIAL EDITION On Kyrie Irving


My Season Predictions

Eastern:

  1. Bucks

  2. Nets

  3. Hawks

  4. Heat

  5. Bulls

  6. 76ers

  7. Knicks

  8. Pacers

  9. Celtics

  10. Wizards

  11. Cavaliers

  12. Hornets

  13. Raptors

  14. Magic

  15. Pistons

Western Conference:

  1. Suns

  2. Jazz

  3. Lakers

  4. Trail Blazers

  5. Nuggets

  6. Mavericks

  7. Warriors

  8. Grizzlies

  9. Timberwolves

  10. Clippers

  11. Pelicans

  12. Kings

  13. Rockets

  14. Spurs

  15. Thunder

Play-In:

East-

  1. Knicks Beat 8. Pacers

  2. Celtics Beat 10. Wizards

  3. Pacers Beat 9. Celtics In A NBA Classic

West-

  1. Grizzlies Beat 7. Warriors (For 7th Seed)

  2. Clippers Beat 9. Timberwolves

  3. Warriors Beat 10. Clippers (For 8th Seed)

PLAYOFFS:

East 1st Round-

  1. Bucks Beat 8. Pacers In 5

  2. Nets Beat 7. Knicks In 7

  3. Hawks Beat 6. 76ers In 7

  4. Bulls Beat 4. Heat in 6

Semifinals-

  1. Bucks Beat 5. Bulls In 7

  2. Hawks Beat 2. Nets In 6

Conference Final-

  1. Bucks Beat 3. Hawks In 6 (Again, As A Hawks Fan, I Hate This)

Winner: Bucks

West 1st Round-

  1. Suns Beat 8. Warriors In 7

  2. Grizzlies Beat 2. Jazz In 7

  3. Mavericks Beat 3. Lakers In 6

  4. Trail Blazers Beat 5. Nuggets In 6

Semifinals-

  1. Trail Blazers Beat 1. Suns In 6

  2. Grizzlies Beat 6. Dallas In 7

Conference Final-

  1. Trail Blazers Beat 7. Grizzlies In 7

Winner: Damian Lillard

NBA FINALS:

Bucks Beat Trail Blazers In 5

Other Predictions:

MVP: Giannis

ROTY: Jalen Green

MIP: Jaren Jackson Jr.

DPOY: Joel Embiid

6MOY: Tyler Herro

COY: Chauncey Billups

Jaren Jackson Jr. has a big rebound year that fuels the growth of the Grizzlies, and Ja Morant reaches superstar status during the playoffs (like Trae last year).

Zion’s return from injury sends the Pels on a tear that falls just short of the play-in. Jonas Valanciunas proves he is the right guy next to Williamson, posting 20/12/4 but being snubbed of the All-Star Game.

A down year for Richaun Holmes and Bagley lead to a promising start for the Kings going down the drain, through the sewers, and to, what, the 14th year without a playoff berth?

Beverly, DLO and the Timberwolves finally put it together and make the play-in. The Cavs have Collin Sexton averaging 30ppg to cement his spot of the face of the franchise, and Mobley does what he was expected, averaging 10/10 but doing better than the stats show. They fall short, but great year.

The Jazz’s playoff upset after a string season (Mitchell puts up GOD numbers) leads them to trading Rudy Gobert.

The Mavericks almost run the table after Luka Doncic (My friend doesn’t know how to pronounce his name, so he calls him Jerry) averages a 30-point triple double against the Lakers in the first round. The Jason Kidd experiment works, and after the promising year, they trade Tim Hardaway for a star in the backcourt to create a Big 3.

The Bulls and Pacers have promising years. Zach LaVine is a few rebounds away from being the third person EVER to average a triple-double, earning him his max. Sabonis puts Indiana upon his back, and with Myles Turner becoming a 20/10 guy and TJ Warren producing after injury, they set themselves up nicely for the future.

Dame-Time, at its darkest hour, is saved for years to come. Nurkic is dominant after injury, Billups ignites the team and with COTY, and Norman Powell rewards the FO for paying him by shooting over 45% from 3. They become Western Conference Champions.

Yes, the Hawks do beat the Nets in the playoffs. This is not bias, both teams had consistent years. Capela becomes an All-Star for Atlanta, and while Irving doesn’t play for Brooklyn, Durant carries the team like usual with good play from the veterans (Aldridge, Patty Mills, Bruce Brown, Griffin) and Cam Thomas. But, the Hawks shut down James Harden in the series, and it is enough.

The Bucks just DOMINATE. Jrue Holiday wins Finals MVP and is very solid all year, Khris Middleton gets consistent 20 point nights, and, well, GIANNIS. The Bucks win their second title in a row with the now 3-time MVP’s bullying.

————————————————————— The 5 Out: SPECIAL EDITION: Why The Nets Shouldn’t Worry About Kyrie Irving ——————————————————————

Look, I know I am the Hawks beat writer, but this needs to be said. Kyrie needs to be traded because he still had value, but the Nets will be perfectly fine without him. Their backcourt is full of veteran and youth options that can lead the franchise when the days of Durant and Harden are over.

Here’s why Kyrie doesn’t matter. I’m gonna keep it short and sweet:

  1. The Big 2: James Harden, when at his best, is one of the best ball-handlers in the perimeter and is a sure fire 3-point shooter. He is one of the best in the game at just scoring, and there’s probably a lot of his game I’m not talking about because I didn’t watch the Rockets when I was younger. He has a winner’s attitude (sometimes gets a hold of him/Ex: Getting fat to be traded away from Houston), but teams need that kind of guy.

And then Kevin Durant. We all saw how he single-handily almost beat the NBA champions if his foot were a bit bigger. He just puts teams to bed, his game being such a good blend of a guard (drive to the rim, shoot jump shots) and forward (layups, sheer POWER). He is the ringleader of this super team, and does a great job at it. That’s really all you need to know about the two flippin’ SUPERSTARS that could do perfectly fine without Kyrie’s ego.

  1. The Young Lad And The Old Ones: Cam Thomas was the Summer League MVP and excelled at the next level. Averaging 23ppg at LSU, he was known for being an efficient shooting guard who could get to the rim. BUT, his main job was hitting the 3-ball, shooting 33% but doing much better than the stats say. He is a Bradley Beal, a true scorer.

He will need some time to develop, so that is where Patty Mills and Bruce Brown come in. Bruce isn’t really old, he’s only been in the league for 3 years, but he plays like a veteran. Averaging 8/5/2 but on a great 55.6% field goal percentage, he became one of the most underrated depth pieces in the league. Patty Mills is the smart veteran from the Spurs who is really explosive for his 30s. Also a great 3-point shooter, Mills pure speed and precision on the ball is remarkable. If you blink, he’s made a jump shot. If you take a breather, he’s past you. He gives a lot more work ethic than poor Kyrie, and is a great leader.

Conclusion: The Nets need to get good trade value from Kyrie, to fill out some weaknesses in the bench. Kyrie won’t get the vaccine anytime soon, he probably didn’t do any research on it to begin with. Get out of a jam now, as the Nets are setting themselves up for the future.

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