We sit here today at the end of June with the last NBA game being played on March 11th, 2020. Nearly 4 months have passed, and many sports fans are itching for the return of the league.

For those that are wondering how this return will work, allow me to explain in simple terms:

-22 out of the 30 NBA teams will be returning.

-Each team has 8 regular season games left (for seeding purposes)

-16 teams will then advance to the playoffs (8 in each conference)

Seems simple enough right?

While we wait for the return of the league, I will break down each series and how I believe the rest of the season and playoffs will roll out:

In the East, I don’t see many changes. I have Philadelphia moving up to the 5 seed (currently tied for 5th) and having the 5 seed to themselves, while Indiana drops to 6th.

1.) Milwaukee Bucks

2.) Toronto Raptors

3.) Boston Celtics

4.) Miami Heat

5.) Philadelphia 76ers

6.) Indiana Pacers

7.) Brooklyn Nets

8.) Orlando Magic

EAST:

(8) ORL vs (1) MIL

Milwaukee is the top dog in the East, and also have the best player in Giannis Antetokounmpo. In the 3 games they faced this year, the Bucks beat the Magic on all 3 occasions, by an average of 17.3 points (123-91, 110-101, 111-100). This series will be a warm up lap for Milwaukee, as they are too much of a talented mismatch for the Magic. Prediction: Bucks in 4.

(7) BKN vs (2) TOR

If KD and Kyrie were both healthy for the playoffs, then this series would get interesting. Unfortunately, both will be on the sideline for the remainder of this season and playoffs. Not to mention that C DeAndre Jordan will also not be attending, with Spencer Dinwiddie possibly joining him too.

This year, Toronto took the season series and beat the Nets 3 out of the 4 times they faced each other. Caris LeVert for the Nets did play reasonably well against Toronto this year, but even his heroics can’t help the Nets take this series. Like Milwaukee, Toronto is just too talented for these Nets without KD and Kyrie. Prediction: Raptors in 4.

(6) IND vs (3) BOS

This series will be an interesting one. Only playing 2 games against each other this year, both teams took 1 game. Each game was a nail biter (IND W 122-117, BOS W 114-111), and the teams played very competitively against each other. With the Pacers looking to be fully healthy as we await the return, they will have a very formidable lineup of Malcolm Brogdon, Victor Oladipo, TJ Warren, Domantas Sabonis, and Myles Turner.

With Boston, for them right now is all about the enhanced play of Jayson Tatum. Before the shutdown, he was emerging himself as a Top 15 NBA player. He will be joined alongside with a healthy Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, & Daniel Theis in their starting 5. Boston is one of the more top-heavy teams in the league in terms of PPG within their starting 5 and their bench is thin, but with their top 6 players all playing at a balanced and good level, I believe they could even challenge the leagues best in the Bucks, Lakers, and Clippers (since BOS beat all 3 of them at least once this year).

Against both teams, I give Boston the edge. Indiana has been known this year for their ability to shoot at a high level (3rd in the NBA in FG%), but also rank 29th in the league with 3 pointers made per game (10.0). Boston’s ability to defend their opponents (4th in opponents FG%, 3rd in defending the 3) makes them too much of an issue for Indiana’s offense. Prediction: Celtics in 6.

(5) PHI vs (4) MIA

Out of the 4 first round series, this one will certainly be the most competitive and entertaining.

In the case for Miami, they have certainly exceeded expectations this year. Led by Jimmy Butler, they have made a case for themselves as being the dark horse team to come out of the East. They shoot, they can defend, and have arguably the best coach in the East in Erik Spoelstra.

In the case for Philadelphia, on paper, they SHOULD have the best starting 5 in the East, and this is coming from me, aka Mr. Biased Boston fan. However, they have been riddled with injuries and chemistry issues this year. When they are playing at their potential, they can be the best team in the east, including Milwaukee.

In the end, this series will come down to who wants it more. They are very evenly matched, and Jimmy Butler, a former Sixer, may be able to provide Miami some blueprints on how to beat his former team. Miami’s case for beating Philly comes down to getting leads early, and shoot at a high enough rate to tire out Philly’s defenders. With Philly, if they play to their full potential and force Miami to become 2 point scorers, it should be enough to knock off Miami. I give Philly the edge and showing up when it matters most against a young, unproven Miami Heat team. Prediction: Sixers in 7.

Second Round:

(3) BOS vs (2) TOR

Now this is where things REALLY get competitive. This year, Boston had the upper edge on Toronto by beating them in H2H matchups. 1 of those wins were without Toronto’s star player Pascal Siakam, so in reality, I would put an asterisk to that win.

In recent years, Boston’s kryptonite stadium has no doubt been Toronto. With the bubble being played in Orlando, there will be no home-court advantage, so this is where I think Toronto will hurt.

Toronto’s guards Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet will have their hands full with the tenacity from Marcus Smart, and the defensive prowess of Jaylen Brown (and the fact that Jaylen Brown is 5 inches taller than both of them). Both guards are undersized, where I see players like Kemba Walker having a much better chance of playing well (if this were Philadelphia he’d most likely have Ben Simmons on him, who is 9 inches taller). Not to mention that Kemba will be fully healthy.

Toronto has their own recipe for success when it comes to the defensive end as well. With fellow bigs Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol, they cause issues for any big men in the league (just ask Joel Embiid when he shot 0-11 against those 2 this year in a game). I don’t see them making things any easier for Boston’s C Daniel Theis, who is already undersized at 6’8”. I see Boston being forced to play with a more outside game against Toronto.

This will be a nail biting series, with both teams greatly evenly matched. It could go either way, but I think without the home court advantage for Toronto, they will hurt, and that will play to Boston’s advantage. Prediction: Celtics in 7.

(5) PHI vs (1) MIL

In this series, we will have arguably the 2 best players in the eastern conference going up against each other (Joel Embiid vs Giannis Antetokounmpo). This year, Milwaukee had the upper hand and beat Philadelphia in their season series 2-1.

Milwaukee will definitely struggle at times on offense in this series, as this is not the ideal matchup due to Philly’s defensive ability. Ben Simmons is fully healthy, they added depth to their bench at the deadline, and will look to fix their chemistry issues. Being fully loaded is what you need to beat these Bucks.

In the case for Milwaukee, i.e. Giannis, he will be on a mission in these playoffs. After losing out to Kawhi Leonard, he will be hungry for a trip to the NBA finals. And since we’ve seen what he can do, id be afraid if I were the entire league. This series will much more competitive than Orlando, but I see the Greek Freak gaining the upper hand against Joel Embiid.

What this series comes down to is how badly Embiid wants it (after also losing out to Kawhi last year), and if he can play to the potential we’ve seen him play at before. If he can play at a high level, we may have a more competitive series. Another factor is how healthy Simmons will be up against the best team in the East. The last factor is how will Philly fare after being dreadful on the road this year (only lost twice at home this year). If Philly can put all of these issues aside, we may have a series. But, I still give the edge to Milwaukee. Prediction: Bucks in 5.

Conference Finals

(3) BOS vs (1) MIL

What a series this will be, huh?

If you didn’t watch last years playoffs, Milwaukee beat out Boston in 5 games. After game 1, Milwaukee stepped up their game and tore the Celtics apart.

Boston has shown what they can do against the best teams in the league this year (earning convincing wins against MIL, LAL, LAC, TOR), as they have been a much more competitive, fun, and energy fueled team. With the loss of Kyrie Irving and the gain of Kemba Walker, it has allowed Boston to be a more complete team (and the team likes eachother again).

The key to winning this series for Boston is the play of Jayson Tatum. He has shown he can be a factor and clutch performer in big moments this year, and this will be the biggest test for him since the Conference Finals of 2018 against LeBron’s Cavaliers. Now with LeBron gone, the East belongs to the Greek Freak. If Tatum can play to the level we saw him play in February and early March, Boston may have a true chance of knocking out Milwaukee.

Milwaukee will not take Boston lightly. But what concerns me as a Celtics fan is having the ability to stop the Greek Freak, which I don’t see happening. He’s hungry for a birth to the finals. And who’s to say Khris Middleton (one of the biggest Celtics killers in years past) won’t continue to play well against us as he always has?

There are many questions to this series, and it will be the most competitive matchup the East can have. I give Milwaukee the edge due to their shooting, their star power, their defense, and their depth. However, it WONT be easy for them. Sorry C’s fans. Prediction: Bucks in 7.

I have the Bucks going to the NBA Finals as we await the return of basketball. It won’t be an easy trip for them, but the beast of the East will rise and get there.