The Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors are set to do battle in the NBA Finals, which will begin on Thursday night. The Warriors, who are back-to-back winners of the title and have won 3 of the past 4 championships, will face a challenge from the upstart Raptors, who defeated the #1 seed Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Golden State is the popular choice to win, and it’s easy to see why. With a strong cast of elite talents such as Steph Curry, DeMarcus Cousins, and Klay Thompson, the Dubs can outscore any team in the league. This is without even counting Kevin Durant, whose status is up in the air for the series.

While it might be tempting to go with the Raptors and the hottest player in the league in Kawhi Leonard, I think the Golden State Warriors are set to win their third consecutive NBA Finals.

First, it’s important to take into account the weapons that Golden State has. If Durant (who has been ruled out for Game 1) is able to return, the Warriors will have three players that averaged more than 21.5 PPG during the regular season in the lineup, adding Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. In addition, the Warriors shot an absurd 49.1% from the field during the season while scoring 117.1 point per game, proving that they are an offensive juggernaut.

The Raptors simply don’t have the same scoring firepower as Golden State. Only Kawhi Leonard, who averaged 26.1 points per game, was able to break a 17 point average on the year. While they have some complimentary role players that can score in bunches like Kyle Lowry, the Warriors will have an easier time when double-teaming Leonard and leaving their unproven scorers to test their luck.

Also, it’s important to note that Golden State simply has more experience in these situations. This is the Warriors’ fifth straight Finals appearance, meaning that their players are accustomed to the high pressure situations that these games can have. For Toronto, this is uncharted territory. The franchise was established in 1995, and this is the team’s first ever trip to the NBA Finals.

I’ll bet on experience and familiarity in this case, and Golden State has a proven core of players that have handled these situations well in the past.

For these reasons, I expect the Golden State Warriors to take home the NBA Finals in 6 games. Toronto will put up a valiant fight, but the Warriors should be able to lift the Commissioner’s Trophy yet again.

The post NBA Finals 2019 Prediction: Warriors vs. Rockets appeared first on SportzBonanza.

NBA Playoffs 2018 are finally here. Regular season wrapped up on Wednesday and now we know who made it to the postseason, and who will spend their time planning vacations.

We decided to use this small window between the end of the regular season and start of the first round of the playoffs on April 14th to think hard about everything we have seen in the past 82 games and enter the “predictions business.” We made our picks for the winners of all the NBA Playoffs 2018 first-round series and we shall stick with them until the very end. This time we are predicting Eastern Conference. (You can check out our Western Conference predictions here.)

Although Eastern Conference is often considered weak and not quite interesting as the West, this year’s first round of the playoffs might be something else. Due to various injuries and other factors, we have some big matchups in the first round that no one expected before the season started. So who will make it out?

(1) Toronto Raptors vs. (8) Washington Wizards

Prediction:
Toronto Raptors win 4-1

Why:
It’s fairly simple. Toronto Raptors entered the NBA Playoffs 2018 with a second-best record in the league, have a great coach in Dwane Casey, and have an awesome depth on the roster. Washington Wizards, on the other hands, entered this season with great expectations but eventually had a disappointing season so far. That won’t change against the Raptors, especially since we don’t even know how healthy John Wall is. Presume some games will be close, but Raptors will own this series.

(2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Milwaukee Bucks

Prediction:
Milwaukee Bucks win 3-4

Why:
This one was really tough. While Boston Celtics’ roster is destroyed by injuries, Brad Stevens has shown us that he can keep winning just with a couple of promising youngsters and handful of veterans. But, Milwaukee Bucks have too much talent to throw away this opportunity. It will be a close series, but Giannis Antetokounmpo will take over the last game and will the Buck into the second round.

(3) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (6) Miami Heat

Prediction:
Philadelphia 76ers win 4-2

Why:
Miami Heat will give Philadelphia 76ers run for their money that’s for sure. There will be multiple games that will come down to last possession, where Miami Heat will see the opportunity to use their experience and steal a game they usually wouldn’t win. But the young 76ers team will never lose control over the series and won’t allow an elimination game.

(4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) Indiana Pacers

Prediction:
Cleveland Cavaliers win 4-0

Why:
LeBron James, that’s why. Don’t get us wrong, we respect what Indiana Pacers and Victor Oladipo did this season. After Paul George left Indiana, Oladipo became a new hero and brought hope to a desperate team. But, despite their problems, Cleveland Cavaliers will still have the best player on the planet who will create havoc even with an average supporting cast.

The post Opinion: NBA Playoffs 2018 First Round Predictions – Eastern Conference appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors are set to do battle in the NBA Finals, which will begin on Thursday night. The Warriors, who are back-to-back winners of the title and have won 3 of the past 4 championships, will face a challenge from the upstart Raptors, who defeated the #1 seed Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Golden State is the popular choice to win, and it’s easy to see why. With a strong cast of elite talents such as Steph Curry, DeMarcus Cousins, and Klay Thompson, the Dubs can outscore any team in the league. This is without even counting Kevin Durant, whose status is up in the air for the series.

While it might be tempting to go with the Raptors and the hottest player in the league in Kawhi Leonard, I think the Golden State Warriors are set to win their third consecutive NBA Finals.

First, it’s important to take into account the weapons that Golden State has. If Durant (who has been ruled out for Game 1) is able to return, the Warriors will have three players that averaged more than 21.5 PPG during the regular season in the lineup, adding Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. In addition, the Warriors shot an absurd 49.1% from the field during the season while scoring 117.1 point per game, proving that they are an offensive juggernaut.

The Raptors simply don’t have the same scoring firepower as Golden State. Only Kawhi Leonard, who averaged 26.1 points per game, was able to break a 17 point average on the year. While they have some complimentary role players that can score in bunches like Kyle Lowry, the Warriors will have an easier time when double-teaming Leonard and leaving their unproven scorers to test their luck.

Also, it’s important to note that Golden State simply has more experience in these situations. This is the Warriors’ fifth straight Finals appearance, meaning that their players are accustomed to the high pressure situations that these games can have. For Toronto, this is uncharted territory. The franchise was established in 1995, and this is the team’s first ever trip to the NBA Finals.

I’ll bet on experience and familiarity in this case, and Golden State has a proven core of players that have handled these situations well in the past.

For these reasons, I expect the Golden State Warriors to take home the NBA Finals in 6 games. Toronto will put up a valiant fight, but the Warriors should be able to lift the Commissioner’s Trophy yet again.

The post NBA Finals 2019 Prediction: Warriors vs. Rockets appeared first on SportzBonanza.

NBA Playoffs 2018 are finally here. Regular season wrapped up on Wednesday and now we know who made it to the postseason, and who will spend their time planning vacations.

We decided to use this small window between the end of the regular season and start of the first round of the playoffs on April 14th to think hard about everything we have seen in the past 82 games and enter the “predictions business.” We made our picks for the winners of all the NBA Playoffs 2018 first-round series and we shall stick with them until the very end. This time we are predicting Eastern Conference. (You can check out our Western Conference predictions here.)

Although Eastern Conference is often considered weak and not quite interesting as the West, this year’s first round of the playoffs might be something else. Due to various injuries and other factors, we have some big matchups in the first round that no one expected before the season started. So who will make it out?

(1) Toronto Raptors vs. (8) Washington Wizards

Prediction:
Toronto Raptors win 4-1

Why:
It’s fairly simple. Toronto Raptors entered the NBA Playoffs 2018 with a second-best record in the league, have a great coach in Dwane Casey, and have an awesome depth on the roster. Washington Wizards, on the other hands, entered this season with great expectations but eventually had a disappointing season so far. That won’t change against the Raptors, especially since we don’t even know how healthy John Wall is. Presume some games will be close, but Raptors will own this series.

(2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Milwaukee Bucks

Prediction:
Milwaukee Bucks win 3-4

Why:
This one was really tough. While Boston Celtics’ roster is destroyed by injuries, Brad Stevens has shown us that he can keep winning just with a couple of promising youngsters and handful of veterans. But, Milwaukee Bucks have too much talent to throw away this opportunity. It will be a close series, but Giannis Antetokounmpo will take over the last game and will the Buck into the second round.

(3) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (6) Miami Heat

Prediction:
Philadelphia 76ers win 4-2

Why:
Miami Heat will give Philadelphia 76ers run for their money that’s for sure. There will be multiple games that will come down to last possession, where Miami Heat will see the opportunity to use their experience and steal a game they usually wouldn’t win. But the young 76ers team will never lose control over the series and won’t allow an elimination game.

(4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) Indiana Pacers

Prediction:
Cleveland Cavaliers win 4-0

Why:
LeBron James, that’s why. Don’t get us wrong, we respect what Indiana Pacers and Victor Oladipo did this season. After Paul George left Indiana, Oladipo became a new hero and brought hope to a desperate team. But, despite their problems, Cleveland Cavaliers will still have the best player on the planet who will create havoc even with an average supporting cast.

The post Opinion: NBA Playoffs 2018 First Round Predictions – Eastern Conference appeared first on SportzBonanza.