CT Sports Selects: Who will hoist the Larry O’Brien?
Illustration by Killian Goodale-Porter.
With the NBA playoffs right around the corner, The Commonwealth Times Sports staff makes their picks for who will represent each conference, and more importantly, who will end the season at the top of the summit.
Drew Thompson, Staff Writer
The Boston Celtics will be representing the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals . The defending champs have remained one of the most dominant teams in the league. The only team in the East that can challenge them is the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the Celtics are better built for a seven-game series.
I anticipate they’ll run into a roadblock in the finals where they’ll lose to first-time champions the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder are probably the deepest team in the entire league, and they have the record and stats to back that up. Leading the Thunder is MVP-hopeful guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is in the midst of his best season with a league-leading 32.7 points per game, and sitting within the top 15 in assists and steals per game, according to ESPN.
The Thunder are more than just Gilgeous-Alexander however. The Thunder have the third-best offense with the best defense in the league to match, according to the NBA. Its defense is complemented by players like guard Cason Wallace, guard Luguentz Dort and forward Chet Holmgren. The offense runs primarily through Gilgeous-Alexander, but guard Jalen Williams provides good second-option scoring and center Isiah Hartenstien is a top offensive rebounder in the league.
The Thunder are the betting odds favorite to win the NBA championship, according to FanDuel, and it’s easy to see why. Oklahoma City will win their first title on the back of an MVP-caliber season from Gilgeous-Alexander, and fantastic depth to compliment him.
Andrew McGhan, Staff Writer
The NBA Finals are going to be the Oklahoma City Thunder representing the Western Conference and the Boston Celtics representing the Eastern Conference. The team that will win the finals will be the Boston Celtics.
The Celtics are the defending champions and look primed to make another postseason run to the NBA Finals. They are led by an all-star duo of forwards Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Tatum averages 27 points per game and Brown averages 22 points per game, according to basketball-reference. The Celtics sit at second place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 61-21 regular season record. They also have an offensive rating of 120.6 which is ranked second in the NBA, according to basketball-reference.
The Thunder are in first place in the Western Conference standings with a record of 68-14, according to basketball-reference. They have a defensive rating of 107.5 which is the best rating in the NBA.
I see a playoff series between the Thunder and Celtics going to six or seven games. The Celtics will win the series because of their experience and their offensive ability.
Hayden Braun, Contributing Writer
The Lakers have had the spotlight on them all season due to the shocking Luka Dončić trade. However, before the Dončić trade, the Lakers were 28-19 and fifth in the Western Conference, according to Yahoo Sports. Since then, they’ve been on a 18-10 run, according to Statmuse. The Lakers are third in the Western Conference, according to ESPN — though that could change at any moment, given how tight the playoff race is in the West. There’s just a two-game separation between the seventh seed and the third seed, according to SB Nation.
The Lakers’ success this season has been fueled by their star trio: LeBron James, Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves.
James, age 40, continues to defy Father Time, averaging 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game, according to ESPN. Dončić’s impact has been immediate — he leads the team in scoring 28.2 points per game and 8.1 rebounds per game, according to ESPN. Reaves has shown significant improvement, particularly from three-point range. In a recent game against the Golden State Warriors, he set a career-high with nine three-pointers, according to StatMuse. This season, he ranks second on the Lakers in three-pointers made at 3.6 per game and fourth in three-point percentage at 37.9%, according to ESPN.
I do think the Lakers will face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the finals. James’ leadership has been key in keeping the Lakers competitive in the tight Western Conference race. With the playoffs approaching, the Lakers’ championship hopes hinge on this trio’s ability to maintain their elite production.
Alexis Washington, Staff Writer
The Golden State Warriors will represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals. This national championship-caliber team poses an offensive threat with their veteran leadership. Eight people on the Warriors are averaging double-digit points, according to ESPN. Warriors’ guard Stephen Curry continues to make it hard for others to defend him averaging 24 points and six assists. His off-ball movement, deep three-point shooting and high basketball IQ creates space not just for himself but for his teammates as well.
One key aspect of the Warriors’ success is their aggressiveness, with the help of forward Draymond Green. If he stays out of foul trouble, there is no question that they can win their eighth championship in franchise history. Green averages six rebounds and five assists, according to ESPN. Another key player is forward Jimmy Butler who got traded to the Warriors from the Miami Heat. In his first season with Golden State, he has averaged 17 points and five rebounds and five assists. The Pacers struggle with rim protection allowing an average of 51.7 opponents points in the paint per season, according to teamrankings.
Despite the Warriors being sixth in the conference, playoff Curry and Butler are something different. Curry averages 27 points, six assists and five rebounds in his playoff career, according to statmuse. While Butler averages 21 points and six rebounds.
One thing the Warriors have over any other team in the conference is help from the bench players. The Warriors are third in the NBA in bench points per game with 43 points, according to statmuse. With the contributions from everyone on the team, the Warriors will hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy once again.
