SneakerReporter NBA 2022-23 Eastern Conference Playoff Predictions

SneakerReporter NBA 2022-23 Eastern Conference Playoff Predictions

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by | Apr 15, 2023 | Featured, NBA

The NBA regular season has come to an end and every team has played their 82 game season. Only 16 teams remain for one objective… to reach the NBA Finals. 8 teams on each conference will compete to reach the Finals.

No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks (58-24) Vs No. 8 Miami Heat (44-38) 

The Milwaukee Bucks enter the playoffs with the best record in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks will look to sweep Miami Heat and advance to the next round. Arguably one of the best players in the league Giannis Antetokounmpo will be leading the way for the Bucks with his teammates backing him up as they’ve proved they are one of the best teams in the league. This Bucks team could be very dangerous heading into the playoffs and are hungry to head back to the NBA Finals. 

The Miami Heat punched their way into the playoffs after losing to the Atlanta Hawks in the play-in tournament and then beating the Chicago Bulls for the final spot in the eastern conference playoff picture. The Heat nearly missed out on the playoffs but a good team victory against the Bulls proves that they could surprise the Bucks and make it an interesting series. Jimmy Butler will look to lead his teammates against the best team in the East. 

Prediction: Bucks Win the Series (4-0)

No. 2 Boston Celtics (57-25) Vs No. 7 Atlanta Hawks (41-41) 

The Atlanta Hawks punched their ticket to the playoffs with a win over the Miami Heat in the Play-In tournament while on the road. The Hawks haven’t had the season they’ve wanted but still clawed their way into the playoffs. With a young team and Trae Young leading the way now is the time they have to play well together, they are playing arguably one of the toughest teams in the league as they are going up against the defending Eastern Conference Champions. The Road will not be easy for the Hawks, they’ll need to play the most efficient basketball they’ve played all season against the Celtics. 

The Boston Celtics are the defending Eastern Conference champions and are looking to make a trip back to the NBA Finals. A lot of critics and teams were interested to see how the Celtics would play since Joe Mazzulla took the head coaching job, and the Celtics showed no signs of slowing down. They were able to obtain the second seed in the eastern conference. The Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown duo will look to lead their team to success in this series and advance to the second round. 

Prediction: Celtics Wins the Series (4-0) 

No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers (54-28) vs No. 6 Brooklyn Nets (45-36)

The Brooklyn Nets are an entirely different team in the second half of the season. The Nets had Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant to start off the season but both were traded before the NBA Trade Deadline. The Nets have built themselves quite a team since the trades and were able to obtain a playoff spot. The Nets will head into the playoff as underdogs but they do have the talent to keep up with the 76ers and could make this series interesting. 

As for the Philadelphia 76ers they’ve dealt with injuries this season but were up there with the top teams in the league and were able to secure the third seed in the Eastern Conference. James Harden seems to be finding his rhythm and looks to be displaying his best in the NBA playoffs and make an NBA Finals run with teammate Joel Embiid who could potentially be the league MVP.  The 76ers have their work cutout for them and look to make a strong statement in round 1. 

Prediction: 76ers win the Series (4-1)

No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers (51-31) Vs New York Knicks (47-35)

This series may be the most interesting in the eastern conference. The Cavaliers made a big splash last summer to get Donovan Mitchell and secured the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Many critics thought that they wouldn’t make it this far but the Cavaliers front court has been underrated this season. The Cavaliers defense has been solid all season and will look to limit Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle if he’s ready to play. 

As for the Knicks they could be without Randle and will have to rely on Brunson to run the offense. If the Knicks have both those players then this series can be interesting but if Randle isn’t set to go it could be a hard series for the Knicks. This series will depend on if Randle will be able to put up numbers and show that he is the star for the Knicks. The Knicks will have their hands filled defensively as they have to guard Mitchell and Darius Garland. 

Prediction: Cavaliers Win the Series (4-3)

Apr 15, 2023 No Comments
Minnesota Timberwolves Battle Through Adversity To Beat The Pelicans (113-108)

Minnesota Timberwolves Battle Through Adversity To Beat The Pelicans (113-108)

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by | Apr 9, 2023 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

The Minnesota Timberwolves are coming off a very impressive win against the San Antonio Spurs yesterday. Today they had to face the New Orleans Pelicans in a game that would determine a lot of the seeding going into the Play-In Tournament. Both Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns were questionable heading into this game but both suited up. This was going to be a huge matchup as Brandon Ingram has been hot and so has Karl Anthony Towns since coming back from his calf strain.

 

From the tipoff, this was a game that was going back and forth in the Target Center. Brandon Ingram was unstoppable and looked like the prime version of Dirk Nowitzki with his fadeaway jumper. The Timberwolves were throwing multiple defenders on Ingram but it wasn’t working. Jaden McDaniels was the primary defender on Brandon Ingram but he was limited when he got 2 quick fouls that put him on the bench. Brandon Ingram was the Pelican’s offense as the man had himself a 21-point quarter. It seemed as though nothing was going right defensively on Ingram but Anthony Edwards was up to the task for the remainder of the game. Once Brandon Ingram got some rest at the beginning of the 2nd quarter that’s when the Timberwolves were able to gain some momentum. Anthony Edwards started to get into the paint and was able to hit some tough shots with people all over him.

 

When Anthony makes those tough shots it gets his game going and he gets very active on the defensive end as well. Brandon Ingram came back in the game and started to get it going again but this time around Edwards was all over him leaving Jonas Valančiūnas with Rudy Gobert. The Pelicans were having Valančiūnas outside the paint so that it can limit the impact that Rudy Gobert had inside the paint. Anytime that Valančiūnas got the ball on the perimeter he was taking Rudy away from the basket and it was hurting the Timberwolves during a certain stretch. You can’t really blame Rudy as he was already banged up coming into this game. It was tough to see as during a timeout tempers were shown on the sideline as Rudy got into it with teammate Kyle Anderson. This moment can either make or break a team and this was a moment where Anthony Edwards/Karl-Anthony Towns took over and showed maturity.

 

 

The Timberwolves were already down at halftime after the altercation on the bench. Shortly after that Jaden McDaniels took his frustration out on what he thought was a tarp flap and it happened to be concrete as seen below. Jaden McDaniels was reported to have fractured his hand and will be out for some significant time. This all happened within the flow of the game that still needed to be won by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

 

 

In that 2nd half, the Timberwolves came out with some heart as they quickly put together a 5-0 run to start the 3rd. Once they got that quick run going it got the crowd back into the game. Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns were the ones to put the team on their backs. Karl-Anthony Towns was unreal in that 2nd half as he was able to hit back to back 3 pointers during a sequence where he had defenders all in his face. This was the KAT that myself and all the Timberwolves fans missed while he was hurt. Towns made it known in that 2nd half that he was back and if the Pelicans wanted to go small ball he was going to punish them.  The Pelicans faded away from Jonas Valančiūnas in the 2nd half as they wanted to play smaller. What Willie Green and the Pelicans didn’t know is that Towns was going to make them regret putting Herb Jones on him. Every position in the 3rd or 4th quarter was run through KAT and the Timberwolves had the mismatch. If they came to double KAT he found the open man and more than likely got it to Anthony Edwards.

 

 

Karl-Anthony Towns finished the game with 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists on the night with ease. Tonight he showed why he’s still one of the best big men in the NBA and that performance has led the Timberwolves to the 8th seed in the Play-In Tournament. Anthony Edwards had a sequence tonight where he was able to block CJ McCollum’s dunk attempt and came down the other end and scored a crazy basket. The job that Anthony Edwards did on Brandon Ingram in the 2nd half won’t get talked about much because of the adversity they sustained but it was special. Anthony Edwards finished with 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 assists. He’s locked in at the right time and he’s growing into that two-way player. With McDaniels about to be out they need Edwards to take it to another level now. Tauren Prince came off the bench and gave them 18 points in 35 mins. If he can come in and give them an offensive boost in the play-in that would be clutch.

 

Brandon Ingram finished the game with 42 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists today but it wasn’t enough to beat the Timberwolves. With that being said the Timberwolves will be heading to LA to play the Lakers on Tuesday night as they start the Play-In Journey.

 

 

 

 

Photo Credit: (Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images)

Apr 9, 2023 No Comments
The Timberwolves Clinch Play-In Spot By Defeating The Spurs (151-131)

The Timberwolves Clinch Play-In Spot By Defeating The Spurs (151-131)

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by | Apr 8, 2023 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

The Minnesota Timberwolves are coming into this game needing to win out if they want to have a chance to grab the 7th seed in the West. To do that, they had to handle the task at hand in Austin, TX. The Spurs were without Keldon Johnson and Zach Collins whereas the Timberwolves needed to play their starters to secure a spot in the play-in tournament. This is the front end of a back-to-back for the Timberwolves so they needed to make light work of the Spurs ASAP.

 

At the beginning of this game, you can tell that the Spurs were playing an extremely competitive game as Tre Jones was everywhere. It goes to show you that many of these Spurs players were still playing for jump security heading into next season. Tre Jones showed that his job would be more than secured as he can be one of the key pieces to the Spurs puzzle moving forward. It seemed as though Jones was all over the place getting rebounds and finding his teammates with ease. Tre Jones could go right at the Timberwolves’ defense with ease as he finished the game with a triple-double. Tre Jones had 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists on the day. The Spurs had 6 players in double figures against the Timberwolves and managed to score 131 but the Timberwolves just had it going offensively today. The Timberwolves scored 151 points and had 7 players in double figures as they were led by Anthony Edwards who finished with 33 points. Anthony Edwards as he came out the gates setting the tone in this game scoring with ease. The Spurs had no answer for Edwards as he was able to score over and around the Spurs’ defenders. When Edwards plays like this the Timberwolves are unstoppable and today it showed what the team can actually be when things are clicking.

 

 

Karl-Anthony Towns looked really good out there as well with 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. It’s good to see KAT getting back in the swing of things on the offensive and defensive sides. When KAT plays on both ends like he did today anything is possible. I truly believe if KAT didn’t get hurt this team would be locked into a seeded instead of the play-in tournament but things happen and you have to overcome. Rudy Gobert has been a rebounding machine and he did just that against the Spurs today as they had no big man in the paint that could stop him. Rudy had 13 rebounds and when he commands the paint like he did today this team is tough to beat as the Spurs found out. Rudy was the defensive anchor in the paint with 4 blocks today as well to add to his boards. The mix of KAT and Rudy has been special every time they grace the floor together. Jaden McDaniels took over that 3rd quarter and was able to drop 12 points in the quarter alone. We already know he is an All-Defense caliber player but when he scores the ball like he has since the All-Star breaks it makes it tough on anyone and the Spurs found that out today. This Timberwolves team is clicking at the right time and will have a game with the Pelicans tomorrow to determine their fate in the NBA play-in tournament. Below are the seeding opportunities for the Timberwolves heading into tomorrow’s game.

 

The Minnesota Timberwolves would finish (7th seed if they beat the Pelicans, Lakers lose to the Jazz) (8th seed if they beat the Pelicans, but Lakers beat the Jazz) (9th seed if they lose to Pelicans)

 

 

 

Photo Credit: (Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images)

 

Apr 8, 2023 No Comments
Minnesota Timberwolves Take Care Of Business In BK Beating The Nets (107-102)

Minnesota Timberwolves Take Care Of Business In BK Beating The Nets (107-102)

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by | Apr 5, 2023 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

The Minnesota Timberwolves found their selves in a dogfight on Tuesday night in Brooklyn. It’s coming down to the last games that matter in Minnesota needs to make the best of every opportunity in front of them. With their backs against the wall, Anthony Edwards showed up in a major way to help secure the win tonight.

This was by far one of the most complete games that I’ve seen from the Minnesota Timberwolves from an offensive and defensive output. Anthony Edwards took over in the second half making it very easy for the Tim Wolves down the stretch as he had a tough shot after tough shot. One of the things that impress me the most was his willingness to defend him to score at will and he made it tough on bridges and Johnson all night. Anthony Edwards finished the game of 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. When Anthony Edwards takes it upon himself to be the best player on the floor it’s tough to beat this Timberwolves team. Anthony Edwards prides himself  on being a two-way player and it showed on Tuesday night when he made one of the biggest defensive stops of the season against the Nets with the game on the line.

The Timberwolves made adjustments with the transition defense, and were able to get back quicker tonight as they turned defense into offense. Both Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns combined for 34 points and 26 rebounds on the night making it tough on Nic Claxton. Both Rudy and KAT were able to establish their dominance in the paint tonight as they made it tough on all the Nets especially with their passing out of doubles. Jaden McDaniels had one of his best games of the season as well as he shining at the right time during the season when the Timberwolves need them the most. Jaden was all over the place with steals, blocks, and making timely baskets. The Timberwolves will go deep in the playoffs if they get this consistent Jaden on a nightly basis. Jaden has been special to watch since All Star Break and they will need every ounce of his greatness that he’s shown moving forward. McDaniels made it tough on Mikal Bridges tonight and made him work for every point he scored.

bridges finished with 24 points on the night but it was Spencer Dinwiddie who was hitting everything he put up even with a hand in his face. Dinwiddie finished with 30 points and 6 assists as that wasn’t enough to help the Nets get the win.

 

The Timberwolves are off until Saturday’s game against the Spurs as they’re playing for postseason placement late in this season.

 

 

 

Photo Credit: (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

Apr 5, 2023 No Comments