2023 Conference Finals Predictions Thread.

East

Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat

I like how the Heat have a center. And I like Butler.

Brown is the most consistent of Boston's players, to me. Tatum can score a lot, but I think other players do more.

Miami in 7.

Miami

Boston

Miami

Miami

Boston

Boston

Miami

Larry Bird trophy: Jimmy Butler

West

Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Lakers

I've picked Denver to lose almost every series since 2019.

Anthony Davis has finally been consistent the past few games.

I still don't like how Denver only has 1 All-Star, and only won 53 games as a #1 seed.

I guess I'll pick Denver. It helps when your best player can rebound.

Denver

Denver

Los Angeles

Denver

Los Angeles

Denver

Magic Johnson trophy: Nikola Jokic

I guess I've picked series that aren't 2-2 after 4 games, in this round.

Great game so far tonight.

@Trueblood, what are your picks?

Miami with 45 points in the 3rd.

102 - 91, end of the 3rd.

@Trueblood, what are your picks?

I'm going with Denver and Boston. I know that some people are tempted to dump Boston after losing game 1 at home but I'll stick it out. Let's not forget that they lost game 1 at home to Philly as well

As is the case with any hard core Laker hater, you have to hope for Denver but I genuinely think that they can do this. Being up by as many as they were with AD having a great game is a good sign

https://twitter.com/MedcalfByESPN/status/1659378671684141062

https://twitter.com/NBAMemes/status/1660459777611251713

https://en.as.com/nba/how-many-players-on-the-miami-heat-roster-went-undrafted-n/

My trophy presenters are Fat Lever for Denver and Glen Rice for Miami.

I wanted to pick these before the conference finals, but with the draft lottery being on the same day, I didn't have time to think about it and make a good trophy presenter pick.

Also I just realized that Chris Andersen played for Miami in 2013 and 2014. Would be funny if he was a presenter for both Denver and Miami.

I wanted to pick Mutombo, but the Nuggets have seemed to have distanced themselves from him.

That is one of the most memorable final minute of a postseason game I've seen.

Congrats to Boston.

For Adebayo, a center cannot go 4-16.

Another observation I have is that the past several games, Butler hasn't guarded anyone, just giving space to most Celtics defenders.

Meanwhile, Brown has guarded Butler, and been great on defense. Brown had several deflections and steals in game 5.

Today, he had several contests which contributed to Butler's poor FG%.

And, that defense helped Brown on offense, as it lead to easier shots in transition, instead of a set defense.

This is why I like seeing my best defensive players used, because it usually helps them have easier opportunities on offense, because they're then getting rebounds and having scoring opportunities with the other team on their heels, instead of on their toes.

Better defense usually leads to easier offense, and less effort on offense.

Duncan Robinson also had two wide open looks for 3 in the final minute, and missed.

That would have been the reason why Miami lost, if it hadn't been for the offensive rebound putback they gave up to Derrick White.

Well no game comes down to a single play, but Robinson's two misses would have been more discussed, if Miami had never taken the lead in the final seconds, only to lose it.

I'm not going to give him a hard time because he was playing great prior to that

I liked the game 7. Miami forced turnovers and played a normal game for the most part.

Boston kept jacking up 3's and lost.

5 of 7 games in a series have been won on the road between these teams, two years in a row.

8 of the last 11 game 7's have been won on the road, and 11 of 17.

I would have given the MVP to Caleb Martin.

It sucks that Mourning was Miami's trophy presenter. He quit on the Nets, forced a trade to Miami, then would suddenly play every game for the Heat and flex after every blocked shot.

The Nets could have used him in 2003-2004, having gone to two straight conference finals.

Great point. Not to mention flaking out on the Hornets back in '95 which got him to the Heat in the first place

Great point. Not to mention flaking out on the Hornets back in '95 which got him to the Heat in the first place

That pissed me off too. The Mourning and Larry Johnson Hornets team were a fun NBA Jam TE team.

Mourning to the Nets was Derek Fisher to the Jazz and Mavs.

Derek Fisher used his daughter's eye cancer to force a trade from the Jazz to the Lakers, even though his daughter was getting treatment in New York (geographically closer to Utah).

Derek Fisher would also quit on the Mavs, then suddenly sign with the Thunder in 2013.

Derek Fisher also slept with Matt Barnes' wife while Barnes' sons were in the house. If you're going sleep with a married person, do it so the kids can't hear or see it.

Matt Barnes had gotten a call from his son, wondering why his mom's friend Derek was there.

That's not to excuse the wife, but Fisher could have acted a little more responsibly and not confused little kids.

But going back to Mourning, it sickened me to see Mourning flex from 2004 - 2006 in every game, after every blocked shot.

If he had played like that for the Nets, we would have probably been talking about at least one more Finals trip. Maybe they're the ones that beat the 2004 Lakers in the Finals.

Or maybe they're the ones that take one away from the Spurs in 2005. Or the Mavs in 2006.

Maybe the Nets in 2004. IIRC, the eventual champion Pistons had to come back from being down 3-2 to the Nets that year. It's possible that they would've broken through and Mourning could finally say he topped Shaq being that he was always considered the "other" guy from that 1992 draft

Yeah, I remember Fisher using his daughter as an excuse to get an easier ring. I often wonder what would've happened had the Jazz remained firm or instead of releasing him from his contract, had just traded him somewhere else. I would've called his bluff on the daughter thing and traded him to the Clips. Hey, if you want to be in LA, we've got just the team for you.

The Barnes thing was something. I think Barnes drove all the way back from Santa Barbara to confront Fisher if I'm not mistaken. Not only was Fisher and the Mom/ex wife wrong but Fisher kept doing it when he went to New York. If I'm not mistaken, he thumped Tim Hardaway Jr's GF when he was the coach for the Knicks

Wow.

I suspect Ime Udoka did the same thing, with it being a player's GF. But it could have been another assistant coach's wife/GF, or someone from the front office's wife/GF.

Houston might be a better place for Udoka, as if he wants a NBA city with a lot of available women, Houston is supposed to have the most strip clubs per capita, or something like that.

What's more annoying for Fisher, is that he ruined a playoffs moment in hindsight. During the 2007 playoffs, there was one game where he was in NY at the start of the day. He then came midway during game 2, after his plane landed, and hit a 3-pointer in OT for a Jazz win.

That should have been one of the best moments in playoffs sports history, in terms of feel good stories.

But because of how he forced his way out later, the moment is discarded.

I think he pointed to the heavens for the Jazz, against the 8th seed Warriors.

Against the Spurs in 2004, after he made the shot, he just ran off the court.

Rumor has it that Harden went to Vegas during the middle of the playoffs.

https://www.si.com/nba/2023/05/05/doc-rivers-james-harden-las-vegas-trip-philadelphia-76ers

And Doc let it happen.

Doc even defends it, by saying Rodman did it.

Well, if the Bulls had lost a series, Rodman would be the first person people would be blaming.

Not sure about people who are ok with extra curricular activities overshadowing their performance.

No, you don't have to live in the gym. But you don't have to travel out of town, either.