Will Chef Curry Cook Again?

The NBA Playoffs have already brought great excitement in two seven-games series, overtime games, and astounding individual performances from players such as Isiah Thomas, Paul Millsap, and Draymond Green. Competition will be fierce, especially in the Western Conference, as teams vie to reach the finals in June. The Warriors, who this year set the NBA record for most wins in the regular season with 73, will look to defend last year’s title. On the other hand, contenders such as the Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs, and Oklahoma City Thunder will try to upset the heavily-favored defending champions.

However, the playoff picture has already been shaken up by injuries, leaving nothing close to certain. The Clippers lost their two biggest stars, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, for the remainder of the playoffs and suffered an early exit. More notably, Warriors star and 2015 MVP Stephen Curry will miss at least two weeks due to a knee injury, but it is likely that he will be healthy for the more important games. Without further ado, here are my predictions for the 2016 playoffs.

Eastern Conference Finals: Cleveland Cavaliers over the Miami Heat in 5 games.

If this matchup occurs, it will be an epic storyline as LeBron James will be facing his old team and many of his old teammates from the Heat’s 2013 championship squad. While the Heat have a great mixture of rising young players, such as Hassan Whiteside, and veterans, like three time NBA champion Dwayne Wade, they lack the star power to defeat the Cavs, who boast a trio of stars (LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving). I foresee the high powered offense of the Cavaliers wearing down the tired, aging core players of the Heat, making this series a quick one.

Western Conference Finals: Golden State Warriors over the San Antonio Spurs in 6.

Assuming that Stephen Curry is healthy, the Warriors should take care of business against the Spurs as they did in the regular season, where Golden State won three of four games. Unlike most teams, the Spurs have someone, two-time defensive player of the year Kawhi Leonard, who can limit Stephen Curry. However, the Warriors have many other options. Their bench is full of starting-caliber players, and they also have two all-stars in Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Plus, one cannot underestimate Andre Igoudala, a bench player who won the 2015 Finals MVP award. The Spurs are extremely talented, but after their 73 win season, the Warriors are arguably the best team of all time.

NBA Finals: Warriors over the Cavaliers in 7.

If any team can beat the seemingly invincible Warriors, it would be the LeBron James-led Cavs, but I think that no matter how much LeBron does for his team, history will repeat itself and the Warriors will prevail as they did last year. In order for the Cavaliers to win, they must use their physical players like Tristan Thompson and LeBron James to outrebound the Warriors and hope that Golden State has a few of its extremely rare bad shooting nights. Every team in NBA history to win more than 69 games in a season has won the finals, and the Warriors will be no exception. I expect LeBron and his team to put up a huge fight, but ultimately Cleveland’s title drought will continue, and the Warriors will repeat as champions.