Sports

The Tower’s 2024 NBA Playoff Predictions

Ari Shemesh and Isaac Shrader

April 23, 2024

The Tower's 2024 NBA Playoff Predictions

On Sunday, April 14, another historic NBA regular season came to an end, with 10 teams from each conference earning the opportunity to compete in the 2024 NBA playoffs and fight tooth and nail for the chance to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June. The playoffs kick off on April 16, with the eight seed Lakers facing off against the seven seed Pelicans in the Play-In Tournament, with many more intense matchups to follow. This season has been one for the ages, with an unprecedented amount of scoring and offensive playmaking, which is likely to continue well into the playoffs, setting it up to be one of the most entertaining and fast-paced postseasons in NBA history, with plenty of new teams and faces looking to make a Finals push and perhaps even secure the win. While there may be some seemingly clear-cut winners in the playoffs this year, there are also plenty of teams who may look a little rough around the edges, but come playoff time will show the league what they truly are capable of doing. With that in mind, here are The Tower’s predictions for the 2024 NBA playoffs.

Western Conference Play-In Tournament Winners

The Western Conference Play-In Tournament will commence on April 16, with the Lakers and Pelicans facing off to secure the seventh seed in the playoffs, while the Warriors and Kings will face off to determine who will play another game in order to secure the eighth seed. The Lakers are a formidable, experienced team in the playoffs, as they are led by one the league’s all-time greats and seasoned veteran Lebron James who’s high basketball IQ and playoff knowledge will help propel the team past the play-in and even beyond. In addition to Lebron, the Lakers have All-Star Anthony Davis who usually struggles with injury, but has been consistent and healthy all year, which creates a dangerous duo between him and James, who are unstoppable when in sync. The Lakers are also 3-1 against the New Orleans Pelicans this year, and it is unlikely that they will give up a critical game to them at such an important time in the year. Looking at the Warriors-Kings matchup, the Warriors are likely to beat the Sacramento Kings in their first Play-In game, as they possess a high-scoring offense who can succeed in the playoffs, having won the NBA Finals only a few years ago, and possessing three experienced playoff players in Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson, who saw some struggles in the regular season, but are guaranteed to perfect their play in the moments that matter. However, despite their win in the first round of the Play-In, the Warriors will fall to the Pelicans due to their superior regular season performance and more well-rounded cast of players, leading to the Pelicans securing the eight seed and playing Oklahoma City in the first round of the playoffs.

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Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament Winners

The Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament will begin on April 17, with the eight seed Miami Heat playing the seven seed Philadelphia 76ers, as well as the nine seed Chicago Bulls playing the 10 seed Atlanta Hawks. The Miami Heat have proved time and time again that they are not a team to be underestimated in the playoffs, and Jimmy Butler is capable of putting on stellar performances when everything is on the line. Given Butler’s unrelenting passion and determination to win games in the playoffs, the 76ers will fall short, despite recently regaining star-player Joel Embiid. Even with this readdition, the Butler-Adebayo duo will prevail once again and send the 76ers to the second game of the Play-In Tournament, while securing the seven seed game against the Knicks for themselves. Speaking of the second Play-In game, it will likely see the Chicago Bulls matched up against the Philadelphia 76ers, with the Chicago Bulls having won their game against Atlanta Hawks due to the Hawks inability to maintain their consistency, as well as their record of coming up short when it matters. Additionally, the Bulls have been playing their best basketball towards the end of the season, and they are sure to continue this against the failing Hawks. Although the Bulls might be playing their best basketball currently, their best no match for the 76ers will a revived Joel Embiid and a chip on their shoulder from losing the previous Play-In game, which will ultimately give them the determination to beat the weaker Bulls team and secure their spot as the eighth seed, matching up against the formidable Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

Western Conference Finals: Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Clippers

Assuming that the Clippers’ roster can remain healthy throughout the playoffs, they should be able to make a deep run. They have two of the most underrated players in the league: Paul George, who is one of the craftiest and efficient scorers in the league, and Kawhi Leonard, who not only is capable of scoring from anywhere on the court, but also is one of the league’s best defenders. Additionally, they have one of the best supporting casts in the NBA. The starting point guard is James Harden, who despite being out of his prime, is still very capable of scoring and passing the ball. They also have Russell Westbrook coming off the bench, who is still one of the most explosive players in the league. However, The Tower predicts that they will fall short against the Nuggets. The Nuggets are coming off another incredible season after their championship season last year. Nikola Jokic has shown no signs of slowing down, as he is currently leading the league in MVP votes. Additionally, they have Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, who are two very efficient scorers, especially when mixed with an elite facilitator like Jokic. In recent years, they’ve made more deep runs into the playoffs, which is why they are predicted to head to the NBA Finals.

Eastern Conference Finals: Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat

The Celtics have fallen short many times in the playoffs within the last few years. However, they have only continued to get better, not only by updating their roster, but by successfully improving on each players’ skills. For example, a big concern surrounding Jaylen Brown at the beginning of the season was his ability to efficiently utilize his left hand when forcing his way to the rim. However, he has worked on this aspect of his game, and become an even more dangerous threat offensively. Another player that continues to improve is Derrick White, who continues to improve his scoring abilities each year. Finally, Jayson Tatum has continued to improve throughout the regular season, and is one of the best players in the league. The Heat, despite playing at an average level for the majority of the regular season, always seem to step up their games when the playoffs begin. Although they are the eight seed in the Eastern Conference, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo should be able to make another deep run into the playoffs. Although the Heat do have more success in the playoffs, The Tower predicts that the Celtics will make it to the Finals, and possibly make it over the hump of winning the championship.

NBA Finals: Boston Celtics vs Denver Nuggets

The Tower predicts that the Celtics are going to win the championship in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. The Nuggets are coming off a championship season, with Jokic, who is debatably the best player in the league. However, they have not made the same level of improvements as the Celtics have over the last year. The Celtics have made pickups such as Jrue Holiday, who is one of the best two-way guards in the NBA, as well as Kristaps Porzingis, who is one of the more underrated centers in the league, so not only are they better offensively, but they are also much better defensively. As a result of the large improvements that the Celtics have made, The Tower predicts that Jayson Tatum will finally lead the Celtics to his first championship title.

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About the Contributors

Ari Shemesh, Reporter

Ari Shemesh, a senior at Adams, is excited to be back for his second year as a member of The Tower, and is eager to finally get back on the reporting grind. This year, Ari is hoping to spend more quality time with his friend David Nagy, amongst others (Isaac Shrader), while continuing to write for The Tower and learn valuable writing and reporting skills While his mornings are spent being an incredibly successful reporter, , Ari is starting his fourth year on the John Adams tennis team, where he dominates every afternoon. When given time to chill, Ari likes to play video games, watch movies, and watch or play sports with his family and friends. Furthermore, Ari enjoys spending his summers at an overnight camp, where this past summer break, he cleaned toilets and dishes for two months. Ari’s favorite classes in school are history and English; He is also a member of NHS, and spends time volunteering at the Jewish Federation of St. Joseph Valley. Ari is very excited to start his final year as a reporter and a student at Adams. His one request this year is that you guys help him finish the year with more reads than Isaac Shrader.

Isaac Shrader, Reporter

Isaac Shrader, a senior at Adams, is in his second year as a sports reporter for the Tower and is ready to get back in on the action. Since a young age, Isaac has always had a passion for creating stories. He initially joined The Tower to explore new types of writing, as well as learn more about the world through a journalistic lens. Isaac values honesty and creativity in what he writes and hopes to grab the attention of a diverse group of readers through his articles, while also providing accurate, engaging information, particularly about sports. In addition to writing for the Tower, Isaac is captain of the John Adams Men’s Swim Team (which you should join if you want to be involved in the universally agreed upon best sport at John Adams High School) and a member of the National Honors Society. Isaac enjoys attending various sporting events at Adams, along with the fun sports culture that comes with it. Writing for The Tower has been a very rewarding experience for Isaac and he hopes to continue providing accurate news to the John Adams School Community. Isaac encourages Adams students to read The Tower because of the accurate, engaging information it provides. He hopes that students go to the sports page, where they will likely be able to read one of his articles. If you ever stumble across Isaac outside of school, he’ll likely be doing some of his favorite things such as listening to music, writing, hiking, watching sports, or spending time with friends and family. Isaac hopes to be able to share his creativity and knowledge with those who take the time to read his articles and asks that you help him have more reads this year than his fellow reporter, Ari Shemesh.