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The Carletonian

The Carletonian

NBA predictions and preview

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The 2015/2016 NBA season is almost upon us and this year is sure to be as exciting as last year. Sure, it is still super early, but it’s never too early to offer predictions for the upcoming season, right?

Eastern Conference Championship: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks had a good regular season run last year even though it ended early in the playoffs. They will use that to fuel them this year in the East. All-star Paul Millsap along with Tiago Splitter and Kyle Korver will help the team reclaim its spot as one of the top teams in the league. However, the Cavaliers, led by LeBron James will overpower them to become the…

…Beasts of the East: Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland won the East last year and advanced to the finals where they faced loaded Warriors team. They lost the series in the 6th game and the Cavaliers will return hungrier than ever to claim the title as Champions of the East and league champs. With LeBron being LeBron, and all of their other key pieces back and healthy, look for the Cavaliers to win the title in a relatively weak Eastern conference. The star-power and hunger from last year will lead the Cavaliers to the finals.

Western Conference Championship game: Los Angeles Clippers vs. San Antonio Spurs

A rematch of last year’s first round of the playoffs. The Clippers kept DeAndre Jordan this offseason to keep their defense intact. They also signed clutch veteran Paul Pierce along with Lance Stephenson to revamp their already loaded roster. However, the Spurs are fighting for a title more than ever before and will take down the Clippers to become the…

…Best of the West: San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs have been so good for so long, they often get overlooked. Last year their postseason was cut short with a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs. However, this offseason brought some new faces into the AT&T center. LaMarcus Aldridge, the top free agent and veteran team leader David West both came to San Antonio this offseason to join Tim Duncan and company as they look to prove why they are the best of the West. Their revamped roster and experience will get them the Western conference championship.

League Underdog: Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks have slowly been adding lots of young talent to their roster. With Jabari Parker back and healthy and fellow young standouts Michael Carter-Williams and Giannis Antetokounmpo aided by the offseason addition of center Greg Monroe, the Bucks will be a team to look out for this season.

League MVP: Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans

Davis’ talent on offense and defense will win him this year’s MVP award. His supporting cast is not spectacular and he single-handedly runs the show down in New Orleans. His toughest competitors will be last year’s MVP Steph Curry, James Harden (Houston), and LeBron James (Cleveland). Don’t discount any of these three players yet, but Davis is shaping up to have the best year with the least supporting help.

Finals: San Antonio v. Cleveland

The classic LeBron v. San Antonio matchup that has haunted his storied career gets another round. Watch out for San Antonio, but Cleveland wins its first championship in 30 years. LeBron gets ring number three, and the Jordan comparisons will only get louder and louder.

With less than a week until the season, get ready for another major sport to start! With the return of Kevin Durant and Paul George anything can happen this year.

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