2012-13 NBA Preview: Playoffs and Awards

Projecting the playoffs before a season begins is no easy task. Will the same teams that dominated last year come out on top again? Or will a rebuilt or up and coming team break through? It will be a while until we find out, but until then, I will do my best to predict the results. Here we go.

FIRST ROUND

EAST

(1) Miami def. (8) Washington 4-0
John Wall and Co. are just happy to make the playoffs and show much promise for the future, but are simply overmatched by a much more experienced and proven team.

(4) Indiana def. (5) Brooklyn 4-3
Brooklyn actually finishes the regular season with a better record than the Pacers, but lose out on home court because Indiana won their division. Ultimately that makes the difference, as the Pacers use their playoff experience from last season and their home fans to take game 7.

(3) New York def. (6) Philadelphia 4-2
Melo desperately wants to shake the notion that he can't win in the playoffs, and Jason Kidd will provide needed leadership. The big difference though, will be Tyson Chandler's ability to shut down Andrew Bynum down low.

(2) Boston def. (7) Chicago 4-2
Boston draws a very difficult opponent in the first round, as Derrick Rose will finally be back from injury, but the C's are able to neutralize him on defense and force other Bulls to score. This is not a recipe for success for Chicago.

WEST

(1) LA Lakers def. (8) Sacramento 4-1
Though the Kings are actually able to neutralize the two new Lakers with Cousins on Howard and Evans on Nash, they still have no answer for Kobe and Pao.

(5) Memphis def. (4) San Antonio 4-3
The Grizzlies are able to exploit the tiring Spurs the same way they did in the playoffs two years ago, as Z-Bo takes over down low. This ultimately leads to a Memphis victory in a hard fought series.

(3) Denver def. (6) LA Clippers 4-3
CP3 will come through in the playoffs as usual, but the all around contributions of the Nuggets lineup will be too much for the rest of the Clippers' lineup to handle.

(2) Oklahoma City def. (7) Dallas 4-2
Dirk will have a few games that remind us of his championship magic, but as is the case with CP3, will not have enough help to take down a well rounded Thunder lineup.

SECOND ROUND

EAST

(1) Miami def. (4) Indiana 4-3
Indiana has shown that it is not scared to go toe to toe with the Heat, and will not be satisfied by simply keeping a series close with them. With that said, the talent gap will finally become evident in game 7 when the Heat escape at home.

(2) Boston def. (3) New York 4-2
The Knicks definitely have the talent to hang around in this series, and will give Boston a scare, but experience will be the difference late in the series, and the Celtics will come out on top.

WEST

(1) LA Lakers def. (5) Memphis 4-3
This is a dream matchup. Gasol on Gasol. Z-Bo on Howard. Tony Allen defending Kobe. Metta guarding Rudy Gay. Those will all be fun to watch, and will probably even out, making the difference in the series Steve Nash vs. Mike Conley. Though Nash is past his prime, we all know who wins that.

(3) Denver def. (2) Oklahoma City 4-3
Another very fun matchup featuring two very similar fast and flashy offensive styles. The Thunder may have the advantage in star power, but I'm picking Denver because I believe that the key to this matchup will be the PG battle between Ty Lawson and Russell Westbrook. I think Lawson will surprise a lot of people and win it.

CONFERENCE FINALS

EAST

(2) Boston def. (1) Miami 4-2
Surprise, surprise. Look who ended up in the Eastern Conference Finals. The facts are that last year, the Celtics had the Heat on the brink of elimination, and while the Heat have added an aging shooter (who was turning into somewhat of a cancer for Boston, as much as it kills me to say it), Boston has a revamped and improved lineup this year, and won't let this series get back to Miami for game 7.

WEST

(1) LA Lakers def. (3) Denver 4-2
After having to play a nearly perfect series to upset the Thunder, the Nuggets don't have enough left in the tank to repeat the feat in a long series against Kobe and the Lakers.

NBA FINALS

LA Lakers def. Boston 4-3
This year just seems destined for one last Paul Pierce vs. Kobe Bryant Final. I would love to pick the Celtics here, but the more I think about it, as well as they match up at most positions, I just don't see an answer for Dwight Howard with Pao occupying most of KG's attention down low. This series could go either way, but I see Steve Nash finally getting his championship in game 7.

AWARDS

MVP: Kevin Durant
No surprises here, likely a coin toss between Durant and LeBron as is expected. Was hoping to make a case for Kevin Love, but that will be put on hold with his injury.
Sleeper: Deron Williams
Quietly one of the best in the game, Williams will thrive with talent around him in Brooklyn.

ROY: Bradley Beal
I believe that Beal will come in right away and have an impact alongside John Wall, and helping the Wizards to the playoffs should seal the deal.
Sleeper: Thomas Robinson
I think that Robinson will take over the Kings' starting PF spot fairly early, and will run with it. He showed last year at Kansas that he can dominate, and he has the drive to succeed at any level.

Finals MVP: Dwight Howard
As I stated in my Finals analysis, I think Howard will present the one mismatch and be able to dominate down low.

That's it for my preview, now we get to see how everything plays out. Enjoy the season!