The 2017-2018 NBA season has been an interesting. High seeds dominated the Western Conference and the East has been full of surprises. The playoffs this year should be interesting
Two years removed from a season with 10 wins, the Philadelphia 76ers finished with a record of 52-30. This turnaround was led by young talent and a heap of top draft picks. The Cavaliers, fronted by Lebron James are a top seed, but the first seed is the Toronto Raptors led by strong bench depth and star players DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry.
The West is a tale of two teams: the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets. These “super teams” are loaded with all star players. The Warriors have Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green while the Rockets have a strong backcourt with Chris Paul and NBA scoring leader James Harden. The Warriors will have to battle injuries in their quest for NBA dominance and the reputation as a dynasty.
In the East, teams with the most chance to advance to the NBA finals are Philadelphia and Toronto. The Raptors are a championship or bust team, but the 76ers look to cement themselves as a title contender for the next decade with a stash of young players. With a deep postseason they could be the story of the year.
Philadelphia is in a unique situation though, with the Philadelphia Eagles and Villanova Wildcats both winning their respective championships this year. No city has ever had three championships in a single year.
In the end, my prediction of the finals will be the Warriors over the 76ers in six games out of a possible seven. With the Warriors getting healthy as time passes and the weaker eastern conference that is how I believe the finals will play out.
