The 2023 NBA playoffs have started, and so far, the only word I can use to describe them is “weird.” Play-in teams are dominating, while high seeds have already been eliminated. Not only are the lower-ranked play-in teams dominating but as of now, there is no clear favorite to win the championship. Throughout NBA history, most of the teams that won championships have at least given the viewers a clue that they were going to the finals. However, this year, I can’t see a clear-cut winner.

In terms of the play-in games, Jimmy Butler and the eighth-seeded Miami Heat eliminated Giannis Antetokounmpo the one-seeded Bucks in five games. LeBron James and the seventh-seeded Lakers eliminated the two-seeded Grizzlies in six games.

The Lakers and Warriors have rekindled the Steph Curry-LeBron James rivalry and are in for a close series. As of now, the Lakers have a one-game advantage, and in my opinion, will end up defeating the Warriors. However, Steph Curry clearly still has a lot left in his tank, and counting out the Warriors would be foolish. With the Warriors without Kevin Durant, James and Curry are tied in playoff series wins against each other, at 1-1. Curry has remained on the Warriors, while LeBron has found a new home in the west, in Los Angeles, and these two teams are in for one fun series. For the Lakers to win this series, Anthony Davis will have to be consistent. In game one he tallied 30 points, 23 rebounds, five assists and four blocks. But in the series as a whole, Davis has been underwhelming compared to what he did in the Lakers’ 2020 championship season, which means the Warriors have a high chance of winning. Davis has no excuse to underperform in this series, as he’s a dominant big man, while the Warriors are an undersized team. Even with the inconsistency of Davis, I have the Lakers winning this series in six games.

For the other series in the West, The Denver Nuggets have taken a commanding 2-0 lead over the Phoenix Suns. Although Durant is a great player, the likelihood of coming back from down 0-2, and winning the series is very low. Especially with their point guard, Chris Paul dealing with an injury. I think the Suns will be able to win one game, but right now, I have the Nuggets in six. 

Heading over to the Eastern Conference, the Miami Heat face up against the New York Knicks. Butler has been on a tear, dethroning the Bucks, and had a great Game One against The Knicks. Sadly, Butler is dealing with an ankle injury. It’s likely that he’ll be rushed back for these crucial playoff games, while he’s not 100%. Normally this leads to greater injury or just bad performances from players. Even if Butler does manage to play, this injury will most likely affect his ability to help his team win games. I have the Knicks in six for this series.

Finally, the Celtics-Sixers series. Like the Butler injury, the 2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid has a knee injury. He rushed himself into playing in game two, and played terribly, only scoring 15 points. This injury is certainly taking a toll on Embiid, and without him, the Sixers have no shot at defeating the Celtics. I have the Celtics winning this series in five games. 

If my predictions were correct, this now leaves a Celtics-Knicks Eastern Conference Finals and Lakers-Nuggets Western Conference Finals series. The Knicks are a good team but have no clear-cut superstar. Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle are good players, but to win a championship you need at least one great player. Due to this, I believe the Celtics are going to the NBA finals. 

I predict that the Nuggets and Lakers will face off to battle for who goes to the finals. Two teams that were both dominant in the 2020 bubble championship season face off once again, but this time the Nuggets have gotten better. Nikola Jokic was the back-to-back MVP, and Jamal Murray has finally been healthy. Even though the Nuggets are good, I believe the Lakers have too much experience and too strong of a defense to lose to the team that they obliterated in 2020. Not to mention they have James, who immediately makes any team a finals threat. Although the series will be close, I have the Lakers winning in seven games, and facing off the Celtics in the finals. 

I want the Lakers to win the championship this year, but it’s still only the second round. Neither the Lakers nor Celtics have advanced to even the conference finals yet, and could still certainly be eliminated even as early as this round.

Be sure to stay tuned to the NBA for the next month and a half, because in my opinion, these are the most interesting playoffs since 2016. The playoffs have been an unpredictable mess, so we’ll just have to see how they pan out.