2024 NBA Finals predictions made early

 2024 NBA Finals predictions made early

 

Suns-Celtics. In my opinion, the Suns and Celtics are the most skilled teams in their respective conferences, but this goes beyond simply having the best skill sets. If voters don't focus on the assistance Jayson Tatum has on the Boston team, he might be the Kia MVP frontrunner. Jrue Holiday may be more useful to a title push than Damian Lillard, and Kristaps Porzingis offers a fresh perspective.

The Suns have a ton of firepower and, like Boston, feel some need to get this done quickly. Any notion that the window for winning the championship is closing will help keep both teams engaged because they both anticipated making it to the finals in June.
Bryan Martin
Nuggets-Bucks. The uncertainty over Giannis Antetokounmpo's future that hung over Milwaukee at the start of the season has been dispelled by Monday's contract extension. When both teams are vying to go to the Finals this decade, Milwaukee has the advantage thanks to Giannis and Damian Lillard (and their lethal pick-and-roll).
Denver lost significant depth from the championship squad of the previous season, but with Nikola Jokic in Kia MVP form and a full season of a healthy Jamal Murray, the Nuggets are the favorites. But in a strong Western Conference, can they avoid a playoff maze of rivals, especially the Suns and Lakers?

Powell, Shaun
Suns-Celtics. In the West, there are just five genuine teams. These teams are the Clippers, Grizzlies, Suns, Lakers, Nuggets, and Lakers. With just enough defense, the Suns should be able to score on par with or better than any of them.

There are two teams competing in the East. Boston Celtics and the Bucks It's hard to say, but Jrue Holiday and Jayson Tatum make the difference in the East Finals' Game Seven.

The NBA Finals will either propel Kevin Durant into the top 10 all-time scorers or inspire frantic arena workers to make room in Boston for another banner.

Paul Schuhmann
Suns-Celtics. You can't win if you can't get stops, so defense is still important. Despite not having a strong defense during the regular season, the Nuggets had their strongest defense during the Finals.
The NBA's best offense, however, is now virtually unstoppable. The Celtics and Suns also seem to have the best potential offensively, given the quality at the top of their rosters. While Phoenix has three of the best offensive players in the league (and more shooting), Boston has an exceptional top six and good shooters beyond that. The Nuggets ought to be there as well with their two-man game of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. These sides will both see some difficulties, particularly with forward depth. The next six months, however, are theirs to work out the details. Both should possess exceptional defensive play, and neither should be weak.
Wright, Michael C.
Nuggets-Celtics. Competition in the East was intensified by significant developments in Boston and Milwaukee. But that arms race was won by the Celtics. With four All-Star starters in Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis, Boston has the most talent overall in the East thanks to the continuity already present on the team.
The defending champion Nuggets in the West suffered depth losses this offseason in Bruce Brown and Jeff Green. The starting five, however, are still the same and are led by Nikola Jokic, a two-time MVP, and Jamal Murray, an incredibly gifted point guard who is about to play in his first All-Star game.