BSP 2023 NBA Finals Roundtable Predictions

The 2023 NBA playoffs will commence soon and the BSP Basketball staff wanted to put together some predictions for the final outcome. Who will win the 2023 NBA Finals? There are plenty of contenders in both the Western and Eastern Conferences so your guess is as good as ours. We will put our writers to the test to see who comes closest to predicting the participants and the winner of the next NBA championship.

Memphis Grizzlies vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Jeremy Gretzer (@jr_gretzer):

Initially at the start of the season, I predicted the Memphis Grizzlies would come out on top as the favorites to win the NBA Finals. The loss of Steven Adams due to injury and Ja Morant’s off the court antics didn’t necessarily help my claim. Also, Dillon Brooks is starting to become the second coming of Rasheed Wallace. Since Morant received only a slap on the wrist, the Grizzlies have won six consecutive games and look to hold on to the second seed in the Western Conference.

Without one of their anchors in Adams, they have still been impressive on the defensive end. This is all thanks to Jaren Jackson Jr., who’s a candidate for Defensive Player Of The Year. Additionally, Adams’ replacement in Xavier Tillman Sr. has quietly made some helpful contributions. Coach Taylor Jenkins has done a tremendous job, especially with all that’s been going on regarding the teams chemistry and off the court issues. The Grizzlies will make it to the Finals as long as Morant stays balling, Brooks keeps his composure with regards to technical fouls, and Desmond Bane continues his case for Most Improved Player.

The team from the Eastern Conference is an obvious one, as my colleague Matt Strout listed below. Let’s go a different route. I’m picking the dark horse candidate in the Philadelphia 76ers. The past two Philly sports teams in the Phillies and Eagles have both made it to the final round this past year and lost in nail-biting fashion. It’s only natural I want Philly fans to suffer even more. Right now, the Sixers are firmly holding on to the third seed in the East, with possibly a first round matchup against the Brooklyn Nets.

The first round is pretty much a cakewalk. However, the games against the likely opponents in the Milwaukee Bucks or Boston Celtics won’t be easy. The Sixers play much better against the Celtics in that sense. If the Sixers are rewarded with the best case scenario in terms of matchups, then they have the best chance in making it to the Finals. I see Joel Embiid playing completely out of his mind and wheeling his team to win games. James Harden isn’t going to be gassed early on in previous years.

You’ve got the other usual suspects in Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey. Signing veteran P.J. Tucker and the recent improvement of Jalen McDaniels really bolsters their defense. This is the strongest the Sixers have been since Jimmy Butler was on the team in 2019. I see them catching lightning in a bottle but eventually run out of steam when they reach the NBA Finals. Harden won’t be able to keep up with Morant and Jackson Jr. will give Embiid fits on defense. Plus, Philly’s bench isn’t the strongest, and there might be a chance that Adams comes back from injury, giving more coverage at the rim.

Final Outcome: Grizzlies defeat Sixers 4-2

Milwaukee Bucks vs Memphis Grizzlies

Matt Strout (@TheRealStrout):

At the beginning of this year, I passively selected the Milwaukee Bucks to make it to the NBA Finals. Now, more than 75 games down, I am firmly behind this Bucks team. If you look at the season like a presidential primary (which we shouldn’t, but let’s), the Bucks have the best campaign. Soundly the one seed now, they rattled off sixteen straight wins to get there. The Bucks pass the metrics test—top ten in both offense and defense.

Their coach, Mike Budenholzer, is proven and experienced. I haven’t even mentioned Giannis Antetokounmpo. Though he missed almost twenty games this year, Antetokounmpo still had an MVP-level season, even if it will result in a third-place finish. Antetokounmpo stacks up to any of the top players he will go through in the Eastern Conference. Finally, without Khris Middleton (whose health is still shaky), the Bucks were a game away from the Eastern Conference Finals a year ago. They got deeper since then. And this year, game seven will be at home for them.

Meeting the Bucks in the NBA Finals will be the Memphis Grizzlies. First, ignore that I originally picked the Los Angeles Clippers here. So why are the Grizzlies going to make the Finals? Second, because the Western Conference is bananas. The Sacramento Kings have done a lot for their fans and intergalactic light beams, but being a three-seed invites great variance.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies, basketball-wise, have stayed consistent. The very public off-court issues with Ja Morant were a potential derailment. However, Morant has addressed the issue and reconciled it. As a team, they have a consistently dominant defense. A proven benchmark for playoff success. And while the offense has staggered at times, they are far more dynamic when Morant is in. They still have depth. This isn’t so much a shot in the dark as it is an upside pick. After all, their path isn’t very daunting. I think they make the leap.

The Bucks are just too good. I don’t trust that the Grizzlies have enough of the right bodies to throw at Antetokounmpo. Jrue Holiday and Morant will be a great matchup. Maybe the Grizzlies sneak out a close game early, but this Bucks team just feels like Arnold Schwarzenegger in Commando. They are on a mission. And you aren’t stopping them.

Final Outcome: Bucks defeat Grizzlies 4-1

Boston Celtics vs Golden State Warriors

Stacey Cumming (@StaceyKean):

The Golden State Warriors will again achieve a repeat in the 2023 NBA Finals, and here is why. Yes, to say the start of the Warriors season was rough is an immense understatement. However, the team has truly started gelling, and just in time.

This is a team that has gone to six of the last eight NBA Finals, winning four of those titles. What we have seen of them lately is reminiscent of the kind of aggression and playmaking that has continuously led them to championships. The Warriors are a dynasty team and are still largely compiled of the same core players that helped them hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy of a handful of occasions.

Steph Curry is healthy and showing up consistently, scoring over twenty points in each of their last five games. This performance paired with Klay Thompson shooting over 40%, Jordan Poole dropping points left and right, and the much-anticipated return of Andrew Wiggins who was a key piece through last year’s playoffs.

All of this lays a clear path not only to the postseason for the Warriors, but a potential road to the Finals. The Western Conference has not been as competitive this season. The two teams that will provide the biggest competition are the Memphis Grizzlies and the Phoenix Suns, both of which have had their struggles in the playoffs.

I foresee a Finals rematch against the Boston Celtics, who have been on top of the Eastern Conference and a favorite to win through various betting sites. Will it be an easy sweep for the win? Absolutely not. I see this being a fierce competition just as it was last year, but ultimately the Warriors bringing the championship home for the fifth time in nine years in seven games.

Final Outcome: Warriors defeat Celtics 4-3

Milwaukee Bucks vs Denver Nuggets

Andy Diederich (@ndyDiederich):

Coming out of the Western Conference, I have the Denver Nuggets. I think the combination of big man Nikola Jokic and the weapons that surround him are too much for any team in the West to overcome, especially throughout a seven game series. The only question here is if those pieces around Jokic can step up. They’ll need Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Michael Porter Jr. to take advantage of the open shots and opportunities that Jokic creates. Regardless, I believe if this team can play to the best of their capabilities, they have their ticket booked to the NBA Finals.

In the Eastern Conference I’ll pick the Milwaukee Bucks. Giannis Antetokoumpo is simply too gifted to be slowed down consistently, no matter what player, team, or defensive scheme you throw at him. Antetokoumpo’s supporting cast has been stellar as of recently, too. Jrue Holiday is continuing to impress as he’s coming off a career-high 51 point performance this week.

Brook Lopez is out putting up solid numbers on offense, all while making a run at Defensive Player of the Year. Khris Middleton has been sidelined with injuries a majority of the season, but his return only creates more problems for whatever defense has to face this Bucks squad. Simply put, the Bucks have Antetokoumpo, and they have other guys to help him. I expect to see them in the Finals.

I have the Bucks winning the Finals over the Nuggets in six games. The Bucks have the personnel with more experience late in the playoffs than the Nuggets do, which should only serve to benefit them down the stretch. I would be shocked if anybody but Antetokounmpo is hoisting the Finals MVP trophy come June.

Final Outcome: Bucks defeat Nuggets 4-2

Milwaukee Bucks vs Los Angeles Lakers

Patrick Yen (@pyen117):

The three people I trust in the playoffs the most right now are Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James and Stephen Curry. Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum and Nikola Jokic have a lot to prove in terms of championship pedigree. So if we’re trying to predict the NBA Finals, one of these three guys being in it (the winners of the last three championships and the winners of seven of the last eight) they are a good bet.

The Milwaukee Bucks have the best record in the NBA and that’s without Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, and Khris Middleton playing significant time together this season. Not to mention they also have the likely DPOY in Brook Lopez. Antetokounmpo continues to dominate and is a proven playoff performer. If the Bucks are fully healthy come playoff time, it’s hard to bet against them.

The Los Angeles Lakers have looked like a new team since trading Russell Westbrook away, and James was having an amazing season before getting hurt. Now that the King has returned, Anthony Davis and James are as good as any duo out there assuming they are healthy. The West is wide open, and if there’s anyone I trust to get to the finals, it’s James.

The Lakers can make it a close series, but the Bucks just have too much firepower on their team. It’s also hard to bet on the health of the Lakers, with Davis’ injury history and James being 38 and coming back from a major foot injury.

Final Outcome: Bucks defeat Lakers 4-3

Milwaukee Bucks vs Denver Nuggets

Rob Korensky (@RobKorensky):

The Greek Freak versus The Joker. Pay-per-view matchup for the ages. Two big men looking to shape their NBA legacies in an age where the position has advanced and evolved tremendously past their predecessors.

The Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets are likely going to grit and grind through their conferences with no easy path to the NBA Finals. The Bucks will have to contend with the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference. The Nuggets will have to fight through the Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors.

The matchup itself will be blow for blow, both teams possess punchers on the offensive and defensive ends. Jrue Holiday, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez are elite defensive players for their positions but Aaron Gordon, Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are as well. The Nuggets likely have the advantage offensively with a bevy of shooters to surround Nikola Jokic but the Bucks have the edge defensively with Lopez, Antetokounmpo and Holiday.

The Nuggets and Bucks will come down to who wants it more. Jokic is lacking a Larry O’Brien Trophy on his mantle to sport next to the two MVP awards and potentially a third at the conclusion of this season. This will be the most competitive team Jokic has entered the playoffs with to date. Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. are healthy coming into the post-season and if the Nuggets can maintain their health will be the most dangerous team in the playoffs.

This will be the year the Nuggets take the championship and will help to cement Jokic’s legacy as one of the greatest big men to play this sport. Some incredible performances between the Greek Freak and The Joker are to be expected, trading shots with each other to vie for the highest crown in the game of basketball. The series will be gritty and hard fought but the Nuggets will prevail over the Bucks in seven tough games.

Final Outcome: Nuggets defeat Bucks 4-3