ATLANTIC DIVISION
| BOSTON CELTICS | MY PREDICTION | ACTUAL RECORD |
| Facing the Atlanta Hawks in the first round | 56-26
First in the Atlantic |
57-25
First in the Atlantic |
The Boston Celtics were everything I believed they would be in the regular season, despite the constant distraction of message board trade talk regarding Jaylen Brown. While bloggers are busy trying to make a name for themselves with nonsensical pieces, Brown continues to do so as the most disrespected player on the roster. He put up 26.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists a night to complement Jayson Tatum’s 30.1 points. 8.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists. Malcolm Brogdon’s infusion into the offense yielded 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. Not bad for Joe Mazzulla’s first year coaching this talent, given the circumstance in which he was installed.
Boston leads the series with the Atlanta Hawks, 1-0.
| PHILADELPHIA 76ERS | MY PREDICTION | ACTUAL RECORD |
| Facing the Brooklyn Nets in the first round | 54-28
Third in the Atlantic |
54-28
Second in the Atlantic |
It’s difficult to pin expectations on the Philadelphia 76ers, given Joel Embiid’s injury history and subsequent inconsistencies, and James Harden, who’s been a virtual playoff ghost, pulling a David Copperfield in last season’s Sixers playoff appearance. However, 2022-23 showed that Embiid may have grown exponentially in his ninth NBA season, posting MVP-like numbers of 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists through 66 games. Harden averaged 21 points, and also finished with 6.1 rebounds, and 10.7 assists. Tyrese Maxey continued his growth in his third NBA season, adding 20.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.5 dimes a night as the Sixers finally seem to have pieces in place for a solid playoff run in the East.
Philadelphia leads the series with the Brooklyn Nets, 1-0.
| NEW YORK KNICKS | MY PREDICTION | ACTUAL RECORD |
| Facing the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round | 42-40
Fifth in the Atlantic |
47-35
Third in the Atlantic |
The Knicks have been the surprise of the second half of the season, as the addition of Jalen Brunson (24 points, 3.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists) finally came to fruition. Brunson’s 2022-23 performance and stats are nearly double his career stats while in Dallas. Despite short attention span people on message boards, Julius Randle once again led the Knicks with 25.1 points, 10 rebounds, and 4.1 assists. R.J. Barrett quietly rounded out the Top Three in New York with 19.6 points, five rebounds, and 2.8 assists. Despite the seemingly low stats, it’s Brunson’s former Villanova teammate who brought the intensity and Hart (sic) to the Knicks and their monumental push into this season’s playoffs. Josh Hart is undoubtedly the missing piece that the Knicks struggled to find and assign to others in the first part of the season.
New York leads the series with the Cleveland Cavaliers, 1-0.
| BROOKLYN NETS | MY PREDICTION | ACTUAL RECORD |
| Facing the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round | 54-28
Second in the Atlantic |
45-37
Fourth in the Atlantic |
Who saw the departure(s) of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving coming in Brooklyn? Technically, I did back on July 1st when I predicted Durant to Phoenix on the Hardwood Huddle podcast. It just took seven and a half months to come to fruition, and after Irving was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. While the Nets got back some quality players in return, the caliber of two perennial All Stars gave me the impression that Brooklyn was going to buckle down and make a push with Durant and Irving. Nonetheless, with Spencer Dinwiddie back, and the additions of Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Mikal Bridges, I now had a reason to Watch Nets basketball, Ben Simmons notwithstanding. Bridges finished his 27-game Nets sun with 26.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists, which was basically Bridges being Bridges as he was with the Phoenix Suns, just getting more opportunities and buckets in Brooklyn. Dinwiddie finished with 16.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 9.1 assists in his return to the black and white. Simmons’ $37,893,408 next season and $40,338,144 in 2024-25 should buy the best psychiatrist. Oh, it’s a back issue? Yeah, I guess no spine is definitely a “back issue.”
Brooklyn currently is down in their series with the Philadelphia 76ers, 0-1.
| TORONTO RAPTORS | MY PREDICTION | ACTUAL RECORD |
| Faced the Chicago Bulls in the Play-In; eliminated | 44-38
Fourth in the Atlantic |
41-41
Fifth in the Atlantic |
If there is any one team in disarray in the NBA after their elimination from the post-season, it’s the Toronto Raptors. And while most will blame Chicago Bulls Sixth Man Diar DeRozan, who’s piercing screams of excitement cost the Raptors a few free throws in crunch time on Wednesday night, it really comes down to the 2019 departure of Kawhi Leonard to the Los Angeles Clippers. Toronto executive vice president and general manager Masai Ujiri has been a phenomenal basketball executive, but after an altercation with an Alameda County sheriff’s deputy in the playoffs and flirtations from other teams trying to get him to leave Toronto, Ujiri may have taken his eye off the ball that had gotten him and the Raptors to the level of success they’ve enjoyed for the majority of the last five seasons. He implemented no plan and made no move to replace Leonard, going with the status quo instead and putting it on his coach’s shoulders. Now Nick Nurse is evaluating his personal situation as the team’s head coach, putting himself in hot water with team ownership and management for his vocalization of said evaluation, and we may have seen the last of this group together – Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, and Gary Trent, Jr.
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Tracy Graven is the Senior NBA Analyst for BackSportsPage.com.
He has written the NBA, done NBA Radio, and appeared as a guest for the last 21+ years for HoopsWorld, Swish Magazine, HoopsHype, the Coach Scott Fields Show, NBARadioShow.com, and is also tackling the NFL, NCAA, and will be pinch-hitting on some Major League Baseball coverage for BackSportsPage.
He’s spent 21 years in locker rooms in Orlando, Boise (CBA, G League), San Antonio, Phoenix, Denver, Oklahoma City, and Atlanta.
A corporate trainer by day, he currently resides in SEC Country near Knoxville, Tennessee.
Reach him on Twitter at @RealTMoneyMedia
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