Who will win the NBA Finals? Predictions for 2024 NBA playoffs bracket
Will the Denver Nuggets become the first team since the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018 to repeat?
Or will the NBA produce a different champion for the sixth consecutive season?
Can anyone beat the Boston Celtics and stop them from winning the franchise’s 18th title, which would break a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for most in NBA history?
Can a team emerge from the play-in game tournament and reach the conference finals or NBA Finals like the Lakers and Miami Heat did last season? And with so many tightly bunched teams based on regular-season records, does seeding matter less this season?
Those questions, along with others, will be answered as the playoffs unfold.
Here are NBA playoff predictions from USA TODAY Network staff writers:
Scooby Axson, USA TODAY Sports
First round
Celtics over Heat
Cavaliers over Magic
Thunder over Pelicans
Timberwolves over Suns
Nuggets over Lakers
Second round
Celtics over Cavaliers
Knicks over Pacers
Mavericks over Thunder
Nuggets over Timberwolves
Conference finals
Celtics over Knicks
Nuggets over Mavericks
NBA Finals
Nuggets over Celtics
Dustin Dopirak, Indianapolis Star
First Round
Celtics over Heat
Knicks over 76ers
Pacers over Bucks
Cavaliers over Magic
Thunder over Pelicans
Mavericks over Clippers
Timberwolves over Suns
Nuggets over Lakers
Second round
Celtics over Cavaliers
Knicks over Pacers
Thunder over Mavericks
Nuggets over Timberwolves
Conference finals
Celtics over Knicks
Nuggets over Thunder
NBA Finals
Celtics over Nuggets
Jim Owczarski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
First round
Celtics over Heat
Knicks over 76ers
Bucks over Pacers
Magic over Cavaliers
Thunder over Pelicans
Nuggets over Lakers
Suns over Timberwolves
Dallas over Los Angeles Clippers
Second round
Celtics over Magic
Knicks over Bucks
Mavericks over Thunder
Nuggets over Suns
Conference finals
Celtics over Knicks
Nuggets over Mavericks
NBA Finals
Nuggets over Celtics
Duane Rankin, Arizona Republic
First round
Celtics over Heat
Knicks over 76ers
Bucks over Pacers
Magic over Cavaliers
Thunder over Pelicans
Nuggets over Lakers
Suns over Timberwolves
Mavericks over Clippers
Second round
Celtics over Magic
Bucks over Knicks
Thunder over Mavs
Nuggets over Suns
Conference finals
Celtics over Bucks
Nuggets over Thunder
NBA Finals
Celtics over Nuggets
Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY Sports
First round
Celtics over Heat
Knicks over 76ers
Pacers over Bucks
Magic over Cavaliers
Thunder over Pelicans
Nuggets over Lakers
Suns over Timberwolves
Mavericks over Clippers
Second round
Celtics over Magic
Knicks over Pacers
Thunder over Mavericks
Nuggets over Suns
Conference finals
Celtics over Knicks
Nuggets over Thunder
NBA Finals
Celtics over Nuggets
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA playoffs predictions: Who wins NBA Finals 2024?
