Mali Nyembe previews the Boston Celtics taking on the Miami Heat as well as the LA Lakers’ clash with the Denver Nuggets in the semi-finals of the NBA play-offs.
Following the Boston Celtics’ Game 7 dismantling of Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers, the Eastern and Western Conference Finals are officially set.
Incredibly, the four teams left standing are the same four from the 2020 bubble postseason in Florida. In the East, the Celtics will host the Miami Heat. Out West, the Los Angeles Lakers are the underdogs against the top-seeded Denver Nuggets.
Thursday, 18 May 2023
Boston Celtics 23/100 | Miami Heat 29/10
The favourites – No other way to put it. The Boston Celtics have been simply outstanding all season and are the overall favourites to lift the finals trophy this year.
They boast a young, talented and hungry squad that lost to the Warriors in last year’s finals, but with renewed belief and the ultimate weapon in Jayson Tatum, they believe they can go all the way this time around.
Celtics head coach, Joe Muzzalla, is aware of the dangers the Miami Heat side possess and how they will need to be at their best to through. The Celtics will be seeking revenge on the side that knocked them out 2020, expecting this match-up to go all the way to game 6 or 7.
The Dark Horses – Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry and Bam Adebayo, the trio that has lit up in this year’s playoffs are battling it out with the Boston Celtics for a spot in the NBA Finals.
Miami Heat, just like the Lakers, did not have a relatively great season. Making the playoffs via the play-in tournament, nobody would have predicted them to make it this far.
Beating the Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks and now the New York Knicks, they have made themselves strong contenders for the title. Miami is one to look out for and honestly, It is a strong possibility that they reach the 2023 NBA Finals.
Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics ECF REMATCH!
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) May 14, 2023
WHO YOU GOT? pic.twitter.com/4WoXOPoRqM
Friday, 19 May 2023
Los Angeles Lakers 7/4 | Denver Nuggets 42/100
The Over-archivers – When the regular season began, The Los Angeles Lakers had 2 wins and 10 defeats in the opening 12 games, some even went as far as counting them out of a Play-off berth.
But they defied all odds by not only making the playoffs, they are now in contention for the NBA Finals for the first time since 2020, where they went all the way and lifted the ultimate prize.
A resurgent Lakers side has simply outplayed the defending champions Golden State in the last round and now face a tricky Nuggets outfit in the Semi-Finals, question on everybody’s lips is, can Lebron James finally get that illusive fifth ring?
The Underdogs. Believe it or not the Denver Nuggets go into the Western Conference Semi-Finals as the team least likely to win the Championship, which is strange considering they finished the regular season with the second-best record of 53W 29L, just behind the Milwaukee Bucks.
Denver, led by star man Nikola Jokic, will also be looking to seek revenge for 2020’s loss to the Lakers where they went all the way to game 5, where they lost 4-1 in the series.
The Colorado faithful believe that this could be the year they finally make the NBA Finals for the first time in their history and maybe, just maybe win it all.
The 2023 Western Conference Finals : LA Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets 8:30 on ESPN (Rematch of the 2020 Western Conference Finals in the Bubble. A lot has changed since then but we're here now) pic.twitter.com/zLFWrigBiv
— Lee Harvey (@MusikFan4Life) May 17, 2023
Predicted NBA FINALISTS:
Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics
Experience vs Star quality is the theme predicted in this year’s NBA Finals. The Lakers have a champions mentality that will see them edge the Nuggets.
Boston Celtics on the other hand possess individual brilliance and player availability, which is crucial in these stages of the tournament. Miami Heat have Victor Oladipo and Tyler Herro already ruled out injured, this could cause issues when it comes to rotation.
