2012-13 NBA Season Predictions

As the 2012-13 NBA Season gets underway tonight on TNT with the first double header of the fall, it’s time to release my predictions for this season. My “Top 10 story lines to watch in 2012-13” will be published later in the week.

Americans Continue To Get Crossed

In Team USA’s 83 point blowout win against Nigeria, one of the few shining moments was when Nigerian Tony Skinn made James Harden fall with a crossover.

Today against Argentina, those foreign guards were at it again, with Argentina’s Facundo Campazzo causing Deron Williams to slip as if Harden’s sweat had been still been pooled near the arc since Wednesday.

Even if the United States is undefeated in these games, the rest of the world is compiling a nice little highlight reel themselves.

Eastern Conference Finals Prediction

We will begin this post with a ‘return’ key of silence for Derrick Rose

…

Thank you.

Celtics fans might want to go give Rose a hug while he’s sitting on the trainer’s table this week. Because his injury is the sole reason that they are still around for at least four more games.

A Bull-Celtics semi matchup would have spelled the end for the C’s, but with the pop heard ’round the league roughly a month ago, the Celtics are now limping towards South Beach tonight to face the Miami Heat.

Lucky for Boston, the Heat aren’t what one would call healthy. Sure the Celtics have lost second year defender Avery Bradley to a season ending shoulder injury, and Ray Allen can barely lift off his gimpy ankle, but the abdominal strain suffered by Chris Bosh is easily the most important to note.

As admitted by Heat head coach Eric Spoelstra, LeBron James and Dwayne Wade must score 70-80 points a night for them to continue moving towards the Finals. Even without Bradley and an unhealthy Allen, the Celtics pose problems to the Heat that I am not sure they have the answer to.

It will be very interesting to see the matchups once the ball is tipped tonight. The burning question to me is, who will guard Kevin Garnett?

Now That’s Playoff Intensity

If I were Spoelstra, I would start LeBron on KG and see how he handles it. Start Battier on Paul Pierce and bring Haslem of the bench. Garnett has played out of this world the first two rounds of the playoffs, and I’m not sure the Heat “post defenders” can handle it if he continues at his torrid pace. LeBron could very well be the best post defender on the Heat (even with Bosh in the lineup), and Spoelstra shouldn’t shy away from the James-Garnett matchup.

If the Celtics can contain LeBron and Wade to about 55-65 points a game in this series, they will come out on top, especially if Ray Allen starts hitting shots after he got going at the end of the Philly series. I see that happening.

Prediction: Celtics in 6