In only two months time, the NBA will crown a new champion. The UCSD Guardian’s sports staff share their predictions for who they think will come out on top.
Wyatt Bose, Associate Sports Editor
After a rollercoaster of a year, the Los Angeles Lakers will punctuate a chaotic 2024-25 season with an NBA championship.
The Lakers are led by two former teammates — Luka Dončić and JJ Redick — turned player and coach. Redick’s offensive mind, coupled with Dončić’s play-making ability, poses a dangerous threat in the West. Now, add LeBron James to that mix, and not only do the Lakers have the best duo in basketball, but they also become a title contender.
The Lakers’ success stems from Redick’s approach as a student of the game. His offense plays to his stars’ strengths while incorporating elements of the NBA’s best offenses. For example, he employs the infamous “Gortat” screen, where Dorian Finney-Smith shields off Dončić’s defender to facilitate an easy layup. Additionally, Redick uses Rui Hachimura similarly to how Michael Malone used Aaron Gordon during the Denver Nuggets’ 2023 championship run. Like Gordon, Hachimura roams the baseline in the “dunker’s position,” waits for lobs, and catches dump-down passes from Dončić and James.
Redick has even transformed Lakers’ players to mimic Dončić’s former teammates in Dallas. For example, center Jaxson Hayes’ role in Los Angeles is eerily similar to that of Dereck Lively II in Dallas as a rolling big man. Redick has similarly maximized the role of Austin Reaves, who has developed into an all-star caliber player. Reaves is arguably the best third option in basketball, and he’s as dependable as they come in the fourth quarter.
Ultimately, the Lakers are built to win the finals. They have the best duo in basketball, a brilliant head coach, and a complete roster. As for who they will face, I believe it’s time for another coastal clash between the NBA’s most storied franchises. I am picking the Lakers to defeat the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, which would tie both teams at the all-time title count at 18. While Joe Mazzulla is an excellent head coach, and his distant and contentious relationship with the media is oddly appealing, the Lakers — specifically, James and Dončić — will be too much to overcome.
NBA champion prediction: Lakers defeat Celtics 4-3.
Ryan Kirton, Senior Staff Writer
Two words: playoff, Jimmy.
The Golden State Warriors made a splash at the trade deadline, acquiring Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat. Despite the Warriors entering the playoffs as the No. 7 seed, Butler is no stranger to miraculous playoff runs. In 2023, Butler and his Heat squad came into the playoffs as the eighth and final seed. A few weeks later, they found themselves in the NBA finals, even winning a game before falling to the Nikola Jokić-led Denver Nuggets.
This isn’t just another Heat squad, these are the Golden State Warriors — and they still have two key players who fueled their dynastic run of the last decade. Draymond Green remains a monster on the defensive end, while Stephen Curry continues his quest as the greatest point guard of all time. Curry and Butler are clutch and will be at an advantage over younger, inexperienced teams like the Rockets and Thunder. They have what it takes to return to the finals in 2025.
While the West has a slew of teams that can compete for a championship, the East is slim pickings. Led by Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland in the backcourt, the Cleveland Cavaliers got off to a 15-0 start en route to the No. 1 seed in the East. There is only one squad that can beat them: the Boston Celtics, a team that kept many of the same pieces from their championship run a season ago. It’s going to come down to those two teams in the Eastern Conference, and I believe Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can lead the Celtics back to the finals.
In a rematch of the 2022 finals, the Warriors will stymie the Celtics once again and win their fifth ring in the last 10 years. Curry is still clutch — we know how competitive he is when he wants to prove something — and Butler could be the piece they’ve been missing these last couple seasons.
NBA champion prediction: Warriors defeat Celtics 4-2
Henry Stanger, Staff Writer
Before this year, there were just six teams in NBA history to win at least 68 games. Only two of these teams failed to win a title: the 2016 Golden State Warriors and the 1973 Boston Celtics. The 2016 Warriors succumbed to a herculean effort from the greatest player of all time, as LeBron James strung together arguably the greatest three-game stretch in NBA history to will his Cleveland Cavaliers to a miraculous 3-1 comeback in the finals. The 1973 Celtics seemed to be on the way to their own 3-1 comeback in the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks, until a John Havlicek injury in game six forced the Hall of Famer to miss a decisive game seven. Every other 68-win team’s season ended in confetti and champagne.
The 68-14 Oklahoma City Thunder are historically good. With their staggering win total, the second best net rating ever, and the highest SRS ever, they just completed one of the most dominant seasons in league history. While Nikola Jokić is perhaps capable of willing his Denver Nuggets past the Thunder — as James did to the Warriors in 2016 — his supporting cast is simply too weak. If the Thunder can stay healthy, the question won’t be if they will win, but who they will beat.
The answer to that question is the Boston Celtics, whose star power and defensive prowess will take them through the Eastern Conference for the second year in a row. However, they will be no challenge for the Thunder, who hit another level this season after last year’s disappointing second-round exit. The MVP-caliber play of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and shrewd offseason additions like Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso have elevated the Thunder from beatable contenders to one of the most dominant teams the league has ever seen.
Unlike last year, the team from the Western Conference will prevail. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder will hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy this summer.
NBA champion prediction: Thunder defeat Celtics 4-2
Alan Zhang, Senior Staff Writer
In 2021, the Los Angeles Clippers played in their first Western Conference finals. Four years later, they finally look ready to return.
While they only finished with the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference, the Clippers have been one of the best teams in the NBA in recent weeks, finishing the season on an eight-game win streak. The mid-season return of a now healthy — knock on wood — Kawhi Leonard has lifted the team to new heights. Ivica Zubac has also emerged as a force in the paint and has recorded a double-double in 26 of his last 27 games. Although they began their playoff campaign with a difficult overtime loss in Denver, the Clippers have the potential to keep playing into June.
In the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers took the top seed in their conference; while a lot of attention has been heaped on the Celtics, the Cavs could very easily make their first NBA Finals appearance since 2018. Led by Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley, who collectively average 63.1 points per game, Cleveland finished with 64 wins, their second most in franchise history. The key to this team is Jarrett Allen. Despite not being the most prolific scorer this season, Allen shot 70.6% from the field this season — the seventh highest single-season field goal percentage in NBA history — and is a strong defensive presence for this Cavs team.
In the finals, a healthy Leonard and a resurgent James Harden will do enough to dispatch Cleveland. The Clippers’ championship drought will finally be over.
NBA champion prediction: Clippers defeat Cavaliers, 4-3
