Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
The NBA season is winding down and the number of games left is in the neighborhood of 23 for most teams. The 2012-13 year has been somewhat wacky, so with that in mind, here are 12 extremely bold predictions for the rest of the season.
These predictions are in no particular order….
12) The Miami Heat will win the NBA Finals in five games, no matter who the opponent is. It’s just that LeBron James is having an all-time great season and it doesn’t look like any team will be able to stop him or the rest of the Heatles.
11) This gets progressively more bold: The Sacramento Kings will find a way to keep the team in Sacramento, build a new arena downtown and will win the first-overall pick during the draft lottery. For once in my life I want to see that happen.
10) The Toronto Raptors will make the playoffs. At the moment they are six games back of the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference but are 6-4 in their last 10 games. All they need to do is catch the Milwaukee Bucks and Brandon Jennings, who looks to have checked out the rest of this season. Rudy Gay has helped the team and will undoubtedly help with a playoff run. Stranger things have happened.
9) Either Al Jefferson or Paul Millsap from the Utah Jazz will suffer a season-ending injury. That means Derrick Favors will be given the starting nod and will produce 20 points and 10 rebounds for the rest of the season. Watch, it’ll happen and my fantasy team will shine for it!
8) Let’s get some rookie love in here. Dion Waiters has been on fire the past five games. During that time he’s averaging 20.4 points on 52 percent shooting. Waiters will keep this hot shooting up for the rest of the season and up his season average to 17 points per game. Put it in the bank.
7) Stephen Curry is one of the best players in the NBA when he’s healthy. Not only that, but he’s fun to watch too. You might not have heard, but he scored 54 points against the Knicks a few nights ago. That won’t be his highest output; he’ll put up 60 before the season ends. Curry can definitely improve upon those 11 three-pointers he nailed against New York.
6) The Los Angeles Lakers have been a fascinating story this season, however chaotic. Currently one game under .500 at 29-30, L.A. is two games behind the Houston Rockets for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Lakers will clinch the eighth spot and will take the San Antonio Spurs to seven games in the first round, but will not win the series.
5) I’m going to stick with the Lakers theme here. Dwight Howard will demand Mike D’Antoni to be fired, Kobe Bryant be traded away, a statue of himself to be erected outside Staples Center but then leave for the Brooklyn Nets in free agency. Come to think of it, that might not be such a bold prediction…
4) Carmelo Anthony won’t attend another Syracuse basketball game. The last time he went to one, the Orange had a nightmare of a time trying to find the bottom of the net against Otto Porter and Georgetown.
3) Andrew Bynum will play for the Philadelphia 76ers with a clean and stylish fade that doesn’t make him look homeless. And he’ll play well……although….
2) Andrew Bynum will hurt his knee in a knitting accident after his first game back.
1) Derrick Rose will play in the final regular season game but will not participate in the playoffs. Then we won’t have to say he sat for the entire season.
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