(Probably Wrong) Predictions:
NBA Play-In Edition
Dear reader, I am so happy today. The Houston Rockets are the 2nd seed in the West going into the postseason! At the beginning of the season, I would have been happy with my Rockets making the Play-In, but now they have to wait for the Play-In games to see who they will play! It’s a double edged sword, however, as now my expectations for the team are sky high, and I will be upset if they don’t at least make the Western Conference Finals. I’ve just gotten over the University of Houston loss and I’m ready to get hurt again.
The Play-In is a relatively new addition to the NBA, starting in 2020 in the famous Bubble Playoffs. The format was tweaked the next year and added to the NBA postseason permanently. Here’s how it works - The 9th place team in each conference hosts the 10th place, with the loser being eliminated from the postseason completely. The 7th place team hosts the 8th place team in the double-chance game, with the winner advancing as the 7-seed. The loser of the 7/8 game hosts the winner of the 9/10 game, with the winner receiving the 8-seed. Then the playoffs proceed as they always have, with the first round matchups being the 1-8, 2-7, 3-6, and 4-5 seeds.
Now, without further ado, Walker’s Wrantings presents a Walker’s Wrants Production -
(Probably Wrong) Predictions:
NBA Play-In Edition
First off, dear reader, let’s go over the (Probably Wrong) Prediction scoreboard:
OVERALL (PROBABLY WRONG) PREDICTION COUNT - 5 CORRECT! - 9 WRONG
Oof. Maybe I should change the name to (Almost Definitely) Wrong Predictions. Let’s see if I can even the score with the 4 Seeding Predictions I make today.
10 Miami Heat vs 9 Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls will arrive to this game scoring 117 points per game, good for 6th in the NBA, 7 more points than the Heat’s 110 per game. Coby White leads the Bulls in scoring with 20, while Kevin Hueter and Tre Jones are playing lights out defense. The Heat have been in a state of disarray this year, with Jimmy Butler forcing his way out of the Sunshine State. I believe the Bulls will win comfortably, knocking the Heat out of the playoffs and going on to face the loser of the Hawks-Magic game.
8 Atlanta Hawks vs 7 Orlando Magic
You’ve heard me say it time and again, reader. Defense wins Championships. I’m actually pretty sure I came up with that phrase. Don’t look into that. The Orlando Magic are the Association’s second place team in defensive rating at 109.1. Atlanta has Trae Young however, who is one of the NBA’s most clutch postseason players, and is averaging 24 points and 11 assists. I give this game to the Magic - their defense will be too much to overcome, and Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are averaging 25 and 24 points respectively. The Magic will take the 7th seed and the Atlanta Hawks will host the Chicago Bulls for the 8th seed.
I think the Hawks will be able to beat the Bulls for the 8th seed, setting them up for a first round matchup against the First Seed Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
10 Dallas Mavericks vs 9 Sacramento Kings
The addition of Zach Lavine to the Sacramento Kings after the loss of De’Aaron Fox has paid off, as Lavine scored 22 points per game for Sacramento. Along with DeMar DeRozan’s 22 points and Domantas Sabonis’ 20 points and 14 rebounds, this Kings team has several players who are able to take over and run the offense. The Mavericks made the worst trade in sports history this year, trading away Luka for Anthony Davis. With Kyrie Irving hurt and Anthony Davis nursing a left abductor strain, the Kings send the weakened Mavericks home and will head off to play the loser of the Warriors-Grizzlies game.
8 Memphis Grizzlies vs 7 Golden State Warriors
I love watching Ja Morant. He flies up and down the court. This Memphis Grizzlies team is fun to watch. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Zach Edey are the twin towers on the inside, making sure no one can easily score in the paint, avering 3 blocks per game between them. Along with the team’s interior defense, they have Scotty Pippen Jr. playing elite defense on the perimeter. Golden State has Jimmy Butler and Steph Curry, two players who will be able to score in bunches - but the Grizzlies paint defense will be too much for the Warriors to handle. The Grizzlies will win the 7th seed, while Golden State will host the Sacramento Kings.
As much as it pains me to say it, I believe the Warriors will light the Kings up in the battle for the 8th seed and face the First Seed Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs.
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So, dear reader, to recap, here are my predictions for the final seeding:
Eastern Conference:
7. Orlando Magic
8. Atlanta Hawks
Western Conference:
7. Memphis Grizzlies
8. Golden State Warriors
We’ll see if I’m right by the end of the week, but we all know I'm (Probably Wrong).
Walker’s Weekly Wrecommendations
Each week I’m gonna review and recommend random things - TV shows, music, or a restaurant. IDK. Whatever I feel like. This is my blog.
This week's Triple W is NBC’s sitcom “A.P. Bio”. Starring Glenn Howerton of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia fame, A.P. Bio follows Jack Griffin, a Philosophy Professor who is fired from Harvard and takes a job teaching Advanced Placement Biology in his hometown of Toledo, Ohio. However, Jack has no interest in teaching Biology, much to his students' disappointment, and they are often roped into Jack’s various schemes to get back at the people who have “wronged” him. Co Starring Patton Oswalt and Paula Pell, A.P. Bio is hilariously unhinged and oddly heartwarming.
NEXT WEEK: Walker’s Wranting’s presents “Play-Off Time In Houston”