The NBA Is Back: Sleeper Teams, Conference Champs, And Crowning The Bubble Finals Championship Team

The NBA recently boasted no new COVID cases inside the bubble. The 4 1/2-month long intermission is finally over and action on the hardwood is back. If you didn’t catch the first half of the NBA season, put out your cigarettes and get ready to second act it. Seeding games kick off Thursday night with two premiere Western Conference showdowns. Jazz vs. Pelicans, followed by the Battle for Los Angeles, Clippers versus Lakers. Buckle up, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride. Let’s take a look at sleeper teams, potential conference champs, and my selection for the bubble Finals Champion and MVP.

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The NBA is back with two exciting matchups on TNT! 🍿@PelicansNBA vs. @utahjazz // 6:30pm ET@LAClippers vs. @Lakers // 9pm ET pic.twitter.com/HkN8NFB71H

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) July 30, 2020

Sleeper Teams

New Orleans Pelicans

It’s only fitting for my first sleeper team to be one of the two teams playing in the bubble’s opening game. The Pelicans will take the floor 3 1/2 games out of playoff contention, and I think they have a very strong chance to lock in the final seed in the West. The team is loaded with young NBA talent, including rookie phenom Zion Williamson. Zion returned to the bubble this week after an excused absence and is a game-time decision Thursday night. Literally the only thing I don’t like about this squad is half their team went to Duke. Aside from that, the ceiling is the roof for The Pelicans.

Portland Trailblazers

The Blazers have one of the best backcourts in the NBA in Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. They will also be returning big man Jusuf Nurkic. The Blazers are a completely different team with Nurk protecting the rim. Oh, and there is also skinny Carmelo Anthony, who apparently plays defense now. The team is in the same position as the Pelicans, so it is unlikely that both squads will make the cut, but not impossible.

Brooklyn Nets

Time to give the Eastern Conference some love. The West is so stacked, making it much more difficult to find a true “sleeper” team. The East is a completely different story. There is a pretty significant drop-off outside of the top five. The Brooklyn Nets will by far be the most shorthanded team in the bubble. No Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, DeAndre Jordan, Taurean Prince, Spencer Dinwiddie or Wilson Chandler. That’s essentially their starting five at full strength. Although, the team is still very intriguing. Caris LeVert put on a show this season in the absence of Kyrie. And Jarret Allen is a force at center. The odds of this team making a Finals run is slim to none. However, in the words of the great Kevin Garnett, “Anything Is Possible!”

Conference Champs

Western Conference

It’s no secret who the favorite to come out of the West is. The Los Angeles Lakers. Lebron James and Anthony Davis have a pretty good supporting cast in Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Dwight Howard. Also, the newly signed J.R. Smith has been lighting it up in the exhibition games. It’s hard to pick against King James and the Lakers in the West. If you do pick against them, you could go with pretty much any other team.

Surprise Teams: Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets

Eastern Conference

The favorite NBA team in the East is not nearly as clear cut. Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks galloped through the NBA regular season. However, there are several other contenders, my favorite of which is the Miami Heat. Pat Riley doesn’t get enough credit for what he did to put this squad together. Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic, Andre Iguodala, and Udonis Haslem are the only four players on this squad born before 1990 (>30). There is a small question mark at big man without Bam Adebayo, but Meyers Leonard, aka “The Hammer,” is healthy, and there’s also the spunky Kelly Olynyk. Nick Nurse and the Toronto Raptors are also out to prove that they are still a force to be reckoned with, despite the departure of Kawhi Leonard.

Other Notable Teams: Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers

NBA Finals Champion

So which NBA team will ultimately take home the chip. When the dust settles, it’s hard for me to pick anyone other than the Los Angeles Lakers in the West. Lebron James is still an MVP-caliber player. The crazy thing about that is AD leads every major statistical category other than assists (LeBron). So the question is who will the Lakers square up with out of the East? I’m extremely high on the Heat, and I love Jayson Tatum and the Celtics, but I have to go with my gut. Nick Nurse is one of the leagues’ best coaches and I think the Raptors find a way to get it done again. People need to put some respect on the name Pascal Siakam. Spicy P is legit.

Overview

There you have it. I’m predicting an NBA bubble Finals matchup between the Raptors and the Lakers. But who will take home the crown?

Drumroll …

If this is the NBA Finals matchup, I don’t see any way it doesn’t go the distance. Therefore, my NBA Finals Champion is…

The Toronto Raptors (4-3).

The Drake Curse is over and the Raptors are goin’ baaack to back.

NBA Finals MVP: Pascal Siakam

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