After nearly seven months of regular season basketball, the 2022 NBA Playoffs are about to get started. With the play-in tournament in its final stages, the full bracket of 16 teams that are about to make a run for the title is almost complete.
With the association crowded by a deep pool of talented, high-ceiling teams, the 2022 title chase should remain pretty open, just as it was in the last two seasons. A total of eight different teams finished the season notching more than 50 wins, the most in a season since 2014-15 when a whopping ten teams reached that mark.
How could the 2022 NBA Playoffs shape up in both the East and the West?
Last season, the Milwaukee Bucks braved through the Eastern Conference and usurped the Phoenix Suns to win the 2021 NBA Championship, with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the franchise to its second title. Could the defending champs repeat? Or is a new team slated to be lord over the NBA?
Which team could flame out early? Which squad could pull off an upset? Which players face the most pressure to win the title? Which could be this postseason’s biggest breakout star? Cutting to the chase, here are the 8P9S staff’s 5 boldest predictions for the 2022 NBA Playoffs.
Which team is the most likely to pull off an upset in the first-round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs?
Kyle Pring: The Brooklyn Nets, though I don’t love this pick. Toronto obviously came to mind, but it is easier to envision a scenario where Philly usurps them in six games or less than the Raptors upsetting them in a long series considering their thin bench. Against the red-hot Celtics, the Nets could have more than a fighting chance, especially due to the sheer isolation prowess of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, two typical playoff standouts. Also, watch out for the possible return of Ben Simmons, who easily flips the defensive ceiling of this fragile Brooklyn squad and makes Boston a bit more vulnerable with Rob Williams out.
Zach Pearson: I can see a path where the Denver Nuggets pull off the upset against the Golden State Warriors. This to me depends on if Steph Curry misses any games of the series and if so how many. Jokic is having an MVP caliber season and The Nuggets have beaten the Warriors in three out of four regular-season matchups. The X factor is Steph Curry and if the Nuggets supporting cast can provide consistency or one of Murray/Porter can return. I think they have a shot at an upset but if the Warriors have a healthy Curry it will be difficult.
Rhett Bauer: Gotta be the Toronto Raptors. The Sixers seem like a mess, Harden doesn’t seem to be right, and Thybulle can’t play in Toronto. I’m not sure when/if FVV is coming back, but they have the length and the athletes to bother Embiid and still recover/rotate to the other guys. I don’t think they’ll do it in 5 games or anything, but 6 or 7 would not be surprising to me at all.
Which team is the most likely to underachieve in the 2022 NBA Playoffs?
Kyle Pring: The Dallas Mavericks. Luka Doncic‘s last-minute injury against the Spurs casts some cloud on their chances not only at the title but more importantly, in their first-round series against Utah. Even if he returns, a Doncic not at full strength could prove to be insufficient to lift a rather hit-and-miss supporting squad, especially if the Jazz catch fire from three, remain healthy, and Mitchell comes out firing in what figures to be a defining postseason for Utah.
Zach Pearson: In the last three seasons, the Utah Jazz have lost in the first round two of three times and haven’t made it past the conference semi-finals since 2006-07. To end their season, they won just four out of ten games and their defense outside of Rudy Gobert is questionable. The Jazz might catch a break if Luka Doncic is to miss any time with his calf strain, but I don’t see a deep run with this team.
Rhett Bauer: Relative to expectations I’m going to say the Brooklyn Nets, simply because they (for some reason) opened up as the favorites against the Celtics. I don’t think anyone expects the Jazz to go deep or they would be my pick!
Who will be the biggest breakout star of the 2022 NBA Playoffs?
Kyle Pring: Deandre Ayton. Phoenix’s defense this season has been a bit overlooked due to their mind-boggling consistency, but Ayton has a legitimate shot to even assert himself as a second option for the Suns offensively. Having Booker and Paul substantially takes pressure away from him to hunt for his shots, but with other teams giving so much focus on their tremendous backcourt, this could be the postseason where Ayton reminds us that he is more than just a defensive stalwart.
Zach Pearson: I believe the one guy who could be this year’s breakout star is Anthony Edwards. In his first play-in game, he scored 30 points while going 10/21 from the field and hit five of his eleven three-point attempts. His athleticism combined with his energy on the floor makes him so fun to watch, the Timberwolves wouldn’t have won without him. The first-round matchup between him and Ja Morant has my attention, I think it will be a well-fought series for the sophomore.
Rhett Bauer: Zach took Edwards, and I’m writing this after the play-in game that confirmed he was right, so I’m going to say Bones Hyland. I think he’ll be the second most important player for the Nuggets, and if they do anything it will be because of him and Jokic.
Which player, team, or coach faces the most pressure to win the title?
Kyle Pring: Chris Paul. Frankly, this is the Suns’ best shot to win the title, especially with the West now crowded with a bunch of up-and-comers. The point god badly needs a title to put off the stains on his Hall of Fame resume, and Phoenix, which has been dominant to the core all season, should be well on track to capture their (and Paul’s) first title. Anyone else but Phoenix winning the title would be quite tragic, given how ready and poised they appear to finally stand at the NBA pinnacle.
Zach Pearson: This has to be Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns. This team won the most games in franchise history during the regular season, has a coach (nearly) win the Coach of the Year award two years straight, and lost in the finals last season. Chris Paul has to me more motivated than ever and this is probably his best chance to win a ring. If the Suns fall short, that will be a tough pill to swallow in Phoenix.
Rhett Bauer: The most pressure has to be James Harden, Doc Rivers, and the Sixers. You don’t go through all of the Simmons stuff this season, have an MVP-level year from Embiid, get what you wanted in Harden, and then flame out in the first round. The saying goes “Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me”, but Doc and Harden will be on something like their fifth or sixth time fooling us if this doesn’t go right.
Which team will win the 2022 NBA Championship?
Kyle Pring: The 2022 NBA Champions will be the Phoenix Suns after defeating the Milwaukee Bucks in 6 games. There is simply too much motivational baggage and on-court brilliance for Phoenix to lose four games in a series. They do not have a clear weakness. Behind an imposing defense, a stable offense, and an otherworldly prowess in the clutch, look for the Suns to avenge their Finals loss last season to the Bucks as Chris Paul and Devin Booker assert themselves as the best backcourt in basketball in 2022.
Zach Pearson: I can very well see a possible finals rematch from last season between the Bucks and suns. Phoenix is as motivated as ever and Giannis in the playoffs is nearly unstoppable. However, I do think if any team were to give the Bucks a hard time it would be the Miami Heat. They are the one seed for a reason and if their role players like Oladipo can be consistent with their shooting, the Heat might make the push. For now, I am sticking with a rematch. The 2022 NBA champions will be the Phoenix Suns after defeating the Bucks in seven games.
Rhett Bauer: I don’t see anyone else coming out of the West besides GS or PHX, same with MIL or BOS, so I’ll flip flop the rest of the panel and say Warriors over Celtics. If Steph can get right, the Steph-Poole-Klay-Wiggins-Draymond lineup is absolutely lethal. Playoffs are just as much about health as anything else, and while that’s obviously not something you want to predict, there’s always a chance. And if the Celtics can get Timelord back, they have the best chance to beat the Bucks plus the home court to maybe make the difference.