Devin Wardrop – San Antonio Spurs beat Detroit Pistons
Both teams have a gauntlet to go through in their respective conferences. San Antonio has the Timberwolves in the second round, which I think they can go through. Then, in the Western Conference Final is the Oklahoma City Thunder, who the Spurs beat 3-1 in the season series this year. Plus, with a healthy Wembanyama, the Spurs are always a team who can make a run. In the East, Detroit has been rolling behind Cade Cunningham. After a gritty first round versus Orlando, the Pistons have two more gritty series before the NBA Finals, but gritty is their brand of basketball. In the end, I think Wembanyama is too much for the Pistons and Jalen Duren to handle, so I have the Spurs beating the Pistons to win the NBA Finals, which would be a rematch from 2005.
Blase Gapinski – Oklahoma City Thunder beat Detroit Pistons
OKC has proven once again to be an unstoppable force this season. They make the right moves offensively and they have plenty of talent on the defensive side of the ball. Not to mention, Shai Gilgeous Alexander is one of the greatest players in the league. Detroit may not make it out of the East, but this would be a dream finals matchup of mine.
Tate Zellman – San Antonio Spurs take down the New York Knicks
The Spurs have been a very consistent team during their playoff run. Their backcourt continues to be impressive, and their bench has been stepping up in terms of scoring. Additionally, Victor Wembanyama continues to be a force to be reckon with. Even though the Knocks have been dominant, the Spurs are gonna surprise them and run away with the chip.
Nolan Matthew – Oklahoma City Thunder beat Detroit Pistons
The Thunder are the one team that has just ran through the playoffs without a problem. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander playing like he always does and Chet Holmgren playing like a defensive player of the year candidate and Ajay Mitchell stepping as the second scoring option. The Pistons are a squad that I think can give the Thunder fits taking the series to six games, but with Holmgren playing defense like he is, Jalen Duren will continue to struggle in the playoffs and there is only so much Cade Cunningham can do, even with Tobias Harris stepping up in the playoffs.