2011-12 NBA Season Predictions

Joy to the world! NBA basketball is back ladies and gentleman. I cannot express how excited I am that the lockout is over and we're going to have NBA games starting on Christmas day. There are so many storylines heading into the year. Will the Big 3 in Miami win a championship this year? Where will Dwight Howard end up? How will the Lakers transition from Phil Jackson to Mike Brown? How will the new-look Clippers mesh? Is Boston over the hill?

There were just way too many intriguing stories for there not to be a season. Due to the lockout we're going to get a 66-game regular season and a playoff that goes into late June I believe. It's not the best situation but it's certainly not the worst.

In this post I'll be prediciting who I believe will win each individual award. I'll also be predicting division winners, conference winners and ultimately the NBA champion. With a great slate of games on Christmas day, I'm fired up for the season to start in less than 48 hours. Let me not waste anymore time. Here are my predictions for the 2011-12 NBA season.

Rookie of the year: Derrick Williams

Coach of the year: Scott Brooks

Defensive player of the year: Tyson Chandler

Sixth Man of the year: James Harden

Most Improved player of the year: Andrew Bynum

Most Valuable Player: Kevin Durant

Now on to the stuff that really matters...

Atlantic Division: New York Knicks

With a shortened season, the Knicks should be able to take advantage of the rival Celtics. A full season for Carmelo and Amar'e to gel together will do them good. Also, the addition of Tyson Chandler makes them a respectable team on the defensive end.

Central Division: Chicago Bulls

Chicago is the class of the Central division, and I fully expect them to flex their muscles all year long. Last season's MVP Derrick Rose should have another outstanding season. I love that they picked up a nice veteran piece in Rip Hamilton. This team will be a force to be reckoned with.

Southeast Division: Miami Heat

The regular season means absolutely nothing for the Miami Heat. Yeah they'll most likely win 50-plus games in a 66-game schedule, but they need to win a championship to validate their talent. I do think that they will start fast unlike last season.

Northwest Division: Oklahoma City Thunder

Other than the Miami Heat, there is no team better equipped to handle the effects of a 66-game schedule in about 123 days. They're young, they have depth, and they have chemistry. If they continue to get better don't be shocked when they're the number one seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

Southwest Division: Dallas Mavericks

Even though this team has gotten a little softer, I still believe that this team has enough to win the division. They definitely have a lot of competition with the Grizzlies coming up the rear, and the Spurs always being competitive. With all that said I'll still take Dirk and the crew.

Pacific Division: Los Angeles Lakers

The Pacific division has been dominated by the Lakers the past four or five seasons and I don't expect anything to change. A lot of people are on the Clippers bandwagon, but I still have my reservations about them in the regular season. As long as Kobe can stay healthy this division is the Lakers to lose.

Who's going to be in the NBA Finals? Keep reading on...

Eastern Conference Champion: Miami Heat

Miami Thrice cannot afford to lose in the playoffs. This team is too talented to not get it done. Quite frankly, I don't see any team in the league let alone the Eastern conference being able to beat them in a seven-game series. I think they'll play to their potential in the postseason and dismiss the competition.

Western Conference Champion: Los Angeles Clippers

As much as I have my reservations about this team, I just don't see any team in the West beating them in a seven-game series. This team is young but they have some strong leaders that know how to win. With two elite players in Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, expect them to play hard every night. It doesn't look right, but the Clippers will be in the NBA Finals.

The moment you've been waiting for, drum roll please...

NBA Champion: Miami Heat

If you're truly looking at this from an objective view, there's no way you can't pick the Miami Heat to win it all. Last season I feel like they gave the Finals away to the Mavericks. With LeBron saying he's playing more relaxed hopefully he decides to show up in the 4th quarter of crucial games. Coach Spoelstra says he's going to a more up-tempo offense that will showcase their youth and athleticism. Ultimately that will put pressure on their opponents. This team will right their wrongs from last year and bring another championship to South Beach.