My 2025 NBA Playoff Picks
April 18th, 2025
by Alan Lu
The 2025 NBA Playoffs is just right around the corner, and the first round will officially begin on Saturday. The NBA season came and went so fast it seemed, and now sixteen NBA teams will compete for a chance to win the title. The Cleveland Cavaliers had a great regular season under head coach Kenny Atkinson, as they ended up leading the East with 64 wins, and the Oklahoma City Thunder won a season best of 68 games to close the regular season.
(Photo: Brian Fluharty/Imagn Images, via Athlon Sports)
Some teams such as the Detroit Pistons have seen a vast turnaround for the better, as they went from being the worst team last year from then head coach Monty Williams to suddenly making the playoffs as a 6 seed under new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. Other teams have disappointed, as the Phoenix Suns ended up missing the playoffs entirely. Meanwhile, there were many coaching changes, and Denver will go into the playoffs with David Adelman as their head coach instead of Michael Malone. Also, Luka Doncic was traded midseason by the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers, were he ended up joining LeBron James, as they will look to try to make a deep run to try to dethrone the defending champions, the Boston Celtics.
So without further ado, here are my picks for which teams will advance, round by round.
Round 1 Picks
(1) Cleveland Cavaliers over the (8) Miami Heat, 4-1
A team that has won over 60 games in a regular season should at least make it out of the first round, and head coach Kenny Atkinson has helped Cleveland win 16 more games in the regular season compared to last year. In addition, the Cavaliers have the league’s best offense, and they had the most All-Stars with three this season.
On the other hand, the NBA playoffs are entirely different from the regular season, and their opponent has battle-tested players that have at least made a deep run in the postseason. The Cavaliers should prevail here, but their opponent will likely give them a fight and go down swinging in the process.
(2) Boston Celtics over the (7) Orlando Magic, 4-0
The Boston Celtics are the defending champions, and they have a great blend of star power, a talented deep roster, and strong coaching, and they are a solid team on both sides of the ball. Jayson Tatum is one of the best in the game today, and the Celtics have arguably the best starting lineup and the deepest team in all of the NBA. The Magic have a couple of star forwards and are a solid defensive team, but it’s unlikely that the Magic will have enough offense or be able to match up to Boston player for player in this series. The Celtics will likely cruise in their first round series, and are expected to advance fairly easily to the second round.
(3) New York Knicks over the (6) Detroit Pistons, 4-1
The Knicks swung a big trade to land Karl-Anthony Towns to pair him with Jalen Brunson, and it’s paid dividends for New York. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has done an outstanding coaching job to help lead the Detroit Pistons, as their star player Cade Cunningham made his first All-Star team, and the Pistons were able to go from being one of the worst teams last year to making the playoffs. The Pistons are a strong defensive team, but the Knicks are solid on both sides of the ball and have more star power, so while Detroit will give New York a fight in this series, the Knicks are likely to advance to the next round.
(5) Milwaukee Bucks over the (4) Indiana Pacers, 4-3
The Bucks will have their superstar forward Giannis and most likely Damian Lillard back in time for the playoffs to compete in a grudge match against Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers, a fast-paced, offensively skilled team that defeated the Bucks in last year’s playoffs. The Bucks-Pacers series will be a treat to watch and will be a hard fought series, but if talent takes over, then Milwaukee could be expected to prevail in a long and grueling series.
(1) Oklahoma City Thunder over the (8) Memphis Grizzlies, 4-2
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a very talented and deep team that won 68 games in the regular season, the most in the NBA, and they boast having a superstar in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. On the other hand, they are still very young, so their relative inexperience may cost them a few games in the playoffs. The team they are facing is a battle-tested team that has players that have made deep runs in the playoffs before. While the Thunder should advance to the second round, their opponent will give them a fight in this series.
(7) Golden State Warriors over the (2) Houston Rockets, 4-3
The Houston Rockets are a well-coached, deep team that is led by a very good head coach, and Houston is one of the best defensive teams in the league. But the Warriors are a battle-tested team that have firepower as they have superstar Stephen Curry, they added superstar forward Jimmy Butler to really elevate their team, and the Warriors also have a one of the best head coaches in Steve Kerr, and this will be a hard-fought series all the way to the end.
(3) Los Angeles Lakers over the (6) Minnesota Timberwolves, 4-3
LeBron James is one of the most dependable superstars in NBA history, and Luka Doncic helped lead the 2024 Dallas Mavericks to get to the NBA Finals last year, and they are teaming up to help rookie head coach J.J. Redick in the playoffs, so much is anticipated for the Lakers this year.
While the Timberwolves traded away Towns, they still have superstar guard Anthony Edwards, as well as the very solid frontcourt trio of Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle, and Jaden McDaniels, and Naz Reid won Sixth Man of the Year last year. The Timberwolves were able to defeat the former defending champions Denver Nuggets to get to the 2024 Western Conference Finals before losing to Luka’s Mavericks. Now that LeBron and Luka are teaming up, the Lakers have become formidable contenders, and they should at least win a series in this postseason, although the Timberwolves will probably make it a very long series for them.
(4) Denver Nuggets over the (5) Los Angeles Clippers, 4-3
The Nuggets have Nikola Jokic, a three-time MVP and 2023 NBA champion, who’s put up tremendous numbers year after year, and Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon always seem to play better in the postseason. On the other hand, the Nuggets fired head coach Michael Malone just a few games before the postseason, and rookie head coach David Adelman will have to step in to take the reins.
The Clippers boast having a very good superstar tandem in Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, and they’ve made under the radar moves to really strengthen their team. They are a contender in the West if they can stay healthy, but they also will be facing a tough test in Denver, who boasts having the frontrunner to be this season’s MVP.
Round 2 Picks
(1) Cleveland Cavaliers over (5) Milwaukee Bucks, 4-3
Picking the Bucks to advance to the Conference Finals is a tempting proposition, especially when considering that they have one of the game’s best in Giannis, and is paired with a superstar scoring point guard in Dame Lillard. But Cleveland has been very cohesive, strong, and consistent throughout the season, and that should be rewarded with a deep run this year. That said, this pairing would likely result in a long and hard-fought series that could go either way.
(2) Boston Celtics over (3) New York Knicks, 4-2
The Celtics and Knicks would be a dream matchup that many would await in the second round, as there would be superstars galore in Tatum, Brown, Porzingis, Towns, and Brunson. That said, the Celtics’ defense, talent, and coaching would likely take them over the top, but the Knicks are talented and skilled enough to win a couple of games to make this a tough series. Still, the Boston Celtics are a very strong team top to bottom, so that would give the Celtics the edge here.
(3) Los Angeles Lakers over (7) Golden State Warriors, 4-2
Stephen Curry and LeBron James are two of the best players to have ever played the game, and both players are legendary in their own right. Steve Kerr is a coaching legend, and J.J. Redick already has shown the potential to reach those heights due to his strong tactics, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Jimmy Butler was a great addition that has really helped Golden State. But the Lakers adding Luka Doncic could be the difference maker that could get the Lakers to further heights this year than anyone outside of California may have imagined.
(1) Oklahoma City Thunder over (4) Denver Nuggets, 4-2
Nikola Jokic has had a tremendous season and is one of the all-time greats, but the Thunder is a deep and talented team that is a strong team top to bottom. Youth and inexperience aside, the Thunder should at least make it to the Conference Finals, especially given that they have a superstar and a really deep team that won 68 games in the regular season. Without Michael Malone around to implement tactics and strategies this time around, the Nuggets may struggle to make a deep run this year.
2025 Conference Finals Picks
(2) Boston Celtics over the (1) Cleveland Cavaliers, 4-2
The Cavaliers have consistently been a very solid team in the NBA, and much of the thanks is due to head coach Kenny Atkinson, along with their core players taking an extra step towards greatness. But this Boston Celtics’ team retains much of their team that attained greatness last year, and Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown look poised to lead a very deep, balanced, and talented team, and the Celtics’ being very strong on both sides of the ball would likely enable them to advance past Cleveland here.
(3) Los Angeles Lakers over the (1) Oklahoma City Thunder, 4-3
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams are a strong trio that lead a very deep and talented, but young Thunder team. But LeBron is one of the best to ever play the game, and Luka Doncic was able to nearly single handedly will the Mavericks to win most nights in the playoffs last year. Now that LeBron and Luka are teaming up with the offensive coaching expertise of J.J. Redick, the Lakers could be a solid sleeper pick to get past the Thunder.
2025 NBA Finals Prediction:
(1) Boston Celtics over the (3) Los Angeles Lakers, 4-3
The Lakers have arguably two of the best closers in the game in LeBron and Luka, which make them a lethal and very dangerous team to face in the playoffs. But the Celtics can combat the Lakers not only with firepower, but by having a tremendous set of defensively skilled players that can frustrate opponents on a nightly basis, as they boast having two of the best defensive guards in Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, and the Celtics also have the shooting capabilities to keep scoring, as Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford give the Celtics an advantage due to their great offensive skills, especially for players their size. On top of that, the Celtics also may arguably have the best bench in the NBA in Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, and Al Horford. The Celtics-Lakers would make for a classic series, but there can only be one winner.
(Photo: NBA.com)
2025 NBA Finals MVP Prediction:
Tatum is a strong bet to put up great scoring numbers and production in the playoffs, and if Boston ends up winning the whole thing, Jayson Tatum would be a great pick to be the 2025 NBA Finals MVP. There is no sure bet as to who would win this award, but Tatum would be a very good candidate here.
All in all, those are my thoughts on how the 2025 NBA Playoffs may turn out. Time will tell to see what will happen. For more info, you can check out the stats of various teams on Basketball-Reference. Thanks for reading.