Will the Denver Nuggets be the same team again since the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018?
Or will the NBA produce another champion for the sixth consecutive season?
Will someone be able to defeat the Boston Celtics and stop the team from winning their 18th title, tying them with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most in NBA history?
Will the team make it through the play-in game tournament and advance to the conference finals and NBA Finals like the Lakers and Miami Heat did last season? And with so many teams clustered together based on their regular season records, will seeding matter less this season?
These questions, along with others, will likely be answered as the playoffs unfold.
Here are NBA playoff predictions from USA TODAY Network staff writers.
Scooby Axon, USA TODAY Sports
first round
Celtics vs. Heat/Bull
cavaliers over magic
Pacers vs Bucks
Knicks over 76ers
Thunder to Pelicans/Kings
Mavericks vs. Clippers
Timberwolves vs. Suns
Nuggets beat Lakers
2nd round
celtics vs cavaliers
Knicks vs Pacers
mavericks over thunder
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves
conference finals
celtics vs knicks
Nuggets vs Mavericks
nba finals
Nuggets vs. Celtics
Dustin Dopilak, Indianapolis Star
1st round
Celtics vs. Heat/Bull
Knicks over 76ers
Pacers vs Bucks
cavaliers over magic
Thunder to Pelicans/Kings
Mavericks vs. Clippers
Timberwolves vs. Suns
Nuggets beat Lakers
2nd round
celtics vs cavaliers
Knicks vs Pacers
Lightning strikes the Mavericks
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves
conference finals
celtics vs knicks
nuggets vs thunder
nba finals
celtics vs nuggets
Duane Rankin, Arizona
first round
Celtics vs. Bulls/Heat
Knicks over 76ers
Bucks vs Pacers
magic over cavaliers
Thunder Over Kings/Pelicans
Nuggets beat Lakers
Timberwolves Sun
Mavericks against Clippers
2nd round
Celtics over Magic
Bucks vs. Knicks
Thunder to Mavs
Nuggets over Suns
conference finals
celtics vs bucks
nuggets vs thunder
nba finals
celtics vs nuggets
Jeff Gilgit, USA TODAY Sports
first round
Celtics vs. Bulls/Heat
Knicks over 76ers
Pacers vs Bucks
magic over cavaliers
Thunder Over Kings/Pelicans
Nuggets beat Lakers
Timberwolves Sun
Mavericks vs. Clippers
2nd round
Celtics over Magic
Knicks vs Pacers
Lightning strikes the Mavericks
Nuggets over Suns
conference finals
celtics vs knicks
nuggets vs thunder
nba finals
celtics vs nuggets
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA Playoff Prediction: Who Will Win NBA Finals 2024?
