The first round is officially in the books, which means the second round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs is underway. Now, teams are one step closer to hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy. That is the case for both the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers. With the series opener happening on Tuesday in San Francisco, it is time for our Warriors NBA Playoffs bold predictions.
Golden State had many ups and downs in the regular season. After winning the 2022 NBA Finals, the team lost multiple important rotational pieces and had nine fewer wins than in its championship campaign. Still, with a 44-38 record, the Warriors managed to secure the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference.
The Warriors are coming off a seven-game first round versus the Sacramento Kings. After going down 2-0, Golden State bounced back and closed the series on the road on Sunday.
On the other side of the matchup, Los Angeles went 43-39 in the regular season, finishing as the No. 7 seed in the West. The Lakers ended up defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-102 in overtime in the Play-In Tournament to officially secure a spot in the playoffs.
In the first round, the Lakers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in six games.
Now in the second round, the battle between the Warriors and Lakers could make one of the best series in recent memory. This will be the first time Stephen Curry and LeBron James meet in the playoffs since the Golden State-Cleveland Cavaliers finals.
With that being said, here are three bold predictions for the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers.
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3. Warriors hold LeBron James to at most 50% from the field
If there is one player that the Warriors should pay extra attention to it is LeBron James. Despite being in his 20th season in the league and dealing with injuries for most of it, the 19-time All-Star still put up big numbers when healthy.
James averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists plus 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks a night in the regular season. He shot 50% from the field, 32.1% from beyond the arc and 76.8% from the free-throw line.
In the first round against the Grizzlies, the veteran led the team with 22.2 points, 11.2 boards and 5.2 assists. He also had 1.3 blocks and a steal per contest.
Since James gave the Warriors some trouble during his second stint with the Cavaliers, Steve Kerr and his players will need to make sure the forward does not go off. One way of doing that is by limiting his efficiency. In the two previous outings between the teams this season, James hit only 37% of his field goals.
The bold prediction is that the Warriors will hold James to at most 50% from the field in the series. Since he is making over 50% of his field goals over the past three seasons, making him take and miss bad shots could be a solution.
2. Stephen Curry averages 30+ points and 5+ 3-pointers per game in the series
As for the Warriors, they will need everything they can get from Stephen Curry. The guard is coming off a big series against the Kings and could keep his hot streak in the semifinals.
So far in the playoffs, Curry is averaging 33.7 points, 4.9 assists and 4.4 rebounds. He is shooting 48.8% from the field, 37.8% from the 3-point line and 82.9% from the charity stripe.
Most importantly, he is coming off a 50-point performance against the Kings on Sunday. He went 20-for-38 from the field, including making seven 3-pointers. The two-time MVP ended up breaking a record for most points in a Game 7 in NBA history.
Should he continue playing at that level, the Warriors will be in a good position to eliminate the Lakers. The bold prediction is that Curry will average 30-plus points with five-plus 3-pointers per game for the series.
1. Series goes to seven games
Both Golden State and Los Angeles are coming off series where they were the lower seeds. Still, they managed to upset Sacramento and Memphis, respectively, with crucial wins on the road. Because of that, both organizations should have a lot in store for the second round.
According to FanDuel, the Warriors are the favorites to advance to the conference finals. However, the odds are just -158, the second-lowest among all matchups in the semifinal round.
The bold prediction is that this will be one of, if not the best series of this postseason. Fans should expect many big games from both Curry and James, which should bring back memories from the 2015-2018 era. All things considered, this series between the Warriors and Lakers has a good chance of going to seven games.
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