The month of April is filled with excitement as it is time for the NBA to start its playoffs. The NBA playoffs are when the best of the best compete at the highest level for a chance to win the NBA Finals. They do this by competing in several seven-game series with a winner coming out of both respective conferences. Those two teams will then compete for a chance to win a championship.

My prediction for this year is that the Los Angeles Lakers will play the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. The Boston Celtics have been a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference all year long as they are the No. 2 seed behind Milwaukee. The Lakers on the other hand entered the playoffs as a No. 7 seed just barely getting in due to their play in tournament.

The reason that I am predicting this matchup for the NBA Finals is due to several factors such as history, star players and championship experience.  These teams are not lacking in any of these departments as they are both heavily respected around the league. 

The Lakers are led by superstar Lebron James who is attempting to capture his fifth NBA championship and his first since 2020. The Celtics on the other hand led by Jayson Tatum are trying to get their first championship since 2008 after losing in last year’s NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors.

The rivalry between these two teams goes back decades as they are two of the oldest franchises in the NBA. The two teams have played each other a record number of times in the NBA Finals having matched up 12 times over the years. The Lakers and Celtics are tied for the highest number of championships in the NBA at 17 apiece which is 45% of NBA championships all-time.

If history does in fact repeat itself, then it is highly probable that the Lakers and Celtics will meet again in the NBA Finals. And what better year for that to happen with the race for the championship seeming as wide open as ever? 

  Now that we have determined who I believe will be in the NBA Finals, let’s decide who I think will be the team hoisting the trophy at the end of the season. 

I believe that the Celtics are the more well-rounded team with seemingly no holes in the roster from top to bottom. I do think that they are more experienced than people give them credit for as they did make it to the finals last year. On the other hand, the Lakers are a team with formidable stars such as Lebron James and Anthony Davis who are figuring out how to win at the right time of the season. This is something that I value heavily, and I find it hard to pick against Lebron in the Finals when he is playing any other team besides the Warriors. 

In my opinion, the Los Angeles Lakers will be the team who wins the 2023 NBA Finals 4-3 with the Celtics giving them everything they can handle. The NBA Finals take place on June 1, so we can see if my prediction comes true.