NBA 2015 Predictions – Conference, Playoffs, NBA Finals and MVP

The San Antonio Spurs remain the NBA Champs, however, the nation is already buzzing with conversations centered around a potential crowning of a new team during the upcoming 2015 NBA postseason finale. Which team will make the playoffs? Which team will win the NBA Finals? Which player will hoist the 2015 Finals MVP award? So many questions but only a short list of teams capable of deciding the outcome. That is where the Sports Unbiased writing staff comes in to narrow the options.

The diverse NBA team here at Sports Unbiased is once again up to the challenge of answering the most important questions surrounding the 2015 postseason and NBA finals.

Jr. Williams, Bobby Bourhis, Keith Rivas, and Sauping R. Arguello weigh in with their selections. Each writer provided their votes without influence or contact from other staff members . The results were tallied and the consensus was determined.

Below you will see which team each writer picked followed by the overall Sports Unbiased consensus pick. As an added bonus, we have allowed you the ability to weigh in through the use of  fan polls. Each category will have a poll and a national consensus when that poll closes. Check the results, voice your opinion, and make your picks. Let’s see who got it right and who got it wrong over the coming months. We begin with the division winner predictions. Don’t forget to cast your vote in all the polls to help determine the national consensus.

Eastern Conference Division Winners and Conference Champs

Below you will find a table with the staff picks. According to the table below, you will see overwhelming majorities or even 100 percent agreement among writers who selected teams in the Atlantic and Southeast divisions. The writers believe the Raptors and Hawks are all but locks to win the Atlantic and Southeast. Meanwhile, only Keith avoided the Bulls in the Central Division. The Sports Unbiased Consensus believes the Bulls, Raptors, and Hawks will clinch their divisions. The Chicago Bulls are the clear consensus to clinch the 2015 Eastern Conference title. Check out the writer responses as to why they made their selections and cast your vote below.

Sauping R. Arguello:  Bull, Hawks, and Toronto all have a reasonable lead in their divisions. They are playing the best basketball in what already is a much weaker conference than the west. I don’t see any team in the east catching fire (aside from those three) and overtaking them.

Chicago has the best defensive team in the east. Coach Tibs emphasizes a hard gritty type of system. If you don’t play defense, you are not going to play. Butler’s emergence and drastic improvement, Rose’s return and Gasol has been a tremendous addition to a team who lacked offensive punch. They are the best formulated team built to come out of the east.

Jr. Williams: The Toronto Raptors are obviously the best team in the Atlantic Division, with the Brooklyn Nets coming in at a distant second place, meaning no team will come close to challenging them, while Chicago and Atlanta continue to extend their reach within the Central and Southeast Division. The Wizards could pose a small threat to the Hawks, unfortunately, they have been playing so damn well, I don’t think John Wall and Co. can match their level of play.

The Bulls should win the east, defensively they are the superior team in the league and have one of the deepest rosters in the NBA. Derrick Rose is surrounded by the best supporting cast of his career, and I don’t see any team defeating them in the playoffs.

 Bobby Bourhis:  The Toronto Raptors are in second place in the eastern conference despite playing over a month without DeMar DeRozan. Once he comes back the Raptors will be serious contenders for the best record in the eastern conference.

The central division is a two team race between Cleveland and Chicago. Both teams have dealt with their fair share of injuries, but Chicago has adapted much better, in large part due to the emergence of Jimmy Butler.

The Hawks are in first place in the eastern conference right now, and are enjoying good seasons from all of their star players (Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap and Al Horford). The Wizards are a good team, especially when Nene is healthy, but are not well-rounded enough to compete with the Hawks for the division title.

Ultimately the Eastern Conference should come down to a battle between four teams: Chicago, Cleveland, Atlanta and Toronto. Cleveland is without Varejao and has other health concerns with LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. Atlanta and Toronto are good teams but Chicago is more experienced and better defensively.

Next Page: Western Conference Division Winners and Conference Champs