NBA Playoffs Predictions 2022: Warriors, Celtics, 76ers, Mavericks Could Exit Bracket Early

Making 2022 NBA playoff predictions isn’t easy, considering more teams than usual appear to be legitimate championship contenders. It could result in a few first-round upsets.

The Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks are both dealing with injuries to their best player. The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers are expected to be without one of their starters for at least some of the first round against a formidable opponent.

Here’s a look at the top-four seeds that are most at risk of losing early in the 2022 NBA playoffs.

No. 2 Boston Celtics

An unfortunate position in the Eastern Conference bracket could send the Celtics home before the second round. If Boston was one seed higher, it might easily make it to the conference finals. Instead, the Celtics have a first-round matchup with the Brooklyn Nets, possibly the most dangerous No. 7 seed in NBA history. Kevin Durant is the best player in the series and could push the Celtics to the brink of elimination almost by himself. Without center Robert Williams for potentially the entire series, Boston’s No. 1-ranked defense won’t be the same against an extremely potent Brooklyn offense.

No. 3 Golden State Warriors

At full strength, the Warriors could very well win their fourth championship since 2015. Stephen Curry’s foot injury might keep Golden State from being fully healthy in the playoffs. Curry hasn’t played in a month, and his status for the start of the Warriors’ first-round series against the Denver Nuggets is up in the air. Golden State is 8-10 when Curry doesn’t play. Curry is shooting 40.4% from 3-point range in wins and just 32.3% in losses. If Curry isn’t his All-NBA-self, the Warriors can have a hard time beating Denver or the higher-seed Memphis Grizzlies in the second round.

No. 4 Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers were viewed as one of the NBA favorites when they traded for James Harden on Feb. 10. The optimism regarding Philadelphia’s title hopes has slowly evaporated over the last few weeks. Harden’s 40.2% shooting with the 76ers and his inability to finish at the rim makes Philadelphia a strong candidate to be upset by the Toronto Raptors in the first round. 76ers starter Matisse Thybulle isn’t allowed to play in Toronto because he’s not fully vaccinated against COVID-19. If Joel Embiid is able to carry Philadelphia to the second round, the 76ers will likely be stopped by a better Miami Heat team.

No. 4 Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks sure seemed like a dark-horse candidate to win the championship. Dallas has the NBA’s fifth-best record, a top-10 defense and one of the league’s elite superstars. Luka Doncic’s calf strain, however, likely ended the team’s hopes of making a deep postseason run. With just six days separating the injury and Game 1 of Dallas’ series against the Utah Jazz, Doncic is likely to miss some, if not all, of the series. Utah has become a heavy betting favorite, indicating that the Mavericks are headed for a third straight first-round playoff loss.