Barangay Ginebra San Miguel coach Tim Cone has looked into his crystal ball.
With the way the Los Angeles Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks are performing in the NBA restart, Cone said it’s not going to surprise him if the two teams meet in the Finals.
The two teams have clinched top seeding in their respective conferences – the Lakers in the West and the Bucks in the East – with a few more games left before the start of the playoffs.
“Because of the format in the NBA I think it’s really hard to decide who's going to win at this point,” said Cone on The Chasedown last Saturday in Cignal TV’s One PH channel.
“But you still have to favor the Lakers, when they get it all together, they’ll start playing well… and when LeBron (James) shows interest, they’ll start playing well. I think the Lakers and Bucks are the two favorite teams (to win).”
Milwaukee has the league’s best record so far with a 55-15 card, while LA sports a 51-18 slate.
In the NBA restart the league calls the ‘bubble’ in Orlando, however, after a long layoff due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Bucks have won just two of five games while the Lakers won two of six so far.
Cone said that these games are beneficial for teams to get their rhythm back and prepare for the playoffs.
Although the PBA’s record holder for most titles with 22 – with two Grand Slam crowns – picked the Lakers and Bucks, he is not discounting the possibility of other teams ‘gate crashing the party.’
Cone also picks the defending champion Toronto Raptors, who – despite the departure of Kawhi Leonard to free agency as he signed with the LA Clippers – carry the second-best record in the East at 50-19 and 4-1 in the restart, as well as the Houston Rockets and the Clippers.
“Toronto could be very good, they are (one of the teams on) the top of the bubble. Houston with their small ball could post some surprises… and you don’t know about the Clips,” said Cone.
The Clippers are currently No. 2 in the West at 47-23, followed by the Denver Nuggets at 46-24, while the Rockets are at fourth at 44-25 – including 4-1 in the ‘bubble’ – ahead of Oklahoma City Thunder (43-26).
The Utah Jazz, featuring Fil-Am player Jordan Clarkson, are 43-27, ahead of the Dallas Mavericks (42-30) and the Memphis Grizzlies (33-38), who are half-game up for the eighth spot on the Portland Trailblazers (33-39).
In the East, the Boston Celtics, with their young ‘dynamic’ duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, could make some surprises in the ‘KO’ playoffs as they are No. 3 with 47-23.
The Miami Heat of Fil-Am coach Eric Spoelstra, are No. 4 with 43-27, followed by Indiana Pacers (43-27), Philadelphia 76ers (42-28), Brooklyn Nets (34-36) and the Orlando Magic (32-39).