We are only a month away from the end of the 2024-25 regular season and the playoff picture is starting to take shape. With the race for the title heating up, experts are beginning to deliver their first official predictions on which teams are set to conquer the NBA championship.
Even though most of the attention is going to the Lakers and Warriors, after they traded in Luka Doncic and Jimmy Butler, TNT analyst Charles Barkley believes that the league coverage should be around the Cavaliers and Thunder. During a recent segment on Inside the NBA, he made a bold prediction.
The Hall of Famer declared that Cleveland, who currently holds the best record in the Eastern Conference, will advance to the last stage. “Man, the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to the finals,” Chuck said. “The Celtics, that’s going to be a great series if they play the Celtics. But right now, I’m telling y’all, and I told you to book it last week. The Cleveland Cavaliers are going to the NBA Finals.”
“The Cleveland Cavaliers are going to the NBA Finals” – Charles Barkley 😳😳😳 pic.twitter.com/7jDpjC3pf3
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) March 7, 2025
And he’s not wrong, the Ohio club’s dominance this campaign has turned undeniable, especially now that they are no a 12th-consecutive winning streak. The team also possesses an offensive powerhouse, with All-Stars Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Darius Garland.
With their playoff berth secured a month away from the postseason, Barkley’s bet is safe. On the other side of the country, we have Oklahoma City leading the West, but the TNT analyst complained that all the buzz has stayed in California. “The Lakers are doing great,” Barkley said. “Got a long way to go.”
Chuck then added: “But the reason the season’s been going great is the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Y’all just want to talk about the Warriors and the Lakers. They’re both doing great, don’t get me wrong. If I turn out to be wrong, I got no problem with that. But y’all are idiots cause y’all talk about the Lakers and the Warriors all the time.”
The former Suns icon insisted that the NBA’s best times should be getting more attention. “The Cleveland Cavaliers have won 12 straight games,” Barkley added. “Oklahoma City got the MVP and they are on fire. Y’all are talking about who’s in second place. That’s the reason I get pissed.”
