The NBA is gearing up for a great second half of an already exciting season, and I have my predictions for what the rest of the season has in store.

The Warriors will NOT top the Bulls record

The Warriors are great, and I mean great. But they will not top the Bulls' record of 72 wins and they won't even come close. They were just beat down by the Blazers and that showed that the Warriors are a vulnerable team and they can lose games. Now with five losses they would not be able to lose another five games, and I do not see that happening. With the wear and tear of the season approaching it will be interesting to see if they can keep all of their stars healthy, especially since Stephen Curry was hurt at the beginning of the season. They will still come in first place in the western conference because the Spurs have older players that will be sitting out down the stretch to preserve them for the playoffs.

The Celtics will finish second in the Eastern Conference

Precursor: This pains me to say, as a Knicks fan. The Celtics have been playing some great team basketball this season and no one has been talking about them. They are currently only four and half games behind the division leading Raptors, and have a lot to prove. They have some big statement wins against the Thunder and the Cavaliers, and a narrow defeat at the hands of the Warriors. All Star point guard Isaiah Thomas has been a godsend for this team and has really carried them when necessary. This gritty team has what it takes to play well, and they will overtake the Raptors and finish behind the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference.

Warriors vs. Cavaliers Finals matchup

This seems like the obvious match-up, right? Well, that is not necessarily true. The Spurs and the Thunder are two great teams that have been playing some good basketball. They could both pose problems for a small Warriors lineup and make for an interesting Western Conference Finals matchup. At the end of the day, the Warriors chemistry is just too good and will overtake the star power of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant and narrowly make it to the NBA Finals. As for the Eastern Conference, no team compares to that of the Cavaliers. When you have the best player on the planet, it is pretty hard to lose. The last time they played the Celtics, they lost on a buzzer beating three pointer, but I do not see that happening again. The Cavs will win in five and move on to the finals. This year the matchup between the Warriors and the Cavs will be even better than last year, because now the Cavs have a healthy Kyrie Irving (they hope). The Warriors team chemistry is just too good, and the way that Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green play with each is not paralleled by anyone else in the league. Warriors win in 7 games.

The MVP goes to…

This is a tough choice and I have a lot of thinking about it. But it will most likely go to Stephen Curry. He leads the league in scoring even though he is 34th in minutes played and has sat out a total of 15 fourth quarters. He is also on pace to break his own three point record by about 100 shots, which is absolutely incredible. He is playing at some level I have never seen before, and if it keeps up, he will win his second straight MVP.