Matt Barnes Predicts LA Clippers will Defeat Milwaukee Bucks in NBA Finals
Former NBA player Matt Barnes is doubling down on his preseason take, predicting that the LA Clippers will defeat the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2020 NBA Finals.
In a conversation with Richard Jefferson on Instagram Live, Barnes said he thinks the chip is coming to Los Angeles. When Jefferson pressed him for a more specific answer, Barnes elaborated on his response.
"I'm going to take the Clippers like I said at the beginning of the season. I don't want to switch over. Although I'd love to see the Lakers and Bron, for Kobe, win this year. I got the Clippers vs. Milwaukee and the Clippers winning."
Barnes didn't offer a prediction on how many games it would take for the Clippers to win the series, but given the uncertainty of the state of each roster, that's understandable.
Barnes spent time with both the Clippers and Lakers during his 14-year NBA career, but the Clippers have been his pick to win it all this season since October. Before the regular season began, Barnes said the 2020 championship is LA's to lose.
It's not hard to see why the Clippers are such a popular pick. LA won 44 of its 64 games before the NBA season came to a halt on March 11, thanks in large part to the efforts of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
The superstar duo is averaging a combined 47.9 points, 13.0 rebounds and 8.9 assists per game this season, and neither of them plays more than 32 minutes per contest. On top of that, George recently announced that he finally feels like himself again now that he's finished rehabbing his shoulders.
That said, the Clippers will have an uphill battle ahead once things pick up again next month. LA has gone 2-1 against the Lakers this season, but lost both games it played versus the Milwaukee Bucks.
With roughly a month left until the NBA returns, expect to see all kinds of predictions about who will hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy in October.
Check out Barnes and Jefferson's full conversation below.
