Ready for the NBA season to finally start? Opening night is upon us whether you are ready or not! Here is my season preview masquerading as a very basic over/under prediction for each team, along with a silly zinger that will summarize their season.
*odds provided by Westgate Las Vegas (from Sep. 23)
Eastern Conference
Atlantic
Boston Celtics 54 – Under – The earth Ainge flat
Toronto Raptors 47.5 – Over – The year before extinction
Philadelphia 76ers 39.5 – Over – Trust the Process
New York Knicks 30.5 – Under – Concrete Jungle
Brooklyn Nets 27 – Under – Progress, but competitive? Not nyet
Central
Cleveland Cavaliers 54 – Under – The King’s last dance
Milwaukee Bucks 47 – Over – Trust the Results
Detroit Pistons 38.5 – Over – Even firing on all cylinders, still below .500
Indiana Pacers 31 – Over – Pace themselves to exceed expectations
Chicago Bulls 22.5 – Under – If nobody watches, does this Bulls season actually happen?
Southeast
Washington Wizards 49.5 – Over – Wall wizardry warrants wins
Miami Heat 43 – Over – More hot than cold this year
Charlotte Hornets 43.5 – Under – The Dwight effect
Orlando Magic 33 – Under – Come for Disney, stay for Isaac
Atlanta Hawks 26 – Over – Even Hawks with clipped wings can win 27
Western Conference
Northwest
Oklahoma City Thunder 52.5 – Over – Thunder & Lightning & Carmelo
Minnesota Timberwolves 48 – Under – This time the hype is warranted, but 48+ is not
Denver Nuggets 45.5 – Over – Millsap & Jokic LLP taking the law into their own hands
Portland Trail Blazers 42.5 – Over – Nurkic stays nuclear
Utah Jazz 41 – Over – Expect a Rubio renaissance
Pacific
Golden State Warriors 67.5 – Over – 70 in their sleep
Los Angeles Clippers 44.5 – Under – Milos!
Los Angeles Lakers 33 – Under – Even God can’t help them
Sacramento Kings 28.5 – Under – These veterans and rookies mix like cheese and pineapples
Phoenix Suns 28 – Under – They have bled so much, just let Bledsoe go and tank for sure
Southwest
Houston Rockets 55.5 – Over – Moses has his Point God
San Antonio Spurs 55.5 – Over – Will Popovich ever let them go under?
New Orleans Pelicans 40 – Under – Explosive, like a chemistry experiment gone awry
Memphis Grizzlies 37.5 – Under – Grit N’ Grind, without the Grit or Grind
Dallas Mavericks 35.5 – Over – DSJ won’t let Dirk retire just yet
Eastern Conference Standings
1. Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Boston Celtics
3. Washington Wizards
4. Toronto Raptors
5. Milwaukee Bucks
6. Miami Heat
7. Philadelphia 76ers
8. Charlotte Hornets
9. Detroit Pistons
10. Indiana Pacers
11. Orlando Magic
12. Atlanta Hawks
13. Brooklyn Nets
14. New York Knicks
15. Chicago Bulls
Western Conference Standings
- Golden State Warriors
- Houston Rockets
- San Antonio Spurs
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Denver Nuggets
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Utah Jazz
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- Los Angeles Clippers
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Dallas Mavericks
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Phoenix Suns
- Sacramento Kings
- Los Angeles Lakers
Playoffs
Round 1
- Cavaliers defeat Hornets
- Celtics defeat 76ers
- Wizards defeat Heat
- Bucks defeat Raptors
- Warriors defeat Timberwolves
- Rockets defeat Jazz
- Trail Blazers defeat Spurs
- Nuggets defeat Thunder
Conference Semifinals
- Cavaliers defeat Bucks
- Celtics defeat Wizards
- Warriors defeat Nuggets
- Rockets defeat Trail Blazers
Conference Finals
- Cavaliers defeat Celtics
- Warriors defeat Rockets
Finals
- Warriors defeat Cavaliers
NBA Individual Awards
MVP: Kevin Durant
Finals MVP: Stephen Curry
Defensive Player of the Year: Joel Embiid
Executive of the Year: Sam Presti
Rookie of the Year: Ben Simmons
Sixth Man of the Year: Lou Williams
Most Improved Player: Joel Embiid
Coach of the Year: Gregg Popovich
Sportsmanship Award: Mike Conley
NBA Cares Award: Chris Paul/James Harden
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