2016-17 NBA Predictions

Here are my predictions for the 2016-17 NBA season.

Eastern Conference
The reigning NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers enter the season as the clear favorites to go back to the NBA Finals for the third straight year. LeBron James will be motivated and will be an MVP candidate yet again and Kyrie Irving has finally made the leap to stardom and Kevin Love looks like he's finally fit in with the team. The 2-4 seeds in the East will be a battle between a few teams that are very good. The Toronto Raptors brought basically brought back everyone (except Bismack Byombo) from the team that pushed the Cavs to a sixth game of the Eastern Conference Finals last season. The Boston Celtics are going to be a very good team in Brad Steven's fourth year as head coach and they added Al Horford and lottery pick Jaylen Brown to go with their core of Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart. The Indiana Pacers will be improved with the additions of Jeff Teague and Thaddeus Young to go with Paul George, who will be an MVP candidate this season. The final four playoff spots will be a huge dogfight between everyone else in the conference expect for the bottom two teams. The New York Knicks should be improved thanks to the additions of Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Courtney Lee, and Brandon Jennings to go with Carmelo Anthony and budding star Kristaps Porzingis. It is key for them if Rose and Noah to stay healthy for the season, though. The Atlanta Hawks are interesting team as they lost Al Horford and replaced him with Dwight Howard and traded away Jeff Teague and now Dennis Shroeder will be the starting point guard. Paul Milsap's name being in trade rumors could affect the team, but we will see about that. The Detroit Pistons are a very interesting team as well in Stan Van Gundy's third season as coach. Reggie Jackson is out to start the season due to a knee injury. Kentavious Cladwell-Pope has improved his game over the last few seasons as well as Andre Drummond. The Chicago Bulls pretty much cleaned house last summer after trading Derrick Rose away and letting go of Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol. Robin Lopez was acquired in the Rose trade and Rajon Rondo and Dwayne Wade were signed in free agency. The chemistry should be interesting with Rondo, Wade, and Jimmy Butler in Fred Hoiberg's second season as coach. The Washington Wizards are coming off a disappointing season as they fired Randy Wittman and replaced him with Scott Brooks. John Wall and Bradley Beal are a fun backcourt duo to watch and team expects Otto Porter to make the leap. The Charlotte Hornets made the playoffs a year ago and they look poised for a step back thanks to the free agent departures of Jeremy Lin, Al Jefferson, and Courtney Lee. Nic Batum re-signed with the team in free agency but it should be interesting to see if he has the same type of year as last year and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is back from a shoulder injury. The Milwaukee Bucks were a huge disappointment last season after many experts thought they would be a 4 or 5 seed in the East last year. Khris Middleton is out for the season with a torn hamstring. Giannis Antetokounmpo is supposedly playing point guard now so that should be interesting and the team also added Matthew Dellavedova in free agency. The Miami Heat had a tough offseason after losing Dwayne Wade in free agency and Chris Bosh due to a blood clot. They did add guys like Derrick Williams and Dion Waiters to pair up with Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside. This team could either surprise everyone and make the playoffs or tank. Erik Spoelstra has work to cut out for him this season. The Orlando Magic had a somewhat interesting offseason. Frank Vogel is now the head coach and the team traded away Victor Oladipo and their lottery pick for Serge Ibaka and also signed Bismack Byombo in free agency. The Philadelphia 76ers selected Ben Simmons first overall in the draft, but he broke his foot and is out for three months. Joel Embiid is finally on the court and he'll be a Rookie of the Year candidate. I'm interested to see if they trade either Nerlens Noel or Jhalil Okafor due to their crowded front court. Dario Saric is finally over from overseas and it should be interesting to see how he does. The Brooklyn Nets look like the worst team in the league. They have no first round pick this year thanks to the disastrous trade they made with the Celtics in 2013. Brook Lopez is still on the team and he could very well be traded this season. The team signed Jeremy Lin and Luis Scola this summer and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is back from injury.

1. Cleveland Cavaliers (55-27)
2. Toronto Raptors (53-29)
3. Boston Celtics (50-32)
4. Indiana Pacers (47-35)
5. New York Knicks (45-37)
6. Atlanta Hawks (45-37)
7. Detroit Pistons (44-38)
8. Chicago Bulls (42-40)
9. Washington Wizards (41-41)
10. Charlotte Hornets (39-43)
11. Milwaukee Bucks (36-46)
12. Miami Heat (35-47)
13. Orlando Magic (33-49)
14. Philadelphia 76ers (23-59)
15. Brooklyn Nets (20-62)

Western Conference
The reigning Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors enter the season as the team to beat due to the fact they signed Kevin Durant this summer to pair up with their core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green to form a super team. The San Antonio Spurs begin life without Tim Duncan as they signed Pau Gasol to replace him as he'll join Kawahi Leonard, Tony Parker, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Danny Green to form a formidable starting five. The Los Angeles Clippers should be very good yet again as they have their core of Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, and D'Andre Jordan and added some quality bench pieces as well. The Oklahoma City Thunder, despite losing Kevin Durant this summer, will still be very good thanks to Russell Westbrook still being around as he'll be an MVP candidate this season. I didn't mind trading away Serge Ibaka for Victor Oladipo and lottery pick Domontas Sabonis, either. The Portland Trail Blazers were a surprise playoff team a year ago and they should be better this season as well with that great backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCullom. I didn't mind the Evan Turner signing for them and he'll provide good minutes for them. The Houston Rockets are trying to rebound from a disastrous season from a year ago under new hard coach Mike D'Antoni. James Harden will be in the MVP discussion and the team got rid of Dwight Howard and signed Eric Gordon, Nene, and Ryan Andersen in free agency. This will be a fun offense to watch, but their defense will not be very good. The Minnesota Timberwolves will be one of the leagues most improved teams thanks to the hiring of Tom Thibodeau. Karl-Anthony Towns will make a massive leap into the leagues elite and Andrew Wiggins should have a breakthrough season as well. The Utah Jazz are a sexy pick this season to make a massive jump as well. The team will miss Gordon Hayward the first few weeks with a broken finger, but Dante Exum is back from a torn ACL and George Hill will fit nicely with this young core. Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert will be a tough rim protecting duo to score on as well. The Memphis Grizzlies are a team that has many injury risks with Marc Gasol coming off a foot injury and newcomer Chandler Parsons has a history of injuries. The team did re-sign Mike Conley this summer as well. The Dallas Mavericks overachieved a year ago with guys like Deron Williams and Wesley Matthews. Dirk Nowitzki is still around and the team also signed Harrison Barnes and traded for Andrew Bogut this summer. The Sacramento Kings are an interesting team this season as they lost Rajon Rondo and signed Aaron Afflalo this summer. If things go south, don't be surprised if DeMarcus Cousins's name pops up in trade rumors. The New Orleans Pelicans were thought to be a playoff lock last season, but they had a ton of injuries a year ago. Anthony Davis (when healthy) is one of the leagues best players. The team lost Eric Gordon and Ryan Andersen in free agency and gambled on guys like Lance Stephenson and Langston Galloway. The Denver Nuggets should be an improved team in Mike Malone's second season as coach. Emmanuel Mudiay showed flashes in his rookie season at the point and the front-court duo of Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic will be fun to watch. Don't be surprised if Wilson Chandler, Danillo Gallinari, and Kenneth Faried are trade bait this season. The Los Angeles Lakers begin life without Kobe Bryant as they enter a new era. Luke Walton is the new head coach and lottery pick Brandon Ingram joins a nice young core of D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, and Jordan Clarkson. The Phoenix Suns have some nice pieces on their team, but they look like the cellar dweller in the West. Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight should be trade bait so they can give more playing time to Devin Booker, who was great last season as a rookie. Tyson Chandler should also be trade bait this season as they should play Alex Len more often.

1. Golden State Warriors (67-15)
2. San Antonio Spurs (60-22)
3. Los Angeles Clippers (57-25)
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (50-32)
5. Portland Trail Blazers (49-33)
6. Houston Rockets (47-35)
7. Minnesota Timberwolves (46-36)
8. Utah Jazz (44-38)
9. Memphis Grizzlies (42-40)
10. Dallas Mavericks (39-43)
11. Sacramento Kings (33-49)
12. New Orleans Pelicans (32-50)
13. Denver Nuggets (30-52)
14. Los Angeles Lakers (27-55)
15. Phoenix Suns (25-57)

- 2016 NBA Playoffs
Quarterfinals
(E1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs (E8) Chicago Bulls: A LeBron James vs Dwayne Wade would be fun, but let's be clear. The Cavs are the better team and will sweep right by the new-look Bulls.
Prediction: Cavaliers in four games

(E2) Toronto Raptors vs (E7) Detroit Pistons: This should be a very interesting series here. The Raptors have the edge here due to the fact that their depth is better than the Pistons.
Prediction: Raptors in six games

(E3) Boston Celtics vs (E6) Atlanta Hawks: Here's a rematch from last seasons Quarterfinals. Give me the Celtics here as Al Horford will be motivated to play his former team.
Prediction: Celtics in five games

(E4) Indiana Pacers vs (E5) New York Knicks: This should be an interesting series with star power in Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. The Pacers are the more superior team so give me them to advance here.
Prediction: Pacers in seven games

(W1) Golden State Warriors vs (W8) Utah Jazz: Here we have the leagues best team against an up-and-coming team. Give me the best over the less experienced.
Prediction: Warriors in four games

(W2) San Antonio Spurs vs (W7) Minnesota Timberwolves: Here we have a matchup of a pre-annual contender against another up-and-coming team. This series also features two of the leagues best coaches as well. Give me the Spurs in what should be a fun series.
Prediction: Spurs in five games

(W3) Los Angeles Clippers vs (W6) Houston Rockets: Here we have a rematch of the 2015 Semis when the Clippers famously blew a 3-1 series lead. Give me the Clips to get revenge on the Rockets in what should be a fun series.
Prediction: Clippers in seven games

(W4) Oklahoma City Thunder vs (W5) Portland Trail Blazers: This should be an interesting series between these two division foes. Russell Westbrook vs Damian Lillard will be the headline, but Westbrook's team is the better team.
Prediction: Thunder in seven games

Semifinals
(E1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs (E4) Indiana Pacers: This should be a somewhat interesting series. Paul George will be motivated to play LeBron, but LeBron is still the best player on the planet as the Cavs will go to the Eastern Conference Finals yet again.
Prediction: Cavaliers in five games

(E2) Toronto Raptors vs (E3) Boston Celtics: This should be a great series between these division rivals. I like the Celtics here to pull this off and go to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2012.
Prediction: Celtics in seven games

(W1) Golden State Warriors vs (W4) Oklahoma City Thunder: This will easily be the best series in the Western Conference Playoffs as Kevin Durant will play against his former team. Durant and Russell Westbrook will both be motivated, but Durant will get the better of his former team in what should be a fun series.
Prediction: Warriors in six games

(W2) San Antonio Spurs vs (W3) Los Angeles Clippers: Here's a rematch from the great series from the 2015 Quarterfinals. Give me Kawhi Leonard and the Spurs to get revenge here to get to the Western Conference Finals for the fourth time in six years.
Prediction: Spurs in seven games

Conference Finals
(E1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs (E3) Boston Celtics: This should be a very fun series to watch. The Celts will steal a few games, but the Cavaliers will be back in the NBA Finals for the third straight year.
Prediction: Cavaliers in six games

(W1) Golden State Warriors vs (W2) San Antonio Spurs: This is what most people thought the Western Conference Finals was going to be last season. The Spurs are thought as the team that can give the Dubs the most trouble, but give me the Dubs to set up another NBA Finals rematch with the Cavs.
Prediction: Warriors in six games

NBA Finals
(W1) Golden State Warriors vs (E1) Cleveland Cavaliers: This should be an outstanding NBA Finals yet again as this series would have classic written all over it with all the star power here. Give me the better team and that is the Warriors.
Prediction: Warriors in seven games