2018-19 NBA Season Predictions

Here are my predictions for the 2018-19 NBA Season.

- Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics (59-23)
2. Toronto Raptors (57-25)
3. Philadelphia 76ers (52-30)
4. Milwaukee Bucks (49-33)
5. Indiana Pacers (46-36)
6. Washington Wizards (45-37)
7. Miami Heat (44-38)
8. Charlotte Hornets (42-40)
9. Detroit Pistons (37-45)
10. Cleveland Cavaliers (30-52)
11. Brooklyn Nets (28-54)
12. Orlando Magic (27-55)
13. Chicago Bulls (26-56)
14. New York Knicks (25-57)
15. Atlanta Hawks (19-63)

The Boston Celtics come into the season as the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward are back from their respective injuries and those two plus Al Horford, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown is their starting five. Their bench is among the leagues best with Terry Rozier, Marcus Morris, and Marcus Smart. The Toronto Raptors should be in the mix for the top seed in the East thanks to the addition of Kawhi Leonard, who they traded away DeMar DeRozan for along with Danny Green. Kyle Lowry is still around and so is Serge Ibaka and Jonas Valenciunas. Their bench should be improved with a full season of OG Anunoby to go with Fred Van Vleet, and Pascal Siakam. The Philadelphia 76ers look to build on last seasons successful season. Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid look to stay healthy and take their games up a notch. JJ Redick returns and Robert Covington and Dario Saric round out the starting five. Markelle Fultz is facing a make-or-break year and trade acquisition Wilson Chandler is a solid bench addition. The Milwaukee Bucks look to take the next step under new coach Mike Budenholzer. Giannis Antetokounmpo will be an MVP candidate and Kris Middleton is in a contract year. The rest of the starters are Malcolm Brogdon, who is coming
off an injury plagued year, Eric Bledsoe, who is in his first full season with the Bucks, and free agent acquisition Brook Lopez. Their bench is serviceable with guys like Tony Snell, Ersan Illaysova, and John Henson. The Indiana Pacers look to build on their surprising playoff appearance from a season ago. Victor Oladipo looks to build on his breakout season, Myles Turner just got paid, and the rest of the starting five consists of Darren Collison, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Thaddeus Young. The bench should be improved with the additions of Doug McDermott, Tyreke Evans, Kyle O'Quinn, and first rounder Aaron Holiday. The Washington Wizards are an interesting team this season. John Wall and Brad Beal are still around. Otto Porter Jr, Markeiff Morris, and free agent acquisition Dwight Howard make out the starting five. The bench should be improved with first rounder Troy Brown Jr and trade acquisition Austin Rivers joining Kelly Oubre and Tomas Satoransky. The Miami Heat are a bit of a wild card this season due to the fact that they can either go for it and trade for someone or could completely implode. Goran Dragic, Dion Waiters, Josh Richardson, James Johnson, and the polarizing Hassan Whiteside are the starting five. The bench is actually deep with the likes of Justice Winslow, Bam Adebayo, Wayne Ellington, and Tyler Johnson. The Charlotte Hornets are my pick to
be the final East playoff team this season under new coach James Borrego. Kemba Walker is in a contract year and will be motivated. Nic Batum, Jeremy Lamb, Marvin Williams, and Tyler Zeller are the rest of the starting five. The bench isn't bad with the likes of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Malik Monk, and first rounder Miles Bridges. The Detroit Pistons are a team that's looking to bounce back from a disappointing season from a year ago under new coach Dwyane Casey. Blake Griffin is in his first full season in Detroit and Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson are still around. Stanley Johnson (who's entering a make-or-break year) and Reggie Bullock round out the starting five. The bench consists of Ish Smith, Luke Kennard, and Henry Ellenson. The Cleveland Cavaliers are a team that is obviously going to regress due to LeBron James leaving again. Kevin Love is still around and is poised for a big season. They have some vets in George Hill, Tristian Thompson, JR Smith, and Kyle Korver. They also have some young guys in Rodney Hood, Cedi Osman, Larry Nance Jr, Jordan Clarkson, and lottery pick Collin Sexton. The Brooklyn Nets are a team that is finally heading in the right direction. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Jarrett Allen, and Caris LaVert is a nice young core. DeAngelo Russell is in a bit of a make-or-break situation. This team also has some vets in Ed Davis,
Allen Crabbe, and DeMarre Carroll. The Orlando Magic are a rebuilding team with a new coach in Steve Clifford. Mo Bomba joins Jonathan Issacs, Evan Fournier, and Aaron Gordon to form a nice young core. Nikola Vucevic and DJ Augustin are nice vets on this team as well. The Chicago Bulls are another rebuilding team that has a nice young core emerging with Lauri Markkanen, Bobby Portis, Kris Dunn, Denzel Valentine, lottery pick Wendell Carter Jr, and Zach LaVine. There are still vets on this team like Robin Lopez and Justin Holiday and Jabari Parker was overpaid to play on this team too. The New York Knicks are yet another rebuilding team with a nice young core with the recovering Kristaps Porzingis (who may not play this season), lottery pick Kevin Knox, and Frank Ntlikina. They brought in some former first round picks in Noah Vonleh and Mario Hezonja. There are also some trade bait veterans such as Courtney Lee and Enes Kanter. The Atlanta Hawks are easily the worst team in the NBA this season. Lottery pick Trae Young joins John Collins, DeAndre Bembry, and Taurean Prince as their core. Kent Bazemore is someone that's likely to be traded this season as well as Vince Carter, Miles Plumlee, and Jeremy Lin.

- Western Conference
1. Golden State Warriors (60-22)
2. Houston Rockets (57-25)
3. Los Angeles Lakers (55-27)
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (53-29)
5. Utah Jazz (52-30)
6. Denver Nuggets (50-32)
7. Portland Trail Blazers (47-35)
8. Los Angeles Clippers (45-37)
9. New Orleans Pelicans (44-38)
10. Minnesota Timberwolves (41-41)
11. San Antonio Spurs (39-43)
12. Dallas Mavericks (37-45)
13. Phoenix Suns (30-52)
14. Memphis Grizzlies (27-55)
15. Sacramento Kings (24-58)

The Golden State Warriors are still the team to beat in the NBA. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green are still around and their starting lineup will have new acquisition DeMarcus Cousins to go with those four once he comes back from his Achilles injury. Their bench is solid too with Andre Igoudala, Shaun Livingston, new acquisition Jonas Jerebko, and rookie Jacob Evans. The Houston Rockets are a team that could take a step back after finishing last season with the best record in the NBA then losing to the Warriors in the West finals. James Harden and Chris Paul lead this team and Carmelo Anthony joins them. Clint Capela is back as well as Gerald Green and PJ Tucker and Eric Gordon is still around too. The Los Angeles Lakers will be the leagues most improved team this season thanks to the arrival of LeBron James. The young core of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, and Josh Hart will all improve this season as well. Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, and JaVale McGee were all veteran additions that should help. The Oklahoma City Thunder are a team that I expect to improve. Russell Westbrook is recovering from
knee surgery and he should have a good season. Paul George is back and should be motivated to play. Andre Roberson is out for two months with a setback of knee surgery. Dennis Schroeder was added to be a sixth man. Steven Adams is still around and Jerami Grant is back too. The Utah Jazz are an up and coming team in the league. Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert are a really nice foundation for them and veterans like Joe Ingles and Ricky Rubio have helped. Derrick Favors and Dante Exum are back and will help the team too. The Denver Nuggets are a team I expect to have a great season. Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Will Barton, and Gary Harris is a nice foundation to have. Paul Millsap is looking to bounce back from a injury ravaged season. Isaiah Thomas was a nice addition and I expect a bounce back from him too. The Portland Trail Blazers are a team that many folks will take a step back after getting swept in the first round last season. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum are still around and should have good seasons. Al-Farouq Aminu, Mo Harkless, and Jursuf Nurkic round out the starting five. On the bench is Evan Turner, Nik Stauskas, Zach Collins, and Myers Leonard. The Los Angeles Clippers are a team will surprise folks and steal the last playoff spot in the West. Doc Rivers is a coach I don't see tanking a season. There are lot of veterans such as Patrick Beverley,
Avery Bradley, Lou Williams, Milos Toedosic, Tobias Harris, and Luc Mbah a Moute. There are also a lot of young guys such as rookies Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson, Montrezl Harrell, and Tyrone Wallace. The New Orleans Pelicans are an interesting team heading into the season as I don't see them as a playoff team due to key free agent losses in DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo. Anthony Davis is poised for his best season yet and Jrue Holliday is coming off a career year. I'm not a fan of the acquisition of Julius Randle due to the fact I don't think he, Davis, and Nikola Mirotic can play at the same time. Elfrid Payton is replacing Rondo and I don't think he can replicate what Rondo did. I don't love their bench either with the likes of Darius Miller, Troy Williams, and Solomon Hill, but super late trade acquisition Wes Johnson should help. The Minnesota Timberwolves are a complete wild card due to the fact of what happens with Jimmy Butler. This prediction is based on the fact I think it's likely Butler is traded. Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins are still around and Towns just got paid. Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson round out their starting five. Their bench isn't good with guys like former Bulls Derrick Rose and Luol Deng, Gorgui Dieng, and rookies Kieta Bates-Diop and Josh Okogie. The San Antonio Spurs run of playoff
appearances will in all likelihood end this season. Kawhi Leonard was traded and the team already lost DeJounte Murray for the season with a torn ACL. DeMar DeRozan comes over in the Leonard deal along with Jakob Poetl. LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol are still around and the former could be retiring after the season. The Dallas Mavericks are a team that's enduring a bit of a rebuild. Dirk Nowitzki is probably retiring after the season. Veterans such as Devin Harris, Wes Matthews, and Harrison Barnes are still around and DeAndre Jordan joins them. They will be building around Dennis Smith Jr and lottery pick Luka Doncic in the future. The Phoenix Suns are building a nice foundation with number one overall pick DeAndre Ayton and lottery pick Mikal Bridges joining Devin Booker, Josh Jackson, and TJ Warren. There are still veterans on this team that could be trade bait with Tyson Chandler, free agent acquisition Trevor Ariza, and trade acquisition Ryan Anderson. The Sacramento Kings are easily the worst team in the West this season. Marvin Bagley joins De'Aaron Fox, Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere, Harry Giles, and Buddy Hield as a nice young core. This team also has trade bait veterans in Zach Randolph, Nemanja Bjelica, and Iman Shumpert.

2019 NBA Playoffs
- First Round
(E1) Boston Celtics vs (E8) Charlotte Hornets: A nice season for the Hornets comes to a fast end against a much superior Celtics team.
Prediction: Celtics in four games.

(E2) Toronto Raptors vs (E7) Miami Heat: The Heat will win a game or two in this series as Dwayne Wade has his swan song. Kawhi Leonard kills the Heat again and leads the Raptors to a series win.
Prediction: Raptors in five games.

(E3) Philadelphia 76ers vs (E6) Washington Wizards: The Sixers are super talented and that will show in this series although John Wall and Brad Beal are talents of their own too as they'll steal one from the Sixers.
Prediction: 76ers in five games.

(E4) Milwaukee Bucks vs (E5) Indiana Pacers: Best East series of the first round with one star on each team in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Oladipo. The Bucks are the better team this season and Mike Budenholzer will out-coach Nate McMillan.
Prediction: Bucks in seven games.

(W1) Golden State Warriors vs (W8) Los Angeles Clippers: A surprise season comes to a quick end for the Clips as the Warriors with Boogie Cousins back and healthy with their big four pull off the sweep.
Prediction: Warriors in four games.

(W2) Houston Rockets vs (W7) Portland Trail Blazers: These two teams hooked up in the playoffs five seasons ago when Damian Lillard hit the famous buzzer beating three to advance the Blazers to the Semifinals. This result will be different as the Rockets win a short series.
Prediction: Rockets in five games.

(W3) Los Angeles Lakers vs (W6) Denver Nuggets: This should be a fun series between these two very good teams. A lot of offense in this series for sure and LeBron James will lead the Lakers to their first playoff series win in seven seasons in what should be a competitive series.
Prediction: Lakers in six games.

(W4) Oklahoma City Thunder vs (W5) Utah Jazz: Best projected first round series out of the 8. Rematch from a season ago in which the upstart Jazz won in six over the Thunder. Revenge this year with Russell Westbrook healthy and Carmelo Anthony off the team as they take this one in a classic.
Prediction: Thunder in seven games.

- Semifinals
(E1) Boston Bruins vs (E4) Milwaukee Bucks: Rematch of a first round series from a season ago. Giannis is a stud, but his team won't beat this loaded Celtics team although they'll steal a few games.
Prediction: Celtics in six games.

(E2) Toronto Raptors vs (E3) Philadelphia 76ers: Great series between these two division foes. Has seven games written all over it and with Kawhi on the Raptors now, they get the edge here with home court advantage too.
Prediction: Raptors in seven games.

(W1) Golden State Warriors vs (W4) Oklahoma City Thunder: Big series for Kevin Durant against his former team. He'll be the best player in this series although Russell Westbrook and the Thunder will keep it competitive.
Prediction: Warriors in six games.

(W2) Houston Rockets vs (W3) Los Angeles Lakers: Great series here as well. LeBron James vs James Harden and Chris Paul is fun of course. LeBron and his new team get a signature series win to reach the Conference Finals.
Prediction: Lakers in seven games.

Conference Finals
(E1) Boston Celtics vs (E2) Toronto Raptors: The East's best two teams face off in what should be a phenomenal series. The Celtics with homecourt advantage with a deeper team get by the Raps.
Prediction: Celtics in seven games.

(W1) Golden State Warriors vs (W3) Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron vs Warriors V. Except in the Conference Finals with LeBron's new team. This is certainly a team heading for big things in the future, but they'll fall short against the two time reigning champs.
Prediction: Warriors in six games.

NBA Finals
(W1) Golden State Warriors vs (E1) Boston Celtics: This is going to be a great finals between the two best teams in the NBA. I do think the Celtics have a great chance to win the championship, but the Warriors are the better team and will win a competitive finals to three-peat as NBA Champions!
Prediction: Warriors in six games.