USA TODAY International Edition
No record- setters yet still best
Warriors have plenty of talent to win another title
NBA teams will play 1,230 games from the end of October until the middle of April. The players will travel millions of miles, log thousands of minutes and hope they get the right bounce, basket or turnover that helps their team win enough games to make the playoffs.
How this season will go is anyone’s guess. So we decided to make a guess.
The USA TODAY Sports NBA desk is making its predictions for each team’s record — knowing such an exercise will result in ridicule or praise, depending on which fan base you’ve insulted or exalted.
We make the picks using no formulas. Just taking into consideration how teams finished a year ago, what offseason moves they made, injuries, age and coaching.
We don’t recommend using these projections for wagering, unless you’re betting against us. OK, we don’t recommend that either. This is strictly for fun. No, seriously, it is.
PACIFIC DIVISION
We feel pretty strongly that the Golden State Warriors won’t win 73 games. Now, we’re not suggesting they’re going to be a bad team — on the contrary, we have the Warriors with the NBA’s best record. But chasing the record for wins last season took a toll. This year’s team might take a minute to come together with the addition of Kevin Durant and the loss of several key big men. But in the end, the Warriors have the talent to win it all for the second time in three years. We have the Los Angeles Clippers again being a strong second in the division. They are a solid team that has potential to reach the Finals. But time is running out on the Clippers doing so. The Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers will battle for the bottom and don’t project much for the fan bases to be excited about — except for the Kings, who at least have a new arena.
SOUTHWEST DIVISION
No franchise in the NBA during this era has been more consistent than the San Antonio Spurs, our pick to win this division again. Tim Duncan retired, and Pau Gasol was added to the roster. Kawhi Leonard continues to get better, and nobody is more consistent as a coach than Gregg Popovich. Much like the Clippers, the Memphis Grizzlies are a team that has been together for several seasons and at some point needs to take that next step. The resigning of Mike Conley and uptempo style of new coach David Fizdale could get Memphis into contention for a host playoff spot. The Houston Rockets might be the highest scoring team in the league with James Harden running Mike D’Antoni’s offense. They might not stop anyone, but you should get League Pass if for no other reason than to watch their games. The Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans round out the division. They’re two teams that could be better than our projections, but everything has to go just right.
NORTHWEST DIVISION
Not since the John Stockton- Karl Malone era has the Utah Jazz gone into a season with so much intrigue. A solid roster and an underrated coach have excitement building in Salt Lake City. One caveat is the Jazz begin with several key injuries — most notably Gordon Hayward’s that could keep him out until the middle of November — that could hurt them early. If they hang on, they could close strong if everyone returns. Pushing the Jazz will be last season’s surprising team, the Portland Trail Blazers, who under the excellent play of Damian Lillard surprised everyone at making a playoff run after the roster was gutted from the year before. The Oklahoma City Thunder are in transition with the losses of Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka. They are an interesting team with Rus- sell Westbrook leading a group that has Victor Oladipo and Steven Adams looking to take big steps. The Minnesota Timberwolves should be better and way more fun to watch but might be a year or two away from being serious playoff contenders. The Denver Nuggets are still building under coach Mike Malone.
ATLANTIC DIVISION
It’s hard to pick against the Toronto Raptors, the team that pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers to six games in the Eastern Conference finals. They re- signed DeMar DeRozan, and with Kyle Lowry, those two have been one of the most solid backcourt tandems in the league. Nipping at their heels will be the Boston Celtics, who under Brad Stevens has gotten better and better, and the addition of Al Horford gives them the closest thing to a star they’ve had since the late 2000s. Then there are the New York Knicks, the team that has the city cautiously optimistic. They have a solid starting lineup around Carmelo Anthony and should be much better. The only issue is depth and too many players with a history of injury problems. If they stay healthy, they could do way better than our projection, but a few injuries could make them much worse. The Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers are teams going in opposite directions, but neither will be very competitive this season. At least with the Sixers, the future ap- pears to be bright. CENTRAL DIVISION If you don’t believe in LeBron James by now, you’re never going to. All things considered, last season could have been his finest yet, and it has been three years since he won an MVP award. That might just change this season. James might push the Cavs hard to not just win the Eastern Conference, but they also could make a push for the NBA’s best overall record. The Detroit Pistons are our pick for a continued resurgence and the second spot in this division. Stan Van Gundy has gotten his group of guys to buy in, and they look like they will be one of the more fun teams to watch. The Indiana Pacers are the tren- dy pick by some to finish second in the East, but we’re not ready to go that far. We like the Pacers to be a playoff team and love Paul George’s game. But they’ll be playing a different style from what they’ve played in the last few seasons without coach Frank Vogel, so it might take a while for them to be what they hope to be. The Milwaukee Bucks were a surprise team two seasons ago and could be again, but we’re in waitand- see mode with Giannis Antetokounmpo running point and the injury to Khris Middleton. We don’t see good things for the Chicago Bulls at all. With Jimmy Butler, Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade all in the lineup, they’re going to struggle shooting the ball. Team defense dropped off a year ago, and the Bulls didn’t get younger in the offseason.
SOUTHEAST DIVISION
Yes, the Atlanta Hawks are depending on Dwight Howard to revert to his younger days — a return to Superman, if you will. But this is an unselfish team that has good ball movement and multiple scoring options. Mike Budenholzer is a good coach, coming from the Spurs organization, who has the team on the same page. Two years ago the Hawks had the best record in the East and made it to the conference finals. We look for them to win this division pretty handily. So we’re going out on a limb a bit with the Washington Wizards. John Wall is one of the most underrated guards in the league, but Bradley Beal has yet to live up to expectations. Still, we think Scott Brooks as coach might be just what the Wizards need to get back in the playoffs. The Charlotte Hornets are a franchise at a crossroads. If things don’t go well, there could be mass changes in the offseason. But if everything falls just right, they could be a solid playoff team. At some point, you figure the Orlando Magic will be in the playoff picture. All those top draft picks over the years ... Well, a new coach in Vogel might be the beginning of a positive future, but the Magic are not there yet. The Miami Heat will go into the season without Wade for the first time in more than a decade. With the news that Chris Bosh can’t play because of blood clots, the Heat are in rebuild mode.