(PHOTO CREDIT: Claus Andersen/Getty Images.)
So before the season started, I made my predictions on where each team would land after the season. I’m so edumacated.
These are always funny. Because seldom will we get most of our preseason guesses right. Let’s see how every team did compared to where I thought they would end up.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
1) CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (57-25)
MY PRESEASON PREDICTION: 2nd (53-29)
I thought LeBron James was going to take a lot more vacations to Cabo this season but he played 76 games compared to 69 *giggles* the season before. They won more games because some of the expected East powerhouses never lived up to expectations (more on that later!). Even though, for the most part, these guys looked like they were WORKING instead of playing; it just didn’t seem like they enjoyed basketball for most of the year. With that said, they have so much talent that, even if their entire core did not mesh well, they can overwhelm basically every team in the East.
I did have them making the Finals, though. And they have a very good chance of doing that again.
2) TORONTO RAPTORS (56-26)
PREDICTION: 6th (44-38)
I’m so sorry, Canada.
Their team wasn’t changed for the most part (although they did lose Amir Johnson and added DeMarre Carroll, who didn’t play much, and Bismack Biyombo) but they did concentrate a bit more on locking down. They were 11th in defensive rating while maintaining their offensive firepower (5th in offensive rating). DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry had career offensive seasons and DeRozan is a much more dangerous slasher and an improved three-point shooter. They ran away from the rest of the East (along with the Cavs) and have a fleeting chance of going to the Finals.
But first, gotta get rid of that first round jinx.
3) MIAMI HEAT (48-34)
PREDICTION: 4th (47-35)
I pretty much got this right for the most part but it’s unfortunate they’re not going into the postseason in full strength. Chris Bosh‘s blood clot issues have resurfaced although he hasn’t been ruled out for the postseason. Still, his health is way more important and basketball is secondary at this point for him.
This goes to show why Erik Spoelstra is one of the few untouchable coaches in the league. He’s helped Hassan Whiteside become this defensive monster and he’s helped keep this team a Top 10 defensive team to cover up their perimeter shooting deficiencies (although getting Joe Johnson halfway through this season was big).
Their style of play is more suited in the postseason. They can make some noise there.
4) ATLANTA HAWKS (48-34)
PREDICTION: 3rd (50-32)
The emergence of players like Kent Bazemore and Dennis Schroder helped offset the loss of DeMarre Carroll to free agency. Kyle Korver recovered from a slow start from behind the arc to shoot nearly .400. While people were questioning between who should handle the team’s offense more often, they suffocated the opposing teams (2nd in defensive rating).
So, yeah, the team kept it together. But the path to the East Finals is much harder for these birds than last year.
5) BOSTON CELTICS (48-34)
PREDICTION: 8th (40-42)
In case you didn’t know, Brad Stevens is a hell of a coach.
The Celtics fly all over the court on defense. Isaiah Thomas had an all-star season. Avery Bradley is still THAT bulldog on the defensive end. Jae Crowder is a definition of a glue guy. Evan Turner turned in another good season. Amir Johnson added more toughness inside. And Kelly Olynyk doesn’t get enough credit as a great cog off the bench. And Marcus Smart was hurt a lot of the time, too.
48 wins. Some saw that coming but I certainly didn’t. Atlanta is gonna have their hands full.
6) CHARLOTTE HORNETS (48-34)
PREDICTION: 10th (37-45)
The Hornets became more of a perimeter-oriented team and, boy, did it work wonderfully for them this season. Nicolas Batum woke up from his slumber in Portland and was a catalyst on both ends of the court. Kemba Walker became a much improved three-point shooter and made his opponents pay. Al Jefferson‘s injuries limited him but he still provided some offense in limited minutes. And once in a while, we got a glimpse of Linsanity off the bench. They did all of this with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (out for the season again) limited to seven games.
Steve Clifford should get Coach of the Year votes.
7) INDIANA PACERS (45-37)
PREDICTION: 9th (39-43)
The Pacers got off to an excellent start, helped by the scorching start of Paul George. His scoring slowed down a bit and his shooting dipped as the year went on but he still had an excellent year (if not, a bit inefficient). That start helped the Pacers get to the 7th spot this season.
I thought they’d barely miss the postseason because of “powerhouses” like the Wizards and the Bulls. But the Pacers were better than I thought they were going to be. And who saw that Bulls and Wizards decline coming?
Nice recovery after losing most of their pieces from the team that was on the brink as recently as two seasons ago.
8) DETROIT PISTONS (44-38)
PREDICTION: 13th (33-49)
I kind of lost faith in them after last season when I picked them to make the playoffs. But Stan Van Gundy stuck to his guns. The Reggie Jackson acquisition turned out to be big for their team; he became their leading scorer and his much-maligned three-point shooting improved to an average clip this season. Andre Drummond became a bigger monster this season although we all know about his free throw shooting. And that Tobias Harris (NOOB SAIBOT) deal was huge for the Pistons, giving them another low-post threat and a weapon from behind the arc.
The Pistons can still use more shooting and they’re going to need every bit of that against Cleveland. But more buckets from afar will take them to the next level.
9) CHICAGO BULLS (42-40)
PREDICTION: 1st (55-27)
It’s a combination of things for these Bulls. Adjusting to a new coach (Jimmy Butler calling out the coach in the media didn’t exactly help). Their defense declined (15th in defensive rating). Injuries to most of their players (outside of Doug McDermott, all players played 73 games or fewer). There were rumors of dissension inside the team. And the team went on crucial losing streaks late in the season.
I had such high hopes for this team. Not winning the championship, necessarily, but I thought they would make some noise in the postseason.
10) WASHINGTON WIZARDS (41-41)
PREDICTION: 5th (44-38)
Another team that I thought that would be able to do something. Slow starts on the defensive end and for John Wall held the Wizards back and they were never able to get it going. Bradley Beal‘s injuries didn’t help them. The result was a very average season (literally, at .500) and Randy Wittman‘s ousting.
Otto Porter did produce with increased playing time. But not enough for a leap to help out the Wiz.
11) ORLANDO MAGIC (35-47)
PREDICTION: 11th (35-47)
I got this exactly right in the end. Orlando got off to a promising start and we even thought that they would be good enough for the 8th seed before a 2-12 January axed their chances.
As far as their defense went, Scott Skiles helped the team go from 24th last year to 16th this season in defensive rating. Let’s remember, though, that Orlando has a very, very young team. But yet Skiles couldn’t make Tobias Harris an important player on his squad for the second time (they were both in Milwaukee).
Speaking of!
12) MILWAUKEE BUCKS (33-49)
PREDICTION: 7th (41-41)
One of the top defensive teams last season, they found themselves in the bottom five in that category for much of the season (they finished 23rd in defensive rating). Even with the huge disappointment of not following up on last season’s surprise playoff appearance, they did have a few good things going. Jabari Parker had a nice bounceback second season, Greg Monroe was an excellent low block scorer, Khris Middleton continued his solid all-around play, and Giannis Antetokounmpo might be their answer at POINT GUARD.
Also, they were the first team to beat the Golden State Warriors this season. They will cherish those 24-1 shirts forever.
13) NEW YORK KNICKS (32-50)
PREDICTION: 14th (24-58)
They did better than I thought and they were even contending for a playoff spot before a midseason slide that saw the Knicks lose 11 of 12 and the firing of Derek Fisher. After that encouraging start, it feels like the Knicks are right back to Square One. Phil Jackson is strongly thinking of leaving Kurt Rambis as head coach, who may not know what to do with a talent like Kristaps Porzingis. Carmelo Anthony is running out of patience and may soon want to run out of town.
So what now, Knicks?
14) BROOKLYN NETS (21-61)
PREDICTION: 12th (33-49)
The Nets are awful. More awful than I thought they were going to be. And it’s not going to get any better. Their first-round pick this summer is going to Boston.
Can Mikhail Prokhorov replace his players with cyborgs? That might be the only way he can compete in the upcoming years.
15) PHILADELPHIA 76ERS (10-72)
PREDICTION: 15th (15-67)
Still processing…
(PHOTO CREDIT: NBA.)
WESTERN CONFERENCE
1) GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (73-9)
PREDICTION: 2nd (59-23)
Ha ha.
Ha ha ha.
Just gonna set myself on fire really quick.
2) SAN ANTONIO SPURS (67-15)
PREDICTION: 1st (60-22)
I knew the Spurs would be good. Even with a historic season of their own (for crying out loud, they’re the first team with 65+ wins to be the SECOND SEED), nobody is paying attention to them because of the Warriors’ own historic season.
We were all afraid of how LaMarcus Aldridge would transition into his new team. The Spurs fans didn’t have to worry too long, obviously. The Spurs are such a basketball machine that you could probably put Donald Trump at center and it wouldn’t matter.
No, that’s not true. But what I really meant to say that you could put any competent basketball player in that team and they’d be just fine.
3) OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (55-27)
PREDICTION: 4th (56-26)
I’m happy that Kevin Durant was his MVP self once again. Although you can easily argue that Russell Westbrook was more of an MVP than Durant was; the guy had 18 triple-doubles this season.
It doesn’t feel like the team is much better with Billy Donovan on the helm. The offense doesn’t seem to have changed much; there are still a lot of isolation plays (but they do it very well; 2nd in offensive rating). And they are very inconsistent defensively (13th in defensive rating).
Before the season, I thought they had a good chance as any team to win the title. Turns out that the Warriors and Spurs decided to win everything. Also, fourth quarter play in big games has been a huge problem this season for OKC.
4) LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (53-29)
PREDICTION: 5th (55-27)
Blake Griffin was out for much of the season because of various injuries. But they did a good job of holding down the fort. Much of the credit should go to Chris Paul, who I feel has been SEVERELY overlooked this season due to eye-popping performances from Curry, Westbrook, Durant, Kawhi, James, and even Draymond Green.
They’re much better defensively this season (6th) but this is a team that hasn’t gone past the second round. And their championship window with this particular team seems like it’s almost closed. Oh, curse those guys from NorCal and San Antonio.
5) PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS (44-38)
PREDICTION: 12th (30-52)
You can tell these guys love playing with and for each other. And that kind of chemistry cannot be understated. Damian Lillard is a bonafide star; we all thought this team would sink to the bottom after 4/5 of the starters left Portlandia.
But improved play from C.J. McCollum, great bench play from Allen Crabbe, steady play from whichever Plumlee they have (Mason), and other contributions (what a gem Al-Farouq Aminu has been) helped Lillard and Rip City to the playoffs. Who would’ve thought, right? Terry Stotts has been an offensive wiz in his tenure there. And Lillard can get as hot as anybody in the league. The man is capable enough to carry this team to a series win.
So much for starting over.
6) DALLAS MAVERICKS (42-40)
PREDICTION: 11th (33-49)
I can’t even believe I doubted Rick Carlisle here as I deemed him as one of the few untouchable coaches in the league. Deron Williams had somewhat of a career resurrection. Zaza Pachulia was a monster on the boards. J.J. Barea and Raymond Felton surprised a lot of people with their aggressive play. Wesley Matthews, even when hurt, brought toughness. And we can’t forget what Dirk Nowitzki can STILL do at his age.
I’m bummed that they lost handsome Chandler Parsons for the season. But I can’t say I wasn’t surprised that they made the playoffs in a tough Western Conference.
7) MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (42-40)
PREDICTION: 6th (50-32)
Marc Gasol and Mike Conley are hurt but it somehow didn’t stop the Grizzlies. They played 28 players overall this season and they STILL made the postseason. That should earn Dave Joerger some Coach of the Year votes. He rotated almost TWO full NBA teams throughout the season. That’s incredible.
I’m not sure if this is the end of the line for Memphis overall. But I admire their resilience this season. That’s not going to be enough in the postseason, though, as they go in handicapped.
8) HOUSTON ROCKETS (41-41)
PREDICTION: 3rd (58-24)
The biggest disappointment in the league this season. And with the way they were going, I thought they would actually miss the playoffs. I had mentioned yesterday about James Harden‘s defensive lapses; his statistics seemed empty a lot of the time. Dwight Howard still seems to desire the #1 spot on the team. And their body language told the story for most of the season; it’s like they want to be anywhere BUT the basketball court.
We’re still waiting for this team to get it together. But that’s probably not going to happen this season, a season that may be over in 10 days.
9) UTAH JAZZ (40-42)
PREDICTION: 8th (41-41)
It’s about what I expected. But games missed by Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert were crucial. Plus late home game losses pushed them out of a playoff spot.
This is a good team and maybe they can continue to improve within. Gordon Hayward is legit and Rodney Hood has become a valuable second/third scorer for Utah. Let’s see what they’re going to do with the point guard spot; they let it known that Trey Burke is not the answer. But what of Raul Neto? And let’s not forget Dante Exum, who spent the season on the injured list.
10) SACRAMENTO KINGS (33-49)
PREDICTION: 9th (39-43)
The team continued to have a toxic environment. George Karl and players pretty much had tiffs all season. DeMarcus Cousins had great stats although they felt very empty. Rajon Rondo chased assists like I chased Baby Spice. Despite the talent that they had (which was why I thought they would ALMOST make the playoffs), they couldn’t get it together because it was apparently more important to take a swipe verbally at the other than playing hoops.
I hope they can get some stability soon. They’ve had like 147 coaches in the last decade.
11) DENVER NUGGETS (33-49)
PREDICTION: 13th (28-54)
Well, they were a little better than what I prognosticated. Emmanuel Mudiay finished his rookie season strong after shooting so horribly the first few months. And it’s awesome to see Will Barton break out with what could potentially be a Sixth Man of the Year award (and he was in the dunk contest, too).
And, ugh, I wish Danilo Gallinari can stay healthy.
12) NEW ORLEANS PELICANS (30-52)
PREDICTION: 7th (46-36)
Huge disappointment as well. Injuries were a huge culprit to this one.
We anointed Anthony Davis to be the best player THIS season before Stephen Curry decided to snatch the crown at OPENING NIGHT and never give it back. While Davis did have some impressive performances (he scored 59 in a game this season), it’s tough to play when you don’t know who’s going to suit up for a given night.
Maybe Davis will get to best player status. But I feel like a lot of us are glossing over this: the Brow hasn’t played in 70 games in any season. I’d worry about that.
We still love you, Alvin Gentry.
13) MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (29-53)
PREDICTION: 15th (23-59)
Karl-Anthony Towns is a STUD.
They mostly lost games because they’re all super young guys. But once they get more experience playing together, this is going to be one tough team to reckon with. Andrew Wiggins may not that become that transcendent player that everyone else seemed to predict before he got to the league but he’s pretty damn good. Zach LaVine and Shabazz Muhammad have become good scorers in this league. And Ricky Rubio, despite his lack of shooting, is still an incredible passer. I don’t know how long these fans can be patient; they haven’t seen a playoff appearance in forever. But there finally, FINALLY, may be promise here.
We miss you, Flip Saunders.
14) PHOENIX SUNS (23-59)
PREDICTION: 10th (38-44)
I’ll quote the great Matt Moore of CBS Sports in describing the Suns, “THE SUNS JUST DIED.”
They were once 11-14 before these guys fell off a cliff. Jeff Hornacek was fired. Eric Bledsoe was lost for the season. Brandon Knight was on and off the line-up. They traded a disgruntled Markieff Morris too late. And the Suns couldn’t recover.
Their only bright spot was Devin Booker, who showed himself to be capable in this league. So much for skipping on rebuilding after that surprise season from Hornacek and company.
15) LOS ANGELES LAKERS (17-65)
PREDICTION: 14th (25-57)
This became the Kobe Bryant Farewell Tour, which I felt was really only appropriate last Wednesday. I thought the whole lovefest was off since the opposing team would obliterate the Lakers by 30 and then the opposing crowd would cheer the retiring Bryant. It was weird.
Nevertheless, the only thing I got out of here was that I gave Byron Scott too much credit. He was even worse THIS year than last season (21 wins). His tough love was throwing his young core under the bus. It felt like he spent the entire game crossing his arms and giving clueless looks. We did get glimpses on how good D’Angelo Russell can be but his off-court incidents (along with a few other players) overshadowed what was an otherwise decent rookie season.
It can’t get any worse for the Lakers, right? Don’t say anything; that was a rhetorical question.
Follow Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass for all tweets about the NBA and terrible pop music. Also, check out his podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental.
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