I must say with the bevy of off-season news, this should make for one of the most exciting NBA seasons in recent memory.

The Kyrie Irving trade. Carmelo Anthony and Paul George to OKC. Chris Paul to Houston. Jimmy Butler to Minnesota.

Color my ass pumped! Hell, it has to better than last season when everyone and their mama knew no one was going to challenge Golden State and Cleveland. At least there are five teams that can do just that.

Ok, since this is getting a bit long than I intended, let’s break down the 2017-2018 season, shall we? …

(In order of predicted finish)
y=division winner
x=playoff team

Eastern Conference

1. Boston Celtics-y
2. Cleveland Cavaliers-y
3. Toronto Raptors-x
4. Washington Bullets – errr, I mean “Wizards”-y
5. Milwaukee Bucks-x
6. Charlotte Hornets-x
7. Miami Heat-x
8. Detroit Pistons-x
9. Philadelphia 76ers
10. Atlanta Hawks
11. Orlando Magic
12. New York Knicks
13. Orlando Magic
14. Indiana Pacers
15. Brooklyn Nets

Analysis: Thanks to the Irving trade, Cleveland has a legit challenger in Boston. Don’t sleep on Toronto and Washington, especially the Raptors. Outside the Greek Freak and the Bucks, the rest of the East is just “blah”…

Western Conference

1. Golden State Warriors-y
2. San Antonio Spurs-y
3. Oklahoma City Thunder-y
4. Houston Rockets-x
5. Minnesota Timberwolves-x
6. Denver Nuggets-x
7. Memphis Grizzlies-x
8. Los Angeles Clippers-x
9. Utah Jazz
10. Portland Trailblazers
11. New Orleans Pelicans
12. Los Angeles Lakers
13. Dallas Mavericks
14. Sacramento Kings
15. Phoenix Suns

Analysis: I’ve never seen the West THIS deep. Teams 2 thru 5 can pose a big challenge to the Warriors. I’m also fascinated by how Lonzo Ball will do in LA. Just say “no” to his daddy.

Conference champions: Warriors and Cavaliers

2017-2018 NBA Finals Champions: Golden State Warriors

Categories: NBA

Tags: NBA, NBA preview, Opinion, Sports