"Warriors make it to the Western Conference Finals
Given the strength of the Western Conference and the fact that Durant left the team in the summer, this might seem like a strange prediction to say the least. On the other hand, without Durant, the Warriors have looked great in the play-offs. While it is likely that Thompson will not return to the court until the playoffs, the Warriors have found a replacement for Thompson and have added D. Russell, who had a career season over the summer, and whose ability to fit into the system will be key to much of the team's success. If Thompson can return to the court with at least half of what he did in last year's playoffs, this team, with its strong championship experience, is likely to go far.
It is also interesting that when the Warriors were doing business without K. Durant, the Warriors had 34 wins in 41 meetings, but when Durant was playing and Curry was not, they won only 28 out of 46 meetings played.
Dallas Mavericks make the playoffs
In the Western Conference, the Lakers, Clippers, Warriors, Warriors, Nuggets, Rockets, Jazz and Trail Blazers are virtually certain to make the playoffs. The battle for the 8th position will be intense and all the remaining teams will try to cling on, but it is the European Mavericks who have the best chances.
Dallas, which added Porzingis over the summer, has not done much on the free agent market, but it has a good bench of backups who will provide quality minutes for the team's leaders. The duo of Doncic and Porzingis will probably be one of the hardest to stop in the league, as Luka is one of the best pick & roll players in the whole NBA, who can finish off attacks by himself and Porzingis is a great shooter from all over the floor.
Tim Hardaway Jr. is also a player worth mentioning, as he can become the third most important player on the team, as his potential is really high. The guard, who creates chances for himself and shoots well, will also be one of the most important factors for the Mavericks' success, and he seems to be ripe for more serious achievements himself.
Philadelphia 76ers win the Eastern Conference
The 76ers, who came very close last season, fell to the eventual champion Raptors in the last game of the series thanks to an incredible shot by K. Leonard. Both Embiid and Simmons are young and have gained even more experience in important games and have definitely improved in the off-season, so they should look even more solid next season. In addition, the team has added one of the Celtics' most important players, former Celtics player A. Horford, who will also bring experience and even more talent to an already talented squad.
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The 76ers are very likely to face the Bucks in this year's Conference Finals, but Philadelphia looks more solid and balanced on both offense and defense, so they should be able to overcome this barrier.
Coach of the Year - M. Malone, Denver Nuggets
Denver was very close to finishing 1st in the conference last season and the coach would have received the award, but a slight slump at the end of the season prevented it from happening. Considering how much this team improved last season compared to the season before, it is very likely that this young team will show even more improvement in the upcoming season and will be able to finish 1st in the regular season.
Of course, the competition in the Western Conference is huge, but there are a lot of question marks surrounding all the Nuggets' main rivals, because it is not clear how long it will take for the Lakers, Clippers and Rockets to play together, nor how the Lakers, Clippers and Rockets will look like together. Denver has maintained its core and should also see the emergence of Porter, who, if he can stay healthy during the season, will further expand the team's rotation by adding talent at the forward position.
Chicago Bulls make the playoffs
The 2018-2019 season was a very difficult one for the team. Not only did the team finish in last place in the entire NBA, but it also had the worst home win/loss ratio (9-32) in franchise history.
After only 5 wins in 24 games, Chicago parted ways with coach F. Hoiberg and replaced him with J. Boylen, who will start next season at the helm. The coach has already proved that he always demands the maximum and if he can earn the respect of this young team, the team is likely to surprise.
The Eastern Conference has been much weaker than the Western Conference for a number of years, which means that more teams have a realistic chance of qualifying for the playoffs, or at least the bottom of the standings. The Bulls have players like Z. Lavine, L. Markkanen, who is very likely to have a career season in the coming season, and promising rookies Coby White and Daniel Gafford, who shone in the summer league. The free agent market is boosted by T. Young from the Indiana Pacers and T. Satoransky from the Czech Republic, so the team looks really good on paper, and a 7-8 finish in the Eastern Conference wouldn't be surprising.
Indiana Pacers finish the regular season in 4th place
The 2018-2019 season was a promising one for this team until the team's leader, V. Oladipo, suffered a season-ending injury. Before he was knocked out, the Pacers were in 3rd place in the conference almost halfway through the season. Despite the loss of Oladipo, Indiana managed to finish the season in 5th place, but were completely outplayed by the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, losing the series 4-0.
Bogdanovic and Collison, who were important players for the Pacers last season, left the team in the offseason. On the other hand, the team was replenished by the talented and playmaking T.J. Warren', who averaged almost 20 points during his time in Phoenix, and M. Brogdon, who was one of the more important players for Milwaukee. The addition of James Lamb to the team should also be mentioned. The guard averaged 15.3 points last season for the Charlotte Hornets and will certainly get minutes with the Pacers.
The Pacers will enter the season a changed team, but certainly not any weaker than last season, when they finished 5th, so it is very likely that they will be able to secure home court advantage for the playoffs this season.
S. Curry will be the 2019-2020 NBA season MVP
The bookmakers are currently giving Curry odds of 6 to become the MVP of the season, behind only Antetokounmpo, who is getting odds of 3.75 to become MVP. While many favourites for MVP are Antetokounmpo and Harden, Curry should not be underestimated.
The two-time NBA MVP will be the team's main winner this season, because with Durant out and Thompson injured, there is simply no one else to take the lead. Nobody questions Curry's ability to score and assist his teammates, so averaging 30 points would not be surprising, and a team playing without 2 key players all season, compared to last season, and managing to stay in a good position in a strong Western Conference, would certainly get compliments.
Russell's arrival in San Francisco only increases the Warriors' chances of more wins, and Curry's individual performance is virtually unquestionable in the upcoming season, so it would be no surprise to see the guard become NBA MVP for the 3rd time.
Newcomer of the Year - Ja Morant
Although all the talk since the start of the draft has been about Williamson, it would be hard to expect him to be as dominant as expected in his first season in the NBA. New Orleans has a really promising team that can achieve a lot over the years, with L. Ball, B. Ingram, J.J. Redick, J. Holiday and other good players, so Z. Williamson should not be the clear leader of the team, at least in his first season.
It is also important to mention that Zion has injury problems every few competitions. Just after the end of the friendly marathon, news broke that the Pelicans forward has had a meniscus tear, which will again delay his season debut from 6 to 8 weeks.
Morant will be a key player for the Grizzlies, along with Valanciunas and Jackson, and Morant will have the freedom to create, score and assist his teammates, as he will get a lot of playing time and has no history of injuries, which means he has a good chance to be the rookie of the year.
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