CBSPORTS way to early predictions

2019-20 NBA playoff seed predictions: Clippers, Lakers fail to claim West 1-seed; Celtics, Nets meet in first round
By Brad Botkin Jul 9, 2019 at 11:34 am ET

Barring something completely unforeseen, at least one Western Conference playoff team from a year ago is going to fall out in 2019-20 to make room for the Los Angeles Lakers. The way it's looking, the Oklahoma City Thunder look like the likeliest candidate after the trade of Paul George and all the talk that Russell Westbrook could soon be on the move, as well. Trying to make any kind of educated prediction as to what the 1-8 seeds will look like is a far more difficult task. Things are a big clearer in the East, at least at the top.
So, let's take a shot at this. With free agency all but behind us and most of the rosters close to finished, here are the 2019-20 NBA playoff seed and win total predictions for each conference.
Western Conference
1
team logo NUGGETS
Win Total Prediction: 58
They bring everyone of consequence back, and add Jerami Grant, who makes them even deeper and more athletic defensively. They have a superstar in Nikola Jokic and a certified bucket-getter in Jamal Murray. Continuity matters. Most of this team has been together for three years, a lifetime in today's NBA. Also, Denver is young. No worrying about load management. The Nuggets have arguably the best home-court advantage in the league and were great on back-to-backs last year. All of this adds up to a lot of regular-season wins.
2
team logo CLIPPERS
Win Total Prediction: 56
If Denver isn't the deepest team in the West, the Los Angeles Clippers are. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard can rotate as lead dog with plenty of supporting firepower. The offense is elite. The defense is elite. The depth is elite. And I think they'll go after regular-seasons wins and a better seed a little harder than their Los Angeles counterpart.
3
team logo JAZZ
Win Total Prediction: 55
Outside of the Lakers and Clippers, the Utah Jazz improved their team more than anyone this offseason (we're not counting the Nets because we have to wait a year to see Kevin Durant). Utah is going to be able to play four shooters around Rudy Gobert, which will space the floor much better for Donovan Mitchell to attack. The defense has been elite. Now the offense is, too, with Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic. Utah is a real threat to go over that 55-win prediction.
4
team logo ROCKETS
Win Total Prediction: 53
Everyone has seemingly dropped the Houston Rockets from the title conversation because they didn't add any big names, but perhaps they didn't need to. They've been the only team to give the fully healthy Warriors a real run over the past two years, and they bring everyone back. Houston's simplistic system around James Harden might become somewhat vulnerable to schemes in the playoffs, but in the regular season, defenses don't game-plan the same way, and we know Harden is going to eat. There's some motivation here, too, with everybody thinking they're done.
5
team logo LAKERS
Win Total Prediction: 51
The Lakers will take it somewhat easy in the regular season to ensure the postseason health of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but they've added some decent depth with Danny Green, DeMarcus Cousins and Avery Bradley. More help could potentially be on the way with the newly bought-out Kyle Korver. Almost every game they play, the Lakers will have the two best players on the floor.
6
team logo WARRIORS
Win Total Prediction: 50
Barring major injury, the Warriors are not going to miss the playoffs, so just get that out of your head. They'll start next season with three All-Stars in the starting lineup in D'Angelo Russell, Steph Curry and Draymond Green -- the latter two of which are arguably the best offensive and defensive player in the league. Curry will be motivated to show he can still lead an elite team on his own, and Green can make himself about $30 million extra on his contract next summer if he wins Defensive Player of the Year or makes All-NBA. The Warriors aren't as good as they have been, but they're still really good, and nobody will want to play them in the first round.
7
team logo TRAIL BLAZERS
Win Total Prediction: 48
Personally, I think trying to squeeze Portland into the title conversation is a bit aggressive, though I'm as big a Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum believer as anyone. Portland lost seven players off its conference finals team and the best player it brought in is either Hassan Whiteside or Kent Bazemore. Re-signing Rodney Hood isn't the needle mover Blazers fans seem to want to make it. A lot of this depends on how soon Jusuf Nurkic gets back and whether he looks anything like he did last year when he does. It's one of the biggest X-factors in the league this season. If Nurkic is ahead of schedule and expectation, this could end up a low prediction for Portland, but it feels reasonable right now.
8
team logo SPURS
Win Total Prediction: 47
It's the Spurs. They've been to the playoffs 22 straight seasons. LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan, derided as they are as championship-level players, are proven All-Stars. Dejounte Murray will be back this year, Rudy Gay returns and San Antonio quietly added some nice parts in Marcus Morris and DeMarre Carroll. The Pelicans, Kings and perhaps even the Timberwolves and Mavericks will be gunning for this last spot, but I think San Antonio holds onto it one more time.
Eastern Conference
1
team logo 76ERS
Win Total Prediction: 60
The Philadelphia 76ers have arguably the best starting five in the league. They are huge, and the defense is going to be terrorizing. Teams won't scheme as much for Ben Simmons' deficiencies in the regular season, and even with those flaws, the Sixers were one crazy Kawhi game-winner from taking the eventual champion Raptors to overtime in Game 7. They lose Jimmy Butler and the shooting of JJ Redick, but Josh Richardson is really good, and what Al Horford brings defensively and as a pick-and-pop floor spacer is huge. This helps Brett Brown's lineup flexibility without compromising size and defense when Joel Embiid is off the floor, as Horford, a natural occupying the perimeter, allows Simmons to play down low. Philly is going to win a ton of games against the weaker East schedule.
2
team logo BUCKS
Win Total Prediction: 55
The Bucks, who lose Malcolm Brogdon and Nikola Mirotic, won't repeat their 60-win season of a year ago, but another summer of improvement for Giannis Antetokounmpo is scary. The core of the team returns, and Wesley Matthews is a sneaky-nice signing to make up for at least a small portion of what Brogdon brought as a shooter and tough defender. The play of Eric Bledsoe is another of next year's bog X-factors. If he's an All-Star, or close to it, Milwaukee won't miss Brogdon nearly as much.
3
team logo PACERS
Win Total Prediction: 52
The addition of Brogdon was pricey but could be huge as an added perimeter weapon alongside Victor Oladipo. The Indiana Pacers are built to win a lot of regular-season games. They defend. They play hard every night. And frankly, they're not one of the games other teams circle on the schedule. Not that they're completely overlooked, but a Tuesday night in Indiana can catch you off guard with how hard and disciplined they play. Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner are a nasty big-man duo as long as Indiana stay committed to keeping them together. Even if they trade one mid-season, they'll get a pretty good return.
4
team logo CELTICS
Win Total Prediction: 51
Everyone wants to pick on the Boston Celtics because they didn't land an Anthony Davis trade and they lost Kyrie Irving and Al Horford. But listen, Kemba Walker is a stud. He's going to come very close to canceling out whatever the Celtics lost on the court in Irving, and he's going to be worth even more in terms of the mood-change he should facilitate for this team. He's as fun a player as there is in the league, and he leads a Boston perimeter that is stacked: Walker, Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward. The front line could be a problem. Enes Kanter is a huge downgrade from Horford, but this Celtics team feels most dangerous when nobody expects much out of them, just like their playoff run two years ago. I think Boston surprises a lot of people.
5
team logo NETS
Win Total Prediction: 47
The Nets won 42 games a year ago and have replaced D'Angelo Russell with Kyrie Irving. I don't think that's going to lead to as many added wins as it might look like on paper, but Irving is far from alone. Caris LaVert missed a good chunk of last season and he was probably Brooklyn's best player. Spencer Dinwiddie is awesome. Joe Harris is one of the best shooters in the league. Jarrett Allen and DeAndre Jordan (who, granted, is being wildly overpaid) give them size. Kyrie should be able to cook in Kenny Atkinson's super-spaced system that almost always leaves the lane open. Oh, did we bury the lead? With the No. 5 seed, Kyrie Irving's Nets are looking at a first-round matchup with the Celtics. I really believe this is going to happen.
6
team logo HEAT
Win Total Prediction: 45
The Heat basically flipped Josh Richardson for Jimmy Butler, so they're going to be better. Miami grinds games out and stays close a lot of nights, and Butler will be a guy that can get them over the top. Justise Winslow and Bam Adebayo need to, and should, take another step. I'm big in Tyler Herro as more than just a shooter -- and even if he is just that, dude can straight fill it up. Goran Dragic is still good for 15 a game. Plus, I think this is where Russell Westbrook lands. Depending on what Miami gives up in that potential deal, we might have to start talking about the Heat as a top-four seed.
7
team logo PISTONS
Win Total Prediction: 44
Derrick Rose, who posted 18 points a game last year on 48-percent shooting, was one of the better value pickups, and Andre Drummond does what he does. But the Detroit Pistons' fortunes will depend very heavily on how healthy Blake Griffin can remain and how hard they can ride him. We've heard the Pistons are also interested in Westbrook, and if they can make that happen somehow, this could also be a top-four team. As it stands, they're only a playoff team because they're in the East.
8
team logo MAGIC
Win Total Prediction: 44
The Magic are a third team that would seem to make some sense for Westbrook, though we haven't heard that rumor as much. As it stands, Orlando fortified its playoff positioning by re-signing Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross, but they didn't really get better. If somehow Markelle Fultz shows some life, perhaps this is a different conversation as Orlando still lacks a true impact point guard. But the defense is going to be long and athletic, and the four-prong scoring attack of Vucevic, Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon in the starting lineup, with Ross off the bench, is formidable.

2019-20 NBA championship rankings: Clippers, Lakers lead the way but don't dismiss Warriors; Sixers, Bucks legit threats
By Brad Botkin Jul 8, 2019 at 11:16 am ET

After a wild first week of free agency, the NBA title race is as wide open as it's been in decades. The battle for Los Angeles supremacy becomes the epicenter of the league with the Clippers and Lakers now fielding four of the top 10 players in the league, and perhaps three of the top five. The Warriors are not done. The Bucks and the 76ers are right there as well.
You can say there are favorites next season, but there are no sure things. No complete super-teams. Even teams like the Jazz, Nuggets and Trail Blazers -- all probably conference finals teams at best in years prior -- are now within a puncher's chance if things break their way.
All things considered, with a bit of projection for how a few of these teams might not be done dealing, the top 10 contenders for the 2019-20 NBA championship are below.
All odds courtesy of Westgate SuperBook
2019-20 NBA CHAMPIONSHIP RANKINGS
1
team logo CLIPPERS
Current odds: 3/1
The Clippers won 48 games -- and took two playoff games off the fully healthy Warriors -- last season, and now they've replaced Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George . This team has an elite offense, an elite defense and elite depth. I wouldn't call them the runaway favorite, but yes, they are the early favorite.
2
team logo LAKERS
Current odds: 5/1
The Lakers missed out on a lot of good role players while waiting for Kawhi, but at the end of the day they have LeBron James and Anthony Davis . On the periphery, they wound up with Danny Green and DeMarcus Cousins . They retained Rajon Rondo and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope . They still have Kyle Kuzma . Depth will be an issue, but assuming health, LeBron and Davis are going to be beasts in the playoffs -- when rotations generally shrink and the value of multiple elite scorers who demand a double team becomes even more heightened.
3
team logo WARRIORS
Current odds: 12/1
Talk of Golden State's demise has been grossly overstated. To start next season they will have three All-Stars in their starting lineup, including perhaps the best offensive AND best defensive player in the league in Steph Curry and Draymond Green . By the time the playoffs roll around, Klay Thompson will presumably be back. If you don't think a team with Curry, Thompson, Green and D'Angelo Russell as the fourth-best player (or whoever the Warriors potentially trade Russell for) can win a title, you're mistaken. The loss of Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala makes it very difficult for them to match up defensively with two-superstar teams like the Clippers and Lakers, but they're going to score a ton and they'll defend collectively once Thompson rejoins Green, alongside Kevon Looney and Willie Cauley-Stein for size. They also just signed Alec Burcs and traded for Omari Spellman, both of which a sneaky strong additions. They'll end up somewhere around the No. 5 seed, I suspect, and absolutely nobody will want to play them in the first or second round. From there, you take your chances with some pretty good value.
4
team logo 76ERS
Current odds: 8/1
There's a strong argument to made the Sixers belong ahead of the Warriors. Philly's defense is going to be monstrous, and just for argument's sake, if Philly and Golden State were to meet up in the Finals, I don't know how the Warriors would contend with all that size. At the moment, the Warriors get the nod as a known championship entity even without Durant and Iguodala, but man the Sixers look good. They essentially swapped Jimmy Butler and JJ Redick for Al Horford and Josh Richardson .
On paper, that's a relatively even swap, but on the court this makes the Sixers better than they were last season -- when, remember, they were one Kawhi Leonard rim-roller from taking the eventual champions to overtime in Game 7.
Richardson gives them a pick-and-roll initiator and floor spacer to continue accounting for the unique challenges Ben Simmons ' presence presents for an offense, and Horford arguably becomes a top-10 player in the playoffs on his defense alone. The two best players in the East are Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid . One of them still has to deal with Horford, the other now gets to play alongside him. Philly could still use shooting and depth, and Simmons' inability to score outside of the paint is still a problem that grows exponentially in the playoffs, but from a pure talent standpoint the Sixers can make up for a lot with what is probably the best starting five in the league.
5
team logo BUCKS
Current odds: 9/2
The Bucks have continuity. They have arguably the best player in the East. They bring back Khris Middleton , Brook Lopez and George Hill , but they lose Malcolm Brogdon and Nikola Mirotic , which are not insignificant losses. Wesley Matthews replaces some  of Brogdon's shooting and perimeter toughness, but not even close to all of it, and Robin Lopez joins his brother. If Giannis improves as a shooter over the summer (he was showing very positive signs through the playoffs last year from 3), and if Eric Bledsoe plays up to his contract, that takes this team to another level. But as it stands, they are still vulnerable to Giannis being swarmed the way Toronto, and even Boston to a degree, was able to do in the playoffs.
6
team logo NUGGETS
Current odds: 14/1
Jamal Murray , Denver has one of the best two-man games in the league. They have shooting, depth, versatility, defense -- they bring everyone of consequence back from a team that was a fingernail from the conference finals, and realistically, was probably a better team than the Blazers, who edged them out in seven games. Continuity goes a long way, and now they've added Jerami Grant, who makes them even more versatile and athletic on the defensive end. That is a really big pickup for Denver. So big, in fact, I am tempted to put Denver ahead of the Bucks. The only reason I won't is the conference factor. Milwaukee simply has a way easier path.
7
team logo JAZZ
Current odds: 14/1
Outside the Clippers and Lakers, the Jazz made the biggest offseason splash. Adding Mike Conley takes the "run the team" pressure off Donovan Mitchell and allows him to just attack and score, and Bojan Bogdanovic is one of the best shooters in the world and a two-way player with size. Ed Davis was a nice pickup to keep Utah's defense elite when Rudy Gobert is off the floor. Jeff Green -- a sneaky nice signing -- and Emmanuel Mudiay add depth. Dante Exum can take another step. Joe Ingles combined with Bogdanovic and Conley gives a lot of spacing for Mitchell to drive. Utah has relied on its elite defense the past few years, but now it has an elite offense to go with it.
8
team logo CELTICS
Current odds: 25/1
Kemba Walker is going to approximate Kyrie Irving's on-court production and he's going to be way better for this team's morale off the court. Head to head, I honestly think the Celtics are better with Walker than they were with Irving. With Walker, Marcus Smart , and then Jayson Tatum , Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward all capable of taking a step up from last year and playing at an All-Star level, Boston's perimeter remains stacked. The big loss is Al Horford. The front line is very thin with Enes Kanter and Daniel Theis , and that keeps them outside of the top championship contenders. But don't rule out a trade to fortify the front line and replace Horford's pick-and-pop spacing. Kevin Love , anyone? The Celtics still have a good package if they're willing to go for it.
9
team logo ROCKETS
Current odds: 12/1
Houston's window hasn't completely closed. Chris Paul needs to play like an All-Star and Eric Gordon has to have a big shooting year and get hot in the playoffs, but the bottom line is the only team that's been in the way of the Rockets potentially winning a championship is the Warriors, who don't have Kevin Durant or Andre Iguodala anymore. Of course, the Clippers and Lakers are now in front of the Rockets presumably, but neither of those teams are as good as the Warriors were with Durant and Iguodala. Houston has a puncher's chance if a few things break its way and James Harden goes on en epic playoff run, which he is capable of doing.
10
team logo TRAIL BLAZERS
Current odds: 30/1
Portland lost seven players off its conference finals team. The Blazers bring in Hassan Whiteside and Kent Bazemore and re-sign Rodney Hood . In a complete blue-sky outlook, Whiteside returns to the player who got a $100 million contract with a change of venue and better guards to support him, and Bazemore is an upgrade from Moe Harkless. But neither of those are certainties by any stretch. The X-factor here is Jusuf Nurkic . The Blazers made it to the conference finals without him and he was having the best year of his career. If he comes back strong after almost a year off in time to be a real impact player in the playoffs, with what we know Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum bring, the Blazers can make some real noise. Also, don't rule out a mid-season trade. I still think Kevin Love makes too much sense here if Portland is willing to go all-in with a big future-draft-pick package plus Zach Collins and Nassir Little .

I think the Clips at 3/1 is slightly generous, but they will be good.

I'd make the 76ers just a little better than 8/1.