Preseason Predictions

[moofs]

In the interest of getting salty, what were some preseason predictions?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2723737-nba-schedule-2017-18-team-by-team-record-predictions-and-playoff-odds

1. Golden Sate Warriors (69-13), 100 percent playoff probability, 5/8 title odds
2. Houston Rockets (62-20), 100 percent playoff probability, 10/1 title odds
3. San Antonio Spurs (54-28), 95 percent playoff probability, 16/1 title odds
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (51-31), 95 percent playoff probability, 20/1 title odds

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-preseason-power-rankings-rockets-okc-chasing-warriors-hope-reigns-supreme/

1 Warriors
They were already way ahead of the field -- yes, "light years" ahead -- and then they got better. They continued their quest to provide the most questionable talent from the late 2000's Wizards with titles when they added Nick Young. The Warriors are superior to any and all challengers. -- 20-6
2 Rockets
Choosing the second-best team in the league is brutal, but it does reside in the West, with Isaiah Thomas out for however long. The Rockets hold this spot because they carry over success from last season, and they added upgrades in Chris Paul and P.J. Tucker. The Spurs carry over success but didn't add major weapons, the Thunder revamped their team but weren't as good last season. So Houston takes this spot for now in what is an incredibly tough trio of challengers to Golden State. -- 19-4
3 Thunder
The one thing you can't say about Sam Presti is he's gun shy. With a team that exceedeed expectations last year, the assumption was that if OKC made changes, it would be slight augmentations, tweaks and improvements. Instead, he added two multi-time All-Star players in Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, and did not surrender a single first-round pick in either transaction. Presti is a near-lock for Executive of the Year, despite the fact that OKC could lose all three of its stars next summer. -- 11-13
4 Spurs
The Spurs slip to fourth here, as if they had spent the summer daring me to finally underrate them, and eventually wore me down. This team is winning 55-plus games, because that's what it's done in 16 out of the past 18 seasons. However, the West is about firepower, and after losing key players this summer and only adding Rudy Gay, there's just not enough to keep them in the 2-spot. Still, don't be surprised in the slightest if the Spurs still finish second in the West, because Death, Taxes, Spurs. -- 17-8
5 Cavaliers
They have LeBron James, and any team with LeBron James will be top-five, period. There are a lot of questions with their point guard situation due to Isaiah Thomas' hip injury, and the roster is still older and slower, but there's talent here, in droves. If things break right, they could be, dare I say, better than last year given their defensive capacity. They need a lot to go their way to get there, though. Even then, it doesn't matter much ... they play in the East.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/20225286/projected-records-win-totals-standings-every-nba-team-2017-18-season

1. Golden State Warriors - Projected wins: 62.1
2. Houston Rockets - Projected wins: 55.0
3. San Antonio Spurs - Projected wins: 52.6
4. Minnesota Timberwolves - Projected wins: 50.1
5. Oklahoma City Thunder - Projected wins: 49.5

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2017/10/10/nba-preseason-power-rankings-can-anybody-catch-warriors/750315001/

1. Golden State Warriors
2. Houston Rockets: What do you get when you combine a guard-friendly head coach with a backcourt made up of two elite floor generals in Chris Paul and James Harden? An offense capable of going toe-to-toe with any given team on any given night. As for defense, the additions of Paul, P.J. Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute will help.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
4. Oklahoma City Thunder: Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony and the new-and-improved Thunder will make for must-see TV, but as far as title contention goes, there’s still a gap between them and the Warriors. But how big?

https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2017/10/17/16475444/99-nba-predictions-2017-2018-season

Rockets vs. Thunder is the series we all want. It will pay off. James Harden, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Paul George ... plus Carmelo Anthony. Pinch me. Houston vs. Oklahoma City bogged down last season because Westbrook had little offensive help. That’s no longer a problem.

I suppose to be fair, most of them have us being better than OKC in writing. I just seem to recall all the televised gushing being the exact opposite of that.
Where's TNT's predictions? ESPN's? The televised ones.

Meanwhile, back in Kansas....
https://www.espn.com/nba/statistics/team/_/stat/team-comparison-per-game/sort/avgPointsDifference

Point differentials:
1 Golden State 117.8 106.4 +11.4
2 Houston 114.0 102.7 +11.3
3 Toronto 111.5 104.1 +7.4
4 Boston 104.5 97.2 +7.3
5 San Antonio 101.3 97.3 +4.0
8 Oklahoma City 101.8 98.9 +2.9

This keeps up, I'm WAGing (wild-ass guessing) we're probably 40/40 odds of winning it (20% odds that something stupid happens).

[Mr. E]

I feel like a lot of the predictions for Houston came with heavy qualifying statements, like they had to find an excuse why they were good.

Morey should win Executive of the Year with the additions of Paul, Luc, Black, Tucker & retaining Nene and Bobby the Great.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

[MaxRider]

I feel like a lot of the predictions for Houston came with heavy qualifying statements, like they had to find an excuse why they were good.

Morey should win Executive of the Year with the additions of Paul, Luc, Black, Tucker & retaining Nene and Bobby the Great.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

At first I felt we gave up too many for CP3. But getting Tucker and LMAM are better than Dekker and Harrell. Both can actually shoot the 3 and play great defense. Morey really is underrated for acquired Tucker and LMAM. They are no big name like PG13 and Melo, but they are what this team need.

[King Roosk]

I feel like a lot of the predictions for Houston came with heavy qualifying statements, like they had to find an excuse why they were good.

Morey should win Executive of the Year with the additions of Paul, Luc, Black, Tucker & retaining Nene and Bobby the Great.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

At first I felt we gave up too many for CP3. But getting Tucker and LMAM are better than Dekker and Harrell. Both can actually shoot the 3 and play great defense. Morey really is underrated for acquired Tucker and LMAM. They are no big name like PG13 and Melo, but they are what this team need.

Co-Sign.

You'd think Harrell and Dekker could at least put up some flashy numbers with all the injuries the Clippers have, but damn they are really struggling. Replacing those guys with Luc and PJ was a great move -- especially given Luc's steal of a contract. Hope we can re-sign him next year, though.

[MaxRider]

I feel like a lot of the predictions for Houston came with heavy qualifying statements, like they had to find an excuse why they were good.

Morey should win Executive of the Year with the additions of Paul, Luc, Black, Tucker & retaining Nene and Bobby the Great.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

At first I felt we gave up too many for CP3. But getting Tucker and LMAM are better than Dekker and Harrell. Both can actually shoot the 3 and play great defense. Morey really is underrated for acquired Tucker and LMAM. They are no big name like PG13 and Melo, but they are what this team need.

Co-Sign.

You'd think Harrell and Dekker could at least put up some flashy numbers with all the injuries the Clippers have, but damn they are really struggling. Replacing those guys with Luc and PJ was a great move -- especially given Luc's steal of a contract. Hope we can re-sign him next year, though.

That tells you how important is a playmaker is. Clippers don't really have one now.

[moofs]

That tells you how important is a playmaker is. Clippers don't really have one now.

You know, before seeing it in action this year, I would have said that "playmakers" were extremely overrated. Sure, I figured they helped, but not THIS much. I'd have NEVER guessed we could see this kind of efficiency improvements. EVER.

I always figured that mixing possession creation (rebounding, steals, etc) with efficient shooters was MUCH more important, but I assumed the efficiency was more from the players themselves, rather than the playmakers.

I was so, so wrong.