2042
With 34 days left until the official start of the season, NBA fans are anxiously waiting for the 2018-2019 season to begin. This summer, the Golden State Warriors eased their way through the NBA finals, winning their third championship in last four years. About 2 weeks after the Golden State Warriors dominated the Cleveland Cavaliers, the 2018 Draft was nationally televised and added outstanding college players to the NBA. Moreover, LeBron James signed a 4 year, 154 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, making the Western conference an all-star powerhouse. Also, Demarcus Cousins left the New Orleans Pelicans and joined the Golden State Warriors, a team that is already packed with 4 All-star players. After all the big signings done over the summer, here are my top 3 picks of who is going to make it to the NBA playoffs.
#3 Utah Jazz
In the 2017-18 season, Utah Jazz ended their season with a 48- 34 record. In the 2017 summer draft, the Utah Jazz selected Donovan Mitchell as the 13th pick in the first round. Throughout the season, the Utah Jazz rookie proved himself to be a talented player, averaging 20.5 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.7 rebounds. In the 2018 NBA playoffs, Donovan Mitchell showed what he could do on the court by bringing his team to the conference semi-finals in his rookie year, only to be knocked out by the Houston Rocket. With Donovan Mitchell as the main ball handler, the Utah Jazz are for sure a strong contender for the finals in the Western Conference.
#2 Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets finished first in the NBA Western regular season with an outstanding 65-17 record. Led by MVP James Harden and All-star point guard Chris Paul, the Rockets easily sailed through the regular season. With the help of Eric Gordon, Trevor Ariza, Clint Capela, and Gerald Green, in the Western Conference finals, the Rockets pushed the Golden State Warriors to a Game 7 but suffered a hard loss. With the addition of Carmleo Anthony to the team, a future Hall of Famer, the Rockets this year have a good chance of making it to the NBA Finals.
#1 Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors were the champions of the 2017-18 NBA Season as they swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in the finals. With a starting line up consisting of 4 All-stars – Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant – they seem unstoppable. On top of that, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant are two-time and one-time NBA MVPs, respectively. The Golden State Warriors’ second line up off the bench is also very strong and impactful that they could be starting if they were on another team rather than the Golden State Warriors. As if this team was not already at a championship caliber, during the summer, the Golden State Warriors added arguably one of the best centers in the NBA, DeMarcus Cousins, for a meager $5.3 million. In comparison, Cousins could be earning $30 million if he signed with any another team. However, the Warriors managed to snatch him at a very cheap cost. With no doubt, with this starting line up, the Warriors will make it to the NBA Finals again for the fifth consecutive time.
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