|
Rank
|
LW
|
Team
|
Record
|
Rating
|
Pred
|
Change
|
Playoff
|
|
1
|
3
|
Miami
|
66-16
|
-8.02052
|
62-20
|
-4
|
1E
|
|
2
|
11
|
Brooklyn
|
49-33
|
-7.5749
|
62-20
|
+13
|
2E
|
|
3
|
5
|
Memphis
|
56-26
|
-7.42301
|
61-21
|
+5
|
1W
|
|
4
|
4
|
LA Clippers
|
56-26
|
-6.65294
|
59-23
|
+3
|
2W
|
|
5
|
2
|
San Antonio
|
58-24
|
-5.34647
|
56-26
|
-2
|
3W
|
|
6
|
1
|
Oklahoma City
|
60-22
|
-4.99842
|
55-27
|
-5
|
4W
|
|
7
|
9
|
Indiana
|
49-32
|
-4.97429
|
56-26
|
+7
|
3E
|
|
8
|
7
|
New York
|
54-28
|
-3.67702
|
53-29
|
-1
|
4E
|
|
9
|
6
|
Denver
|
57-25
|
-3.36568
|
51-31
|
-6
|
5W
|
|
10
|
8
|
Houston
|
45-37
|
-2.22605
|
47-35
|
+2
|
7W
|
|
11
|
10
|
Golden State
|
47-35
|
-2.03503
|
48-34
|
+1
|
6W
|
|
12
|
23
|
Portland
|
33-49
|
-0.58555
|
44-38
|
+11
|
8W
|
|
13
|
15
|
Atlanta
|
44-38
|
0.304629
|
42-40
|
-2
|
5E
|
|
14
|
19
|
Toronto
|
34-48
|
0.81226
|
41-41
|
+7
|
6E
|
|
15
|
20
|
Washington
|
29-53
|
1.001166
|
40-42
|
+11
|
7E
|
|
16
|
24
|
Sacramento
|
28-54
|
1.358489
|
38-44
|
+10
|
|
|
17
|
16
|
Chicago
|
45-37
|
1.37757
|
40-42
|
-5
|
8E
|
|
18
|
14
|
Dallas
|
41-41
|
1.578741
|
37-45
|
-4
|
|
|
19
|
25
|
New Orleans
|
27-55
|
2.256902
|
36-46
|
+9
|
|
|
20
|
12
|
LA Lakers
|
45-37
|
2.410893
|
35-47
|
-10
|
|
|
21
|
27
|
Cleveland
|
24-58
|
2.512724
|
36-46
|
+12
|
|
|
22
|
18
|
Minnesota
|
31-51
|
3.594733
|
32-50
|
+1
|
|
|
23
|
21
|
Milwaukee
|
38-44
|
3.80864
|
33-49
|
-5
|
|
|
24
|
17
|
Boston
|
41-40
|
4.597823
|
30-52
|
-11
|
|
|
25
|
26
|
Detroit
|
29-53
|
4.643823
|
30-52
|
+1
|
|
|
26
|
30
|
Charlotte
|
21-61
|
5.326927
|
28-54
|
+7
|
|
|
27
|
22
|
Philadelphia
|
34-48
|
7.778159
|
23-59
|
-11
|
|
|
28
|
29
|
Orlando
|
20-62
|
8.901612
|
20-62
|
|
|
|
29
|
13
|
Utah
|
43-39
|
9.110256
|
19-63
|
-24
|
|
|
30
|
28
|
Phoenix
|
25-57
|
10.33422
|
17-65
|
-8
|
|
Miami's mantra this offseason? Don't mess with success. The only player missing from last season's title team is Mike Miller, and the only real addition of note is Michael Beasley, who was a disappointment in Phoenix last year. What does that mean for LeBron and his troops? Another 60-win season in a tougher Eastern Conference, and a good chance a 3rd straight title.
Look for Brooklyn to be one of the most improved teams in the league this year, and to challenge for home court advantage throughout the playoffs. The trade they made with Boston was pretty one-sided, even if the three players they received are all well into their 30's. Garnett is still better than Kris Humphries, and Paul Pierce is much better than Gerald Wallace, and Jason Terry was tossed in for good measure. Lopez, Garnett, Pierce, Joe Johnson, and Deron Williams may be the best starting five this league has seen in a long time, and it won't hurt to have Kirilenko coming off the bench.
Memphis is coming off the best season in franchise history, winning 10 more games than they ever had before and making their first ever conference final, and they decided to stick with what they have. They picked up Mike Miller as a free agent but did little else to change last year's best defensive team, and look for them to take another big step forward this season as the best team in the West.
Last year Oklahoma City downgraded their sixth man position from James Harden to Kevin Martin, then downgraded even farther this year by trading Martin to the T-Wolves for basically nothing. With Russell Westbrook still recovering from a knee injury, Kevin Durant will have to carry this team in the early going, and I just don't think they have the depth to fulfill the promise they showed in recent years.
Utah will take the biggest dive of any team this year after losing three starters to free agency and trading away another, leaving them with a roster that started a total of 108 games last year, or basically just one starter, Marvin Williams, the biggest bust of the 2005 draft. Utah is obviously positioning themselves for the Andrew Wiggins-Jabari Parker sweepstakes, and until yesterday I thought they had the best chance at winning it, but then...
The Phoenix Suns traded away the final piece of last season's starting frontcourt, along with their top bench player, to bring in Emeka Okafor, who may not play this season while recovering from a neck injury. They cut Michael Beasley and traded Luis Scola for bits and pieces, but have racked up 4 first-round picks in next season's draft. If this isn't the most obvious tank job since San Antonio in 1997, I don't know what is.
Playoff Predictions
First Round
Heat over Bulls
Nets over Wizards
Pacers over Raptors
Knicks over Hawks
Grizzlies over Blazers
Clippers over Rockets
Spurs over Warriors
Thunder over Nuggets
Second Round
Heat over Knicks
Nets over Pacers
Grizzlies over Thunder
Spurs over Clippers
Conference Finals
Heat over Nets
Spurs over Grizzlies
Finals
Heat over Spurs
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