2017-2018 NBA Award, Standings and Playoff Predictions

The east is looking very weak and the west looks stronger than ever. Award races will be competitive and a lot of teams will be fighting for play off spots in each conference. Here are all my predictions for the NBA Award winners, both conference standings and playoff predictions:

Standings

Eastern Conference

1. Celtics
2. Cavaliers
3. Bucks
4. Washington Wizards
5. Charlotte Hornets
6. Toronto raptors
7. Philadelphia 76ers
8. Miami heat
9. Brooklyn Nets
10. New York Knicks
11. Atlanta hawks
12. Indiana Pacers
13. Detroit Pistons
14. Chicago Bulls
15. Orlando Magic

Western Conference

1. Golden State Warriors
2. Oklahoma City Thunder
3. Houston Rockets
4. Minnesota Timberwolves
5. San Antonio Spurs
6. Denver Nuggets
7. Los Angeles Clippers
8. Utah Jazz
9. Portland Trailblazers
10. Memphis Grizzlies
11. Los Angeles Lakers
12. New Orleans Pelicans
13. Dallas mavericks
14. Sacramento Kings
15. Phoenix Suns

Thoughts: Predicting records are not the easiest thing to do. To start off i definitely feel like at least 2-3 playoff teams in the east will be below .500 and out in the west 5-6 teams may finish with at least 50 wins or more, of course the Golden State warriors are the front runners to win 60-65 games because no team can match this teams chemistry on the court.

Award Winners

Most Valuable Player: Giannis Antetokounmpo

Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Gobert

Most improved Player: D’Angelo Russell

Sixth Man of the Year: Eric Gordon

Rookie of the year: Ben Simmons or Dennis Smith Jr

Coach of the Year: Tom Thibodeau

Thoughts: Ill start from the bottom. The Timberwolves look to make a vast improvement from last season and they have all the pieces now to do so. They just have to have a better statistical year on both sides of the ball, win 50 games or more and contend in the playoffs for Tom to walk away with coach of the year especially since he turn the team around and made them contenders. I like Lonzo but i just dont see him winning ROY. Ben Simmons is just a versatile as Lonzo he just cant score like him and Dennis Smith is just a baller overall. I think they will have better seasons than Lonzo will and really all Ben has to do is help Embiid get the 76ers to the playoffs and average maybe 15-7-5 and the award should be locked up for him.

Eric Gordon role is not changing and all he has to do is really have a repeat performance and i think he will. Now D’Angelo is going to have a coming out party on a new team where the offense is revolved around him and i expect him to show out and really have a boost in all categories of his stats. Rudy Gobert has been snubbed a couple times for the DPOY award but this year will be his year to bring home the trophy. He is very consistent on that side of the ball and improves every year. He just needs to lead the Utah Jazz back to the playoffs and rank top 5 in the league in defense and i he should bring that award home. Now i like Giannis and this guy has no ceiling right now and is getting alot of praise from players around the league. Their might be a new sheriff in town in the east and he can be it. He led his team in all 5 categories and improves his game every single year. If he improves it again this year and lock up the 3rd see in the east he may have done enough to bring home his first MVP on his quest to be the G.O.A.T.

Playoff Predictions

Opening Round ( Western Conference)

• Golden State Warriors Beat 8.Utah Jazz (4-1)
• Oklahoma City Thunder beats 7. LA Clippers (4-2)
• Houston Rockets beat 6.Denver Nuggets (4-3)
• Minnesota Timberwolves beat 5.San Antonia Spurs (4-2)
  • Conference Semi Finals
    • Golden State Warriors beats 4.Minnesota Timberwolves (4-2)
    • Oklahoma City Thunder beat 3.Houston Rockets (4-2)
      • Conference Finals
        • Golden State Warriors beat 2.Oklahoma City Thunder (4-3)

Opening Round (Eastern Conference)

• Boston Celtics beat 8. Miami heat (4-1)
• Cleveland Cavaliers beat 7. Philadelphia 76ers (4-1)
• Milwaukee Bucks beat 6. Toronto Raptors (4-2)
• Washington Wizards beat 5. Charlotte Hornets (4-2)
  • Conference Semi-Finals
    • Boston Celtics beat 4. Washington Wizards (4-3)
    • Milwaukee Bucks beat 2. Cleveland Cavaliers (4-3)
      • Conference Finals
        • Boston Celtics beat 3. Milwaukee Bucks (4-3)

NBA FINALS

1. Warriors BEAT 1. Boston Celtics (4-1)
   1. Finals MVP: Kevin Durant

Thoughts: This is probably controversial but what isn’t. If you notice i have no sweeps going on in this playoff bracket as everyone will come to play this year and take home atleast 1 to 2 games including the 76ers. The western conference should be very interesting even though the Warriors will still take it and within the east i do have the Bucks knocking off the Cavs. I know the Cavs have a stacked team this season but i think they will get plagued with injury. Everyone is really hype about them and yes i know they have Lebron but as we have seen he cant do it all by himself(even though he had Kyrie). D-Wade is not the same player he was in Miami and even though D-Rose had a good year he is still questionable with injury. The Bucks is a young team on the rise with great chemistry and i dont think Lebron will know what to do with Giannis(he barely know what to do with Kevin Durant) IT4 playing status is up in the air and Kevin Love is up and down depending on the day. Im sorry but i think Lebron streak ends this year and we will see a new eastern conference champ.

Yes i think the Celtics will make the Finals but they dont have enough to take down the Warriors so they will repeat and Durant will win his second title and Finals MVP.