Sak Sports Blog

No one said LeBron James' arrival in Los Angeles would be smooth. The Big Three era in Miami had a shaky start, so its reasonable that the Lakers need some time to adjust with the King. The Lakers early schedule also hasn't been kind, as tonight they play their third straight Western Conference playoff team. The San Antonio Spurs (1-1) are looking good with DeMar DeRozan in tow. Vegas lists the Lakers as 1.0 home point favorites despite the fact that they're down two starters: Rajan Rondo and Brandon Ingram, after Saturday night's scuffle with Chris Paul and the Houston Rockets. Over his first two games, LeBron is averaging 25 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. His most reliable teammates have been Josh Hart (15.5 PPG) and JaVale McGee (14.5 PPG). As the season progresses, James should be building more chemistry with Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Ingram. Josh Hart is the Lakers 2nd-leading scorer at 15.5 points per game. His threes off the ...

The 2018-19 NBA season brings some much desired intrigue to the regular season. Without LeBron James, the East will send a new team to the Finals for the first time in eight years. In the West, the Rockets try to close the gap on the Warriors with the addition of Carmelo Anthony. And of course the biggest story: how will LeBron James fare with the Los Angeles Lakers? A new Finals matchup, an exciting MVP race, fresh rookies, and stars on new teams give plenty of reasons to watch the NBA regular season. Here are my predictions for the 16 playoff teams, major awards, and NBA Finals outcome. Eastern Conference Playoff Teams Boston Celtics Philadelphia 76ers Toronto Raptors Indiana Pacers Miami Heat Milwaukee Bucks Detroit Pistons Washington Wizards Outside Looking In: Cleveland Cavaliers, Charlotte Hornets, New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks LeBron James is finally out of the Eastern Conference after 15 years. The teams must be rejoicing, and the East is totally up...

The Kawhi Leonard saga is finally over... or at least taking a year-long break before he becomes a free agent in July 2019. The NBA world was shook in the early morning of July 18th with Leonard being traded to the Toronto Raptors for a package centered around DeMar DeRozan. In all, the trade sent Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green north of the border, while the San Antonio Spurs received DeRozan, forward Jakob Poeltl, and a protected 2019 first-round pick. With some potential re-working still on the way, the Raptors current starting five is interesting to say the least. Leonard would be surrounded by Kyle Lowry at point guard, Green or C.J. Miles at shooting guard, Serge Ibaka at power forward, and Jonas Valanciunas at center. It's not the superteam the Warriors are building in Golden State, but it's a collection of above average basketball players. (Note: This article is based under the assumption a healthy Kawhi plays in Toronto. There are rumors he may still sit out t...

The Golden State Warriors are heavy favorites to win the NBA Finals, with home-court advantage and a more talented roster on their side. Before the season began, I ranked the Warriors biggest competitors that stood between them and back-to-back championships. You can read the full list here.  In ascending order, I ranked the Celtics, Thunder, Rockets, Spurs and Cavaliers are the teams with the best chances to dethrone Golden State in the playoffs. There's been some major shakeups to each of these teams, which certainly affects how I view them today. Courtesy of ABC Sports 5. New Orleans Pelicans (formerly: Boston Celtics) 4. Cleveland Cavaliers (formerly: Oklahoma City Thunder) 3. Oklahoma City Thunder (formerly: Houston Rockets) 2. Boston Celtics (formerly: San Antonio Spurs) 1. Houston Rockets (formerly: Cleveland Cavaliers) The Celtics and Rockets were the biggest upward movers since October: even though Boston lost Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward for ...

After three straight NBA Finals appearances, two championships, and the best regular season in NBA history, it should be no surprise that the Warriors are the team all other NBA teams aspire to beat. Golden State didn't add any major pieces this summer but are still overwhelming favorites to win the West and most likely the NBA championship. Which teams have the best chance of dethroning the Warriors in a seven game series? 5. Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics made one of the biggest splashes of the offseason, trading point guard Isiah Thomas and forward Jae Crowder to the Cavaliers for star Kyrie Irving. Boston also added Gordon Hayward in free agency to create a truly star-studded lineup. PG Kyrie Irving SG Jaylen Brown  SF Gordon Hayward PF Marcus Morris C Al Horford This starting five honestly has the ability to play toe-to-toe with Warriors and maybe even beat them on any given night.  But in a best-of-seven series? Forget about it....