Sak Sports Blog

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...