Sak Sports Blog

We're over a month into the 2018-19 NBA season. The Los Angeles Clippers have the best winning percentage in the West. Last year's Western Conference runner-up is sitting at 13th in the conference now. And the Golden State Warriors aren't currently the top seed. (At least not technically) Sure, the Warriors will probably remain atop the conference, but after that, the West has more intrigue and storylines than ever. The top seed and the 14th-best team are separated by a mere 5.5 games. In the East, this disparity is 12 games. Sitting outside the current playoff picture are six teams that have just as good a chance to make the playoffs as the seven teams ahead of them, not counting the Warriors. The conference currently stands: Los Angeles Clippers (13-6 but technically 0.5 GB) Golden State Warriors (15-7, technically 0.5 GA) Denver Nuggets (13-7, 1 GB) Memphis Grizzlies (12-7, 1.5 GB) Oklahoma City Thunder (12-7, 1.5 GB) Portland Trailblazers (12-8, 2...

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 Cleveland Cavaliers are 31-22 sitting in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference. To some teams, it's an enviable position, but for LeBron James and the Cavaliers, it's a massive disappointment. After three straight trips to the NBA Finals, anything less will be considered a failure in 2018. The Cavaliers began to gear up for the 2018 NBA Finals last summer, when they made an NBA landscape-shifting move, shipping star point guard Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, and Brooklyn's 2018 1st-round pick. Fast forward to February's trade deadline and both those players are gone. The Cavaliers flipped their roster on Thursday in an unprecedented fashion, trading away six players in an effort to raise the team's playing standards. Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Derrick Rose, Iman Shumpert, Channing Frye and Dwyane Wade are all gone. In their place, the Cavaliers received Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance, Rodney Hood and Geor...