2020/2021 Pre-Training Camp NBA Predictions

East	West
1. Boston Celtics	1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Philadelphia 76ers	2. Dallas Mavericks
3. Milwaukee Bucks	3. Los Angeles Clippers
4. Miami Heat	4. Denver Nuggets
5. Toronto Raptors	5. Portland Trail Blazers
6. Brooklyn Nets	6. Utah Jazz
7. Detroit Pistons	7. Phoenix Suns
8. Indiana Pacers	8. San Antonio Spurs
9. Charlotte Hornets	9. Houston Rockets
10. Orlando Magic	10. Memphis Grizzlies
11. Atlanta Hawks	11. New Orleans Pelicans
12. Washington Wizards	12. Golden State Warriors
13. Cleveland Cavaliers	13. Minnesota Timberwolves
14. Chicago Bulls	14. Sacramento Kings
15. New York Knicks	15. Oklahoma City Thunder

Eastern Finals  

Boston over Heat/Bucks

West Finals

 Lakers over Dallas/Clippers/Denver

NBA Finals

I'll just go with LeBron again for now. Multiple possibilities still there. Let's see how the preseason goes.

2020-2021 NBA Champions

LeBron James and Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers)

I would have liked to do a synopsis of the league, especially with all of the changes that went down these last couple of years, and specifically during this short offseason, but I think that the short turnaround means that it's hard to project certain variables. 

However, I think we can get by on generalizations, and smaller analysis of certain teams.

Last season seemed like it ended in a predictable way, but for the most part, it was really up in the air who would win, more than it has been in a long time. 

Now, in a unique season, that question still looms, but with new contenders potentially being there as well. I think now you're more willing to consider LeBron James, Anthony Davis, the amazingly unfair addition of Marc Gasol, and the Lakers as the favorite to repeat as NBA Champions. Still, I feel like there are multiple teams that can win, just as I did last year, and I think that should lead to another set of close matchups, and potential seeding "upsets," by teams that take advantage of matchups.

I feel like a lot of teams still have flaws, as they did last season, which is what really makes this interesting. Some teams addressed part of their issues, but nobody really went all the way, so I'm curious to see how that affects those teams. It really depends on the matchups. I anticipate a lot of close games being a thing (even more than last season) and a bunch of teams being bunched up in the standings. 

In the West, it feels especially hard to determine who will end up missing the playoffs. 

In this situation, depending on certain matchups, I personally like Boston in the East, despite losing Gordon Hayward, because I think this is the year that their young players take another step, and they get much needed production, even from their bench, which has been an issue for them. I think they can go to super versatile and lengthy lineups that could give teams problems, both in smaller lineups, and more traditional ones with a big. I think the addition of Tristan Thompson, as well as the continued presence of Daniel Theis, the emergence of Robert Williams, and Grant Williams at the 5 should be a really strong group at a position where they've struggled in certain matchups. Boston has also added much needed shooting at the guard spot by drafting Aaron Nesmith and Payton Pritchard, and I think Romeo Langford has a chance to be impactful at multiple positions off the bench, and could even be an interesting option at PG in certain lineups. I like other teams too, but it depends on their seeding, health, and matchups in the playoffs.

I have significant questions about these early predictions, and am interested to see how they play out in the preseason. Even the teams I had to leave out of the playoffs were relatively tough to place, as the parity in the league right now is pretty amazing theoretically. I would anticipate a couple of those teams being better than their seeding, as close games likely contribute to teams narrowly missing out. Also can see the dynamic of young players pushing the issues, as breakouts can change things pretty quickly.