Popwell’s Fearless 2018-19 NBA Preview

Note: We apologize for the delay in putting out this preview. Popwell normally publishes an NBA preview from curmudgeonly sports reporter Paps Papwell. However, after Paps’ incredible, 100% correct predictions of every round of last year’s NBA playoffs, we received quite a few calls from Vegas oddmakers to hold off on publishing his preview this year. We were planning to ignore them, but a Cease & Desist Order from the fine people at Caesar’s Palace Sports Book changed our minds! So our intrepid NBA insider Dash Rabbit stepped in at the last minute and provided us with his insights into the upcoming season.

Tradition has it that the NBA regular season doesn’t get interesting until after the All-Star break (if at all). But this year promises to be different, at least in the Western Conference, where the race for the eight playoff seeds promises to be compelling from the very first tipoff.
LeBron James’ defection from the Eastern Conference to the West has taken a situation that was already a joke — the Western Conference’s increasing superiority — and turned it into a goddamn atrocity. The West is so ridiculously stacked this season that every team except the two Bay Area squads figure to be sweating out each and every game as they jockey for the best possible playoff seed — i.e., one that avoids an early matchup with the Warriors.
Even some of the teams that failed to make the playoffs last year are a lot scarier this season: The Suns are freakishly loaded, the Mavs added major talent at center and point guard with DeAndre Jordan and Luka Doncic, and the Clippers have a guy who dunks with his feet on the ground.
Aside from the Warriors cruising to the NBA’s best record and a third straight title, I wouldn’t put my money on anything this season. But what that does tell you is that EVERY regular season game means something this year if it involves a Western Conference team other than the Sacramento Kings.

Here’s my Western Conference playoff bracket, in order of finish:
Golden State, Houston, New Orleans, L.A. Lakers, Minnesota, San Antonio, OKC, Phoenix

A quick breakdown of the contenders:
Golden State: They lost Javale McGee and David West, but who are we kidding? DeMarcus Cousins might have to fight for playing time on this team.
Houston: They’ll miss Ryan Anderson, Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute, but they’ve still got too much scoring power for most teams to deal with.
New Orleans: They lost Cousins and Rondo, but they gained Julius Randle and they earned some valuable postseason experience last year. AD and Jrue Holiday are still getting better.
Lakers: LeBron will make everyone on the roster better, starting with Brandon Ingram. With his length on defense coupled with LeBron’s efforts on that end and the pesky perimeter defense of Rondo and Lance Stephenson, you’ve got the makings of a hard-nosed squad that can make noise in the playoffs.
Minnesota: This team’s scrimmages will probably be more lively than many of their games. It’s hard to see this much talent missing the playoffs. (Hard, but not impossible.)
San Antonio: You never want to count them out of the picture entirely. They got good return for losing Kawhi Leonard, but the season-long loss of point guard Dejounte Murray will put a hard ceiling on what they can accomplish this season.
OKC: The Thunder have the game’s second-best player in Russell Westbrook, a perennial all-star in Paul George, and a consistently good and versatile center in Steven Adams. Unfortunately, while other NBA title contenders are filling out their rosters with proven role players and athletic young legs, the Thunder seem to think they can get by with their big three and any nine guys who can dribble. They learned nothing from their embarrassing first-round exit last season. Remember when this franchise made the 2012 NBA Finals because Westbrook and KD got support from James Harden, Serge Ibaka, Reggie Jackson, Derek Fisher, Kendrick Perkins and Thabo Sefolosha? They don’t seem to.
Suns: With dynamic scorers Devin Booker and Josh Jackson, superfreak DeAndre Ayton and the addition of veterans Trevor Ariza, Ryan Anderson and Jamal Crawford, they’ll be underachieving if they don’t make the postseason this year.
… just missing out are the Blazers, Jazz, Clippers, Nuggets and Mavs. (Though I can easily see any of these teams in the top 8.) I don’t think the Grizzlies will contend, and the Kings will struggle to win 20.
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As for the East, Boston and Toronto should have some good battles, but everyone else is shit. Philly failed to improve its roster, and I think a No. 3 seed and a second-round playoff exit is about all their fans should expect. The Wizards have John Wall, Bradley Beal and Dwight Howard stepping in for Martin Gorcat, so give them a No. 4 seed. Toss in Milwaukee, Indiana, Charlotte and Detroit and you’ve got your very uninspiring 2019 Eastern Conference playoff bracket. (Sadly, Miami has done nothing to improve their anemic offense in the offseason, so I think the Heat are going to have a tough time sneaking into the postseason in what could be the last year of D-Wade’s storied career.)
Boston is probably a lock to win the East, too, with their superior depth and coaching. Figure they’ll get the No. 1 seed, and they’ll be a tough team to beat at home. Warriors-Celtics in the Finals. GS in six.

But give LeBron and Magic one more offseason to work on this thing, let KD take his mercenary ass to New York, and get ready for Showtime 2.0 in 2019-20!