The NBA Blog: 2008-2009 Season Predictions

2008-2009 NBA Predictions

o Playoff teams are in bold.
o (#)- denotes predicted finish in conference playoff standings.
o {#}- denotes where team ranks on my list of 1-30 teams in the association.

*note that division champion is automatically one of the top four seeds in the playoffs even if record is not among top four in conference.

*my rankings are based on which team I think is better at full strength and they don't take into consideration health, motivation, schedule, or any other of a myriad of factors that come into play and can affect a team's performance in the regular season or playoffs. As a result, my predictions don't always seem to match my rankings but any inconsistencies are intentional and not mistakes.

Eastern Conference

Atlantic
1. Boston 57-25 (1) {1}
2. Philadelphia 47-35 (4) {12}
3. Toronto 42-40 (6) {14}
4. New York 29-53 (13) {24}
5. New Jersey 28-54 (15) {26}

Central
1. Detroit 51-31 (2) {5}
2. Cleveland 44-38 (5) {13}
3. Chicago 37-45 (10) {21}
4. Milwaukee 33-49 (12) {22}
5. Indiana 29-53 (14) {25}

Southeast
1. Orlando 49-33 (3) {11}
2. Atlanta 42-40 (7) {15}
3. Washington 41-41 (8) {16}
4. Miami 40-42 (9) {18}
5. Charlotte 36-46 (11) {23}






Western Conference

Northwest
1. Utah 52-30 (4) {6}
2. Portland 51-31 (6) {10}
3. Denver 42-40 (9) {17}
4. Minnesota 23-59 (12) {27}
5. Oklahoma City 18-64 (14) {29}

Pacific
1. Los Angeles Lakers 62-20 (1) {2}
2. Phoenix 50-32 (8) {9}
3. Los Angeles Clippers 36-46 (10) {19}
4. Golden State 36-46 (11) {20}
5. Sacramento 22-60 (13) {28}

Southwest
1. New Orleans 58-24 (2) {3}
2. Houston 57-25 (3) {4}
3. Dallas 52-30 (5) {8}
4. San Antonio 50-32 (7) {7}
5. Memphis 16-66 (15) {30}






Eastern Conference Playoffs
First Round
#1 Boston over #8 Washington (4-0)
#2 Detroit over #7 Atlanta (4-2)
#3 Orlando over #6 Toronto (4-3)
#5 Cleveland over #4 Philadelphia (4-3)
Semifinals
#1 Boston over #5 Cleveland (4-2)
#2 Detroit over #3 Orlando (4-2)
Finals
#1 Boston over #2 Detroit (4-2)






Western Conference Playoffs
First Round
#1 Los Angeles Lakers over #8 Phoenix (4-3)
#2 New Orleans #7 San Antonio (4-3)
#3 Houston over #6 Portland (4-1)
#4 Utah over #5 Dallas (4-2)
Semifinals
#1 Los Angeles Lakers over #4 Utah (4-2)
#2 New Orleans over #3 Houston (4-2)
Finals
#1 Los Angeles Lakers over #2 New Orleans (4-2)





NBA Finals
#1 Los Angeles Lakers over #1 Boston (4-3)










NBA MVP: Chris Paul
Finals MVP: Kobe Bryant
Defensive Player of the Year: Ron Artest
Sixth Man of the Year: Shane Battier
Most Improved Player: Chris Duhon
Rookie of the Year: Greg Oden
Coach of the Year: Nate McMillan
Executive of the Year: Ed Stefanski






1st Team All NBA
Chris Paul
Kobe Bryant
LeBron James
Kevin Garnett
Dwight Howard

2nd Team All NBA
Tracy McGrady
Dwyane Wade
Amare Stoudemire
Deron Williams
Paul Pierce

3rd Team All NBA
Yao Ming
Chris Bosh
Steve Nash
Brandon Roy
Carmelo Anthony





1st Team All Defense
Ron Artest
Shane Battier
Kobe Bryant
Dwight Howard
Kevin Garnet

2nd Team All Defense
Chris Paul
Tim Duncan
Marcus Camby
Bruce Bowen
Tayshaun Prince





1st Team All Rookie
Derrick Rose
Greg Oden
Michael Beasley
OJ Mayo
Kevin Love

2nd Team All Rookie
Eric Gordon
Russell Westbrook
Jerryd Bayless
Rudy Fernandez
Brandon Rush





Scoring Leader: Kobe Bryant
Assist Leader: Chris Paul
Rebound Leader: Dwight Howard
Field Goal PCT Leader: Dwight Howard
3-PT Field Goal PCT Leader: Steve Nash
Free Throw PCT Leader: Chauncey Billups
Steals Leader: Ron Artest
Blocks Leader: Marcus Camby