On the brink of the NBA 2014-2015 season, many writers are putting out predictions for where they feel teams will place in seeding and record.
The Las Vegas Westgate SuperBook released their prediction for the win totals by team for the 2014-15 NBA season. This list below was posted by the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
Western Conference Top 8 Team Win Total
1. Thunder 57.5
2. Spurs 56.5
3. Clippers 55.5
4. Warriors 50.5
5. Mavericks 49.5
6. Rockets 49.5
7. Grizzlies 48.5
8. Trail Blazers 48.5
We're going to dive into what Las Vegas has as the top 8 teams who would be in the playoffs and see if the win total they marked down at is fair or needs tweaking.
Olahoma City Thunder 57.5 Wins
To no surprise, Vegas has the Thunder sitting at the top of the Western Conference at 57.5 wins. Now, obviously you can't have 57.5 wins that's just the betting number. In 2013, the Thunder had a record of 59-23, claiming the second seed of the Western Conference. Can they reach 58 wins, going over the Vegas odds? This writer doesn't think so. The Thunder lost Derek Fisher, Thabo Sefolosha, and Caron Butler this past off-season and are really slim at the shooting guard position. Now, obviously when you have Kevin Durant and hopefully a healthy Russell Westbrook all season that will solve issues. But, the key for the Thunder is if SG Jeremy Lamb is ready for the task. If he is, the Thunder have a solid shot of getting 58 wins. A Durant, Westbrook, and Ibaka trio can get you to 58 wins, but that will take a lot. The role guys will have to step up.
San Antonio Spurs 56.5 Wins
This writer really questions why the Spurs, after going 62-20 in 2013, are listed at 56.5 wins. The Spurs went 62-20 and still rested starters for playoffs throughout the year. Their off-season additions include re-signing Boris Diaw, Matt Bonner, Aron Baynes, and Patty Mills. With keeping these players, the Spurs should be well in line to win the West again this season. Their ability to spread the floor and play a lot of guys is one of the under looked and crucial things a team has to do to win throughout a season. Tony Parker and Tim Duncan will likely be managed again, both averaging 29 minutes per game in 2013. In comparison, LeBron James averaged 37 minutes per game last season. 56.5 wins seems low to this writer.
Los Angeles Clippers 55.5 Wins
The Clippers at 55.5 wins is very fair. Hitting 57 wins in 2013, the Clippers improved in the off-season. With additions of big man Spencer Hawes, Chris Douglas-Roberts, and Joe Ingles, the Clippers rounded out their team a lot better than they had in 2013. They did however, lose Darren Collison to the Kings, and traded Jared Dudley. With Blake Griffin improving his mid-range jumper every season, and Chris Paul and Deandre Jordan healthy and ready, this Clippers team is a dark-horse to win the title. The over on 55 wins is a good guess by this writer.
Golden State Warriors 50.5 Wins
The Warriors were generally in the media constantly this off-season involving themselves with a new coach, Steve Kerr, and also trade talks with the Timberwolves for Kevin Love. The Kevin Love trade didn't happen with the Warriors, spoiler alert. The Warriors did make some moves in the off-season that should help a lot. The Warriors signed Shaun Livingston, Leandro Barbosa, and Brandon Rush. Livingston, who resurrected his career by being healthy last season, should be huge for the Warriors this upcoming season. Livingston is a combo guard who can fill in for Curry or Thompson whenever necessary, can start if needed, and can play from the bench like he did for the Nets this past season. The Warriors will need to get rid of inconsistency if they want to accomplish more than 50 wins this year. The squad they have makes 50 wins seem relatively easy, but will need to work on some inconsistency issues and may take a bit to get used to new head coach Steve Kerr.
Dallas Mavericks 50.5 Wins
The Mavericks could shock the world this season. They made some major moves in the offseason to really make known that they're trying to win. They re-signed Dirk Nowitzki, which shouldn't be a shock but was necessary. Nowitzki took a pay cut which allowed the Mavericks to sign SF Chandler Parsons for 3 years, $45 million. The acquisition of Parson could be very beneficial to the Mavs as he's a legit scoring threat and good defender. The Mavericks also made a trade that sent Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler to the squad. Chandler was on the Mavs championship team, and both could really help out the rotation. They made signings of Devin Harris and Jameer Nelson, but lost Jose Calderon and Vince Carter. The Mavs have a solid team this season. 50 wins could very well be eclipsed by this team.
Houston Rockets 49.5 Wins
The Rockets messed up in the off-season. In trying to bring LeBron James, Chris Bosh, or Carmello Anthony to the team, they dealt Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin to clear cap space, and didn't match Chandler Parsons contract with the Mavs. They did, however, trade for Jason Terry and also signed Trevor Ariza. 49 wins for the Rockets is generous this season. Almost every Western Conference team has gotten better, and it's hard to say the Rockets got better or even where they were last season. The Rockets worry this writer.
Memphis Grizzlies 48.5 Wins
The Grizzlies kept their key players and got a bit better on their bench by signing Vince Carter. They let Mike Miller go, but Carter is a slight upgrade for his leadership ability and three-point shooting ability. They signed Zach Randolph to an extension, and hopefully having Marc Gasol healthy they can do some damage. Scoring will always be a wonder for this team, as they never seemed to have a real scoring threat since Rudy Gay. But, this team is top-notch defensively and 48.5 wins seems low to this writer. The Grizzlies will likely finish above the Rockets in the standings and maybe even the Mavericks.
Portland Trail Blazers 48.5 Wins
The Blazers made minor moves but beneficial moves to their team this off-season. They signed Chris Kaman who will be a necessary help off the bench for the center slot. They also inked Steve Blake but let Mo Williams go, and signed Darius Morris. The Trail Blazers are at a weird spot. Being in the Western Conference, the Blazers are good enough to make the playoffs, but beyond that, not very far. 48.5 wins is fair to this writer for the Blazers.