Hoops Rumors Polls

Poll: Which Teams Will Win World Cup Medals?

September 8th, 2023 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of World Cup games on Sunday will determine which nations leave the Philippines with medals. The long-awaited U.S. vs. Canada showdown is finally on tap, but that game will be for the bronze medal, not the gold. It’ll be Germany vs. Serbia for the gold, with the loser claiming the silver.

Germany vs. Serbia

Bogdan Bogdanovic has been Serbia’s best player in the World Cup, while Dennis Schröder, Daniel Theis, and the Wagner brothers (Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner) have led the way for Germany.

But both teams are getting important contributions from non-NBA players, including Olympiacos big man Nikola Milutinov (13.6 PPG, 9.0 RPG) for the Serbians and Bayern Munich guard Andreas Obst (10.9 PPG, .457 3PT%) for the Germans.

These are also two squads that have plenty of experience playing together in international competitions, and the chemistry they’ve built paid off in a big way in the semifinals, where they knocked off clubs that featured more NBA talent.

Germany is the only undefeated team in the World Cup and will benefit from the fact that the Serbians are missing superstar center Nikola Jokic. But Serbia only has one small blemish – a two-point upset loss to Italy – on its World Cup résumé and has otherwise looked dominant, winning six games by an average of 25.3 points per contest.

The oddsmakers expect a close one on Sunday, with Germany currently favored by a single point, per BetOnline.ag.

United States vs. Canada

Much has been made of Team USA’s lack of true star power – Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the only All-NBA player on either roster in this matchup – but the club has had no problems putting the ball in the basket over the course of the World Cup, making an impressive 53.8% of its field goal attempts, including 40.4% of its three-pointers.

Defense and a lack of size has been the Achilles heel for the United States in this tournament. Despite the shorter (40-minute) FIBA games, the U.S. surrendered 110 points in its second-round loss to Lithuania, then 113 points in its semifinal loss to Germany.

Canada has the offensive firepower necessary to make the U.S. pay for a subpar defensive effort. Besides Gilgeous-Alexander, four other Canadians – RJ Barrett, Dillon Brooks, Kelly Olynyk, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker – are averaging double-digit points in the World Cup. And in Olynyk and Dwight Powell, Canada has a couple bigs capable of making life difficult for Team USA on the interior.

Still, the U.S. has a deeper, more talented roster overall than Canada, and more ways to win this game. The Americans are the frontrunners to win the bronze, with BetOnline.ag listing them as seven-point favorites on Sunday.

Poll: Who Will Win World Cup Semifinals?

September 7th, 2023 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

The race for 2023 World Cup gold is down to just four teams, and they’ll all be in action in Friday’s semifinals, battling for the right to play in the championship game.

With less than 24 hours to go until the first of those semifinals tips off, let’s take a closer look at the matchups…

Canada vs. Serbia

Canada has had no shortage of NBA talent over the last two decades, but has finally put it all together in a World Cup, reaching its first ever semifinal. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been the main reason for the club’s success, leading the Canadians in categories across the board, including points (25.0), rebounds (7.2), assists (5.0), and steals (1.7) per game.

It hasn’t just been the SGA Show though. RJ Barrett (14.7 PPG) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (10.0 PPG) been reliable secondary scoring options, Dillon Brooks and Luguentz Dort have played stifling defense, and Kelly Olynyk and Dwight Powell have allowed the Canadians to match up with bigger teams. Even without players like Jamal Murray, Andrew Wiggins, Trey Lyles, Shaedon Sharpe, and Cory Joseph, this is a very talented roster.

Serbia, meanwhile, is missing star center Nikola Jokic and point guard Vasilije Micic. In their absence though, Bogdan Bogdanovic has emerged as an effective leading man, averaging 18.8 points, 4.8 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per night.

Big man Nikola Milutinov, whose NBA draft rights are held by Brooklyn, has provided the Serbians with a consistent presence up front, averaging 13.2 PPG and 8.8 RPG. Current NBA players like Nikola Jovic (10.7 PPG) and Filip Petrusev (9.8 PPG) have chipped in too, as has former NBAer Marko Guduric (8.3 PPG, 3.8 APG).

Canada has more high-level NBA talent than Serbia and is currently listed as a 5.5-point favorite, per BetOnline.ag. But the Serbians have more experience playing together in international events, so this one could go either way.

United States vs. Germany

Even without its A Team, the United States is the heavy frontrunner to win the World Cup as the only squad in Manila made up entirely of NBA players. Team USA’s roster is deeper than any others at the World Cup, so head coach Steve Kerr has plenty of options if certain players are struggling.

Anthony Edwards (17.3 PPG) has been USA’s go-to scorer so far, but he had just three of the team’s 100 points in a blowout quarterfinal win over Italy, with Mikal Bridges, Tyrese Haliburton, Austin Reaves, Jalen Brunson, Brandon Ingram, and Paolo Banchero providing the necessary offense. While a total of nine Team USA players have averaged at least 16 minutes per night so far, none have played more than 23 MPG, as Kerr has taken advantage of the depth available to him.

Still, the U.S. isn’t unbeatable. The club lost to Lithuania in the second round of the World Cup and only narrowly defeated Germany in an exhibition game prior to the tournament.

The Germans are the only undefeated squad left at the World Cup, having been led by NBA players Dennis Schröder (18.0 PPG, 6.3 APG), Moritz Wagner (12.8 PPG, 5.7 RPG), and Daniel Theis (10.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG). Franz Wagner also made his return from an ankle injury in Wednesday’s quarterfinal and will be a key factor in Friday’s semifinal.

Like the U.S., Germany showed on Wednesday that it can win even when its top scorer has an off night. Schröder was just 4-of-26 from the field, but the Germans pulled out a two-point victory over a tough Latvian team.

Poll: 2023 FIBA World Cup Quarterfinalists

September 1st, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

As we outlined earlier today, four of the eight teams who will play in the quarterfinals of FIBA’s 2023 World Cup have been set. The United States, Lithuania, Slovenia, and Germany earned their spots in the knockout round with victories on Friday.

That leaves four spots up for grabs, to be determined in a series of win-or-go-home matchups on Sunday. We want to get your predictions on which teams will advance. Let’s dive in…

Italy vs. Puerto Rico

The Italians and Puerto Ricans entered the second round with 2-1 records and kept their quarterfinal hopes alive by upsetting Serbia and the Dominican Republic, respectively. Italy had previously lost to the Dominicans, while Puerto Rico fell to the Serbians in the first round.

This version of the Italian national team isn’t as strong as some past groups, but it still features some NBA talent, past and present. Jazz forward Simone Fontecchio increased his World Cup scoring average to a team-high 20.0 PPG with 30 points on Friday, while former Pistons forward Gigi Datome and ex-Pelicans forward Nicolo Melli have also played key roles.

Puerto Rico’s roster also features some names that may be familiar to NBA fans, starting with former Celtics second-rounder Tremont Waters, who racked up 37 points on Friday and leads the team with 21.8 PPG through four games. Former Cavaliers forward John Holland is representing Puerto Rico too.

Brazil vs. Latvia

Brazil lost to Spain by 18 points in the first round, while Latvia was blown out by 26 points by Canada. However, Brazil defeated Canada on Friday while Latvia eked out Spain, keeping them in the quarterfinal hunt.

Brazil’s leading scorer through four games is former NBA first-round pick Bruno Caboclo, who is showing in international competition the upside that the Raptors saw when they selected him 20th overall in 2014. He has averaged 15.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game through four contests. Former Lakers guard Marcelo Huertas, former Bulls big man Cristiano Felicio, and Warriors draft-and-stash prospect Gui Santos are among the other notable players on Brazil’s roster.

Latvia is missing star big man Kristaps Porzingis, but has multiple impressive wins so far in the tournament, knocking off 2019 bronze medalists France in the first round before beating Spain on Friday. The Latvians have several talented shooters, starting with Thunder forward Davis Bertans, who is averaging 12.0 PPG. Former Nets forward Rodions Kurucs is among Latvia’s other key contributors.

Dominican Republic vs. Serbia

Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns has been the leader of an upstart Dominican Republic team, averaging 24.3 points and 8.3 rebounds in four games. Joined by Warriors two-way guard Lester Quinones and former Clippers center Angel Delgado, Towns led the Dominicans to three first-round wins before they lost to Puerto Rico on Friday.

Unlike the Dominican Republic, which hasn’t won a game by more than seven points, the Serbians were dominant in round one, defeating Puerto Rico, South Sudan, and China by an average of over 30 points per game.

Without Nikola Jokic, the Serbians don’t have a star as impactful as Towns, but they do have a well-balanced roster that includes Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (18.0 PPG, 5.3 APG), Heat forward Nikola Jovic (14.0 PPG), and Nets draft-and-stash prospect Nikola Milutinov (13.5 PPG, 10.8 RPG).

Canada vs. Spain

Through the first round, Canada and Spain looked like two of the biggest threats to challenge Team USA for gold. But after disappointing showings on Friday, one of them won’t advance to the single-elimination round.

Prior to Friday’s four-point loss to Brazil, Canada had the best point differential of any team in the tournament (+111), as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (22.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 4.8 APG) led the way with his scoring and play-making. The Canadians will be hoping that Friday was just a blip on the radar and that a squad which also features RJ Barrett, Dillon Brooks, Luguentz Dort, Kelly Olynyk, Dwight Powell, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker bounces back on Sunday.

It certainly won’t be a cakewalk though. Spain is the defending World Cup champion and entered this year’s tournament as FIBA’s top-ranked team. The Spaniards are missing 2019 World Cup MVP Ricky Rubio, but Willy Hernangomez and Juancho Hernangomez have played well, and the club has gotten solid contributions from current and former NBAers like Santi Aldama, Usman Garuba, Rudy Fernandez, Victor Claver, and Alex Abrines.

Poll: Will Team USA Win 2023 FIBA World Cup?

August 23rd, 2023 at 12:19pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2023 FIBA World Cup will begin on Friday, with Team USA’s schedule tipping off on Saturday when the Americans face New Zealand in the first of three group-play games. The 32-team field will be narrowed to 16 teams at the end of the first group-play stage, then eight of 16 teams will advance from the second group-play stage to the single-elimination knockout round.

In the last World Cup, in 2019, a heavily favored Team USA squad advanced to the eight-team knockout round, but lost to France in the quarterfinals and then to Serbia in a consolation contest before defeating Poland to claim seventh place.

This time around, the U.S. is once again missing its very best players, but has put together a talented, balanced roster led by rising stars such as Anthony Edwards, Mikal Bridges, and Brandon Ingram. Team USA went 5-0 in exhibition play leading up to the World Cup and will once again enter the tournament as an overwhelming frontrunner.

The oddsmakers at BetOnline.ag list the U.S. as a -120 favorite, with no other country given better than +800 odds to win the title. France and Canada are considered the next-best bets behind Team USA.

The French club is headed up by several veterans of international play, including NBAers like Rudy Gobert, Evan Fournier, and Nicolas Batum. France placed third in the 2019 World Cup after knocking off Team USA in the quarterfinals and will be looking to move up the podium this time around.

Canada doesn’t have a recent history of success in international competitions, but will have one of the most NBA-heavy rosters in the tournament, with an All-NBA First Teamer (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) leading the way. As Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca tweets, the Canadian 12-man roster, finalized on Wednesday, also features RJ Barrett, Luguentz Dort, Dillon Brooks, Kelly Olynyk, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Dwight Powell.

According to BetOnline.ag, the other teams that make up the top eight contenders for this year’s World Cup are Australia, Spain (the defending champions), Serbia, Slovenia, and Germany.

As we noted earlier today, the Australians have finalized a talented 12-man roster that features Josh Giddey, Dyson Daniels, Joe Ingles, Matisse Thybulle, Josh Green, and Patty Mills.

Spain is missing 2019 World Cup MVP Ricky Rubio, while the Serbians are without reigning NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic, but both countries still have enough talent to be considered serious threats. Slovenia is led by perennial NBA All-Star Luka Doncic, while the German team includes NBAers like Franz Wagner, Moritz Wagner, and Dennis Schröder.

We want to know what you think. With the U.S. team considered a slight favorite vs. the rest of the field, do you like Team USA to take home the gold after its disappointing finish in 2019? Or do you think another team – perhaps one whose roster has had a chance to develop more chemistry in international games – will knock off the Americans and claim the title?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your predictions!

Poll: Early Rookie Of The Year Pick

August 9th, 2023 at 3:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Scoot Henderson declared this week that he intends to take home the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award in 2024, and he should be in a good position to do so.

Assuming the Trail Blazers trade Damian Lillard before the season begins, Henderson is primed to play a key role in the backcourt for a Portland team that figures to take a step back and focus more on developing its young cornerstones than vying for a high seed in the Western Conference. In that scenario, this year’s No. 3 overall pick would have the ball in his hands a lot and would be given the opportunity to take on considerable scoring and play-making responsibilites as a rookie.

Unsurprisingly though, betting site BetOnline.ag doesn’t consider Henderson the Rookie of the Year favorite. That spot belongs to No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama, widely considered the best prospect to enter the NBA since LeBron James.

Like LeBron in 2003, Wembanyama is considered a safe bet to make an immediate impact. While San Antonio will likely manage his workload, especially in back-to-back scenarios, he should play a significant frontcourt role on a retooling Spurs team that intends to build around him for years to come. It’s possible Wembanyama won’t match Henderson’s scoring numbers as a rookie, but he has a better chance to be a two-way force in his first NBA season.

While Wembanyama (-150) and Henderson (+250) are the two Rookie of the Year frontrunners, BetOnline.ag considers Thunder big man Chet Holmgren (+325) a legitimate contender too. The No. 2 overall pick in 2022, Holmgren missed his entire rookie season due to a foot injury, putting him in position to essentially get a second rookie year in 2023/24.

Holmgren likely won’t be asked to carry much of the offensive load for an Oklahoma City team that has plenty of scoring options, but his ability to protect the rim and block shots could make him an ideal fit for the Thunder, who could have used that sort of player last season (they ranked 22nd in blocks per game).

Holmgren’s year of NBA seasoning off the court could work in his favor, as could a strong year from the Thunder, who came one play-in game away from a postseason spot last season. Playing a key role on a playoff team helped swing the Rookie of the Year vote in Scottie Barnes‘ favor in 2022, for instance.

While BetOnline.ag views them as longer shots, other rookies who were drafted in the lottery in June, including Hornets forward Brandon Miller and the Thompson twins, could make a run at Rookie of the Year honors too.

We want to know what you think. Who’s your early pick for Rookie of the Year in 2023/24? Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

Poll: James Harden’s Team On Opening Night

August 8th, 2023 at 9:10am CST by Luke Adams

One of two longtime All-Star guards to request a trade this summer, James Harden – like Damian Lillard – has a one-team wish list. While Lillard is trying to make his way from Portland to Miami, Harden is hoping for a deal that will send him from the Sixers to the Clippers.

As similar as the two situations are, there are two key factors that differentiate them.

For one, Harden’s contract situation is more typical of what we’ve historically seen for a player on the trade block — he’s on a $35.6MM expiring contract and will reach unrestricted free agency in 2024. That means any team acquiring him will only be assured of having him for one year. Harden’s new team would acquire his Bird rights and might be pretty confident about its ability to re-sign him next summer, but he won’t be extension-eligible before becoming a free agent, so there are no guarantees.

Secondly, Harden is at a slightly different point in his career than Lillard, who averaged a career-high 32.2 points per game last season and appears to still be very much in his prime. Harden, who will turn 34 later this month, is only a year older than Lillard, but he has seen his production dip since he left Houston. After averaging 35.3 PPG across two seasons from 2018-20, Harden has put up more modest numbers (22.3 PPG on .436/.358/.870 shooting) while playing for three different teams in the three years since then.

That drop-off is partly related to an adjustment in role(s) for Harden, who was the go-to scorer in Houston and has played second fiddle to stars like Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid in Brooklyn and Philadelphia. But he also doesn’t have the same explosiveness he showed when he was geetting to the basket and drawing fouls during his prime Rockets years. Harden averaged over 10 free throw attempts per game during his eight seasons in Houston, but went to the line just 6.2 times per night last year in Philadelphia.

Harden, the NBA’s assists leader in 2022/23 (10.7 APG), is still an All-Star caliber player and one of the league’s best offensive guards. But given his age, his declining production, and his contract situation, it’s perhaps no surprise that the Clippers have been reluctant to make the Sixers a substantial trade offer so far.

The fact that the Sixers want to contend for a title rather than enter another rebuild complicates matters. They won’t be content to accept a package of draft picks and/or young players that won’t make them better – or at least make them just competitive – in the short term.

In theory, the Clippers make sense as a trade partner for that reason. They have a handful of veterans earning between $11-18MM who could be used as salary-matching pieces and who could fit the Sixers’ roster. Marcus Morris ($17.1MM), Nicolas Batum ($11.7MM), and Robert Covington ($11.7MM) are on expiring contracts, while Norman Powell ($18MM) has three years left on his deal.

But the 76ers are reportedly hoping to maintain significant 2024 cap room, reducing the appeal of Powell. And a package of, say, Morris, Covington, and Amir Coffey ($3.7MM) wouldn’t move the needle much. Terance Mann, an improving 26-year-old guard who’s a career 38.3% three-point shooter, would be a nice get for Philadelphia, but the Clippers are said to be reluctant to include Mann in an offer for Harden.

Los Angeles could theoretically offer up to two future first-round picks, but the team can’t trade a first-rounder earlier than 2028 due to prior trade obligations and I suspect L.A. would want to include protections on any pick it moves. As noted above, draft picks wouldn’t appeal to the Sixers much anyway, unless they could immediately flip them for a win-now asset.

While the Clippers could make a viable offer for Harden, there’s no indication they’re eager to put Mann and/or an unprotected first-rounder on the table, and Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey has shown in the past that he’s comfortable dragging these situations into training camp or even the regular season.

Perhaps the Clippers will feel more urgency as the season approaches or maybe a new suitor will emerge for Harden, but for now, no deal appears close.

With all that in mind, we want to know what you think: Will Harden open the regular season with the Sixers, the Clippers, or another team?

Weigh in below our poll, then head to the comment section to share your predictions!

Poll: Damian Lillard’s Team On Opening Night

July 23rd, 2023 at 11:56am CST by Luke Adams

When Damian Lillard initially submitted his trade request to the Trail Blazers on July 1, there was a very brief period in which it looked like the bidding for the seven-time All-Star could be wide open.

Lillard had previously mentioned in an interview that Brooklyn and Miami would be among his preferred landing spots if he were ever to ask out of Portland. But surely plenty of other teams would be prepared to get involved for a superstar player with four years remaining on his contract. After all, potential suitors could be confident that the veteran guard wouldn’t just be a rental, and perhaps recognized that his reputation as a consummate professional made him unlikely to be a candidate for a holdout.

In the wake of that trade request though, reports quickly emerged indicating that Lillard’s wish list consisted of just one team: the Heat. His agent Aaron Goodwin eventually confirmed as much, making it clear that any non-Miami club that acquired his client would be getting an unhappy player.

The stance has limited the Blazers’ leverage and cooled the trade market for Dame, resulting in a multi-week stand-off that doesn’t seem on the verge of resolution. But with just over two months until training camps begin and about three months until the 2023/24 regular season tips off, there’s plenty of time for the Trail Blazers to work out a trade involving their longtime franchise player.

At this point, three scenarios are in play. The Blazers and Heat find common ground and make a deal sending Lillard to Miami; another suitor willing to roll the dice on Dame swoops in and acquires him; or the Blazers, unsatisfied with the offers they’re getting, keep Lillard on their roster indefinitely until those offers improve.

While a trade to the Heat may feel like a foregone conclusion, Lillard’s leverage to force his way to Miami is limited by his contract situation and his lack of no-trade clause. Holding out – either in Portland or with a non-Heat team – would cost him pay checks, and for a player on a super-max contract, those checks are sizable. That’s not a viable four-year plan, and despite his stance in the early stages of negotiations, Lillard doesn’t seem like the type of player who would stop playing basketball indefinitely until his demands are met.

Non-Heat suitors may be nervous about how Lillard would respond to being sent somewhere besides Miami, but they also won’t want to allow the Heat to become the odds-on title favorite by acquiring the Blazers star for 25 cents on the dollar. The Heat may not have to meet Portland’s asking price in full in order to land Lillard, but they’ll probably have to at least get in the ballpark.

We want to know what you think. How does this situation get resolved? What jersey will Lillard be wearing on opening night this fall? Or, at least, which roster will he be on when the regular season begins?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your predictions!

Poll: What Should Rockets Do With No. 4 Pick?

June 4th, 2023 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets were technically one of the winners on lottery night last month, claiming one of the top four spots up for grabs in the 2023 NBA draft.

However, Houston entered that night second in the lottery standings and was among three teams with the best odds for the No. 1 pick, so the fact that the club will be picking fourth on June 22 qualifies as a bit of a disappointment — especially in a draft with a consensus top three prospects.

Still, while the Rockets likely won’t get an opportunity to draft Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson, or Brandon Miller, that No. 4 pick has plenty of value, either as tool to add another promising young player to their core or as a prime trade chip.

The latest mock drafts at ESPN, Bleacher Report, The Ringer, and The Athletic all have the Rockets using the fourth overall pick to draft Overtime Elite guard Amen Thompson. A hyper-athletic, ball-handling guard with size (6’7″) and the ability to create shots for teammates, Thompson is an intriguing prospect, though he remains raw as a defender, his shot needs some time to develop, and he wasn’t really tested against top-level competition in the OTE setting.

While Thompson is widely considered the best prospect available at No. 4 if Wembyanama, Henderson, and Miller are off the board, his twin brother Ausar Thompson will be in the mix for Houston too. Ausar is the fifth-best prospect on ESPN’s big board and Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report hears that both Thompsons are under “heavy consideration” at No. 4.

Kevin O’Connor wrote on Friday that he intends move Ausar ahead of Amen when his rankings at The Ringer are updated this week, arguing that Ausar has made more progress with his jump shot and has been the more effective defender of the two.

Of course, the Thompson twins aren’t the only players who will be on the Rockets’ radar at No. 4. Most recent mocks have Villanova wing Cam Whitmore coming off the board before Ausar, and local product Jarace Walker, a power forward who played for the Cougars, is considered a good bet to be drafted in the top half of the lottery.

What makes Houston’s choice all the more interesting is the fact that the club reportedly intends to push aggressively for a playoff spot in 2023/24, using its cap room to pursue veterans (including James Harden) who could help the team win right away. The Rockets don’t control their own 2024 first-round pick, so there’s little incentive for them to continue tanking (technically, the Rockets will keep their 2024 first-rounder if it’s in the top four, but even if they finish with the NBA’s worst record, there’s only about a 50/50 chance of that happening).

Houston could straddle the line between making a playoff push and continuing to build through the draft, using up to $60MM in cap room to sign or trade for veterans and still adding another young player to the core by using the No. 4 pick.

But if the franchise is serious about making a jump in the standings, that lottery pick would make an ideal trade chip in a deal for an impact player. They’d have to be realistic about the pick’s value – it likely wouldn’t bring back an All-Star caliber player unless it’s packaged with other strong assets – but it seems reasonable to assume it could be used to acquire a quality starter.

We want to know what direction you think the Rockets should go with that pick. Should they keep it or trade it? If they hang onto it, which prospect should they draft, assuming the consensus top three aren’t available? If they look to trade it, what kind of player can they realistically expect to land?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

Poll: Which Team Will Win 2023 NBA Finals?

June 1st, 2023 at 9:38am CST by Luke Adams

The 2023 NBA Finals, which tip off on Thursday night, will pit the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference against the No. 8 seed in the East, but the matchup may not be as lopsided as their places in the standings suggest.

Despite finishing the regular season as the West’s top team, the Nuggets weren’t considered a powerhouse entering the playoffs. They lost 10 of 17 games down the stretch in March and April and had only the sixth-best net rating in the NBA (+3.3) during the season. They also didn’t have a recent history of deep playoff runs, coming off a first-round elimination in 2022 and having made it beyond the second round just once in the Nikola Jokic era.

Denver has been the most dominant team of the postseason though, winning 12 of 15 games and posting a playoff-best +8.0 net rating during a run that saw them eliminate stars like LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Anthony Edwards.

The Heat, meanwhile, battled injuries and inconsistency all season long, winning just 44 games and losing their first play-in game (to Atlanta) before completing a comeback victory over Chicago to claim the East’s final postseason berth. An early playoff exit appeared likely at that point, especially after sharpshooter Tyler Herro broke his hand in Game 1 of round one.

Instead, the Heat knocked off the title-favorite Bucks in five games, dispatched the Knicks in six games, and held off the No. 2 Celtics in a seven-game Eastern Conference Finals. Miami, whose +4.6 postseason net rating is second among all playoff clubs, has looked more like the team that came within one basket of making the NBA Finals in 2022 than the one that endured an up-and-down regular season.

The Heat may be a No. 8 seed – only the second in NBA history to make the Finals – but this is a battle-tested group that has significantly outperformed its regular season record and has plenty of playoff experience.

The Nuggets, who haven’t lost in Denver during the postseason and have looked like the NBA’s best team since the regular season ended, will have home-court advantage and enter the Finals as major favorites — BetOnline.ag has their odds to win the series at -405, with Miami listed as a +325 underdog.

Denver is also the popular pick among experts. John Hollinger of The Athletic laid out his reasoning for taking the Nuggets in six games, while a scout, a coach, and an executive who spoke anonymously to Sam Amick, Darnell Mayberry, and Josh Robbins of The Athletic all picked Denver in six too.

Over at ESPN, the Heat got a little more support, but 12 of 16 NBA reporters and analysts still chose the Nuggets to win the series, with only four – Bobby Marks, Israel Gutierrez, Nick DePaula, and Jorge Sedano – taking Miami.

The fact that the Nuggets are widely expected to come out on top will mean little to the Heat, who were considered even longer shots to beat Milwaukee or Boston. The Bucks were a -1200 betting favorite over Miami at the start of their series, while the Celtics were at -550.

With Game 1 set to tip off in a matter of hours, we want to get your predictions for this year’s NBA Finals. Will the Heat complete their improbable run and become the first No. 8 seed in league history to win a championship, or will Jokic lead the Nuggets to their first ever title?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

Poll: Pistons’ Lottery Pick

May 28th, 2023 at 8:37pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The biggest loser during the draft lottery was the Pistons. After finishing with the worst record, they entered the lottery at the top of the list. They slid all the way down to the No. 5 spot after the lottery was conducted.

The Pistons under general manager Troy Weaver are at a crossroads. The roster has been totally revamped since Weaver, who is never hesitant to wheel and deal, took over. There are lots of young players dotting the roster but it’s uncertain just how well those pieces fit.

Detroit should be significantly better next season just based on the fact it will have 2021 No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham back in action. Cunningham missed virtually the entire season due to shin surgery.

The Pistons’ 2022 lottery picks, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, showed plenty of promise in their rookie campaign. Certainly, the team is excited by the prospect of Ivey and Cunningham playing together a full season with 2020 lottery pick Killian Hayes backing them up.

Detroit acquired Marvin Bagley and James Wiseman – No. 2 overall picks who were busts with their original teams – over the past two seasons. The Pistons also have two highly valued veterans in Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks.

The franchise has to show major improvement next season to justify all the years of rebuilding. With the Pistons owing the Knicks a first-rounder, this could be the last time Detroit has a lottery pick in the near future.

There are a number of prospects to choose from at the No. 5 pick. Brandon Miller could theoretically slide down that far, though it’s a long shot. More likely, wings such as Cam Whitmore, Ausar Thompson and Anthony Black will be in play at that spot.

Weaver could shift gears and try to trade down in – or even out of – the first round for veteran help to give the Pistons a fighting chance to at least make the play-in tournament next season.

So what should the Pistons do with their first-rounder? Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to weigh in!

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