NBA - Main

Basketball Reference has a Simple Rating System based on point differential and strength of schedule, not wins and losses. In the East, the biggest discrepancies are the Atlanta Hawks (ranked 9th according to wins and losses but 5th according to SRS), and the Miami Heat (ranked 5th according to wins and losses but 9th according to SRS).

In the West, the biggest discrepancies are the Golden State Warriors (ranked 10th according to wins and losses but 5th according to SRS) and the Dallas Mavericks (ranked 5th according to wins and losses but 10th according to SRS). SRS is usually considered more accurate by bettors, so perhaps the Hawks and Warriors are better than they appear and the Heat and Mavs are worse than they appear.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2024.html

Nuggets are without there 3 best players and where first in the Western Conference till MUrray was hurt.Luckily he will be back next game or the one after that. STill there 12-6 and only about 1 game behind. JOkics injury is more rest than sever and Ag should be back shortly.He was listed questionable.

Cavs are underperforming.

Mitchell, Garland, Allen, and Levert have all missed time sporadically. We should end up top 4/5 in the East.

Wizards are actually the best team

OKC's record is artificially inflated by playing the Spurs, Bulls, Warriors twice without Draymond, Beal and Bookerless Suns, and Blazers. Check out our schedule for the next 6 games and it'll be great if we can go 3-3 during them.

Grizzlies are a weird situation. I do think this team will be significantly better when Ja comes back, but ultimately we’re still down our top 2 centers and I’m really worried that the team vibes are gonna be completely tanked. There’s definitely a world where they’re still complete shit until next season.

At least we got our top 3 signed for a few years and they’re all hitting their primes.

I think the word you're looking for is "misleading", not "inaccurate".

The Eagles. They are a great team, but have not played up to 10-1. Oh, you meant...

I know it might sound crazy, but Bulls are truly worse than their record shows (5-13).

The Raptors win came off of getting blessed with so many FTs (to send into OT), and even then barely squeaked away with the GW Caruso 3. The Pacers win was simply due to them bricking a lot of shots… they had so many good looks, but just failed to capitalize on most of them (still only won by 7, in a close game). The Heat win is more of a Heat loss, than a Bulls win, with them choking that 20pt lead

Our only 2 solid wins are against the Jazz and Pistons. However bad you think the Bulls are, they are worse than that

Suns feel like they’re a bit under the radar. They’re 11-6, inexplicably lost to the Spurs twice to give them 2 of their only 3 wins, have missed Booker for 8 games and Beal for 14.

Their 3 stars haven’t played a single game together and they’re 11-6 and 4th in the West. 1.5 games out of 1st.

Maybe injuries plague them but they’ll be a problem if they’re healthy and build chemistry. A healthy Suns team is easily pushing 55-60 wins and the 1 seed. They’re the new 2021 Nets where only injuries can stop them from dominating the West

Thinly veiled magic hate thread

I can't tell if the Warriors are going to be bad this year, or if it's settling pains and bad luck. But they suck far more than I expected, at the moment.

Pistons, it probably should be 0-17

Being the pessimistic Philly fan that I am, I get the feeling that the Sixers are over-performing. I definitely didn't expect them to be this good. That or my tin-foil-hat conspiracy of Adam Silver sending the whistles at us come playoff time will prove me right.

Suns should be undefeated. Prove me wrong. /s

gsw

No doubt Magic are much improved...but I just cant see them finishing much better than .500.

As much as people don't liked them, the Clips are underperforming.

Pelicans, should be higher

I wouldn't be surprised if the Warriors are a play-in team, and I wouldn't be surprised if they end up in a tough WCF series.

Their starting five is, I believe, negative on the year - but was the best unit in the league last year. So clearly if they get it together, the team could be really, really good, and much better than they've been so far.

But I also wouldn't be surprised if Klay struggled to get over the mental hump of not being the same dude he was five years ago, and the last thing I want to do is bet on Wiggins being consistent. Meanwhile, while Kerr's faith in his players is a strength, I wonder if he has a blind spot towards his guys' struggles and is going to give them too much rope.

Pistons can't believe they have wins

Indiana is much better than their record shows

Golden State, Phoenix, Denver have a worse record than what they really are - mostly because players have been out.

OKC, Orlando, and Dallas have a better record than what they’ll end up.

Memphis is obviously a question mark, and though Ja helps talent, I don’t know what he’ll do for chemistry - or if he’ll be a problem again. (Like really; what are the odds he’ll get it this time..)

Bucks

Nuggets would be the 1 seed in the west if it wasn’t for Jamal Murray’s injury. He’ll be back, and upwards they will go

Idk but i do know the 76ers are elite and maxey is better than embitch

I feel like the most obvious answer is the grizzlies.

The Lakers. They’ve played a mostly soft schedule and have been propped up by historical free throw numbers by the refs in all but two of their games… and they lost both games where they didn’t get ridiculously blatant ref help (including the 44 point blowout).

Either the refs will continue to rig it for them all season, or they’ll be lucky to make the play-in.

I would bet the house on the Rockets still ending up as a lottery team

Warriors will finish below 500

The pels being a .500 basketball team really surprises me

You are what your record says you are not what people THOUGHT your record was SUPPOSED to be.

We're almost 20 games in now. It's time to believe in (the) Magic and the T-Pups. The Thunder and the Pacers too.