WASHINGTON — The NBA season begins Tuesday night, which means it’s time for those of us in the WTOP Sports department who dare to take guesses at how the season will unfold and later hide from our predictions when they are proven horribly wrong. Not one of us had the Golden State Warriors taking home the title last season, though a few did pick the Cavs in the Finals.
Take a look through the slides to see which teams we think are playoff bound, who will take home the title, and how the Washington Wizards will fare in the 2015-16 campaign. Note: all playoff teams are listed alphabetically, not in order of projected finish.
(AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File
J. Brooks — Sports AnchorEast Playoff Teams: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Miami, Milwaukee, Toronto, Washington
West Playoff Teams: Golden State, Houston, LA Clippers, Memphis, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Sacramento, San Antonio
East Champion: Cleveland
West Champion: LA Clippers
NBA Champion: Cleveland
Wizards Regular Season Wins: 48
Wizards Division Finish: 2nd
Wizards Playoff Finish: Eastern Conference Semifinals
(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
AP Photo/Tony Dejak
Chris Cichon — Operations/SportsEast Playoff Teams: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Indiana, Miami, Toronto, Washington
West Playoff Teams: Dallas, Golden State, Houston, LA Clippers, Memphis, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, San Antonio
East Champion: Cleveland
West Champion: San Antonio
NBA Champion: San Antonio
Wizards Regular Season Wins: 54
Wizards Division Finish: 1st
Wizards Playoff Finish: Eastern Conference Finals
(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
AP Photo/Tony Dejak
Noah Frank — Digital Sports EditorEast Playoff Teams: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Indiana, Milwaukee, Toronto, Washington
West Playoff Teams: Golden State, Houston, LA Clippers, Memphis, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Utah
East Champion: Washington
West Champion: Oklahoma City
NBA Champion: Oklahoma City
Wizards Regular Season Wins: 50
Wizards Division Finish: 1st
Wizards Playoff Finish: NBA Finals
(AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki
Ben Raby — Sports AnchorEast Playoff Teams: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Miami, Milwaukee, Toronto, Washington
West Playoff Teams: Golden State, Houston, LA Clippers, Memphis, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, San Antonio
East Champion: Cleveland
West Champion: LA Clippers
NBA Champion: Cleveland
Wizards Regular Season Wins: 48
Wizards Division Finish: 1st
Wizards Playoff Finish: Eastern Conference Finals
(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
AP Photo/Tony Dejak
George Wallace — Sports DirectorEast Playoff Teams: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Miami, Milwaukee, Toronto, Washington
West Playoff Teams: Golden State, Houston, LA Clippers, LA Lakers, Oklahoma City, Portland, San Antonio, Utah
East Champion: Cleveland
West Champion: San Antonio
NBA Champion: San Antonio
Wizards Regular Season Wins: 52
Wizards Division Finish: 1st
Wizards Playoff Finish: Eastern Conference Finals
(AP Photo/Eric Gay)
AP Photo/Eric Gay
Rob Woodfork — Traffic/SportsEast Playoff Teams: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Miami, Milwaukee, Toronto, Washington
West Playoff Teams: Dallas, Golden State, Houston, LA Clippers, Memphis, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, San Antonio
East Champion: Cleveland
West Champion: Golden State
NBA Champion: Golden State
Wizards Regular Season Wins: 50
Wizards Division Finish: 2nd
Wizards Playoff Finish: Eastern Conference Finals
(AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)