THE WAIT IS OVER: 2017-18 NBA PREDICTIONS

The wait is officially over and I couldn't be more excited! This past off-season we saw star players switch teams at an alarming rate. After it was all said and done the Eastern Conference became that much weaker while the Western Conference got that much tougher. With these new changes come new storylines: Can the Warriors repeat as champs? Can OKC's new big three make it to the promise land? How far can Kyrie lead Boston? Will the additions of Rose & Wade be enough to bring another championship to Cleveland? I'm excited to see all of these storylines unfold over the next eight months and it all starts tonight with the Celtics visiting the Cavs followed by the Rockets taking on the Warriors. In the meantime here are my predictions for the upcoming NBA season.


Rookie of the Year
Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers

Defensive Player of the Year
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors

Coach of the Year
Tom Thibodeau, Minnesota Timberwolves

Sixth Man of the Year
Lou Williams, Los Angeles Clippers

Most Improved Player
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

Executive of the Year
Koby Altman, Cleveland Cavaliers 

Most Valuable Player
James Harden, Houston Rockets

ALL NBA FIRST TEAM
Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
James Harden, Houston Rockets
LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors
Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans

ALL NBA SECOND TEAM
Steph Curry, Golden State Warriors
John Wall, Washington Wizards
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves

ALL NBA THIRD TEAM
Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs
Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
DeMarcus Cousins, New Orleans Pelicans

Eastern Conference
1. Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Washington Wizards
3. Boston Celtics
4. Toronto Raptors
5. Milwaukee Bucks
6. Miami Heat
7. Charlotte Hornets
8. Philadelphia 76ers

Eastern Conference Semi-Finals
Cavaliers vs. Bucks
Wizards vs. Celtics

Eastern Conference Finals
Cavaliers vs. Celtics

Western Conference
1. Golden State Warriors
2. Houston Rockets
3. Oklahoma City Thunder
4. Minnesota Timberwolves
5. San Antonio Spurs
6. Portland Trail Blazers
7. Los Angeles Clippers
8. Denver Nuggets

Western Conference Semi-Finals
Warriors vs. Timberwolves
Rockets vs. Thunder

Western Conference Finals
Warriors vs. Thunder

NBA Finals
Cavaliers vs. Warriors - Cavaliers win in 7, LeBron James wins Finals MVP

Last season we saw a historic battle for MVP between Harden and Westbrook. While I don't think we'll see those type of historic individual numbers put up again I do believe that we are in for an entertaining season. I'm excited to see what some of the younger teams like the Bucks, Wolves, and 76ers can do to take their franchises to the next level. I'm also interested in seeing the start of the Lonzo Ball era with the Lakers. They're putting some solid pieces together and the future definitely looks bright.  The greatest sport in the world is set to start tonight and I'll be watching until there's one team hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy in June.