Philadelphia 76ers
- ’18-19 Record: 51-31
- ’18-19 Season Series: 4-0 (76ers)
- ’19-20 Advantage: 76ers
My early prediction for the best team in the Eastern Conference and favorites to go to the NBA Finals are the Philadelphia 76ers. They have one of the best starting lineups in the NBA and a solid bench unit to go with it. They are going to make a lot of noise during the 2019-20 season.
Even after losing Jimmy Butler, this team managed to get better. Josh Richardson and Al Horford were two major pickups that will help them on both ends of the floor. They have a very good offensive and defensive unit with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid leading the way.
They were just one game away from the Eastern Conference Finals last season, but were sent home after an incredible game winner from Kawhi Leonard. They’ll be out for blood this season and I fully expect their playoff run this season to be much longer.
This is another one of those no-brainers. The Philadelphia 76ers are a top-tier NBA team, while the Charlotte Hornets are a bottom-tier NBA team. Hopefully the Hornets can have a rebuild like the 76ers had.