The beginning of the NBA season is just around the corner, with the first games tipping off on October 23rd, including the Los Angeles derby between the Lakers and the Clippers.
But how does the basketball sim NBA 2K20 foresee the season going? We looked at the current odds offered in Vegas and simmed the full season to see who comes out on top.
The preseason favorites
The current joint favorites for the NBA Championship this upcoming season are the two Los Angeles based franchises the LA Lakers and the LA Clippers, with Vegas handing both sides odds of 7/2 to claim the Championship come June.
Eastern favorites the Philadelphia 76ers come in just behind the LA teams, with odds of 11/2, while the Milwaukee Bucks are slightly further back at 6/1.
Outside bets include the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors at odds of 7/1 and 9/1 respectively, while many people’s dark horse, the Utah Jazz, are given an 18/1 shot.
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Regular season final standings – Western Conference
Following the conclusion of the regular season, there are some surprises in the Western Conference.
The LA Lakers finished the regular season as the number one seed, with an incredible 69-13 record, dropping just three games at the Staples Center all season.
In second place are the Houston Rockets, who finish the season with an impressive 62-20 record, including ending the season with a 9-1 record from their last 10 games, hitting form at the right time?
The Golden State Warriors have dominated the West for the past few seasons, however the loss of Kevin Durant and the injury to Klay Thompson look set to hinder the Warriors as they finish as the third seed heading into the playoffs.
The surprise outfit of the season was the LA Clippers who despite being the pre-season favorites, finish a lowly fourth, with a record of 51-31.
It was an underwhelming regular season for the Clippers, could they turn it around in the playoffs?
The Oklahoma City Thunder came in fifth, the Denver Nuggets sixth, the Portland Trail Blazers seventh and the Utah Jazz eight.
The Regular Season Final Standings – Eastern Conference
Vegas’ favorites for the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers, live up to those pre-season odds, finishing as the number one seed with a 56-26 record.
The number two seed belongs to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, who finish nine wins behind the 76ers at 47-35.
The 76ers cruised through the Eastern conference.
The third and fourth spots belong to the Brooklyn Nets and the Boston Celtics, with just two wins separating the sides at 46-36 and 44-38 apiece.
In fifth was the Orlando Magic, while the reigning champion Toronto Raptors had to settle for sixth. The Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls finished seventh and eight, respectively.
The Playoffs – Western Conference
In round one of the Western Conference, the LA Lakers put the Utah Jazz to the sword, completing a 4-0 sweep to set up a mouth watering clash with the LA Clippers, who beat OKC in five.
On the other side of the bracket, the sixth seed Denver Nuggets caused an upset as they knocked out the third seed Golden State Warriors with a convincing 4-1 win, whilst the Houston Rockets beat the Portland Trail Blazers in six.
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Second Round
There were two very close second round series in the Western Conference, with the LA Lakers claiming the bragging rights in Los Angeles following a tightly fought 4-3 series win over the Clippers.
Joining the Lakers in the Western Finals was the Houston Rockets, who themselves had to come through a seven-game series to defeat the Denver Nuggets.
Western Conference Finals
The Western Conference Finals saw the top two seeds from the regular season meet, with the Houston Rockets claiming a vital away win in game one to see off Vegas favorites the LA Lakers in six to advance to the finals.
The Playoffs – Eastern Conference
It was plain sailing for the top four seeds in the Eastern Conference, as all four progressed through the first round of playoff fixtures.
The Philadelphia 76ers dropped just a solitary game to the Chicago Bulls to set up a second round clash with fierce rivals the Boston Celtics, who made home court advantage count to see off the Orlando Magic in seven.
The Brooklyn Nets ended the run of the reigning champion Toronto Raptors with a 4-2 win, setting up a second round tie with the Milwaukee Bucks after they defeated the Indiana Pacers 4-1.
Second Round
Like with the Western Conference, there were two very close second round ties in the East.
The Milwaukee Bucks secured their passage to the conference finals with a 4-2 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
They were joined by the Philadelphia 76ers who benefited from home court advantage to see off the pre-season 25-1 shot Boston Celtics.
Eastern Conference Final
It was one way traffic in the Eastern Conference final, as the pre-season Eastern favorites, the Philadelphia 76ers, made light work of the Milwaukee Bucks, sweeping them 4-0.
The NBA Finals
The 2019-20 NBA Championship as seen by NBA 2K20 belongs to the Philadelphia 76ers, who defeated the Houston Rockets 4-2, with Philly point guard Ben Simmons collecting the award for Finals MVP, averaging a triple double with 18 PPG, 10.2 RPG and 11.8 APG.
A triple double average in the NBA finals, not bad Ben, not bad…
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