NBA's Perfect 10-Recap
The NBA 2023-24 season is in the books as the Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in five games to claim their 18th banner. It’s never too soon to look back at our early season predictions. Let’s dive into this week’s Perfect Ten.
Perfect Ten - Here are my preseason predictions published back in November. Let’s see how my picks stacked up.
2023-24 NBA Predictions
Eastern Conference
2022-23 Record Win Total O/U
W L Win Total O/U Prediction Wins
1.Milwaukee 58 24 54.5 UNDER 49
2. Boston 57 25 55.5 OVER 64
3. Philadelphia 54 28 48.5 UNDER 47
4. Cleveland 51 31 51.5 UNDER 48
5. New York 47 35 45.5 UNDER 50
6. Brooklyn 45 37 37.5 OVER 32
7. Miami 44 38 45.5 UNDER 46
8. Atlanta 41 41 42.5 OVER 36
9. Toronto 41 41 36.5 OVER 25
10. Chicago 40 42 37.5 UNDER 39
11. Indiana 35 47 38.5 UNDER 47
12. Washington 35 47 24.5 OVER 15
13. Orlando 34 48 37.5 OVER 47
14. Charlotte 27 55 31.5 OVER 21
Winning Predictions Losing Predictions
I had a good feel for the top of the division, correctly predicting the Celtics, Bucks, 76ers, and Cavs. I struggled with the lower portion of the Eastern Conference save for my take on the Magic.
Biggest Hit - Orlando Magic with the over.
Biggest Miss - Indiana Pacers with the under.
Western Conference
2023-23 record
` W L Win Total O/U Outcome Wins
1. Denver 53 29 52.5 Over 57
2. Memphis 51 31 45.5 Under 27
3. Sacramento 48 34 44.5 Under 46
4. Phoenix 45 37 51.5 Under 49
5. LA Clippers 44 38 46.5 Over 51
6. Golden State 44 38 47.5 Under 46
7. LA Lakers 43 39 47.5 Over 47
8. Minnesota 42 40 44.5 Over 56
9. New Orleans 42 40 44.5 Over 49
10. OKC 40 42 44.5 Under 57
11. Dallas 38 44 43.5 Over 50
12. Utah 37 45 35.5 Under 31
13. Portland 33 49 28.5 Under 21
14. Houston 22 60 31.5 Over 41
15. San Antonio 22 60 29.5 Under 22
I ruled the Western Conference this season, missing out only on the OKC Thunder. A 14-1 run through Over/Under bets is pretty darn spot on.
Biggest Hit - Minnesota Timberwolves with the Over.
Biggest Miss - OKC Thunder with the Under.
*2023-24 Win Totals courtesy of Draftkings.com
Playoff Predictions:
Eastern Conference Finals:
Boston (+180) over Milwaukee (+180) in six games.
Western Conference Finals:
Phoenix (+350) over Denver (+550) in seven games.
NBA Finals
Boston (+400) over Phoenix (+650) in six games.
I didn’t see the Mavericks surprising romp through the Western Conference and didn’t foresee the injuries and poor chemistry that would wipe out the Bucks but I did have the Celtics as World Champions at what would have been +400 if you jumped into start the season.
Please be sure to check out my weekly NBA Perfect Ten again next season for weekly updates and your chance to cash in big when I rank the top ten teams in the NBA each week, give you my top five NBA MVP candidates, and give you my pick of the week! Stay tuned next week for my way too early odds for next season’s title contenders.
*Conference winner and NBA Finals odds courtesy of draftkings.com
By Mark Ruelle
