Into the Bears’ Den: picking NBA teams’ over/under from Vegas projections
By Ian Pierno
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: 66.5
Ian Pierno: The Golden State Warriors won an NBA-record 73 games last year, and they’ve only gotten better. They’ve had some luck as far as injuries go, but it’s hard to think they can’t do it again. Verdict: OVER.
Ryan Snellings: UNDER. Call me a hater, but I think this team gets 65, tops. Kevin Durant will be huge for the Warriors, no doubt, but their depth took a hit and Zaza won’t be the same rim protector that Bogut and Ezeli were. The rest of the league is catching up with small ball and I think Kerr will actually rest his players this year after Curry supposedly played part of the playoffs injured.
Parker Fleming: OVER. Last year, this team won 73 games. Now, they added Kevin Durant, a top-5 player, along with a core of 2-time MVP Steph Curry, Draymond Green (the ultimate glue guy) and Klay Thompson (a guy who can shoot 3s better than Curry on any given night). They also have Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston, two players that could start on just about any team. Bold prediction though: Zaza Pachulia and David West will be bigger impacts than Bogut, Ezeli and Speights.
Taylor Buckley: UNDER. Haters gonna hate, but like Ryan, I’m a hater. I think the Warriors will get right around 62 wins. I know they have added Durant, but it’s going to take some time to get used to playing with each other. Not to mention, they have a bunch of players that can score the ball, but there is only one ball to score. I think they finish the season strong but chemistry early in the season will be a factor.
Ryan Schmitz: UNDER. I think the team realized after last season that winning 73 games doesn’t matter if they don’t win the title. This year, it may sacrifice some wins to better prepare themselves for the playoffs and thus getting around only 63-66 wins.
Jacob Collins: OVER. I think this is a perfect line because I think resting players plus lack of depth compared to last year’s unit hurts in the regular season. I think they get it by a half game.