The 2021-22 NBA season is upon us!

It’s time to preview the season — division by division — asking two very important questions for each team:

What’s the case for the Over?
What’s the case for the Under?

5. Oklahoma City Thunder

2021-22 Over/Under: 22.5 wins — 27% winning pct (last season winning pct: 31%)

What’s the case for the Over?

We have said it before and we’ll say it again: SGA is so good that you can’t tank with him out there.

OKC had a record of 16-19 in the 35 games that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was in the lineup last season, on pace for 37 wins over an 82-game season.

Seeing as though SGA signed the rookie max extension, it would seem like a good idea to let him… play ball this season. Developing with the young talent around him is vital for the future.
Giddey up! The Aussie rookie, Josh Giddey, looked fabulous plenty of times in the preseason. We love his court vision, sense of the moment and his hair.
Have you seen how ripped Lu Dort is!? The Dorture Chamber might be ratcheted up a notch, even more fierce than before. And he’s still ripping his moonshot 3s.
POKUMANIA. Poku is fun as hell. No player in the league has a wider variety of potential outcomes on any one possession.
Derrick Favors is the veteran glue-guy here to guide the youngin’s along. Kenrich Williams is the go-getter, ready to do all of the little things. Kenny Hustle!

The Thunder only have to win one more game than they did last season and they have 10 more games to try to do so.

What’s the case for the Under?

The Thunder (read: Sam Presti), with a treasure chest of draft picks, still likely prefer to tank again.

The Thunder are pretty thin without much depth, playing some WHO HE!? characters that you probably aren’t familiar with: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Gabriel Deck and Josh Hall.
After Poku who is 7-feet tall, the tallest player on the roster is Mike Muscala at 6-10. Tune in to Thunder games and you’ll likely see more Moose than you would prefer.
To quote the great Zach Lowe, Poku can sometimes be “a skinny turnover machine.”

Even if we don’t want it to happen, there is always the possibility of Sam Presti shutting guys down towards the end of the season again.

Final Prediction: Despite how much we love SGA, the threat of the tank here is too severe. Under 22.5 wins.

4. Minnesota Timberwolves

2021-22 Over/Under: 35.5 wins — 43% winning pct (last season winning pct: 32%)

What’s the case for the Over?

The T-Wolves concluded last season by playing .500 ball over the last 22 games, and they didn’t have Malik Beasley for that stretch.

If they can stay healthy, this offense should still be plenty potent with Chris Finch’s mastermind system.

It feels like KAT is due for a monster season, putting the last couple of years long behind him. There’s still a unicorn lingering within.
Ant-Man looks stronger and more engaged on defense. He’s always out there having fun.
D-Lo can get those step-backs going. The two-man game with KAT will feature slick pick-and-rolls and sweet pick-and-pops.
Naz Reid is a brute. Jaden McDaniels has some chops. Jarred Vanderbilt rebounds like crazy. Leandro Bolmaro flashed some impressive playmaking in the preseason.
The defense and toughness automatically gets a boost from Patrick Beverly’s arrival.

This is an organization that some would go as far to deem “cursed,” but perhaps getting the bad juju out of the way before the season commenced is the way to go.

What’s the case for the Under?

Firing the GM right before the season is a most ominous sign.

If KAT misses any time, something he has been prone to do, the T-Wolves will be in a tumultuous spot without him. He’s absolutely integral to this team.
The lack of a 4 that contributes on both ends poses an issue, forcing Finchie to choose between shooting/spacing or rebounding/defense.
Defense is still the big linchpin here. Any lineups with KAT and D-Lo are going to be at a disadvantage on that side of the ball.

A trade for Ben Simmons would require an adjustment period.

Final Prediction: We trust Finchie to get these pups howling into the night. Over 35.5 wins.

3. Portland Trail Blazers

2021-22 Over/Under: 44.5 wins — 54% winning pct (last season winning pct: 58%)

What’s the case for the Over?

Damian Lillard still calls Portland home.

Dame’s presence alone puts the Blazers in the mix to overachieve.

C.J. McMidrange takes 3’s now in case you didn’t know.
The starting lineup last season when C.J. and Nurk were healthy still rolled opponents.
The additions of Larry Nance Jr., Cody Zeller and Tony Snell are all no nonsense guys who will stay in their lane and know their role.
A new voice in the locker room could give the Blazers a bump. Dame wanted Chauncey Billups here and that’s what matters most.
The defense should improve by default with Melo in LA and Kanter in Boston. It’s pretty amazing that Melo and Kanter were #3 and #4 in minutes played for Portland last season.

Maybe the injury bug will finally move on and leave this team alone after living here rent free the last couple of years.

What’s the case for the Under?

If things start out going south in a hurry, Dame might actually ask out.

We never thought he would — until Blazers fans were so quick to turn on him after the Billups hiring drama. It was obvious that made him feel some type of way about loyalty.

Terry Stotts was a good and proven head coach. TBD on Billups… ya never know.
There is a lot riding on Anfernee Simons. It’s year four and we’re still waiting for him to turn the corner and be reliable and consistent.
An undersized backcourt in Dame and C.J. has… *checks notes* nine years of evidence of being a liability on defense. NINE.

It feels like GM Neil Olshey has it coming to him after throwing Stotts under the bus, not returning Melo’s calls and saying on Media Day that this was the best roster since Dame got to Portland.

Final Prediction: We prefer to ride with Dame, and it’s hard to believe that the Blazers will be 4 percent worse than last season — yet the writing is on the wall with Olshey. Under 44.5 wins.

2. Denver Nuggets

2021-22 Over/Under: 47.5 wins — 58% winning pct (last season winning pct: 65%)

What’s the case for the Over?

His name is Nikola Jokic, the reigning MVP.

The Nuggs kept humming along even after Jamal Murray tore his ACL last April.

MPJ seized an opportunity and secured a bag. Over the final month of the season without Murray, MPJ averaged 23.5 points per game along with 56% shooting from the field and 49% from 3 on seven attempts per game.
A full season of Aaron Gordon’s length, hops and added defense.
Bizzy Bones Hyland looks like a rookie ready to contribute from the jump.
P.J. Dozier has been waiting for more minutes. (And so have we, for him.)
Monte Morris is unsung and an underrated reliable shooter. Compazzo plays with grit.

We know this is a resilient bunch, and Michael Malone knows damn well what he’s doing.

What’s the case for the Under?

The Nuggets would be doomed should something happen to The Joker, causing him to miss any time.

When Jokic is exhausted (like in that Suns series), he becomes mortal. More teams might try to exploit that after seeing him wear down in the playoffs.
Without Murray, MPJ might try to do too much. Some regression for him could result.
The Nuggets still don’t have a true backup center. We don’t mind JaMychal Green, but at 6-8, he leaves them small. (On the other hand, “Bol Bol too tall!”)

The defense here really isn’t much to write home about. Denver was actually the worst team in the league last season at defending the rim.

Final Prediction: Don’t forget who we got to see at the very tail end of that Suns series: The Evil Joker. Over 47.5 wins.

1. Utah Jazz

2021-22 Over/Under: 53.5 wins — 65% winning pct (last season winning pct: 72%)

What’s the case for the Over?

The Jazz just waltzed to the best record in the league last season, and Utah’s stout continuity remains.

This team should be heavily motivated after losing to the Kawhi-less Clippers, the latest playoff exit well before they anticipated.

Donovan Mitchell is a blossoming star. Every season D. Mitch adds more to his game. He’s got D-Wade in his ear now, too.
The best backup backcourt duo in the game: Jordan Clarkson and Joe Ingles.
Despite getting exposed in the playoffs, Rudy Gobert is still very much a defensive force to be reckoned with during the regular season.
Eric Paschall and Rudy Gay will offer head coach Quinn Snyder lineup flexibility that the Jazz previously lacked.
Is Royce O’Neal the most under appreciated player in the league?

The Jazz start out the season with 19 of the first 32 games at home.

The beginning of the season is historically when they struggle, but playing frequently in Salt Lake City should help.

What’s the case for the Under?

Like Milwaukee a season ago, the Jazz will be experimenting with new schemes to help them come playoff time, and that might result in fewer regular season wins.

Can Jordan Clarkson replicate his stellar 6th Man of the Year campaign? Could that ULTRA green light and unshakeable irrational confidence backfire this time?
Over the last four seasons, Mike Conley has played more than 51 games just once. He’s 34 now with a lot of point guard miles under his belt.
The Jazz could end up really missing Georges Niang who shot 42.5 percent from 3 last season, providing second-unit floor-spacing. Niang also played in every game.

There is now a very well-documented blueprint on how to expose Gobert if you have the right personnel and are committed to the bit.

Final Prediction: A great amount of pressure is noticeably present on Utah this season to finally breakthrough. Pressure is a privilege. Over 53.5 wins.

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Southwest season preview.

Central preview. | Southeast preview.

Atlantic preview. | Pacific division preview.

TUESDAY NIGHT is officially OPENING NIGHT!

Brooklyn Nets at Milwaukee Bucks - 7:30pm

Warriors at Lakers - 10:00pm - (TNT)

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