NBA 2020-21 season predictions: Lakers clear favorites to repeat as champions, experts torn on Finals opponent

USATSI

So many things about this upcoming 2020-21 NBA season are going to be different. No fans, at least in many arenas, for the first few months. A regular season cut by 10 games per team. A play-in series for the 7-10 seeds in each conference.

And hanging over it all, the almost guaranteed reality of the games being interrupted by positive COVID-19 tests, which could keep players and/or full teams out of action for long stretches.

For these reasons and more, our Bill Reiter recently wrote on how unpredictable the 2020-21 NBA season stands to be. It really is true. There's no telling how any of this will go. With that said, what's the logical thing to do at the start of an unpredictable journey? Make a bunch of predictions, of course!

After recently ranking our top 100 players for the upcoming season, our CBS Sports NBA staff is pulling out our crystal ball again. Below are predictions for everything from playoff seeds to play-in participants, conference finals matchups, Finals matchups and, eventually, our picks to win it all. (Shout-out to Jack Maloney, the only one of our nine voters to pick a team other than the Lakers to win the title. Jack lives in Milwaukee).

We're also predicting all the individual award winners, including MVP, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Most Improved Player, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year. So let's get to it. Here are our predictions. Bookmark the page to be used against us all at a later date.

Division Winners

	Avery Johnson	Bill Reiter	Colin Ward-Henninger	James Herbert	Brad Botkin	Jasmyn Wimbish	Jack Maloney	Michael Kaskey-Blomain	Sam Quinn
Atlantic Division	Raptors	Celtics	Celtics	Raptors	76ers	Nets	Nets	Nets	76ers
Central Division	Bucks	Bucks	Bucks	Bucks	Bucks	Bucks	Bucks	Bucks	Bucks
Southeast Division	Heat	Heat	Heat	Heat	Heat	Heat	Heat	Heat	Heat
Northwest Division	Nuggets	Nuggets	Trail Blazers	Nuggets	Trail Blazers	Nuggets	Nuggets	Trail Blazers	Trail Blazers
Pacific Division	Lakers	Lakers	Lakers	Lakers	Lakers	Lakers	Lakers	Lakers	Lakers
Southwest Division	Mavericks	Mavericks	Mavericks	Mavericks	Mavericks	Mavericks	Mavericks	Mavericks	Mavericks

Eastern Conference Seeding

	Avery Johnson	Bill Reiter	Colin Ward-Henninger	James Herbert	Brad Botkin	Jasmyn Wimbish	Jack Maloney	Michael Kaskey-Blomain	Sam Quinn
1.	Bucks	Bucks	Bucks	Bucks	Bucks	Nets	Bucks	Bucks	Bucks
2.	Heat	Celtics	Heat	Raptors	Nets	Bucks	Nets	Nets	76ers
3.	Raptors	Nets	Celtics	76ers	Raptors	Raptors	Celtics	Celtics	Heat
4.	Nets	Heat	76ers	Heat	76ers	76ers	76ers	76ers	Raptors
5.	76ers	Raptors	Nets	Celtics	Heat	Celtics	Heat	Heat	Celtics
6.	Celtics	76ers	Raptors	Nets	Celtics	Heat	Raptors	Pacers	Nets
7.	Hawks	Hawks	Pacers	Pacers	Pacers	Pacers	Pacers	Raptors	Pacers
8.	Wizards	Wizards	Hawks	Hawks	Wizards	Wizards	Magic	Wizards	Hawks
9. (Play-In)	Pacers	Magic	Wizards	Magic	Hawks	Hawks	Wizards	Magic	Wizards
10. (Play-In)	Magic	Hornets	Magic	Bulls	Magic	Hornets	Hawks	Bulls	Magic

Western Conference Seeding

	Avery Johnson	Bill Reiter	Colin Ward-Henninger	James Herbert	Brad Botkin	Jasmyn Wimbish	Jack Maloney	Michael Kaskey-Blomain	Sam Quinn
1.	Lakers	Clippers	Lakers	Lakers	Lakers	Lakers	Lakers	Lakers	Lakers
2.	Nuggets	Lakers	Clippers	Clippers	Trail Blazers	Nuggets	Clippers	Trail Blazers	Clippers
3.	Mavericks	Nuggets	Trail Blazers	Nuggets	Nuggets	Clippers	Nuggets	Nuggets	Mavericks
4.	Clippers	Trail Blazers	Nuggets	Trail Blazers	Mavericks	Trail Blazers	Jazz	Clippers	Trail Blazers
5.	Jazz	Mavericks	Mavericks	Suns	Clippers	Jazz	Trail Blazers	Jazz	Nuggets
6.	Suns	Suns	Jazz	Jazz	Jazz	Mavericks	Mavericks	Mavericks	Jazz
7.	Trail Blazers	Warriors	Warriors	Mavericks	Suns	Rockets	Suns	Warriors	Suns
8.	Warriors	Jazz	Suns	Grizzlies	Pelicans	Warriors	Rockets	Pelicans	Warriors
9. (Play-In)	Rockets	Pelicans	Spurs	Pelicans	Warriors	Suns	Warriors	Suns	Rockets
10. (Play-In)	Pelicans	Spurs	Grizzlies	Warriors	Grizzlies	Pelicans	Grizzlies	Rockets	Pelicans