The regular season is finally upon us, and man are we all glad to have gotten through such a long offseason. Exciting? sure. But an offseason is just that, without any actual on-court action or storylines. Now, tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET, the 74th NBA season kicks off in the house of our new NBA champs just north of the border. The Toronto Raptors hoist up their first banner and receive their rings to start the season against the New Orleans Pelicans who will be without rookie phenom and first overall pick Zion Williamson for the presumptuous next two months, which unfortunately takes the air out of this early season matchup.

And after that, fans sticking around during the 10:00 p.m. ET slot will get to enjoy a subsidized version of the Battle of Los Angeles as the Lakers’ first game of their 2019 campaign pairs them up with the in-house rival Los Angeles Clippers and their new acquisition of 2019 NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard.

But before we get into that, it’s only right that we jump directly into some postseason predictions for what feels like one of the most open periods of contention in recent memory. Just about nine teams or more have a shot of making it to the NBA Finals this year (feels weirder every time you say it, doesn’t it?) and now that we are into a new 82-game season, it’s time to put up or shut up for the 30 squads across the league.

With that being said, here’s a look into the predicted Eastern and Western finalized standings once the season’s up.

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Eastern Conference – Final Standings

1. Milwaukee Bucks
2. Philadelphia 76ers
3. Boston Celtics
4. Indiana Pacers
5. Toronto Raptors
6. Brooklyn Nets
7. Miami Heat
8. Detroit Pistons

The East, At A Glance: Milwaukee still looks like the favorite to come out of the East, though Philadelphia will more than likely battle with them. So expect some fireworks between these two height-favorable teams. MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is looking to expand off of his best season as a Buck, and with a developed jumper that is becoming increasingly consistent, that could very well be the determining factor to send the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA Finals.

• The rest of the East is so tight, that it is a mere dice toss. Spots 3-8, are interchangeable, and for some squads, a couple of surprises could await NBA fans, like the now depreciated and defending Toronto Raptors squeezing out a record over 52 wins, or the new-look Nets winning the third spot in the east without Kevin Durant in Kyrie’s first year. Also, teams like the Heat and the Pistons could either rise or fall, depending on how the season goes and if the two teams remain healthy through 82 games.

• To that point, Indiana is really interesting. There isn’t much say on Victor Oladipo’s return from a torn patella tendon, but there is a lot of quiet favoritism regarding the Pacers’ new pickup Malcolm Brogdon. A wildcard of sorts for the Bucks, Brogdon was Giannis Antetokounmpo’s right-hand man in the postseason and he played a big part in getting the Bucks to the Eastern finals. Now, he, Myles Turner, Domatas Sabonis and the rest of Indy could do some serious damage in their conference, especially if Oladipo comes back in time or before the Pacers’ playoff push.

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Western Conference – Final Standings

1. Los Angeles Clippers
2. Denver Nuggets
3. Los Angeles Lakers
4. Houston Rockets
5. Utah Jazz
6. Portland Trailblazers
7. San Antonio Spurs
8. Golden State Warriors

The West, At A Glance: Boy, the Western Conference is going to be difficult to predict. What isn’t hard to theorize – The Los Angeles Clippers will have the best record in the West. The tandem of Kawhi and PG, mixed with the ferocity of Patrick Beverley and Montrezl Harrell, and the natural scoring abilities of sixth man Lou Williams and improving shooter Landry Shamut make the Clippers the most arduous foe to face in not just the West, but the entire league.

The Nuggets, however, will not be far behind. They were only a game out from seeing the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals last year as the No. 2 seed, and Jokic is looking to put forth an MVP campaign as a dual scorer and dimer. Don’t be startled if Mike Malone’s Nuggets get over the hump, upset some teams and get to the conference finals.

• The Lakers are going to finish with a top 3 seed in the West. I think we can confirm that. That LeBron James to Anthony Davis Pick and Roll will make for some memorable highlights throughout the year, but it’s the rest of the Lakers core that is concerning. Kyle Kuzma is going into his third year, and he’s an esteemed two-way bucket getter that can guard positions 1-4. We know Danny Green as a 3-and-D wing sniper, but last year’s playoffs (not the Finals) showed how inconsistent he can be. Aside from those four, who are all talented together, there isn’t much to be afraid of if you’re playing the Lakers. It would help the Lakers to move Kentavious Caldwell-Pope before the trade deadline, and it will still be difficult for new coaches Frank Vogel and Jason Kidd to fit odd pieces into the Lakers puzzle to ensure a shot at contending for a title in 2019-20.

•  James Harden and Russell Westbrook are really good basketball players. Better yet, they have experience playing together, once reaching the NBA Finals back in 2012 with the original Thunder quartet (KD, Ibaka, the Beard, and Russ). Mike D’Antoni is going to let the two guards loose on opposing defenses but several questions remain: can the two ball-dominant guards coexist while one of them operates more off-ball? What role do the rest of the Rockets play in D’Antoni’s PnR-heavy, motion offense-reliant, drive-kick ran system? How do they stack up defensively against the rest of the West? If D’Antoni can’t get it right this time, is his time in H-Town up?

• We will all watch to see if Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs make the playoffs for a 21st consecutive season, though it won’t be easy. They just so happened to skid in the postseason behind the help of Derrick White, LaMarcus Aldrige, and DeMar Derozan but in such a saturated division this year, that streak may kick the can.

•  Will the Warriors will have trouble making the postseason? The answer is yes. I can’t believe I just said that. Klay Thompson is unlikely to return this year,  putting the Warriors, and more specifically Stephen Curry, in such a pickle. Steph may not be able to carry a 40 ppg. effort every night and get the Warriors over the postseason finish line, regardless if Klay is ready to go at season’s end. Curry is one of the game’s greatest scorers in history, and there’s no denying that he can drop 40 when he feels like it. But, his expense of energy on the defensive end when he knows offenses will attack him as the mismatch will tire him out around March. It’s going to be pretty difficult to play the role of regular Chef Curry for an entire season, especially now that he, A.) can’t take any load management games off and B.) doesn’t have Kevin Durant to rely on when the team needs either an extra 25-30 ppg., or a big bucket.

• Losing other pieces like Shaun Livingston (retirement) and Andre Iguodala (free agency) doesn’t help a lot either, now that there isn’t a lot of skill pieces in Steve Kerr’s rotation anymore.

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Postseason Predictions: Eastern Conference Finals

No.1 Milwaukee Bucks over No. 2 Philadelphia 76ers

• Milwaukee’s overwhelming size and a roster scattered with stretch bigs that will not only rain down from deep but lead the league in 3pt percentage for a second straight season, as they end the Sixers’ season in seven games. MVP front-runner Giannis Antetokounmpo dominates Ben Simmons for an entire series as a dual slasher, shot creator and consistent scorer from mid-range and beyond the arc and the Bucks pack the paint, forcing Simmons to continue his struggle of shooting the basketball. Tobias Harris becomes yet another no-show and Embiid can’t keep up with Giannis this time.

• On the contrary, Eric Bledsoe actually shows up for a change, drives the lane to get the tall Sixers in foul trouble, and exploits the speed and strength mismatches as he and Brook Lopez run a lot of pick-and-roll/pick-and-pop to punish Joel Embiid inside and out. Fans inside of the Wells Fargo arena pack Game 7 in droves chanting “Trust The Process!”, only to leave the same in silence and dismay inside the final 1:30 of a fourth-quarter as the Bucks take a commanding 10-point lead. The Bucks celebrate an eastern title in Philly, and Joel Embiid cries (again).

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Postseason Prediction: Western Conference Finals

No. 1 Los Angeles Clippers over No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers

• In a tight, drama-filled Western final that’s got all of the tension of an actual NBA Finals, the Clippers and Lakers go into this one with the easiest playoff travel schedule in the league’s history. Throughout the whole year, Kawhi Leonard doesn’t have to worry about a quad injury that’s caused him difficulty in prior seasons, and Clippers fans don’t have to worry about Kawhi missing significant games due to load management. Both teams remain healthy for the season, making the Battle of Los Angeles the talk of Tinseltown.

• AD and Bron are tested in a physical six-game series against the Nuggets, and LeBron ends up going on a scoring rampage against the Nuggets’ MVP candidate Nikola Jokic and the rest of the Mile-High core in Jamal Murray, Torrey Craig, Gary Harris and Paul Millsap. Meanwhile, The Clippers make easy work of the Rockets in five as Kawhi and Paul George take Russell Westbrook and James Harden completely out of their game.

• In this seven-game barnburner, the Clippers and Lakers are knotted going into the 3-minute mark. Kawhi goes into that Terminator-like zone we’ve come to know he can get into, plucking LeBron every chance he can get while simultaneously getting bucket after bucket on the other end. Paul George helps out too and acts like a spot-up shooter off the catch, letting Kawhi take center stage as the Clippers magically find a way to silence James in the fourth after he posts another playoff triple-double. Montrezl Harrell brings the most poignant energy to the Clippers, shutting down Anthony Davis, while the Lakers’ second unit can’t hold on with Lou Williams running Pick-and-Roll sets ad nauseam with both Harrell and Ivica Zubac.

• Steve Ballmer is seen somewhere inside the Staples Center losing his mind as the Clippers advance to their first NBA Finals in franchise history.

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NBA Finals Prediction: Clippers Over Bucks (in Six)

Kawhi Leonard will best Giannis Antetokounmpo in six games for the second-straight year. Though it is is another tight series, with a prolific scoring output from Khris Middleton as Paul George struggles in containing the one-time all-star. Kawhi and Giannis go at one another for an entire series in a classic. The main difference that keeps the Bucks is Giannis’ inconsistent jumpshot that, to his chagrin, just can’t find the bottom of the nylon in a home elimination game.

The Bucks’ rotational pieces can’t get out of the gate, Patrick Beverley shines in erasing Eric Bledsoe and Paul George gets the upper hand on Khris Middleton to be that dangerous two-way, three-level scorer that propelled him into MVP talks a season ago. Kawhi ends up putting the Greek Freak on lockdown in the final moments of Game Six, leading up to his second-straight Finals MVP.

Again, ESPN’s cameras cut to an ecstatic Steve Ballmer who comes into the Clippers locker room hugging Kawhi and Doc Rivers in joining the bottle-popping celebration as the Los Angeles Lakers capture their franchise’s first NBA championship.