David Thorpe predicts the known season

Standings at the end of the published schedule

BY DAVID THORPE

Tis the season for NBA predictions--something David Thorpe has long done with exceptional accuracy--thanks to a certain technique. It’s not easy. Rather than examining a roster or statistics, and guessing how many games a team might win, he goes through the schedule. The whole schedule. Every single game for every single team. He looks at who’ll be playing, who’s coming off short rest, the quality of the competition. He envisions the season. Puts it all on paper. Then he counts up the wins.

That’s how he predicts. This is the hard work he is doing for you, TrueHoop readers!

But this year, he can’t do all of that. Because the whole schedule has not been made yet.

And so we present: predictions as far as David Thorpe can see.

This NBA season is more impossible to predict than most, because of:

• COVID-19

• the impartial schedule

• the possibility of canceled games

• James Harden’s unknown destination

• a total lack of fans (and however much home-court advantage they provide)

• the possibility …