NBA Best Case, Worst Case
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Best Case, Worst Case: Golden State Warriors
The no. 1 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings has its sights set on a three-peat. Can anything get in its path?
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Best Case, Worst Case: Boston Celtics
The no. 2 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings has the deepest team in the league, and a starting five that can match up against just about any other lineup imaginable. But will everyone on the team be willing to sacrifice to make it all work?
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Best Case, Worst Case: Houston Rockets
The no. 3 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings will have the firepower to compete with any team in the league, but getting any further than last season seems unlikely after a questionable offseason
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Best Case, Worst Case: Toronto Raptors
The no. 4 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings has a new star in the fold, but he’s there for a good time, not a long time. Can they win enough to convince him to stay?
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Best Case, Worst Case: Philadelphia 76ers
The no. 5 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings has the chance to break into the NBA Finals—if everything goes right for its three most talented players
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Best Case, Worst Case: Oklahoma City Thunder
The no. 6 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings has two fully committed stars and more roster depth than they’ve had … ever? But making a deep postseason run will require the team to stay healthy. Can it?
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Best Case, Worst Case: Utah Jazz
The no. 7 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings has an outside shot at the NBA Finals—if its best player can hang with the best teams in the playoffs
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Best Case, Worst Case: Los Angeles Lakers
The no. 8 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings landed LeBron James over the summer. The shock still hasn’t worn off, but the team has plenty of questions to answer.
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Best Case, Worst Case: Milwaukee Bucks
The no. 9 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings might finally have the system in place to maximize their generational superstar. But can they thrive in this era without a true second star?
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Best Case, Worst Case: Indiana Pacers
Was the success of Indy, the no. 10 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings, a fluke or the start of something bigger?
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Best Case, Worst Case: Denver Nuggets
The no. 11 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings has another chance to end its playoff drought. But as good as their offense may be, they won’t go very far unless the defense makes improvements.
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Best Case, Worst Case: New Orleans Pelicans
The Pels, the no. 12 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings, may have the right supporting cast to leap into the West’s elite. Whether they do or not will have a major effect on the future of Anthony Davis.
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Best Case, Worst Case: San Antonio Spurs
The no. 13 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings bade farewell to a trio of stalwarts and have rebuilt themselves around LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan. To improve, they’ll need their young point guard to make the leap.
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Best Case, Worst Case: Portland Trail Blazers
The no. 14 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings will try again with its same core, for better or worse
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Best Case, Worst Case: Minnesota Timberwolves
No matter what the Wolves, the no. 15 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings, get in return for Jimmy Butler, their season will be all about how Karl-Anthony Towns responds
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Best Case, Worst Case: Washington Wizards
The no. 16 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings didn’t make any radical changes to its roster like some of its Eastern peers, but the additions the Wizards did make could make a real difference in a wide-open conference
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Best Case, Worst Case: Miami Heat
A lot can change before the start of the regular season for the no. 17 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings. But for now, their season looks like a repeat of the last one.
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Best Case, Worst Case: Detroit Pistons
The no. 18 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings has star power, a complementary supporting cast, and the reigning Coach of the Year at the helm. So why does this season feel confined to mediocrity before it’s even started?
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Best Case, Worst Case: Los Angeles Clippers
The no. 19 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings is ready to become a major player in the superstar chase, while hoping its band of super reserves can stay in the playoff mix in a deep Western Conference
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Best Case, Worst Case: Memphis Grizzlies
The no. 20 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings could be much better than anyone expects. But it will face stark, franchise-defining consequences if it isn’t.
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Best Case, Worst Case: Charlotte Hornets
The no. 21 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings may have altered their coach and front-office situations, but their team hasn’t changed much at all — for better or worse
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Best Case, Worst Case: Cleveland Cavaliers
The no. 22 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings will try to prove that there’s life without LeBron James
This stream has:
2018-19 NBA Best Case, Worst Case
Finding the ceilings and floors for every team in the league leading up to tip-off
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Best Case, Worst Case: Dallas Mavericks
The no. 23 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings made a huge gambit to secure the most accomplished young player in European basketball history. Will it pay off?
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Best Case, Worst Case: Brooklyn Nets
The no. 24 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings finally has control of its own destiny … after another season on the outside looking in on the playoffs
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Best Case, Worst Case: Phoenix Suns
The no. 25 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings has finally established a respectable young core. But is their newly paid star ready for his new role as a primary facilitator?
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Best Case, Worst Case: New York Knicks
The no. 26 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings has seemingly dedicated itself to a rebuild. But how long will their patience last?
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Best Case, Worst Case: Chicago Bulls
The no. 27 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings has a lot of mouths to feed on offense but no real pecking order. And it has one inexperienced guard to figure it all out. Not a great recipe for success.
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Best Case, Worst Case: Orlando Magic
The no. 28 team in The Ringer’s preseason rankings has enough length to circle the globe, but is that enough to find a way out of the league’s morass?
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Best Case, Worst Case: Golden State Warriors
Can anything stop the best team in the world from winning another title?
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Best Case, Worst Case: Utah Jazz
Gordon Hayward may be gone, but the team philosophy lives on in Rudy Gobert and Co. Is there enough star power to make another playoff push?
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Best Case, Worst Case: Portland Trail Blazers
A full season with their core of Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, and Jusuf Nurkic will keep them viable in the playoff picture, but in a dramatically improved West, where does that take them?