2018-2019 NBA Previews – Central Division Odds
Looking for 2018 NBA Central Division Predictions? We’ve got your back. The Central Division is going to be very competitive at the top with both the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks fighting for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Beyond that, the Detroit Pistons are a wild card and the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers will likely be on the outside looking in.
2018 Central Division Season Preview
Division Favorite: Milwaukee Bucks +120
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Although the Bulls and Cavs have higher hopes than their odds indicate, there’s little reason to believe this division comes down to anything more than Milwaukee vs. Indiana.
2018 Milwaukee Bucks NBA Central Division Prediction
Head Coach: Mike Budenholzer
2017-18 Record: 44-38
Odds To Win Division: +120
Odds To Win Conference: +2000
Odds To Win NBA Championship: +10000
Success begins and ends with Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee. That statement is slightly hyperbolic considering the franchise is now under new head coaching leadership and management has built a nice roster around its star, but the MVP candidate is the engine that makes this thing go. If he can develop a jump shot this season, the team will take another step in the right direction and the Eastern Conference will have a new team ready to compete for a top-three seed.
2018 Indiana Pacers NBA Central Division Prediction
Head Coach: Nate McMillan
2017-18 Record: 48-34
Odds To Win Division: +135
Odds To Win Conference: +2500
Odds To Win NBA Championship: +12500
Nate McMillan did a masterful job getting his Indiana Pacers to exceed expectations a year ago. After management traded away Paul George for what most assumed were scraps in the form of Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, the head coach maximized the talent on his roster and found a way to push the Cleveland Cavaliers to the brink in seven games during the first round of the postseason.
Entering 2018-19, McMillan and his squad look to build upon that momentum. And if they can get another step out of Myles Turner, this team has a real shot at winning the division.
2018 Detroit Pistons NBA Central Division Prediction
Head Coach: Dwane Casey
2017-18 Record: 39-43
Odds To Win Division: +500
Odds To Win Conference: +7000
Odds To Win NBA Championship: +30000
The Detroit Pistons are going to be a dark horse pick to exceed expectations this year and make a push for postseason positioning.
For starters, Dwane Casey is officially on board. There’s no denying he couldn’t get past LeBron James during his time with the Toronto Raptors, but it’s also worth mentioning that he had one of the best regular-season teams year after year with that franchise.
There’s also the fact that Blake Griffin will have half a season behind him and one full campaign ahead to gel with Andre Drummond. There’s no denying he became the Pistons’ best overall player upon his arrival, but there was no way he alone was going to push this team toward contention during such a whirlwind season.
The catch here is that as much as Detroit might surpass expectations, picking them to win the division feels like a stretch. We need to see what they can do for a full year before we commit to them as a Central division favorite.
2018 Chicago Bulls NBA Central Division Prediction
Head Coach: Fred Hoiberg
2017-18 Record: 27-55
Odds To Win Division: +2500
Odds To Win Conference: +8000
Odds To Win NBA Championship: +30000
The Chicago Bulls have an exciting young core. But they also shelled out a ton of cash this summer to two players with histories of ACL tears in Jabari Parker and Zach LaVine.
Look at how those two players are performing from both an efficiency and a leadership perspective. Youngsters like Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter Jr. and Kris Dunn are going to have their ups and downs, and that’s to be expected. But if this team is to find any semblance of success, it’s going to need consistent production from its two top-paid players.
2018 Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Central Division Prediction
Head Coach: Ty Lue
2017-18 Record: 50-32
Odds To Win Division: +3500
Odds To Win Conference: +8000
Odds To Win NBA Championship: + 45000
The Cavs refused to rebuild after LeBron James left for Los Angeles, and while certain fans and media members alike roasted their them not blowing it up, the truth is that the core group here has solid pieces to build around.
Kevin Love is the new No. 1. Collin Sexton was the eighth pick in June’s draft and the de facto “real” piece returned in the Kyrie Irving trade to the Boston Celtics a year ago. Larry Nance Jr. is someone to keep an eye on as well.
The problem here is that even if they can come together quickly and avoid falling into the basement of the Central Division, there’s really no use thinking about them as a division title contender. Just making the playoffs is going to be beyond difficult for this group.
2018 NBA Central Division Prediction
We like any team that Giannis plays for as far as a division contender goes in the Central Division. Yes, the Blake Griffin-led Pistons can surprise some people, as can the Bulls and Cavs. And there’s no denying that the Pacers are going to be the favorites in the eyes of many.
But the Bucks, under new head coach Mike Budenholzer, are ready to contend for a division title. Making a top-three seed is going to be tough with the Celtics, Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers ready to go to war, but Milwaukee is right behind them and in great position to earn home-court advantage for at least the first round of the 2019 postseason.
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