NBA: Predicting the next 5 championship teams

NBA Golden State Warriors Kevin Durant (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
NBA Golden State Warriors Kevin Durant (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
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CLEVELAND, OH – JUNE 08: Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates with the Larry O’Brien Trophy and MVP Trophy after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers during Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Warriors defeated the Cavaliers 108-85 to win the 2018 NBA Finals. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – JUNE 08: Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates with the Larry O’Brien Trophy and MVP Trophy after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers during Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Warriors defeated the Cavaliers 108-85 to win the 2018 NBA Finals. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

With the Golden State Warriors not showing any signs of slowing down, we try to predict the next five championship teams in the NBA

Even though LeBron James made a big splash this past summer – by signing with the Los Angeles Lakers – the Golden State Warriors are still expected to be lifting the Larry O’Brien Trophy next June.

Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean their reign will eventually end. With that in mind, we predicted the next five NBA Champions.

2019 NBA Champions: Golden State Warriors

Finals MVP: Kevin Durant

Nobody expected a different team to be here. The loss of JaVale McGee and Zaza Pachulia will hurt the frontcourt depth. McGee, though sparingly used for most of his stint, was their best rim protector for the last two seasons.

There were legitimate concerns over the center position in the Bay Area. The Warriors then went ahead and signed arguably the best center, DeMarcus Cousins,  in the league for next to nothing. Yes, possibly the greatest team in NBA history added the most dominant offensive center currently in the association.

He may not come back until after the all-star break, and the Warriors may not end up with the top seed while they struggle with lack of size during the regular season. None of that will matter though.

DeMarcus Cousins will be back by playoff time, and whether or not he is 100 percent it is hard to envision a scenario in which a team that employs five all-stars in the starting line up, including two former MVP’s, a former DPOY, and the man who broke the record for most points in a quarter, plus a former finals MVP coming off the bench, is going to lose a 7-game series to anyone.