Following the big signing of DeMarcus Cousins this summer, which will give the Warriors a starting lineup comprised entirely of All-Stars once Cousins is fully healthy, we turned to "NBA 2K18" to get an idea of just how destructive that starting five could be this season. The video game showed Golden State is the best virtual team of all time — the Warriors easily beat out the 1995-96 Bulls in a large number of series simulations.
No other current roster comes close to the strength of the Warriors' starters, given that all five are rated 87 and above. There's only one other team in the league that has more than two starters rated higher than 87, and that's the Celtics with three (Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward and Jayson Tatum).
MORE: Ratings for top players and rookies in "NBA 2K19"
Now that we've nearly reached the start of the 2018-19 season, that outlook comes into even greater focus. Based off the most recent betting odds, the Warriors have a 66 percent chance of winning the title. After running over 50 full season simulations in "NBA 2K19," the video game engine agrees, giving Golden State a 68 percent chance of capturing yet another championship.
The Warriors simply dominated the Western Conference, finishing as the top seed in every single season simulation. On only three occasions did another team from the West reach the NBA Finals. The Rockets prevailed once and ultimately lost, and the Thunder fell in their single trip to the Finals.
LeBron James and the Lakers struggled to make the playoffs in the ultra-competitive West, doing so just 52 percent of the time. The simulation engine believes Los Angeles has a ceiling of 48 wins and a floor of 36 wins. The Lakers never landed higher than the No. 6 seed in the West, and they rarely advanced to the second round of the playoffs.
In the open Eastern Conference, "NBA 2K19" heavily favors the Raptors. They represented the conference in the Finals 71 percent of the time. Toronto took the top seed in every single season simulation.
MORE: Review of "NBA 2K19 and "NBA Live 19"
Sleeper teams in the West include the Nuggets, who earned the No. 4 or 5 seed on a consistent basis, and the Mavericks, who managed to sneak into the playoffs several times and even finished as high as the No. 3 seed. Behind the obvious contenders in the East, the Pacers, Bulls, Wizards, Hawks, Pistons and Magic generally fought for the remaining playoff spots.
Only six teams reached the NBA Finals throughout all of the simulations: the Warriors, Raptors, Rockets, Celtics, Thunder and — shockingly in one instance — the Pistons.
Expected Regular Season Wins
Warriors: 65
Raptors: 63
Rockets: 55
Thunder: 54
Celtics: 51
Bucks: 48
76ers: 45
Lakers: 42
Expected Champion
Warriors: 68 percent
Raptors: 24 percent
Rockets: 4 percent
Celtics: 4 percent
Expected Regular Season MVP
Stephen Curry, Warriors: 53 percent
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks: 34 percent
Kevin Durant, Warriors: 13 percent
Bryan Wiedey posts sports gaming news and analysis daily at Pastapadre.com, is co-founder of the sports gaming site HitThePass.com, hosts the "Press Row Podcast" and can be reached on Twitter @Pastapadre.