The NBA pre-season is over. The gladiators of the cage arena are done toying around with line-up rotations, trial offensives, defensive innovations and fancy new individual moves. It is time for the real deal. Come one, come all, as the NBA regular season unfolds before us.
The race for the NBA 2020 crown is wide open. Gone are the days when we had a dominant Warrior team that turned the regular season into a mere formality. Gone too are the days of small-ball, slowly eased out by a new form called positionless ball. The 3-point revolution continues, but the trifecta artists are no longer confined to the small guards alone. Cage behemoths, originally designated to molest puny intruders in the shaded area, have themselves morphed in speed, size, agility and court-smarts. There are new alliances brought about by the off-season’s ‘Great Migration of Stars’; coupled with the arrival of a rich batch of rookies. Players are now taller, bigger, faster, smarter, and armed with more skill-sets. It will be a brand new season, with much too many questions waiting to be answered.
Some of the questions and storylines that will determine the season are as follows:
Will Lebron James, with Anthony Davis and a new supporting crew in tow, be able to bring the Lakers to the promised land? Or will the Clippers, starring an elite defensive line of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Patrick Beverley, finally be able to wrest El-Ay from the Lakers’ grip? Which of these teams will go all the way to the Finals and beyond?
Will Steph Curry be able to lead the lesser-endowed Warriors to the top once again? Will a combo of Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson (once fully recovered), plus the addition of D’Angelo Russell be enough in the present star-studded Western Conference? How will the Rockets flow their offense with two ball-dominant MVPs in James Harden and Russell Westbrook?
Will Giannis Antetokounmpo still be able to up his game for the Bucks? Or will the Sixers, starring Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and newly-acquired Al Horford, wrest control of the East? Will the Celtics’ ‘less-for more’ approach with Kemba Walker taking the lead improve team chemistry? Which of these teams will take the Eastern flag?
How will the recent shut-out of Team USA affect the style of play in the NBA? Will teams such as the Mavericks or even losing Team USA coach Gregg Popovich and the Spurs take some pages from the Euroball playbook to the NBA?
Will the up-tempo type of game continue to rule the league? Will the 3-point trend continue to grow? How will team’s load-management program affect the league? What about teams tanking in favor of future considerations?
What about events off the court? Will the league make a stand on the controversial Daryl Morey tweet upsetting China?
These are just some of the burning questions aching to be answered. This October 22, the league opens its regular season with a doubleheader. The first game features the reigning champs Toronto Raptors versus the New Orleans Pelicans with their prized rookie, Zion Williamson. The second game will feature – hold your breath, folks – the first Battle for El-ay between the LA Lakers and the LA Clippers.
Let’s get on with it already!!!
