After the craziest off-season I can remember in my 45+ plus years of following the NBA, the shit starts next Tuesday. So much player movement, so much young talent, so many questions to be answered. To me, the teams with the biggest pressure are LA (Lakers) & Philly. Can Lebron & AD stay healthy to lead the Lakers to the finals? It took a lucky shot in a Game 7 to beat the Sixers. Barring injuries, they should get to the conference finals. I'm watching youtube vids of Ben Simmons hitting threes - that's nice, but like Isiah Thomas said, it's more important for Ben to become a great free throw shooter, especially by playoff time.

Will this be the year of Zion?

Can Harden & Westbrook mesh?

How has Giannis' game improved after he was exposed by Toronto?

What to expect from the Warriors in a loaded western conference?

Which LA team will rule?

How long will it take for Jason Kidd to pull a power play, stab Frank Vogel in the back and become the Lakers coach?

The duo I'm most intrigued by is Porzingis & Doncic in Dallas. They could be lethal with the pick-and-pop. It'll be another shitty season for the team I root for, but the rest of the league should be fun.

[Edited 10/15/19 12:55pm]

I can't wait for this season to begin. It's going to be great! After the amazing highs of last season I'm not sure it will measure up, but it will still be entertaining and unpredictible. I certainly hope there are teams that can and will beat the Clippers, Lakers and GS. I have confidence the Raptors will have a great season. Not saying they will win it all, but they will have a respectable season. I have no doubt about that. Kawhi who?? Just kidding, he was great and the Toronto/Canadian fans will never forget him.

Empress said:

I can't wait for this season to begin. It's going to be great! After the amazing highs of last season I'm not sure it will measure up, but it will still be entertaining and unpredictible. I certainly hope there are teams that can and will beat the Clippers, Lakers and GS. I have confidence the Raptors will have a great season. Not saying they will win it all, but they will have a respectable season. I have no doubt about that. Kawhi who?? Just kidding, he was great and the Toronto/Canadian fans will never forget him.

With Kawhi gone, Siakam has to step up his game and become the 'star'.

The 2019-2020 NBA season is just about to begin, and this season may be as wide open for nearly any team to win the NBA title since the 1999-2000 season after Michael Jordan retired for the second time from the Chicago Bulls and the team was subsequently broken up. While there are several teams to look forward to in trying to reach the NBA Finals next June, there are no prohibitive favorites to win it all. Last Year's NBA Finals participants are NOT expected to make it back, but no one is sure who will make it this season, though many people believe the road to the NBA Finals in the Western Conference will most likely go through Los Angeles. So how do the teams stack up this season? Read on...

Toronto Raptors - The Raptors may be the defending NBA champions, but with Kawhi Leonard moving on to the Los Angeles Clippers, many expect them to fall back significantly. Then again, many people thought the Raptors got lucky during the playoffs last season, particularly after the dramatic game 7 buzzer-beater against the Philadelphia 76ers that took several lucky bounces before giving Toronto a history-defining victory. But they still had to come back from an 0-2 deficit against league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks to get to the NBA Finals, and while they may have played the NBA Finals with a severely injury-plagued Golden State Warriors squad, they still had to contend with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Andre Iguodala, but they would go on to win the NBA title for the first time in franchise history. They obviously no longer have Kawhi Leonard, but they still have Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol, and Pascal Siakam who just signed a long-term extension plus Fred VanVleet who is expected to have a much bigger role this season. Could this be the season where OG Anunoby becomes a breakout star? At any rate, they may not be favored to return to the NBA Finals, but they are still likely to make the playoffs, and who knows what will happen if thet make a huge acquisition at the trade deadline.

Golden State Warriors - The Golden State Warriors may have gone through the most drastic changes during the offseason, losing Kevin Durant to a season-ending inury and free agency, though even if he had re-signed with the team he would not been available to them this season anyway. They also lost DeMarcus Cousins and Andre Igoudala and lost Klay Thompson for at least half of this season to a torn ACL injury suffered during game 6 of the NBA Finals. They also moved from their previous home in Oakland to a new arena in San Francisco. They did sign DeAngelo Russell for the time being, but are they good enough this season to contend for an NBA title?

Los Angeles Lakers - The Los Angeles Lakers got off to a surprisingly strong start to last season with the arrival of Lebron James only to be torpedoed by injuries and the ongoing drama of trying to acquire Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans, which they failed to do last season but finally did during the offseason. However, they may have traded away much of their depth to get him, so they may be rather thin down the strech. Nevertheless, they are still favored to compete for an NBA title if they can get past their metro area rivals...

Los Angeles Clippers - The Clippers surprised a lot of people by making the playoffs in what was supposed to be a rebuilding season, but they soon became a huge favorite with the acquisitions of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. While a lot of critics were quick to list them as potential title contenders, they overloked the fact that both Kawhi and Paul George play the same position. However, it appears George will likely shift over to the shooting guard position.

Milwaukee Bucks - The Bucks had a great regular season and looked poised to easily make it to the NBA Finals last season thanks the MVP play of Giannis Antetokounmpo before being shocked by the Toronto Raptors. Nevertheless, the Bucks kept most their roster intact from last season, though they did lose Malcolm Brogdon, but they signed Kyle Korver to replace him. They also managed to sign Robin Lopez to come off the bench whenever his brother Brook Lopez needs a rest.

Philadelphia 76ers - The Sixers were just a few lucky bounces away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, but they made some somewhat significant changes to the roster, getting bigger with the acqusition of Al Horford but losing J.J. Redick. They lose some outrside shooting in the process, though they still have Tobias Harris, but this puts a lot more pressure on Ben Simmons to become a huge scoring threat along with Joel Embiid.

Houston Rockets - The Rockets disappointed during the playoffs last season, which led to Chris Paul being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Russell Westbrook, thus reuniting him with James Harden. But once again the issue is whether Mike D'Antoni will have any defense to contend for an NBA title.

Portland Trail Blazers - The Blazers relied heavily on their backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum to make a surprise visit to the Western Conference Finals last season, but their best player may be Nikola Jokic, who was not available to them during the playoffs due to a season-ending injury last March. They are probably a dark horse to make it to the NBA Finals.

Boston Celtics - The Celtics went through a lot of drama last season with Kyrie Irving and suffered as a result. They essentially traded away Kyrie and Trent Rozier to pick up Kemba Walker to replace him. They still have Jayson Tatum plus Gordon Heyward will have a full season under his belt.

Denver Nuggets - The Nuggets surprised the NBA last season by finishing second in the Western Conference but could not get past the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Semifinals. The question now is whether they can sustain that momentum this season or whether other teams will catch onto them.

Utah Jazz - The Utah Jazz may be the other dark horse in the Western Conference thanks to their acquistion of veteran point guard Mike Conley Jr. to add to a roster featuring Donovan Mitchell, Dante Exum, and Rudy Gobert.

Indiana Pacers - The Indiana Pacers managed to make it to the NBA playoffs last season even after losing Victor Oladipo to injury midway thrugh the season. Myles Turner took over the leadership mantle in Oladipo's absence, and they acquired Malcolm Brogdon during the offseason, but will it be enough to advance in the Eastern Conference?

San Antonio Spurs - The Spurs currently have the longest current streak of playoff appearances of any NBA team, but with their aging lineup will they still be able to advance to the playoffs this season?

Brooklyn Nets - The Nets look to be huge favorites to advance to the NBA Finals....next season. Of course that depends on how Kevin Durant recovers from an achilies injury which will sideline him for this entire season. But they did acquire Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan and pending the results of this season may acquire some key players to make a championship run in 2021.

Dallas Mavericks - The Mavericks were clearly on a rebuilding track last season but had a a breakout star in Luka Doncic. They acquired Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. from the New York Knicks plus added Seth Curry from the Portland Trail Blazers. Is this the season they return to the playoffs?

New Orleans Pelicans - The New Orleans Pelicans lost their franchise superstar in Anthony Davis but won the lottery to draft Zion Willamson with the number one pick. However, the age of Zion appears to be off to a disturbingly shaky start as Zion reinjured his knee that he injured last season in college at Duke when the sole of his shoe fell off, and he is expected to miss the first few weeks of this season. The Pelicans may be playing this very safe and hoping this injury is more like Joel Embiid's injury early in his career and not like Greg Oden's injury that torpedoed a once-promising career in the NBA.

New York Knicks - Of course there's the Knicks, who have touted their world class location only to be rebuffed by every significant free agent. It appears they will have to take the long way back to prominence via the draft, relying on young players like Kevin Knox and R.J. Barrett while acuquiring Julius Randle and verterans Taj Gibson, Bobby Portis, and Marcus Morris.

[Edited 10/21/19 14:24pm]

I agree with what Reggie Miller said - Zion has to drop some weight, at least 15-20 pounds. At 285, those knees won't take the pounding of an 82-game season. The season hasn't started and already he's having issues.

UPDATE - WFAN's Mike Francesca just announced Zion is out indefinitely with a knee injury - could be 8 to 10 weeks. Damn!

[Edited 10/21/19 13:58pm]

Go Sixers! They will find out right off the bat what kind of team they have this season.

They open up with their nemesis the Boston Celtics.

Bad news on Zion

I'm bored 2 tears with the Lakers and Lebron hype already.

Empress said:

Raptors get their championship rings tonight. Can't wait to see this.

Siakam was Kawhi 2.0 last night.

Clippers are deep....Patrick Beverly & Montrez Harrell are fucking MEN!

uPtoWnNY said:

Empress said:

Raptors get their championship rings tonight. Can't wait to see this.

Siakam was Kawhi 2.0 last night.

Clippers are deep....Patrick Beverly & Montrez Harrell are fucking MEN!

Spicy P was awesome and so was Freddie VV. The rings are outrageous!! Go big or go home

Graycap23 said:

I'm bored 2 tears with the Lakers and Lebron hype already.

uPtoWnNY said:

Empress said:

Raptors get their championship rings tonight. Can't wait to see this.

Siakam was Kawhi 2.0 last night.

Clippers are deep....Patrick Beverly & Montrez Harrell are fucking MEN!

And PG 13 hasn't even got started yet. This is Doc Rivers best roster with the Clippers.

I expect them to win that division with the Warriors nipping at their heels.

Sixers beat their nemesis the Celtics at home. Rookie Matisse Thybulle played excellent

defense on Kemba Walker. Al Horford showed the Sixers why they were ecstatic to sign
him during the offseason. The Celtics are clearly Jason Tatum's team now. Dude is a beast.

phunkdaddy said:

uPtoWnNY said:

Siakam was Kawhi 2.0 last night.

Clippers are deep....Patrick Beverly & Montrez Harrell are fucking MEN!

And PG 13 hasn't even got started yet. This is Doc Rivers best roster with the Clippers.

I expect them to win that division with the Warriors nipping at their heels.

Sixers beat their nemesis the Celtics at home. Rookie Matisse Thybulle played excellent

defense on Kemba Walker. Al Horford showed the Sixers why they were ecstatic to sign
him during the offseason. The Celtics are clearly Jason Tatum's team now. Dude is a beast.

Anything less than a Finals appearance for Philly would be a huge disappointment. Horford is that veteran presence you need to make those deep playoff runs in May.

Bay Area Warrior fan here...I'm afraid to look; it won't be pretty.

uPtoWnNY said:

phunkdaddy said:

And PG 13 hasn't even got started yet. This is Doc Rivers best roster with the Clippers.

I expect them to win that division with the Warriors nipping at their heels.

Sixers beat their nemesis the Celtics at home. Rookie Matisse Thybulle played excellent

defense on Kemba Walker. Al Horford showed the Sixers why they were ecstatic to sign
him during the offseason. The Celtics are clearly Jason Tatum's team now. Dude is a beast.

Anything less than a Finals appearance for Philly would be a huge disappointment. Horford is that veteran presence you need to make those deep playoff runs in May.

Still would like for them to get a consistent shooter to come off the bench. The bench is very thin.

Today's NBA is all about great point guard play. The Knicks have three and they all suck. Not one of them were on the court at crunch time in last night's loss to the Nets.....pathetic. Knicks haven't had a great point guard since Walt Frazier. Mark Jackson was good, but not on Clyde's level.

Only two games in, but it's hard to say the Clippers are not the favourites at the moment. They are looking polished and haven't even had Paul George suit up for them yet!

I will be following The Pelicans (despite Zion's injury) to see how Lozno, Josh and Brandon progress away from the bright lights of LA, and The Hawks for Vince Carter's final season and the records he will break along the way. To last this long in the NBA is an incredible achievement, half man/half amazing indeed

uPtoWnNY said:

Will this be the year of Zion?

If he can get and stay healthy, maybe.

Can Harden & Westbrook mesh?

Will they run out of gas in April or May and/or survive a coaching change in-season (which I think may happen).

What to expect from the Warriors in a loaded western conference?

If Klay doesn't play this season I say their range is 4th-7th in the West.

Which LA team will rule?

The Clips are deeper and more skilled from top to bottom.

How long will it take for Jason Kidd to pull a power play, stab Frank Vogel in the back and become the Lakers coach?

Vogel is month-to-month. I say if it doesn't happen by the Break it won't happen at all. Christmas Day is (fairly or unfairly) the litmus test.

The duo I'm most intrigued by is Porzingis & Doncic in Dallas. They could be lethal with the pick-and-pop.

The youth movements in DEN, UT and DAL will be worth keeping eyes on.

[Edited 10/15/19 12:55pm]

Anyone see the Nets-Grizzlies game last night? Ja Morant was unreal.

Goddess4Real said:

I will be following The Pelicans (despite Zion's injury) to see how Lozno, Josh and Brandon progress away from the bright lights of LA, and The Hawks for Vince Carter's final season and the records he will break along the way. To last this long in the NBA is an incredible achievement, half man/half amazing indeed

And he dropped a few jumpers on the Sixers Monday night

I've always been a fan! Good for Vince, I wish him a successful season.

Steph goes down with a broken hand.

For 4 Finals runs, Golden State was remarkably healthy. Now they've lost their 3rd star in 6 months to serious injury.

namepeace said:

Steph goes down with a broken hand.

For 4 Finals runs, Golden State was remarkably healthy. Now they've lost their 3rd star in 6 months to serious injury.

I'm not happy that Steph is injured. I never like to see that, but let's face it, most of us are sick of them in the finals. We need some new teams in the final 16, 8, etc......

I wish Steph Curry a speedy recovery but that Golden State bandwagon is gonna

empty fast this year. Sixers looked good against the Timberwolves last night.

The Embiid- Anthony Towns fight was hilarious. Towns lucky Embiid was smart enough

to not throw punches. I think Towns would have been on the short end of that one.

Trae Young and Luka Doncic continue to impress and rookie PJ Washington of the Charlotte

Hornets

Empress said:

namepeace said:

Steph goes down with a broken hand.

For 4 Finals runs, Golden State was remarkably healthy. Now they've lost their 3rd star in 6 months to serious injury.

I'm not happy that Steph is injured. I never like to see that, but let's face it, most of us are sick of them in the finals. We need some new teams in the final 16, 8, etc......

Most teams have made the playoffs in Post Magic & Bird. Many have made the conference finals. But we basically have had the same teams every year in the Finals.

From 1980-2019, Finals wins (math could be off)--

Lakers 10 (16 finals)

Bulls 6 (6 finals)

Spurs 5 (7 finals)

Celtics 4 (6 Finals)

Pistons 3 (5 Finals)

Heat 3 (5 Finals)

Warriors 3 (5 Finals)

TOTAL 34 Titles, 55 Finals appearances (out of about 80 Finals slots total)

That doesn't count the Cavs, who went to 4 straight finals, and the Sixers, who went to 4 from 80-01.

A handful of NBA teams have dominated the "Modern Era" of the Association. Each of the last 4 decades has featured at least 1 dynastic run.

[Edited 10/31/19 11:38am]

namepeace said:

That doesn't count the Cavs, who went to 4 straight finals, and the Sixers, who went to 4 from 80-01.

Also Philly lost to Portland, but that was in 1977.

Anyone see the Towns-Embiid fight last night?

[Edited 10/31/19 14:14pm]

I just read that both players have been suspended. Not sure if it's one game or two though.

Empress said:

I just read that both players have been suspended. Not sure if it's one game or two though.

That "fight" was one of the weakest I've ever seen....not exactly Alonzo Mourning vs. Larry Johnson, or Darryl Dawkins vs Maurice Lucas.

uPtoWnNY said: