NBA is Back!

 

In today's blog post, I will be writing about the return of NBA basketball. After a long eventful offseason full of twists and turns, the time has finally come to play some basketball. I will separate my post into two separate paragraphs. They will discuss NBA opening night and championship contenders.

NBA Opening Night:

The start of long-awaited NBA season began on Tuesday, October 18, 2022. The first two games of the season were nationally televised games on TNT. These two games were back-to-back doubleheaders, starting with the Boston Celtics (“Celtics”) versus the Philadelphia 76ers (“76ers”). This matchup between two Eastern Conference contenders was not as close as anticipated as the Celtics would pick up their first win of the season winning 126-117. The Celtics picked up right where they left off last season playing great team basketball with suffocating defense. This was led by Celtic stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Both who would individually score a whopping 35 points. As for the 76ers, James Harden scored 35 points with 8 assists and Joel Embiid scored 26 points with 15 rebounds. The second game of the back-to-back doubleheader was between the defending champion Golden State Warriors (“Warriors”) and the Los Angeles Lakers (“Lakers”). Similar to the first game above, this game was never really close. The defending champions were just too much for the Lakers to handle as they would come out victorious 123-109. The Warriors were led by star guard Steph Curry who would score 33 points with 6 rebounds and 7 assists. In addition, Andrew Wiggins would also have a strong night as he would score 20 points with 6 rebounds. For the Lakers, LeBron James scored 31 points with 14 rebounds and 8 assists. And teammate Anthony Davis would score 27 points and 6 rebounds. 

Championship Contenders:

With the unpredictability and difficulty of the NBA in having many great teams, selecting contenders is not easy. With that said, there are always a few who are different from the others. Due to length, I will give you my top four leaders. First, the Warriors. The Warriors until proven otherwise as being defending champions need to be number one. In addition, they have arguably the best player in the league in Steph Curry and arguably the deepest roster in terms of top to bottom talent. Second, the Milwaukee Bucks (“Bucks”). The Bucks, similar to the Warriors, have a case for having the best player in the league in Giannis Antetokounmpo (“Giannis”) as well as a strong supporting cast. With Giannis and other all-star teammates Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday, the sky's the limit. Next up the Los Angeles Clippers (“Clippers”). The Clippers will be one of the scariest teams this season as they will be playing with returning star Kawhi Leonard (“Kawhi”). In addition, Kawhi will be playing with star teammate Paul George making them the best offensive/defensive duo in the league. In addition, the off-season addition of veteran all-star guard John Wall will definitely help. Lastly, the Celtics. As briefly mentioned above, the Celtics play a beautiful brand of basketball with a heavy focus on defensive intensity. Furthermore, they are led by their two all-star players Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Overall, this season should be a lot of fun!