The competition that timidly opened the door to history back in 1946 will turn its 80th page this season. Now a spectacle of sorts, the strongest league in the world, with packed stadiums from the East to the West Coast, broadcast in over 200 countries around the world, and the fact that its value is now measured in billions of dollars.
October is always the month when the best basketball starts, the new NBA season starts on the night between Tuesday and Wednesday our time with two great matches - first at 1:30, the current champion Oklahoma will welcome Houston with Kevin Durant i Aleperen Shengun, while the classic between the LA Lakers and Golden State will be played from four o'clock after midnight.
Each of the thirty teams, which are divided into two conferences, will play 82 games in the regular season, and then in mid-April the real action begins - the play-in and play-offs.
Who can silence the thunder?
Oklahoma has finally received what it has been dreaming of since 2008, when the Seattle franchise moved from the rainy city to the windy city - the “Larry O'Brien” trophy finally adorns the “Pejkom Arena”.
The Thunder looked so good all season, so in the end they Shay Gilges Alexander and his comrades deservedly reached the championship rings, and as Michael Degnolt Having preserved the backbone of the team, it is clear that the "thunder" will continue to scare all rivals this season.
Most see the Denver Nuggets as the ones who could take their crown, a team that always has a phenomenal Nikola Jokić, which is stronger than ever this season Cam Johnson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Jonas Valančunas i Bruce Brown.
- Yes, they look really good - that was evident during the preseason. All the reinforcements have fitted in perfectly, but that's not surprising because they are well-known NBA players. I feel the sharpness in their game and they have great respect from us - said Degnolt.
Oklahoma eliminated Denver in the Western Conference semifinals last year in seven games, while in the East, Cleveland - the team that, along with the Thunder, showed the most during the league stage - was stopped in the same round.
It is the Cavaliers who will be led Donavan Mičel will be one of the main favorites, although Kenny Atkinson initially have a lot of trouble with injured players like Darius Garland i Liver Strusa.
The favorites are certainly last year's finalist Indiana, then the ever-improving New York Knicks, Houston, two teams from Los Angeles, the Clippers and Lakers, Minnesota, and we shouldn't write off the greats Boston and Golden State. The question marks next to these two teams are - the age of the players in the first team and injuries. Jayson Tatum at another.
Lebron and Cooper Flag
As long as he plays LeBron James His team will be among the favorites - the basketball legend will turn 41 in December, so even though he won't be starting due to injury, it's clear that the LA Lakers will be among the favorites. Luka Dončić and always be a particularly fun team with them.
"King LeBron" averaged 24,4 points, 7,8 rebounds and 8,2 assists last season, while his career averages are 27 points, 7,5 rebounds and 7,4 assists. He holds the NBA record for points (42.184) and minutes played (59.041), and has made 1.562 appearances in the world's strongest league, the second-highest in history.
And while James is writing the final pages of a great career, this season will mark the beginning of a new one - Cooper Nursing, the first pick in the draft and a guy who is expected to do just as much as LeBron did when he was starting his career.
Dallas was left without Dončić last season, but now they can build a team around one of the greatest talents in world basketball.
Vuč: I'm still enjoying it, I still feel young
A legend from Montenegro will also sign a big number this season - for our center Nikola Vucevic This will be his 15th year in the world's strongest league. Although he turns 35 on Friday, he is still one of the most important players for the Chicago Bulls.
- Actually, I still feel very young - Vučević told American journalists when asked about his age and added:
- I still love basketball, I still love playing it. If that feeling starts to fade then I'll think about other things.
From Philadelphia, through Orlando to Chicago, there were many great matches, many double-doubles, two All-Stars... Our basketball player continues to write his story in the NBA - his first match of the season awaits him the day before his birthday (Thursday, 2:00 AM) against Detroit.
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