Then, I wake up one morning and flip on SportsCenter to hear that the NBA is cramping my style. Owners and players have reached a new collective bargaining agreement to play a 66-game season beginning on Christmas Day. At least one thing we can all expect from this deal is one hectic season propelled by a shortened free agency period and a condensed training camp and preseason.
All this being said, there are a few storylines that are worth mentioning. For NBA fans across the country, sports media outlets have been seriously hyping this upcoming season. This is partly because of the free agency period that is going to rush by faster than Usain Bolt on speed. This is also due to the rumors that have been circulating involving big name players such as Rajon Rondo, Chris Paul, and Dwight Howard.
For starters, the NBA is doing its scheduling right. With huge matchups on Christmas Day, I know I will be tuning in to the majority of the season-opening games. These start with a possibly renewed rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks, followed by a rematch of last season’s NBA Finals between D-Wade’s Miami Heat and Dirk’s Dallas Mavericks. A third premier matchup features MVP Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls against the LA Lakers and their new coach, Mike Brown. The Orlando Magic and Dwight Howard will face up against the Oklahoma City Thunder and last year’s leading scorer, Kevin Durant. Finally, young star Blake Griffin will lead the LA Clippers up against a young Golden State Warriors team. A fierce and festive Christmas is in the making.
The Eastern Conference has the ability to consolidate its power within four teams at the top of the standings. However, a power shift is eminent if trade rumors pan out. The report that Celtics Director of Basketball Operations, Danny Ainge, was interested in trading Rajon Rondo have been quelled and for good reason. The Celtics and the original Big Three will not be able to keep up with the Bulls and Heat without the direction of Rondo. However one chooses to look at it, the Celtics are now Rondo’s team and he must be at the top of his game to lead the Celtics to any success in the playoffs.
Involved in the Rondo trade rumors as New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul, who expressed no interest in joining the aging Celtics team, but rather cited a desire for a trade to the New York Knicks to join Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire at Madison Square Garden. This would take some pressure off of Anthony to push the Knicks to the top of the conference, a place they haven’t been since the Patrick Ewing years. If they can improve upon their defense, which allowed 105.7 points per game last season (twenty-eighth in the league), the Knicks could make a solid run in the playoffs.
The Heat and the Bulls will remain in the top few teams in the conference even after Miami’s heartbreaking loss in last year’s NBA Finals and a dismal performance by the Bulls where we saw Derrick Rose simply run out of gas. Also, a team to keep an eye on is the Cleveland Cavaliers. While they will not make more than a splash in a powerful Eastern Conference, top pick Kyrie Irving and fourth-overall pick Tristan Thompson will attempt to establish themselves on a young team.
In the Western Conference it will take a stellar season from a handful of teams to dethrone the Dallas Mavericks. With the way Dirk Nowitzki took control of this team during their playoff run, it is difficult to imagine them falling from the top. However, division-mates San Antonio Spurs are still looking to collect another ring for the trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginóbili.
The Lakers are always a viable choice for a conference title but new coach Mike Brown is going to have to prove his ability to Kobe Bryant and a team that has functioned effectively under the rule of Phil Jackson. If Brown can keep the tempers of Ron Art- (…sorry, Metta World Peace) and Andrew Bynum under control, we’ll see the Lakers deep into the playoffs.
The true threat to the Mavericks, however, is the storm that is the Oklahoma City Thunder. Kevin Durant will be vying for his third straight scoring crown and if point guard Russell Westbrook can realize that this is Durant’s team, I would not be surprised to see the Thunder in the Finals. Guard James Harden will continue to improve and Kendrick Perkins will provide the muscle down low to face up against Nowitzki, Duncan and Gasol.
The team to keep an eye on in the Western Conference is the LA Clippers. If they can continue to build around the crazy talent of Blake Griffin, we could see them playoff-bound in a year or two.
So we’re going to have an NBA season after all. No more six-foot-plus men in expensive suits, no more Lebron vs. Durant flag football games and thankfully, no more NBA lockout updates on SportsCenter. Still, the best thing to come out of the start of the NBA season is the security that hundreds of workers will receive to know that they will be able to work this winter. There won’t be layoffs or payless weeks for stadium workers and restaurant workers in the surrounding area. The NBA season will benefit the owners, the players, the fans and so many others.•
