With the start of the NBA season on October 19th and the previous triumph of the Golden State Warriors during the championship in June, fans all over the world are looking forward to what this upcoming season holds in store.
This year’s NBA preseason intrigued the public with many landmark events and surprises. Basketball fans typically find the preseason uneventful; however, this preseason was pleasantly unique. At the Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo, Japan, the location of the 2020 Summer Olympics Basketball games, the Warriors played the Wizards twice. This return to Japan helped the NBA gain a larger worldwide fan base and greater global appeal. In their first game since the infamously catastrophic loss to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 7 of a Western Conference Semifinals series, the Phoenix Suns lost to an Australian NBL team, the Adelaide 36ers. This defeat marks the first game lost domestically to a non-NBA team by an NBA team since Fenerbahce (in the Euro League) beat Brooklyn in October of 2015. These entertaining games, succeeding the typical dull preseason, helped many fans get back into the basketball spirit. Other news around the league includes Draymond Green punching Jordan Poole during the Warriors’ practice. Green is known for having a hot temper, which was evident in the interaction. No bad blood appears to have existed between the two following the incident.
We predict that this upcoming NBA season will be as eventful as the games that preceded it. Crucial moves in the NBA offseason, which involves trading players between teams, helped some outstanding teams in both the Western and Eastern Conferences become worthy contenders of winning the championship this year. The aforementioned trades, along with the success of numerous teams last year could make this season among the most exciting seasons in all of NBA history. Unlike last season, the balance of conferences is more even. Due to star players like Donovan Mitchell and Dejounte Murray being traded from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference, this year’s conference rankings seem to favor the historically weaker east. Additionally, veteran stars like Stephen Curry and LeBron James will compete with rising stars like Luka Doncic and Trae Young, setting the stage for a spectacular season.