Beyond the fact we are seeing new teams in the NBA Finals year after year, this has the feel of a year of change in the West.
Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving hugs guard Luka Doncic during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at American Airlines Center on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, in Dallas.You see the NBA Finals betting odds scroll across the bottom of your screen, the Boston Celtics leading the way as favorites to win a 19th title followed right behind by yourlooking to latch onto their second. It’s fun to see, it’s a nice reward for Luka and the fellas ...
If you look at NBA history, sure, there are many examples of repeats and three-peats, led, naturally by the Celtics of Bill Russell hanging eight banners in a row and 11 in 13 seasons. That’s ancient history, a league of eight or nine teams in which the Celtics’ only real challenge was making sure Wilt Chamberlain’s team didn’t knock them off. And, with one exception, Wilt’s teams never did.
More recently we had Golden State and Cleveland facing off in four straight NBA Finals. Hard to believe we watched that many 82-game seasons only to see Steph and LeBron go at it one June after another after another after another. Even that run feels like something of a different era. The Warriors are no longer dominant, finally and officially broken up with, and LeBron’s teams don’t necessarily go deep into the playoffs because Daddy is 40 and playing with his son now in LA.
The Celtics lost no one that mattered in their playoff series, a couple of players picked up Olympic gold medals during the summer, and the Finals MVP who wasn’t invited to Paris may be more determined than ever to prove his value. I can make a case for the Knicks closing the gap on Boston withTo make that happen, I basically have to close my eyes as to how Towns played against Dallas when the Mavs rolled past the T-Wolves in five games last spring.
Oklahoma City had the best regular season record a year ago, remains incredibly young and has added veteran depth in areas it lacked against Dallas in last year’s second round. For me, the Thunder, the Pelicans and, oh yeah, another challenge from Denver andrepresent the Mavs’ biggest hurdles. But a backcourt that was nearly impossible to stop adding Thompson to the mix has the makings for an offensive bonanza and a hell of a show for 82 games.
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