2025 NBA Season

[Japinat]

That will only happen if Westbrook will get traded, they might benefit from the drama of the Chicago Bulls, and maybe Westbrook will be traded for Lavine or DeRozan, who knows, right? Davis, on the other hand, has only one problem, which is his inconsistency to stay healthy which is definitely not his fault, however, the faith of the Lakers every season heavily relied upon him.

It's really hard to trade Westbrook because of how he is currently playing and obviously he is not really effective for his team. If they can only put some effort into decreasing his worth a little, maybe the other teams will gonna gamble to acquire him and will gonna give them a decent offer that is hard to decline. The problem with the Lakers is, they think of Westbrook as an important asset that they can trade for the same price to the other team which really not going to work at all.

I'm starting to think that Westbrook might not get traded this season, not because the Lakers don't want him to but because of his current salary. The teams wouldn't want to waste some resources for a superstar that isn't playing like a superstar anymore and I forgot that the Westbrook's contract is until this season only, so I'm thinking that teams will just find him in the free agency where his salary is not high as well.

[Vaculin]

The Celtics and the Warriors are the favorites to win the championship this season.

The Celtics hold the top spot in the standings, and their current performance looks much better compared to the last regular season. So the Celtics can really be called the favorites of the championship, and it looks like they have a good chance to reach the finals again.
At the same time, I wouldn't call the Warriors the favorites this season. The Warriors are 11th in the Western Conference right now, and I guess they'll drop even lower in the standings as they've performed pretty mediocrely without Curry.

I do agree with this. The Celtics gets more impressive as time goes by and the experience they got last season gave the team a huge boost for which they needed to become what they are this season and honestly, I'm not surprised to see them standing at the top of both East and West conference while the defending champion are struggling to get on their feet without Chef Curry. Although, that's something expected especially now that they lack defensive players because they freed them before the season commenced.

[danherbias07]

Some amazing dunks today. Not the most exciting Christmas matchups but Aaron Gordon and Ja Morant didn’t disappoint with the highlight real dunks. Ja missed his big one but Gordon managed to get above the rim quite a few times on the Suns. Reverse alley oops, dunking over people… He was a beast today. LeBron and Embiid didn’t have such bad days either.

Yeah, Aaron Gordon seems to change since he made chemistry with Nikola Jokic. He is now the backdoor cutter of him just like Gary Harris when he was still a Nuggets. They are pretty solid now with him protecting the rim and making offensive rebounds for a second-shot opportunity.
Plus, the assists of the Joker also keep on going up because of it. Triple-doubles per game will be easier for him now if Gordon keeps this up.

As for Lebron, he started hot on attacking the paint and no Mavs player can stop him. But aging really hurts, he was exhausted with that back-and-forth speed runs. Despite all that, he still made 38 points in his 17th Christmas game. Amazing.

[püsür]

The Celtics and the Warriors are the favorites to win the championship this season.

The Celtics hold the top spot in the standings, and their current performance looks much better compared to the last regular season. So the Celtics can really be called the favorites of the championship, and it looks like they have a good chance to reach the finals again.
At the same time, I wouldn't call the Warriors the favorites this season. The Warriors are 11th in the Western Conference right now, and I guess they'll drop even lower in the standings as they've performed pretty mediocrely without Curry.

I do agree with this. The Celtics gets more impressive as time goes by and the experience they got last season gave the team a huge boost for which they needed to become what they are this season and honestly, I'm not surprised to see them standing at the top of both East and West conference while the defending champion are struggling to get on their feet without Chef Curry. Although, that's something expected especially now that they lack defensive players because they freed them before the season commenced.

Yes, Celtics keep getting better and better but we can't say the same for Warriors. Ok, Warriors lack some very very important parts, and at the same time, Celtics are having some prime career moments from some of their players. Boston Celtics star Tatum, who had a great game on nba christmas night. He made 41-7-7 but the way he "dominates" the game as he scored 41 was very impressive. That's why the so-called "prime period" of players exists; the ability to dominate and shape the game rather than athleticism or shooting ability. He was always very productive in the moments of leading the match and breaking the match. He was very calm in the positions he used in the last moments. He makes the right decisions for the most part. He has really reached a high level of efficiency in inefficient Kobe shots (remember the sophomore year was disastrous in this respect) and it is also very good to keep it in the pocket as a red button in case of emergency. Tatum was the player that impressed me the most in nba christmas 2022. (together with jokic) this year is already very good. He doesn't just score a lot, he plays right.

[Slow death]

Cleveland Cavaliers - Brooklyn Nets

Cleveland Cavaliers come to this game with 22 wins and 12 losses and in the last 10 games they managed to win in 7 games and only lost in just 3 games, but they lost against the Toronto Raptors in their last game, that made them wax the sequence of 5 consecutive victories that they had, while their opponent the Brooklyn Nets comes to this game with 21 victories and 12 defeats, being that in the last 10 games they had 9 victories and only one defeat, but the most surprising thing about them is that they has 8 consecutive wins, for me the Brooklyn Nets will win this game

Detroit Pistons - Los Angeles Clippers

Detroit Pistons comes into this game with 8 wins and 27 losses, and in the last 10 games they lost in 8 games and only won in 2 games, they are going through a bad moment where things only get worse, they have 5 consecutive defeats, while so your opponent the Los Angeles Clippers comes to this game with 19 wins and 15 losses and in the last 5 games they managed to win in 3 games and lost in 2 games, but the problem is that in their last game they lost, in my opinion this is a game where the Pistons who will be playing at home can win the game

Miami Heat - Minnesota Timberwolves

Miami Heat comes to this game with 16 wins and 17 losses, and in their last 10 games they won 5 games and lost in 5 games, they are a very inconsistent team, meanwhile their opponent the Minnesota Timberwolves comes to this game with 16 wins and 17 losses, and a performance similar to the Miami Heat, with the Minnesota Timberwolves also having 5 wins and 5 losses in the last 10 games, to be honest this is a very unpredictable game but the Minnesota Timberwolves can win this game

[autoprt]

Ja Morant though, now becoming so brandish, but as you can see, they haven't proven anything yet and now he says in an interview that he is "fine" in the West, LMAO. They shouldn't talk trash when they can't back it up specially against the depending champion.

He is good because of his athleticism but he does not have the championship DNA like Curry and Thompson. He is still young though, there's plenty of time for him to prove that he should belong to the greatest players in the NBA once he retires, and until that time will happen, maybe he should not take too much, instead, do it in action and help improve his team, not himself alone.

Too early to say that he doesn't have the will to be a champion. Curry took at least 6 years before he earned his fame and the Warriors are lucky to have Klay, Draymond and Steph on the same team.
I know Ja receives a lot of hate because of his cockiness, but let's be honest here, the kid has talent and has the potential to lead a team to a championship, he just needs the time to mature his game. During this early phase of his career, he needs to establish a good brand to his name, and now that he earned it, I believe he'll level up his game to become a champion.

in a seven game series Grizzlies will give GSW all they can handle. The role and bench players for GSW play lights out at home.  On the road they struggle.  Based on records and if Grizzlies keep their current pace they will have home court advantage in playoffs.  I truly hope to see these 2 play again late in the season but a lot of other good teams in the West.  Until Denver proves itself in post season I wouldn't bet on them and the same goes for Pelicans.  Until Zion can prove he can make it through a full season without a season ending injury not sold on them either.  Pelicans have a lot of talent though but a lot of this is based around how well Zion holds up similar to Lakers situation.

[Getmon]

Some amazing dunks today. Not the most exciting Christmas matchups but Aaron Gordon and Ja Morant didn’t disappoint with the highlight real dunks. Ja missed his big one but Gordon managed to get above the rim quite a few times on the Suns. Reverse alley oops, dunking over people… He was a beast today. LeBron and Embiid didn’t have such bad days either.

Yeah, Aaron Gordon seems to change since he made chemistry with Nikola Jokic. He is now the backdoor cutter of him just like Gary Harris when he was still a Nuggets. They are pretty solid now with him protecting the rim and making offensive rebounds for a second-shot opportunity.
Plus, the assists of the Joker also keep on going up because of it. Triple-doubles per game will be easier for him now if Gordon keeps this up.

As for Lebron, he started hot on attacking the paint and no Mavs player can stop him. But aging really hurts, he was exhausted with that back-and-forth speed runs. Despite all that, he still made 38 points in his 17th Christmas game. Amazing.

This season, Aaron Gordon is without a doubt improving. He appeared to be a failure earlier in Denver. He shoots the ball only when necessary, which further improved his efficiency. The defense of Denver is not well-known, but with Gordon, they are getting close to achieving a balance between offense and defense.

Lebron regardless of turning slower can perform well and stack points using his brilliant smart moves alongside his size and he can shoot as well. However, he absolutely requires assistance, and Davis ought to remain healthy if the Lakers are to win more games.

[Reid]

This season, Aaron Gordon is without a doubt improving. He appeared to be a failure earlier in Denver. He shoots the ball only when necessary, which further improved his efficiency. The defense of Denver is not well-known, but with Gordon, they are getting close to achieving a balance between offense and defense.

If I am not mistaken he is on the list of the most improved player of the year.
Denver Nuggets suddenly became a championship caliber again mostly because their starters are back and healthy.
Murray was feeling it and he is dunking which means the mental problem after healing is gone. That means a lot for players who went through that phase.
Now, I am waiting for Porter Jr. to return from being their sharpshooter, he is not there yet but once that happens they will be one scary team.

[Kasabus]

The Celtics and the Warriors are the favorites to win the championship this season.

The Celtics hold the top spot in the standings, and their current performance looks much better compared to the last regular season. So the Celtics can really be called the favorites of the championship, and it looks like they have a good chance to reach the finals again.
At the same time, I wouldn't call the Warriors the favorites this season. The Warriors are 11th in the Western Conference right now, and I guess they'll drop even lower in the standings as they've performed pretty mediocrely without Curry.

Curry will come back soon and they will play better, compared to the last season, they are complete now and does have a good big man which can help their weakness in the paint. Last season, the lakers used their great offensive skills to win, so I guess it still boils down to experienced and the coach of the team which the Warriors have the edge.

That's for sure, but Curry has to be healthy in the playoffs, otherwise, they will not really make it to the NBA Finals. Their struggle in the regular season is nothing as long as they will be in the playoffs as that's where they can most comfortable, so good luck to the other teams and they should try to play better not only in the regular season but in the playoffs as well.

Good contenders in the West now IMO are the following teams.

1-Nuggets
2-Dallas
3-LA Clippers

I guess we will find out about that soon in the upcoming playoffs, for now, the Warriors will have to stand their ground while Stephen Curry is still recovering from the injury he sustained. I'm already expecting that the Warriors will start dominating the league again once Curry is back on the line up, he will be much stronger because he rested for a while.

Anyway, I agree with your list. For me, that list is already good enough, so I will just add the Grizzlies and Pelicans.

[OgNasty]

This season, Aaron Gordon is without a doubt improving. He appeared to be a failure earlier in Denver. He shoots the ball only when necessary, which further improved his efficiency. The defense of Denver is not well-known, but with Gordon, they are getting close to achieving a balance between offense and defense.

If I am not mistaken he is on the list of the most improved player of the year.
Denver Nuggets suddenly became a championship caliber again mostly because their starters are back and healthy.
Murray was feeling it and he is dunking which means the mental problem after healing is gone. That means a lot for players who went through that phase.
Now, I am waiting for Porter Jr. to return from being their sharpshooter, he is not there yet but once that happens they will be one scary team.

I really like that team too.  Gordon was an unbelievable pickup for them and MPJ shows flashes of brilliance.  I think he'll become more consistent over time.  The only thing I think that could hurt Denver's chances at a title in the future is injuries or Jokic getting old and slowing down to the point where he can't compete at the same level he does now.  They have one of the best cores in the league though.  I feel like they're just 1 or 2 pieces away from what they need to go all the way.  They just need to hurry because their window of opportunity has arrived and won't be open more than another year or two I suspect.

[püsür]

This season, Aaron Gordon is without a doubt improving. He appeared to be a failure earlier in Denver. He shoots the ball only when necessary, which further improved his efficiency. The defense of Denver is not well-known, but with Gordon, they are getting close to achieving a balance between offense and defense.

If I am not mistaken he is on the list of the most improved player of the year.
Denver Nuggets suddenly became a championship caliber again mostly because their starters are back and healthy.
Murray was feeling it and he is dunking which means the mental problem after healing is gone. That means a lot for players who went through that phase.
Now, I am waiting for Porter Jr. to return from being their sharpshooter, he is not there yet but once that happens they will be one scary team.

I really like that team too.  Gordon was an unbelievable pickup for them and MPJ shows flashes of brilliance.  I think he'll become more consistent over time.  The only thing I think that could hurt Denver's chances at a title in the future is injuries or Jokic getting old and slowing down to the point where he can't compete at the same level he does now.  They have one of the best cores in the league though.  I feel like they're just 1 or 2 pieces away from what they need to go all the way.  They just need to hurry because their window of opportunity has arrived and won't be open more than another year or two I suspect.

I agree extremely. Jokic is amazing and all but I feel like he has not the body of a superstar that will play for long years and can't perform as well when he is over 30 years old. His numbers, both the recent triple doubles and the general amazing statistics, are incredible but I agree that there is a time period for this. Last year, they did best they could without Jamal Murray and was not enough in playoffs. But this year they have more chance if they stay healthy. I also think they need couple of role players who can contribute in the tough time, who they can trust but don't need big numbers or a lot of minutes. Other than that, Aaron Gordon is also doing great these days and the question is, how much they can accomplish in the playoffs. They should really do extra to capture great moments with possible prime Jokic.

[arwin100]

The Celtics and the Warriors are the favorites to win the championship this season.

The Celtics hold the top spot in the standings, and their current performance looks much better compared to the last regular season. So the Celtics can really be called the favorites of the championship, and it looks like they have a good chance to reach the finals again.
At the same time, I wouldn't call the Warriors the favorites this season. The Warriors are 11th in the Western Conference right now, and I guess they'll drop even lower in the standings as they've performed pretty mediocrely without Curry.

Curry will come back soon and they will play better, compared to the last season, they are complete now and does have a good big man which can help their weakness in the paint. Last season, the lakers used their great offensive skills to win, so I guess it still boils down to experienced and the coach of the team which the Warriors have the edge.

That's for sure, but Curry has to be healthy in the playoffs, otherwise, they will not really make it to the NBA Finals. Their struggle in the regular season is nothing as long as they will be in the playoffs as that's where they can most comfortable, so good luck to the other teams and they should try to play better not only in the regular season but in the playoffs as well.

Good contenders in the West now IMO are the following teams.

1-Nuggets
2-Dallas
3-LA Clippers

I guess we will find out about that soon in the upcoming playoffs, for now, the Warriors will have to stand their ground while Stephen Curry is still recovering from the injury he sustained. I'm already expecting that the Warriors will start dominating the league again once Curry is back on the line up, he will be much stronger because he rested for a while.

Anyway, I agree with your list. For me, that list is already good enough, so I will just add the Grizzlies and Pelicans.

Hard to say they will dominate since to many team are full with talents and they can even even defeat the top seed so maybe we can say that they have more better chances to win their games if Curry is around and playing. This season might be a big challenge for them and most likely the way to defend their title is very tough since they might get affected by injuries again.

But also don't forget Suns they always quite do good games and have potential to win a title this season.

[jakelyson]

... Ja Morant, will be the same as well.

He looks great for not, but he will lose his hopes in 7-8 years and will become a boring player to watch eventually. Shooters keep staying good, rebounders too, passers too, but if all you do is jump super high and be athletic then you are going to lose that in no time and will become a player that is slow and useless.

Ja is still young. He jumps high and is athletic, but I do not think that is all he can do. He led NCAA in assists in 2019 so we know he can pass. Hopefully he learns from Westbrook and develops some skills other than being athletic. IF he improves his FT, 3-points and Field goal percentage that will go a lot with his athleticism. And maybe, he can avoid jumping too high too much to avoid getting injured.

Right now, Houston is in rebuilding mode, they are building young superstars like Jallen Green and Porter Jr. so Harden will be stealing the spotlight from them.

Those young stars will learn so much from James Harden as well, so it will be alright to steal their spotlight for a while. Harden has a lot of experience, if he can teach those young guns, maybe they will be successful in Houston. But if he goes back to Houston, Harden may delay his championship aspiration. He is already 33, I do not think he can wait for those two to major and get into their prime. Let's see this summer if he will pursue going back to Houston.

[Yaunfitda]

This season, Aaron Gordon is without a doubt improving. He appeared to be a failure earlier in Denver. He shoots the ball only when necessary, which further improved his efficiency. The defense of Denver is not well-known, but with Gordon, they are getting close to achieving a balance between offense and defense.

If I am not mistaken he is on the list of the most improved player of the year.
Denver Nuggets suddenly became a championship caliber again mostly because their starters are back and healthy.
Murray was feeling it and he is dunking which means the mental problem after healing is gone. That means a lot for players who went through that phase.
Now, I am waiting for Porter Jr. to return from being their sharpshooter, he is not there yet but once that happens they will be one scary team.

I think Gordon was mold into a defensive stopper by Denver, like what Iggy has been when he join the Warriors years ago. And that is why we didn't see flashes of him dunking or scoring like he was with the Magic.

And he didn't need to be a scorer, they have Jokic, Murray and Porter Jr.

But last game, that dunk though, reminds me of Kobe over Nash.

[OgNasty]

This season, Aaron Gordon is without a doubt improving. He appeared to be a failure earlier in Denver. He shoots the ball only when necessary, which further improved his efficiency. The defense of Denver is not well-known, but with Gordon, they are getting close to achieving a balance between offense and defense.

If I am not mistaken he is on the list of the most improved player of the year.
Denver Nuggets suddenly became a championship caliber again mostly because their starters are back and healthy.
Murray was feeling it and he is dunking which means the mental problem after healing is gone. That means a lot for players who went through that phase.
Now, I am waiting for Porter Jr. to return from being their sharpshooter, he is not there yet but once that happens they will be one scary team.

I think Gordon was mold into a defensive stopper by Denver, like what Iggy has been when he join the Warriors years ago. And that is why we didn't see flashes of him dunking or scoring like he was with the Magic.

And he didn't need to be a scorer, they have Jokic, Murray and Porter Jr.

But last game, that dunk though, reminds me of Kobe over Nash.

I think referees need to stop calling charges on monster dunks like that. The defender should meet him in their air to try and block, or get out of the way and let us see the highlight. I think the NBA will do something about this before too long. That play was dangerous for Gordon and everyone would love to see more of it. Defenders sliding under him is the last thing anyone wants.

[Baofeng]

This season, Aaron Gordon is without a doubt improving. He appeared to be a failure earlier in Denver. He shoots the ball only when necessary, which further improved his efficiency. The defense of Denver is not well-known, but with Gordon, they are getting close to achieving a balance between offense and defense.

If I am not mistaken he is on the list of the most improved player of the year.
Denver Nuggets suddenly became a championship caliber again mostly because their starters are back and healthy.
Murray was feeling it and he is dunking which means the mental problem after healing is gone. That means a lot for players who went through that phase.
Now, I am waiting for Porter Jr. to return from being their sharpshooter, he is not there yet but once that happens they will be one scary team.

I think Gordon was mold into a defensive stopper by Denver, like what Iggy has been when he join the Warriors years ago. And that is why we didn't see flashes of him dunking or scoring like he was with the Magic.

And he didn't need to be a scorer, they have Jokic, Murray and Porter Jr.

But last game, that dunk though, reminds me of Kobe over Nash.

I think referees need to stop calling charges on monster dunks like that. The defender should meet him in their air to try and block, or get out of the way and let us see the highlight. I think the NBA will do something about this before too long. That play was dangerous for Gordon and everyone would love to see more of it. Defenders sliding under him is the last thing anyone wants.

Similar to the dunk of Wiggins as well against Luka but they call it a offensive foul, lol, it take away the celebration. But yeah, good thing is that Gordon was able to control his fall as the defensive player that stand their and then slide under him losing his balance.

And that's why most of the OG of basketball or those who played in the 90's are calling this era soft because of dunks like that being called offensive. Imagine Jordan dunking on New York and then calling it a offensive foul, hehehe.

[wheelz1200]

This season, Aaron Gordon is without a doubt improving. He appeared to be a failure earlier in Denver. He shoots the ball only when necessary, which further improved his efficiency. The defense of Denver is not well-known, but with Gordon, they are getting close to achieving a balance between offense and defense.

If I am not mistaken he is on the list of the most improved player of the year.
Denver Nuggets suddenly became a championship caliber again mostly because their starters are back and healthy.
Murray was feeling it and he is dunking which means the mental problem after healing is gone. That means a lot for players who went through that phase.
Now, I am waiting for Porter Jr. to return from being their sharpshooter, he is not there yet but once that happens they will be one scary team.

I think Gordon was mold into a defensive stopper by Denver, like what Iggy has been when he join the Warriors years ago. And that is why we didn't see flashes of him dunking or scoring like he was with the Magic.

And he didn't need to be a scorer, they have Jokic, Murray and Porter Jr.

But last game, that dunk though, reminds me of Kobe over Nash.

I think referees need to stop calling charges on monster dunks like that. The defender should meet him in their air to try and block, or get out of the way and let us see the highlight. I think the NBA will do something about this before too long. That play was dangerous for Gordon and everyone would love to see more of it. Defenders sliding under him is the last thing anyone wants.

How do you differentiate between someone who is dunking versus someone who is yet to go up for a dunk and run into a player.  Too easy to confuse the two.  Rule will stick or the entire charging rule will need to be changed.  They aren't going to change them just for people who go up for dunks.

[gagux123]

Some amazing dunks today. Not the most exciting Christmas matchups but Aaron Gordon and Ja Morant didn’t disappoint with the highlight real dunks. Ja missed his big one but Gordon managed to get above the rim quite a few times on the Suns. Reverse alley oops, dunking over people… He was a beast today. LeBron and Embiid didn’t have such bad days either.

Yeah, Aaron Gordon seems to change since he made chemistry with Nikola Jokic. He is now the backdoor cutter of him just like Gary Harris when he was still a Nuggets. They are pretty solid now with him protecting the rim and making offensive rebounds for a second-shot opportunity.
Plus, the assists of the Joker also keep on going up because of it. Triple-doubles per game will be easier for him now if Gordon keeps this up.

As for Lebron, he started hot on attacking the paint and no Mavs player can stop him. But aging really hurts, he was exhausted with that back-and-forth speed runs. Despite all that, he still made 38 points in his 17th Christmas game. Amazing.

This season, Aaron Gordon is without a doubt improving. He appeared to be a failure earlier in Denver. He shoots the ball only when necessary, which further improved his efficiency. The defense of Denver is not well-known, but with Gordon, they are getting close to achieving a balance between offense and defense.

Lebron regardless of turning slower can perform well and stack points using his brilliant smart moves alongside his size and he can shoot as well. However, he absolutely requires assistance, and Davis ought to remain healthy if the Lakers are to win more games.

Well, I think I was the only one who realized that lol
It is clear the change that Gordon had during this time he is in Denver, this is called chemistry, I even believe in saying that he had a chemistry with Jokic in the team, and little by little they are improving (mainly Aaron Gordon), let's see how much they can improve. But this change he had in the Nuggets is clear and expressive.

Regard to LeBron James, he continues to play, most of the games he manages to have a good score, in others not so much, unfortunately he cannot carry the team on his shoulders as he did before, and it is clear that he needs help, especially AD to get the Lakers to the playoffs and perform well in this stage of the competition!

[harizen]

I think referees need to stop calling charges on monster dunks like that. The defender should meet him in their air to try and block, or get out of the way and let us see the highlight. I think the NBA will do something about this before too long. That play was dangerous for Gordon and everyone would love to see more of it. Defenders sliding under him is the last thing anyone wants.

What's the essence now of having a restricted area if no call will be made for a "monster dunk" attempt?

That play by Gordon is really dangerous but these players don't care about that as they are really feeling it when there's an attempt of doing it.

Anyways, since that dunk counted, it doesn't spoil the fun and can be a candidate for Dunk of the Year.

[jakelyson]

Regard to LeBron James, he continues to play, most of the games he manages to have a good score, in others not so much, unfortunately he cannot carry the team on his shoulders as he did before, and it is clear that he needs help, especially AD to get the Lakers to the playoffs and perform well in this stage of the competition!

Lebron is not the main man anymore. Though he can still contribute to the offense, he is not that much anymore in defense. He is not as intense as he was when he was in Miami or in Cleveland. AD is the main man of the Lakers right now but his availability to play prohibits him to carry the team. IF Lebron is not bringing too much income to the Lakers organization, I think he will be out already. Let's see how far the current roster will take them and how long the Lakers will stick to AD and Lebron if they do not bring success to the Lakers.