2024 NBA Season

[OgNasty]

^^ You forgot about Dallas, they have Luka and Kyrie and then they have added Klay in the wing. And we have seen that they have reached the Finals from last year. Although they might start low key again, just like what they did last season. But come playoff time we have seen the leadership of Luka to lead this team.

But I would love to see ANT, I think the hype is still with this kid. Very athletic and we have seen highlight reel dunk by him and so I would expect that he will continue and maybe improved and he could be running for the MVP awards if he continue what he had left from last season.

Dallas will be one of the strongest candidates for next season, I am sure of that. They already had a very good squad, they will play even better this year. They will do whatever it takes to be a champion, there are very determined basketball players on this team right now. They were not strong last season, but this season the player rotation can be better, I am sure they will do wonders again in the playoffs if they do not get injured during the regular season

I just don’t agree. I think Dallas got extremely lucky riding Luka in the playoffs and honestly they had no business beating the Timberwolves. With a washed Klay being added to an already slow led Luka team, they’re going to have a lot of matchup issues. I actually think getting Klay instead of going after a young athletic big man is going to be the demise of the team. I see what they’re trying to do with spreading the floor, but I think their defense is going to be horrible next year. We’ll see.

I'm not really sure what you meant that they become lucky. They have been consistently in the playoffs for the last couple of years with Luka at the helm. It's just they always fell short because they need someone to compliment Luka in scoring and you can see the frustrations on Luka's face when they lost close games. Fortunately, last year they had Kyrie Irving and so he did provide some numbers for Dallas together with Luka and reach the finals.

However, they've just lost to a better team, the Boston Celtics. And as much as Luka try to give them the championship same with Kryie, Boston was too much. Now, they've made another adjustment by getting Klay Thompson to help them open up as Klay is a good perimeter shooter.

They already have 2 big men, Lively and Daniel Gafford + Maxi Kleber. So that's pretty much solid Center for them.

I meant that I thought the Minnesota Timberwolves were far and away a more talented team, but Luka has a magic level he can play at that is difficult for opponents to match.  I think if they replay that series right now, Minnesota smokes them.  I also think that people are overestimating Klay Thompson.  He hasn't been the same player since his ACL injury and is only getting older.  People are forgetting his last game as a Warrior...  As for the Dallas centers...  I wouldn't describe them as solid.  I'd love to be wrong though.  I like Luka and Klay.  Wish them all the success they can get, but I think Dallas peaked last season.

[Baofeng]

^^ You forgot about Dallas, they have Luka and Kyrie and then they have added Klay in the wing. And we have seen that they have reached the Finals from last year. Although they might start low key again, just like what they did last season. But come playoff time we have seen the leadership of Luka to lead this team.

But I would love to see ANT, I think the hype is still with this kid. Very athletic and we have seen highlight reel dunk by him and so I would expect that he will continue and maybe improved and he could be running for the MVP awards if he continue what he had left from last season.

Dallas will be one of the strongest candidates for next season, I am sure of that. They already had a very good squad, they will play even better this year. They will do whatever it takes to be a champion, there are very determined basketball players on this team right now. They were not strong last season, but this season the player rotation can be better, I am sure they will do wonders again in the playoffs if they do not get injured during the regular season

I just don’t agree. I think Dallas got extremely lucky riding Luka in the playoffs and honestly they had no business beating the Timberwolves. With a washed Klay being added to an already slow led Luka team, they’re going to have a lot of matchup issues. I actually think getting Klay instead of going after a young athletic big man is going to be the demise of the team. I see what they’re trying to do with spreading the floor, but I think their defense is going to be horrible next year. We’ll see.

I'm not really sure what you meant that they become lucky. They have been consistently in the playoffs for the last couple of years with Luka at the helm. It's just they always fell short because they need someone to compliment Luka in scoring and you can see the frustrations on Luka's face when they lost close games. Fortunately, last year they had Kyrie Irving and so he did provide some numbers for Dallas together with Luka and reach the finals.

However, they've just lost to a better team, the Boston Celtics. And as much as Luka try to give them the championship same with Kryie, Boston was too much. Now, they've made another adjustment by getting Klay Thompson to help them open up as Klay is a good perimeter shooter.

They already have 2 big men, Lively and Daniel Gafford + Maxi Kleber. So that's pretty much solid Center for them.

I meant that I thought the Minnesota Timberwolves were far and away a more talented team, but Luka has a magic level he can play at that is difficult for opponents to match.  I think if they replay that series right now, Minnesota smokes them.  I also think that people are overestimating Klay Thompson.  He hasn't been the same player since his ACL injury and is only getting older.  People are forgetting his last game as a Warrior...  As for the Dallas centers...  I wouldn't describe them as solid.  I'd love to be wrong though.  I like Luka and Klay.  Wish them all the success they can get, but I think Dallas peaked last season.

0 point in his last game, 0 out of 10, no one will forget that stats. And with that, we can only judge how Klay might play with the Dallas with that kind of performance from the Warriors in his last season, but still a decent 17.9 average.

But if he can do that numbers or even go up like average 20++ points (he had 7 seasons with the Warriors wherein he average like that), he could be a big help offensively to Luka and Kyrie. So it remains to be seen if Klay has still that clutch in him and produce insane shooting with Dallas next season.

[Webetcoins]

Dallas will be one of the strongest candidates for next season, I am sure of that. They already had a very good squad, they will play even better this year. They will do whatever it takes to be a champion, there are very determined basketball players on this team right now. They were not strong last season, but this season the player rotation can be better, I am sure they will do wonders again in the playoffs if they do not get injured during the regular season

I just don’t agree. I think Dallas got extremely lucky riding Luka in the playoffs and honestly they had no business beating the Timberwolves. With a washed Klay being added to an already slow led Luka team, they’re going to have a lot of matchup issues. I actually think getting Klay instead of going after a young athletic big man is going to be the demise of the team. I see what they’re trying to do with spreading the floor, but I think their defense is going to be horrible next year. We’ll see.

While it could be all Luka train that got them there, they still have him so there is no reason why they can't do that again. And I also know that everyone thinks Klay is not a great shooter anymore, but one bad playoff run doesn't make him a bad shooter suddenly, he is the second best shooter ever if you ask me and he is overlooked because he played with the best ever shooter in the history of basketball.

This means that if Klay could shoot even semi decently, like enough that people can't leave him open and if they do he punishes them, then it will be a huge help for them. And while I know people say Klay doesn't defend that well anymore, if he doesn't tire himself out on offense by running around screens, he will have more energy for defense as well.

All things considered they got better and I believe that they are going to end up with another deep run this season. It may not happen, they may lose, Luka Doncic isn't some magical formula where they end up winning every season, but he looks like he found his groove last season and if he can do that well again one more time then they have a chance without a doubt. I just think that we are going to see a bit more troubled result if he starts to play not as good.

[dwyane36]

However, they've just lost to a better team, the Boston Celtics. And as much as Luka try to give them the championship same with Kryie, Boston was too much. Now, they've made another adjustment by getting Klay Thompson to help them open up as Klay is a good perimeter shooter.

Klay's championship experience could be very useful to the Mavs, especially if they have a deep run in the playoffs again.
I'm wondering what positions the Mavs coach will use Irving, Klay, and Luka at. The PG position would be best for Irving, Klay would be good at the SG position, but what about Luka? In principle, he is more versatile and can play as a PG, SG, or SF.

[danherbias07]

However, they've just lost to a better team, the Boston Celtics. And as much as Luka try to give them the championship same with Kryie, Boston was too much. Now, they've made another adjustment by getting Klay Thompson to help them open up as Klay is a good perimeter shooter.

Klay's championship experience could be very useful to the Mavs, especially if they have a deep run in the playoffs again.
I'm wondering what positions the Mavs coach will use Irving, Klay, and Luka at. The PG position would be best for Irving, Klay would be good at the SG position, but what about Luka? In principle, he is more versatile and can play as a PG, SG, or SF.

Luka will play that PG. He had been doing so and he sometimes let Irving do his thing but most of the time it's an isolation play to let him score. Luka on the other hand has some plays where he does kick out passes like a point guard which is the reason why he gets triple double.

About Klay Thompson, it's obvious that they will make him a catch-and-shoot guy. They don't have that. Luka don't do that. Kyrie only does it sometimes but Klay is a specialist on that kind of technique. I think Coach Kidd will probably use these three players to space the floor and it will probably work.
Then their next option if those shooters are defended is their big man inside the paint which could do alley-oops. Lively or Gafford. Their number 4 will be PJ Washington.

[Fredomago]

Warriors lost Klay already and so they are no longer in the discussions although they can still put a good fight for this season. But the West is totally different know, Wolves, Nuggets or even the Lakers could be the team in the West.

Remember that Klay is already not performing well last season on Warriors yet they manage to enter in the Play-in tournament which they can do better if someone better as replacement to Klay that time. Klay is more on a burden last season to Warriors since they can acquire much better promising players in his place.

Curry is the real deal in Warriors ever since and I think they can still keep up to become top contender with proper acquisition of solid center and bench players.

For the East, we still have the defending champion Boston, I know it's going to be very hard to become a repeat champion. But it seems that the core is still intact and so I would say that they are still going to be the favorite.

I think they can now with addition of Jrue with their roster. They have all around players that can lead the momentum so I think they still have high chance to repeat championship assuming that there will be no major injuries on star players.

It's true that Klay didn't perform very well last season, but we can't really discount the fact that he is a great shooter. So I believed that Klay can still pull the trigger, he just needs some motivation and moving to a new team, with Luka and Kyrie, we don't know. Maybe we can see him in Mavericks showing signs like a prime Klay who can also play defense too.

Yeah, Jrue is also part of the core that's why it's really hard to beat Boston as they are the defending champion although PG is already in the East with Joel. That's just one part of the equation in which everyone doesn't have control of, getting injured specially in the playoff like what happen to Giannis.

We will see if how the Bucks will bounce this season I think they are not that good when Dame been traded while Giannis suffer to an injury and they let Jrue go after that big help he did when they make it to the finals and win a title, there are expectations with those known contenders in the East but yes, Boston still a good team to beat and maybe they can still win another title with the same core that they've got.

Let see if what changes from the team like Sixers who just got PG on their squad, it will be good to them if they both played healthy during the entire seasons.

[Finestream]

We will see if how the Bucks will bounce this season I think they are not that good when Dame been traded while Giannis suffer to an injury and they let Jrue go after that big help he did when they make it to the finals and win a title, there are expectations with those known contenders in the East but yes, Boston still a good team to beat and maybe they can still win another title with the same core that they've got.

They learned their lesson the hard way. The guy they traded won a championship with the Celtics, and now the team is struggling with defense. I don't know how exciting their next season will be, but since I don't see any significant changes to the team, I wouldn't expect them to be a championship contender.

Let see if what changes from the team like Sixers who just got PG on their squad, it will be good to them if they both played healthy during the entire seasons.

This one is just hype, PG maybe a great player but chemistry plays a vital role and that we have to find out once season starts.

[ultrloa]

We will see if how the Bucks will bounce this season I think they are not that good when Dame been traded while Giannis suffer to an injury and they let Jrue go after that big help he did when they make it to the finals and win a title, there are expectations with those known contenders in the East but yes, Boston still a good team to beat and maybe they can still win another title with the same core that they've got.

They learned their lesson the hard way. The guy they traded won a championship with the Celtics, and now the team is struggling with defense. I don't know how exciting their next season will be, but since I don't see any significant changes to the team, I wouldn't expect them to be a championship contender.

Nothing will be change since there's no impressive changes happen to them. They just waste holiday which is totally more helpful for their team. Now we see how they struggle and automatically became a  trash team after they made that move.

Although they are still strong since they have Giannis and Lillard but it seems they are struggling to figure out their system and also in defensive end.

But let see if there's changes and we could able to see Bucks became an exciting team to watch in upcoming season.

[Maslate]

We will see if how the Bucks will bounce this season I think they are not that good when Dame been traded while Giannis suffer to an injury and they let Jrue go after that big help he did when they make it to the finals and win a title, there are expectations with those known contenders in the East but yes, Boston still a good team to beat and maybe they can still win another title with the same core that they've got.

They learned their lesson the hard way. The guy they traded won a championship with the Celtics, and now the team is struggling with defense. I don't know how exciting their next season will be, but since I don't see any significant changes to the team, I wouldn't expect them to be a championship contender.

Nothing will be change since there's no impressive changes happen to them. They just waste holiday which is totally more helpful for their team. Now we see how they struggle and automatically became a  trash team after they made that move.

Although they are still strong since they have Giannis and Lillard but it seems they are struggling to figure out their system and also in defensive end.

But let see if there's changes and we could able to see Bucks became an exciting team to watch in upcoming season.

There's a big reason why Portland gave up Lillard, and that's because he's not in his prime anymore. The Bucks gambled on him, and now they're paying the price, especially with Giannis's injury being a huge factor. I think they really messed up everything, starting from acquiring Lillard and then changing to a new coach despite maintaining a good standing.

I understand that they wanted more, but instead of seeing an improvement, it resulted in a big struggle for the whole team. So next season will be another test to see if the roster and the new coach will really work. I hope there are no more excuses, as one season should be enough for a new and veteran coach to handle and improve a team.

[Jating]

We will see if how the Bucks will bounce this season I think they are not that good when Dame been traded while Giannis suffer to an injury and they let Jrue go after that big help he did when they make it to the finals and win a title, there are expectations with those known contenders in the East but yes, Boston still a good team to beat and maybe they can still win another title with the same core that they've got.

They learned their lesson the hard way. The guy they traded won a championship with the Celtics, and now the team is struggling with defense. I don't know how exciting their next season will be, but since I don't see any significant changes to the team, I wouldn't expect them to be a championship contender.

Nothing will be change since there's no impressive changes happen to them. They just waste holiday which is totally more helpful for their team. Now we see how they struggle and automatically became a  trash team after they made that move.

Although they are still strong since they have Giannis and Lillard but it seems they are struggling to figure out their system and also in defensive end.

But let see if there's changes and we could able to see Bucks became an exciting team to watch in upcoming season.

They gamble on getting Dame Lillard, but is a gamble that didn't pay off. And for sure, Holiday is having the best time of his NBA career winning a championship and then gold medal in the Olympics.

And I do agree, there's not much of a difference in the lineup and so the best thing for them is to hope that either Dame or Giannis will healthy throughout the season and see if Dame has adjusted with the Bucks game play. As for PG joining the Sixers, yeah a lot of hype on it, we've seen Joel paired with the Beard and it almost work for them two seasons ago. Now it's PG time, so let's see if this is a good combo or another bust.

[Natalim]

They gamble on getting Dame Lillard, but is a gamble that didn't pay off. And for sure, Holiday is having the best time of his NBA career winning a championship and then gold medal in the Olympics.

That was a big achievement for him, considering he wasn't really a star player but was still chosen to be part of Team USA. Holiday is best known for his defense, and we all know that players who excel in defense are often less attractive to fans than those who shine on offense. Now, he's still fully healthy, has gained more confidence after winning gold, and the Celtics have become even more dangerous.

As for Tatum, he might have been disappointed that he wasn't used much in the Olympics, so perhaps to avenge that, he'll play harder to win another championship with the Celtics. Plus, Brown was disappointed as well for not being included in the list.

And I do agree, there's not much of a difference in the lineup and so the best thing for them is to hope that either Dame or Giannis will healthy throughout the season and see if Dame has adjusted with the Bucks game play. As for PG joining the Sixers, yeah a lot of hype on it, we've seen Joel paired with the Beard and it almost work for them two seasons ago. Now it's PG time, so let's see if this is a good combo or another bust.

The Bucks have not improved as a team because they rely too much on Giannis and Lillard. Sometimes, we don't even see Middleton, who is also a star player, because he is only the third option, and sometimes not even that.

[OgNasty]

I was just talking about how Michael Porter Jr’s injury fresh out of college set him back and had he not had that injury he would’ve been one of the best in the league. Today, Trae Young gave an interview talking about just that and said he would have been as good as Paul George without the injury. Watch a clip of the interview here: https://x.com/thedunkcentral/status/1824456803641438655

[Wapfika]

I was just talking about how Michael Porter Jr’s injury fresh out of college set him back and had he not had that injury he would’ve been one of the best in the league. Today, Trae Young gave an interview talking about just that and said he would have been as good as Paul George without the injury. Watch a clip of the interview here: https://x.com/thedunkcentral/status/1824456803641438655

There’s always a talk like this but remember that even the players that are using as reference for what if skills use to suffer some injuries too yet they can still perform better. Injury is part of the players career so this is one thing be always look forward to avoid in every game if they want to become great player.

Some players use their injury as an excuse with their bad game telling the same exact words on the post that you share while others keep moving forward without giving much shit about injury and work hard.

Even PG13 bad injuries but still can perform good.

[OgNasty]

I was just talking about how Michael Porter Jr’s injury fresh out of college set him back and had he not had that injury he would’ve been one of the best in the league. Today, Trae Young gave an interview talking about just that and said he would have been as good as Paul George without the injury. Watch a clip of the interview here: https://x.com/thedunkcentral/status/1824456803641438655

There’s always a talk like this but remember that even the players that are using as reference for what if skills use to suffer some injuries too yet they can still perform better. Injury is part of the players career so this is one thing be always look forward to avoid in every game if they want to become great player.

Some players use their injury as an excuse with their bad game telling the same exact words on the post that you share while others keep moving forward without giving much shit about injury and work hard.

Even PG13 bad injuries but still can perform good.

Ya, it has a lot to do with the type of injury. PG13 did suffer that horrific leg break in the Olympics a few years back but 1) he never was as good as he was pre-injury, & 2) his injury while looking absolutely horrific, was just a broken bone and those tend to heal well and not hinder a player beyond getting them out of shape and out of practice. MPJ’s injury could have been career ending.

[wheelz1200]

We will see if how the Bucks will bounce this season I think they are not that good when Dame been traded while Giannis suffer to an injury and they let Jrue go after that big help he did when they make it to the finals and win a title, there are expectations with those known contenders in the East but yes, Boston still a good team to beat and maybe they can still win another title with the same core that they've got.

They learned their lesson the hard way. The guy they traded won a championship with the Celtics, and now the team is struggling with defense. I don't know how exciting their next season will be, but since I don't see any significant changes to the team, I wouldn't expect them to be a championship contender.

Nothing will be change since there's no impressive changes happen to them. They just waste holiday which is totally more helpful for their team. Now we see how they struggle and automatically became a  trash team after they made that move.

Although they are still strong since they have Giannis and Lillard but it seems they are struggling to figure out their system and also in defensive end.

But let see if there's changes and we could able to see Bucks became an exciting team to watch in upcoming season.

They gamble on getting Dame Lillard, but is a gamble that didn't pay off. And for sure, Holiday is having the best time of his NBA career winning a championship and then gold medal in the Olympics.

And I do agree, there's not much of a difference in the lineup and so the best thing for them is to hope that either Dame or Giannis will healthy throughout the season and see if Dame has adjusted with the Bucks game play. As for PG joining the Sixers, yeah a lot of hype on it, we've seen Joel paired with the Beard and it almost work for them two seasons ago. Now it's PG time, so let's see if this is a good combo or another bust.

I think the PG addition won't move the needle.  He is 34 and the last 4 years has been in and out of the lineup with perennial injuries.  Those things don't magically get better as you get into your late 30s in the NBA.  Same with embid.  That body has some miles on it amd think he has one or 2 more years before we start to see his game deteriorate.  The real x factor is maxey.  I bet by the end of next year he is gonna be the one that defenses have to worry about.  Philly will love amd die based on how much maxey steps up

[bitgolden]

While it could be all Luka train that got them there, they still have him so there is no reason why they can't do that again. And I also know that everyone thinks Klay is not a great shooter anymore, but one bad playoff run doesn't make him a bad shooter suddenly, he is the second best shooter ever if you ask me and he is overlooked because he played with the best ever shooter in the history of basketball.

This means that if Klay could shoot even semi decently, like enough that people can't leave him open and if they do he punishes them, then it will be a huge help for them. And while I know people say Klay doesn't defend that well anymore, if he doesn't tire himself out on offense by running around screens, he will have more energy for defense as well.

All things considered they got better and I believe that they are going to end up with another deep run this season. It may not happen, they may lose, Luka Doncic isn't some magical formula where they end up winning every season, but he looks like he found his groove last season and if he can do that well again one more time then they have a chance without a doubt. I just think that we are going to see a bit more troubled result if he starts to play not as good.

This is true, even if Klay doesn't shoot that well, it's a psychological thing where other teams just can't leave him wide open, so it's another player they need to defend, and Luka could find more free room to play, that's all that matters.

Luka is just a very very talented player, he really does super well and I believe that he is going to be MVP soon enough, not saying it will be this season (which it could be) but he is going for that triple double season and may achieve that soon and could take his team to high seeds, in which case he might be given the MVP as well.

This is going to be a tough season for them because expectations are super high, just because they got to finals doesn't mean they will do it again and again, however that is the expectation. If you reach the finals once, people expect you to build the team better and go there again which is hard to achieve, took Celtics so many years but Dallas looks like they are on the right path at least.

[wheelz1200]

While it could be all Luka train that got them there, they still have him so there is no reason why they can't do that again. And I also know that everyone thinks Klay is not a great shooter anymore, but one bad playoff run doesn't make him a bad shooter suddenly, he is the second best shooter ever if you ask me and he is overlooked because he played with the best ever shooter in the history of basketball.

This means that if Klay could shoot even semi decently, like enough that people can't leave him open and if they do he punishes them, then it will be a huge help for them. And while I know people say Klay doesn't defend that well anymore, if he doesn't tire himself out on offense by running around screens, he will have more energy for defense as well.

All things considered they got better and I believe that they are going to end up with another deep run this season. It may not happen, they may lose, Luka Doncic isn't some magical formula where they end up winning every season, but he looks like he found his groove last season and if he can do that well again one more time then they have a chance without a doubt. I just think that we are going to see a bit more troubled result if he starts to play not as good.

This is true, even if Klay doesn't shoot that well, it's a psychological thing where other teams just can't leave him wide open, so it's another player they need to defend, and Luka could find more free room to play, that's all that matters.

Luka is just a very very talented player, he really does super well and I believe that he is going to be MVP soon enough, not saying it will be this season (which it could be) but he is going for that triple double season and may achieve that soon and could take his team to high seeds, in which case he might be given the MVP as well.

This is going to be a tough season for them because expectations are super high, just because they got to finals doesn't mean they will do it again and again, however that is the expectation. If you reach the finals once, people expect you to build the team better and go there again which is hard to achieve, took Celtics so many years but Dallas looks like they are on the right path at least.

I think that's exactly why they got klay.  Luka and especially kyrie like to operate in the 2 point area and this will open it up a little.  Now klay needs to make them pay but if he is there as a spot up shooter I don't think he will have any issue succeeding in that role.  The problem will be on the defensive side.  But no team is solid all the way round.  It's about covering as much holes as you can.

[Yaunfitda]

^^ You forgot about Dallas, they have Luka and Kyrie and then they have added Klay in the wing. And we have seen that they have reached the Finals from last year. Although they might start low key again, just like what they did last season. But come playoff time we have seen the leadership of Luka to lead this team.

But I would love to see ANT, I think the hype is still with this kid. Very athletic and we have seen highlight reel dunk by him and so I would expect that he will continue and maybe improved and he could be running for the MVP awards if he continue what he had left from last season.

Dallas will be one of the strongest candidates for next season, I am sure of that. They already had a very good squad, they will play even better this year. They will do whatever it takes to be a champion, there are very determined basketball players on this team right now. They were not strong last season, but this season the player rotation can be better, I am sure they will do wonders again in the playoffs if they do not get injured during the regular season

I just don’t agree. I think Dallas got extremely lucky riding Luka in the playoffs and honestly they had no business beating the Timberwolves. With a washed Klay being added to an already slow led Luka team, they’re going to have a lot of matchup issues. I actually think getting Klay instead of going after a young athletic big man is going to be the demise of the team. I see what they’re trying to do with spreading the floor, but I think their defense is going to be horrible next year. We’ll see.

I'm not really sure what you meant that they become lucky. They have been consistently in the playoffs for the last couple of years with Luka at the helm. It's just they always fell short because they need someone to compliment Luka in scoring and you can see the frustrations on Luka's face when they lost close games. Fortunately, last year they had Kyrie Irving and so he did provide some numbers for Dallas together with Luka and reach the finals.

However, they've just lost to a better team, the Boston Celtics. And as much as Luka try to give them the championship same with Kryie, Boston was too much. Now, they've made another adjustment by getting Klay Thompson to help them open up as Klay is a good perimeter shooter.

They already have 2 big men, Lively and Daniel Gafford + Maxi Kleber. So that's pretty much solid Center for them.

I meant that I thought the Minnesota Timberwolves were far and away a more talented team, but Luka has a magic level he can play at that is difficult for opponents to match.  I think if they replay that series right now, Minnesota smokes them.  I also think that people are overestimating Klay Thompson.  He hasn't been the same player since his ACL injury and is only getting older.  People are forgetting his last game as a Warrior...  As for the Dallas centers...  I wouldn't describe them as solid.  I'd love to be wrong though.  I like Luka and Klay.  Wish them all the success they can get, but I think Dallas peaked last season.

Fair enough, I guess we can say that Minnesota doesn't have that experience last season, after a long time, this is the closest that they get and with Edwards athleticism still not enough to overcome Dallas. Luka has been in this situation before, and so very familiar on how to play and close out games. But with the the Wolves exposure to this kind of situation, they could really improved this year. For the Center of Dallas, they are underrated, but the good thing is that Lively is still very young and a lot of leg room to improved as well. And getting Gafford and Washington in the trade deadline really help the chances of Dallas last season to go to the finals. As for Klay, let's see, he might have this chip on his shoulder and with that he could be motivated this season.

[wheelz1200]

^^ You forgot about Dallas, they have Luka and Kyrie and then they have added Klay in the wing. And we have seen that they have reached the Finals from last year. Although they might start low key again, just like what they did last season. But come playoff time we have seen the leadership of Luka to lead this team.

But I would love to see ANT, I think the hype is still with this kid. Very athletic and we have seen highlight reel dunk by him and so I would expect that he will continue and maybe improved and he could be running for the MVP awards if he continue what he had left from last season.

Dallas will be one of the strongest candidates for next season, I am sure of that. They already had a very good squad, they will play even better this year. They will do whatever it takes to be a champion, there are very determined basketball players on this team right now. They were not strong last season, but this season the player rotation can be better, I am sure they will do wonders again in the playoffs if they do not get injured during the regular season

I just don’t agree. I think Dallas got extremely lucky riding Luka in the playoffs and honestly they had no business beating the Timberwolves. With a washed Klay being added to an already slow led Luka team, they’re going to have a lot of matchup issues. I actually think getting Klay instead of going after a young athletic big man is going to be the demise of the team. I see what they’re trying to do with spreading the floor, but I think their defense is going to be horrible next year. We’ll see.

I'm not really sure what you meant that they become lucky. They have been consistently in the playoffs for the last couple of years with Luka at the helm. It's just they always fell short because they need someone to compliment Luka in scoring and you can see the frustrations on Luka's face when they lost close games. Fortunately, last year they had Kyrie Irving and so he did provide some numbers for Dallas together with Luka and reach the finals.

However, they've just lost to a better team, the Boston Celtics. And as much as Luka try to give them the championship same with Kryie, Boston was too much. Now, they've made another adjustment by getting Klay Thompson to help them open up as Klay is a good perimeter shooter.

They already have 2 big men, Lively and Daniel Gafford + Maxi Kleber. So that's pretty much solid Center for them.

I meant that I thought the Minnesota Timberwolves were far and away a more talented team, but Luka has a magic level he can play at that is difficult for opponents to match.  I think if they replay that series right now, Minnesota smokes them.  I also think that people are overestimating Klay Thompson.  He hasn't been the same player since his ACL injury and is only getting older.  People are forgetting his last game as a Warrior...  As for the Dallas centers...  I wouldn't describe them as solid.  I'd love to be wrong though.  I like Luka and Klay.  Wish them all the success they can get, but I think Dallas peaked last season.

Fair enough, I guess we can say that Minnesota doesn't have that experience last season, after a long time, this is the closest that they get and with Edwards athleticism still not enough to overcome Dallas. Luka has been in this situation before, and so very familiar on how to play and close out games. But with the the Wolves exposure to this kind of situation, they could really improved this year. For the Center of Dallas, they are underrated, but the good thing is that Lively is still very young and a lot of leg room to improved as well. And getting Gafford and Washington in the trade deadline really help the chances of Dallas last season to go to the finals. As for Klay, let's see, he might have this chip on his shoulder and with that he could be motivated this season.

Yeah experience probably had a lot to do with it.  Closing out series after series takes some stamina mentally as well.  I expect Dallas, minn, okc and Denver during it out all year.  The rest of the teams just can't compete.  If I had to give honorable mention it might be sacramento but either sabonis or fox needs to take it to all nba level to get them in with that other tier.  Just can't wait to watch some meaningful nba again.

[Baofeng]

^^ Yeah and that's what we love about Luka, he trash talks but he can back it up with his game specially close out games. Just like what they did against the Wolves, before that series, I think the Wolves is the favorite on the strength of Edwards, Towns and Gobert.

But Luka has been on the same spot, and he knows how to respond with this kind of pressure. I do agree, it will still be the same teams, but I will put OKC as the likely dark horse again for this year. SGA will lead this team again and most likely in the top 3.