2024 NBA Season

[Jating]

Clippers is like really curse, they have rebuild post CP3, but still even if they got Kawhi after his championship run with the Raptors and PG still at this prime, they still lack the mental toughness and consistency and obviously, the injuries from their main man.

Leonard’s luck really took a downturn after winning the championship with the Raptors in 2019 (which was the franchise's first).
Despite good offers, he chose to leave and signed a 3-year contract with the Clippers.

Here’s a breakdown of what happened to him:

-In 2020, they made it to the Western Conference semifinals, were up 3-1 against Denver, but ended up losing as they allowed Denver to win 3 straight games.
-In 2021, he got injured (torn ACL) during the Jazz series. They still made it to the Western Conference Finals but lost to the Suns.
-In 2022, Leonard didn’t play as he was recovering from his injury.
-In 2023, he got injured again during the playoffs.

It’s clear that if Leonard hadn’t been injured in the playoffs, the Clippers would’ve had a strong chance of reaching the finals. Some might say they lacked mental toughness or inconsistency, but it’s nearly impossible to compete at the highest level without their main superstar.

And we also forget that the Lakers as the inaugural In-Season Tournament, defeating the Indiana Pacers. So they really started very strong in the first half of the regular season as they are in the top 4 or 5 consistent.

But after that, it seems that it was a curse winning the first tournament, as after that, they suffered loses already and we really can't pinpoint what is the reason for that. They struggled, barely survived as 8th seed, won the play-in, but lost to the Nuggets.

[ultrloa]

Yeah, that's the reason. They still have KCP and they have Peyton Watson who played great defense last year too. I think the Nuggets' goal is to focus more on defense because they don't have any problem with their offense. Jokic can always find an open man once he handles the ball either outside or in post-up.
Still, it's not a perfect bench, they will pay a lot if they want it to be better. The key here is to avoid injuries and I think Coach Malone will use WB the same way he used Bruce Brown in their championship stint.

No they don't  . KCP signed with Orlando over 2 months ago, haha. It was yet another hard blow to the Nuggets because he was a solid player for them, even if he "just" scored 10ppg.
They didn't really sign anybody worth mentioning this offseason, and yes I regard RW as not mentionable in this part of his career. As strong as the west is looking right now they will have a tough time to get to the top 6 in my opinion. A great player like Jokic can't carry a team by himself. Sure if Murray is finally finding back his old self they will have a chance but he is like a lottery at the moment.

Don't know why Nuggets didn't catch up KCP knowing he's really a great contributor for their team. He's an elite 3pt shooter and perimeter defender which also have championship experience. That's why their second unit now became questionable especially that they have new guys in the roster and new draftees.

But see how they could figure out this problem and if they could able to cope up and remain to be a title contender even if they lose valuable good piece which bring their organization a championship. Well their core is intact and those solid guys remaining could able to step up since this is their time to get a quality minutes and good role to their team. Hopefully we will not see a Olympic Murray since he  perform so bad in that tournament.

[Maslate]

And we also forget that the Lakers as the inaugural In-Season Tournament, defeating the Indiana Pacers. So they really started very strong in the first half of the regular season as they are in the top 4 or 5 consistent.

That was a huge success for them, and I thought they were a legitimate contender for the NBA Finals, but they fell short. The Lakers had a dominant win with a final score of 123-109... definitely a statement game. But after that, things seemed to change, I can't quite figure it out. Maybe the Pacers just weren’t strong enough since they didn’t make it to the NBA Finals either.

The real problem with the Lakers is their outside shooting, they don't have a consistent shooter, which makes them too unpredictable.

But after that, it seems that it was a curse winning the first tournament, as after that, they suffered loses already and we really can't pinpoint what is the reason for that. They struggled, barely survived as 8th seed, won the play-in, but lost to the Nuggets.

They were just unlucky to face the Nuggets, especially since the season before, they got swept by them.

[LogitechMouse]

Joel Embiid has extended his contract with the Sixers.
---
This contract is also one of the three highest contracts in NBA history!

Sixers locked in $715million with embid, Paul george and maxey over the course of tjeor contracts lol.  They are going to be in cap hell for a but.  If george or embiid get long term hurt they are screwd for years.  I get why they went all in amd might as well push all the chips in with bird to get all of them locked in for the next 4-5 years but man.  I wouldn't want to be that GM.

They really went all in into these 3 players, eh? Daryl Morey sure is risking the future of the team with this one.

Although the contract extension for Embiid is well-deserve, I'm afraid that both him and George are injury-prone especially him. What's good with Embiid though is that, he will play even though he isn't 100% healthy like we've seen last playoffs against the Knicks. It's good that they've already get rid of Tobias Harris' huge and not well-deserved contract because it opened them more players including PG13. Morey really risked it all for this team in order for them to compete with the East especially against the defending champions, Celtics. I hope it will be worth it and I wish this will end Embiid's curse (not surpassing the 2nd round of the playoffs).

Well, he's been a great superstar when he's on the Thunder back then, and a good role player when he's on the Clippers. Let's not talk about his stint with the Lakers because that's his worst part of his career, but I have a question. Is the acquisition of Westbrook made the Nuggets a title contender?

The Nuggets realized their mistake by letting Bruce Brown go. Their bench just got weaker, especially on the defensive end. The Nuggets are always a title contender thanks to Jokic and Murray, and let's not forget Gordon of course who had been great beneath the rim for offensive rebounds and a great pair for Jokic for cut plays.

Yep, I agree with what you said that their starting 5 is right now, one of the best in the league, but their bench is just weak like you said. Their starters are really that good, but they can't afford to play 40+ minutes per game just because their bench is that worse. Let's take note that the Celtics have very deep bench last year that's why they won. The Nuggets themselves also had a deep bench when they won a title. I respect your opinion regarding them being a title contender, but I don't think that they will be this season.

---

Yeah, that's the reason. They still have KCP and they have Peyton Watson who played great defense last year too. I think the Nuggets' goal is to focus more on defense because they don't have any problem with their offense. Jokic can always find an open man once he handles the ball either outside or in post-up.
Still, it's not a perfect bench, they will pay a lot if they want it to be better. The key here is to avoid injuries and I think Coach Malone will use WB the same way he used Bruce Brown in their championship stint.

Just for context, KCP is already with the Magic. The Nuggets can't afford to sign him because of the huge contract that they gave to MPJ. Peyton Watson? They can develop him, but I'm not expecting too much with him, or with other bench players out there. I'm not against Denver per se because I love the team. It's just that, their off-season moves and trades are just, meh. Well, I hope that Coach Malone can utilize Westbrook that much and can at least contribute way better than his stint when he's with LA teams.

[Fredomago]

Yeah, that's the reason. They still have KCP and they have Peyton Watson who played great defense last year too. I think the Nuggets' goal is to focus more on defense because they don't have any problem with their offense. Jokic can always find an open man once he handles the ball either outside or in post-up.
Still, it's not a perfect bench, they will pay a lot if they want it to be better. The key here is to avoid injuries and I think Coach Malone will use WB the same way he used Bruce Brown in their championship stint.

No they don't  . KCP signed with Orlando over 2 months ago, haha. It was yet another hard blow to the Nuggets because he was a solid player for them, even if he "just" scored 10ppg.
They didn't really sign anybody worth mentioning this offseason, and yes I regard RW as not mentionable in this part of his career. As strong as the west is looking right now they will have a tough time to get to the top 6 in my opinion. A great player like Jokic can't carry a team by himself. Sure if Murray is finally finding back his old self they will have a chance but he is like a lottery at the moment.

Don't know why Nuggets didn't catch up KCP knowing he's really a great contributor for their team. He's an elite 3pt shooter and perimeter defender which also have championship experience. That's why their second unit now became questionable especially that they have new guys in the roster and new draftees.

But see how they could figure out this problem and if they could able to cope up and remain to be a title contender even if they lose valuable good piece which bring their organization a championship. Well their core is intact and those solid guys remaining could able to step up since this is their time to get a quality minutes and good role to their team. Hopefully we will not see a Olympic Murray since he  perform so bad in that tournament.

Yeah the cores are still intact though they are not getting any younger unlike before that they just need some minutes of rest then playback but now, competing with other teams in the west side where each squads do have sets of their own superstars, I guess they need to figure it out or they need to add role players who can contriute in a 2-way manner like Brown and KCP, let see if how the management and coaches will try to get one or maybe create another one from the current lineup.

[Webetcoins]

Denver always looked like they are a bit laid back team and that would be something that will get them to do fine and I think it will be a good thing for them because they know how to play like that but adding Westbrook will ignite some fire under them and he can make the team play with more passion and if denver played like this right now with no westbrook and no fire then I think it would make sense that they would be even better if we are seeing them do better as well.

We should not be really considering this getting any different because they are going to put him in the bench, since he can't replace murray obviously, he will be basically a bench leader and that means he will be constantly yelling and leading from the bench and lighting fire under everyone.

It should definitely be great for them, if Denver plays with more passion then they could once again become the best team without a doubt, it has to be something that we need to wait and see how that would work, we still do not know yet.

[jossiel]

Many say Westbrook will be the curse of Nuggets but let see if he really is, maybe from his current team he  can finally get his championship since Nuggets still a title contender team this season.

It's just sad that wherever he moves, the teams doesn't end well with him. But I do not think that he will be, maybe he'd do better with the Nuggets.

Westbrook isn't a curse.  The Lakers and Clippers just weren't good teams.  It wasn't his fault they were terrible.  He is only probably going to see the floor for 15-2minutes a game.  He is going to be a veteran precense which I actually think will be good for them.  Let jokic and Murray cook while russ brings up the young kids so those 2 don't have to.worry about that part of the game.  Always been a russ fan.  He plays the game the way it used to be played in the 90s.  One of the last to play that way unfortunately.

It's a mere coincidence that he's been into these teams when they're in a bad shape. But during his prime with the OKC together with KD and Harden, I think those were the best days.

Still, he'd contribute for the Nuggets for sure.

And maybe he knows what will happen next when he's not going to give all of his to his new team.

[cryptomaniac_xxx]

And we also forget that the Lakers as the inaugural In-Season Tournament, defeating the Indiana Pacers. So they really started very strong in the first half of the regular season as they are in the top 4 or 5 consistent.

That was a huge success for them, and I thought they were a legitimate contender for the NBA Finals, but they fell short. The Lakers had a dominant win with a final score of 123-109... definitely a statement game. But after that, things seemed to change, I can't quite figure it out. Maybe the Pacers just weren’t strong enough since they didn’t make it to the NBA Finals either.

The real problem with the Lakers is their outside shooting, they don't have a consistent shooter, which makes them too unpredictable.

But after that, it seems that it was a curse winning the first tournament, as after that, they suffered loses already and we really can't pinpoint what is the reason for that. They struggled, barely survived as 8th seed, won the play-in, but lost to the Nuggets.

They were just unlucky to face the Nuggets, especially since the season before, they got swept by them.

I think they had a good chance against the Nuggets that time, KCP, a former Nuggets, says that they are too tired going into the first round as they keep on chasing the best record in the West that time.

And in their series, it was really close, but it was just the Lakers doesn't have the killer instinct to close out the Nuggets. And then with Jokic really pushing hard specially in the 4th quarter, the Nuggets won 3 straight games. And in the 5th game, Murray hit that winning basket to advance.

[wheelz1200]

And we also forget that the Lakers as the inaugural In-Season Tournament, defeating the Indiana Pacers. So they really started very strong in the first half of the regular season as they are in the top 4 or 5 consistent.

That was a huge success for them, and I thought they were a legitimate contender for the NBA Finals, but they fell short. The Lakers had a dominant win with a final score of 123-109... definitely a statement game. But after that, things seemed to change, I can't quite figure it out. Maybe the Pacers just weren’t strong enough since they didn’t make it to the NBA Finals either.

The real problem with the Lakers is their outside shooting, they don't have a consistent shooter, which makes them too unpredictable.

But after that, it seems that it was a curse winning the first tournament, as after that, they suffered loses already and we really can't pinpoint what is the reason for that. They struggled, barely survived as 8th seed, won the play-in, but lost to the Nuggets.

They were just unlucky to face the Nuggets, especially since the season before, they got swept by them.

I think people put too much stake on the "in season tournament".  They ate just singular regular season games.  Anyone can win a single game against another opponent.  The reason why the best teams rise to the top in the real playoffs is because you can lose a game, but over an entire series the real better team usually comes out on top.  Lakers were never going to compete in the west for real.with that squad.

[blockman]

Denver always looked like they are a bit laid back team and that would be something that will get them to do fine and I think it will be a good thing for them because they know how to play like that but adding Westbrook will ignite some fire under them and he can make the team play with more passion and if denver played like this right now with no westbrook and no fire then I think it would make sense that they would be even better if we are seeing them do better as well.

Westbrook can play any role. But on this transfer that he had done, the call will still depend on Jokic but the good thing here is, it won't just be outside for their current players like Jamal and MPJ. They've got some stronger wings inside the court and have some outside shots as well.
Inside the paint wise, there's Jokic, Gordon and even Westbrook. I think they're still a balanced team and have a better roster this time that can also reach the playoffs and even both NBA finals and conference finals.

[danherbias07]

Yeah, that's the reason. They still have KCP and they have Peyton Watson who played great defense last year too. I think the Nuggets' goal is to focus more on defense because they don't have any problem with their offense. Jokic can always find an open man once he handles the ball either outside or in post-up.
Still, it's not a perfect bench, they will pay a lot if they want it to be better. The key here is to avoid injuries and I think Coach Malone will use WB the same way he used Bruce Brown in their championship stint.

No they don't  . KCP signed with Orlando over 2 months ago, haha. It was yet another hard blow to the Nuggets because he was a solid player for them, even if he "just" scored 10ppg.
They didn't really sign anybody worth mentioning this offseason, and yes I regard RW as not mentionable in this part of his career. As strong as the west is looking right now they will have a tough time to get to the top 6 in my opinion. A great player like Jokic can't carry a team by himself. Sure if Murray is finally finding back his old self they will have a chance but he is like a lottery at the moment.

What?! I think I missed that news.

Holy crap! It's going to be a mess on the Nuggets defensive end without him. He is one of the best defenders for backcourt players and he has that shooting capability too.
Now they need to figure out something on the rest of their bench like Julian Strawther and Trey Alexander. I mean, they cannot just play offense because they didn't really win the championship back then with offense, it's mostly KCP and Bruce Brown doing the job to defend backcourt players that resulted in steals and turnovers.
It think that should change the outright of Nuggets winning the cup. x11.00 is too low.

[Baofeng]

Yeah, that's the reason. They still have KCP and they have Peyton Watson who played great defense last year too. I think the Nuggets' goal is to focus more on defense because they don't have any problem with their offense. Jokic can always find an open man once he handles the ball either outside or in post-up.
Still, it's not a perfect bench, they will pay a lot if they want it to be better. The key here is to avoid injuries and I think Coach Malone will use WB the same way he used Bruce Brown in their championship stint.

No they don't  . KCP signed with Orlando over 2 months ago, haha. It was yet another hard blow to the Nuggets because he was a solid player for them, even if he "just" scored 10ppg.
They didn't really sign anybody worth mentioning this offseason, and yes I regard RW as not mentionable in this part of his career. As strong as the west is looking right now they will have a tough time to get to the top 6 in my opinion. A great player like Jokic can't carry a team by himself. Sure if Murray is finally finding back his old self they will have a chance but he is like a lottery at the moment.

What?! I think I missed that news.

Holy crap! It's going to be a mess on the Nuggets defensive end without him. He is one of the best defenders for backcourt players and he has that shooting capability too.
Now they need to figure out something on the rest of their bench like Julian Strawther and Trey Alexander. I mean, they cannot just play offense because they didn't really win the championship back then with offense, it's mostly KCP and Bruce Brown doing the job to defend backcourt players that resulted in steals and turnovers.
It think that should change the outright of Nuggets winning the cup. x11.00 is too low.

And that's why the got Westbrook, because KCP has move out of the Nuggets, same as the previous year when they were the champions. And with that, it surely did messed  up the backcourt defense as they don't have the two in their lineup.

Although we don't know what's the role of Westbrook, there could be experimental days wherein he could be in the first five, starting lineup or could be coming off the bench as they don't have the luxury of KCP to play at least to help bring down the ball and then play defense.

[arwin100]

Yeah, that's the reason. They still have KCP and they have Peyton Watson who played great defense last year too. I think the Nuggets' goal is to focus more on defense because they don't have any problem with their offense. Jokic can always find an open man once he handles the ball either outside or in post-up.
Still, it's not a perfect bench, they will pay a lot if they want it to be better. The key here is to avoid injuries and I think Coach Malone will use WB the same way he used Bruce Brown in their championship stint.

No they don't  . KCP signed with Orlando over 2 months ago, haha. It was yet another hard blow to the Nuggets because he was a solid player for them, even if he "just" scored 10ppg.
They didn't really sign anybody worth mentioning this offseason, and yes I regard RW as not mentionable in this part of his career. As strong as the west is looking right now they will have a tough time to get to the top 6 in my opinion. A great player like Jokic can't carry a team by himself. Sure if Murray is finally finding back his old self they will have a chance but he is like a lottery at the moment.

What?! I think I missed that news.

Holy crap! It's going to be a mess on the Nuggets defensive end without him. He is one of the best defenders for backcourt players and he has that shooting capability too.
Now they need to figure out something on the rest of their bench like Julian Strawther and Trey Alexander. I mean, they cannot just play offense because they didn't really win the championship back then with offense, it's mostly KCP and Bruce Brown doing the job to defend backcourt players that resulted in steals and turnovers.
It think that should change the outright of Nuggets winning the cup. x11.00 is too low.

And that's why the got Westbrook, because KCP has move out of the Nuggets, same as the previous year when they were the champions. And with that, it surely did messed  up the backcourt defense as they don't have the two in their lineup.

Although we don't know what's the role of Westbrook, there could be experimental days wherein he could be in the first five, starting lineup or could be coming off the bench as they don't have the luxury of KCP to play at least to help bring down the ball and then play defense.

We don't know yet if they would messed up on the current roster they get from free agency, but one thing is for sure that Nuggets still competitive. Westbrook still a quality player and for sure they see that and this is the reason why Nuggets got convince to sign him on their team.

Maybe if their record decline and they cannot advance on Playoffs then with that people would really agree that deciding to add Westbrook and leading go og KCP and the other valuable piece really create a trouble on their team

[dwyane36]

We don't know yet if they would messed up on the current roster they get from free agency, but one thing is for sure that Nuggets still competitive. Westbrook still a quality player and for sure they see that and this is the reason why Nuggets got convince to sign him on their team.

Maybe if their record decline and they cannot advance on Playoffs then with that people would really agree that deciding to add Westbrook and leading go og KCP and the other valuable piece really create a trouble on their team

Westbrook had a great ability to create chances on the court and make a lot of assists per game. That ability would be very useful for the Nuggets. However, I just now noticed that Westbrook's stats from last season were the worst of his career. With that in mind, I doubt he will be of much use to the Nuggets, as there is a chance that his performance this upcoming season could be even worse.

[LogitechMouse]

---
Holy crap! It's going to be a mess on the Nuggets defensive end without him. He is one of the best defenders for backcourt players and he has that shooting capability too.
Now they need to figure out something on the rest of their bench like Julian Strawther and Trey Alexander. I mean, they cannot just play offense because they didn't really win the championship back then with offense, it's mostly KCP and Bruce Brown doing the job to defend backcourt players that resulted in steals and turnovers.
It think that should change the outright of Nuggets winning the cup. x11.00 is too low.

And that's why the got Westbrook, because KCP has move out of the Nuggets, same as the previous year when they were the champions. And with that, it surely did messed  up the backcourt defense as they don't have the two in their lineup.

Although we don't know what's the role of Westbrook, there could be experimental days wherein he could be in the first five, starting lineup or could be coming off the bench as they don't have the luxury of KCP to play at least to help bring down the ball and then play defense.

They got Westbrook, and they got... they got... none. They don't have any additions to their team aside from him. I mean there's no big name that's been added to the team. What's even worse is they signed a player named Zeke Nnaji a 4-year $32M contract. For a player that only played 5 MPG last season, that's for me the worst contract that's ever given to a bench player. What did the Nuggets' GM came to his mind and gave this player a contract that huge?

They lose KCP, and Westbrook can't fill that hole, and not even Braun. KCP is an excellent 3-point shooter, thing that both Braun and Westbrook aren't good at, and if IIRC, KCP is shooting at around the 39% or even more at three-point line which is now very high. Westbrook for most of the season will be the back-up PG for Murray. There might be some times where WB will be their starting PG while Murray will move to Shooting Guard. Whatever the case is, the bench players of the Nuggets must step-up big time if they want to win a title again. Their starting 5 alone can't do most of the work.

[bitgolden]

Kawhi Leonard getting injured (or more like pg13 with him) then surely he would have been better player, but as of right now we know that ever since his Spurs last year, he has been injured way too frequently and been doing terrible. I think it's clear that he is too injury prone and that is why no team wants to take that risk, Clippers pays him so much just to recover most of the time.

I think Kawhi Leonard isn't a superstar like many think he is, sure when he played he won, but that was just two good seasons from him, aside from that he never played that great and I think it's clear that even with all that much talent, when you are missing most of the season, you are not a threat to anyone and teams write off Clippers before the season starts, even if Kawhi starts the season healthy, they bet that he will get injured again anyway.

[yahoo62278]

Kawhi Leonard getting injured (or more like pg13 with him) then surely he would have been better player, but as of right now we know that ever since his Spurs last year, he has been injured way too frequently and been doing terrible. I think it's clear that he is too injury prone and that is why no team wants to take that risk, Clippers pays him so much just to recover most of the time.

I think Kawhi Leonard isn't a superstar like many think he is, sure when he played he won, but that was just two good seasons from him, aside from that he never played that great and I think it's clear that even with all that much talent, when you are missing most of the season, you are not a threat to anyone and teams write off Clippers before the season starts, even if Kawhi starts the season healthy, they bet that he will get injured again anyway.

I'm not a Kawhi fan at all. He won a title in Toronto with the Raptors , but he to comes off as a diva. I don't like the way he avoids the media, I don't like that he sits out whenever possible, and the fact that he is injured a ton it seems. Would rather see teams spend money on a star that embraces the media and fans and gives people their moneys worth.

[AHOYBRAUSE]

I'm not a Kawhi fan at all. He won a title in Toronto with the Raptors , but he to comes off as a diva. I don't like the way he avoids the media, I don't like that he sits out whenever possible, and the fact that he is injured a ton it seems. Would rather see teams spend money on a star that embraces the media and fans and gives people their moneys worth.

Exactly. I have the exact same opinion of him. If he had the "mamba mentality" he could have had such a great career with the talent he has but somehow he pisses his prime away.
He doesn't even sit on the bench to support his teammates when being hurt, that says a lot about a player. You are getting paid millions and can watch free games court side, that's heaven if you ask me.

[jossiel]

Kawhi Leonard getting injured (or more like pg13 with him) then surely he would have been better player, but as of right now we know that ever since his Spurs last year, he has been injured way too frequently and been doing terrible. I think it's clear that he is too injury prone and that is why no team wants to take that risk, Clippers pays him so much just to recover most of the time.

I think Kawhi Leonard isn't a superstar like many think he is, sure when he played he won, but that was just two good seasons from him, aside from that he never played that great and I think it's clear that even with all that much talent, when you are missing most of the season, you are not a threat to anyone and teams write off Clippers before the season starts, even if Kawhi starts the season healthy, they bet that he will get injured again anyway.

He was once a superstar but after all, that faded away.

He's got a nice stint with Spurs and Raptors but being with the Clippers seems like the team has caught a falling knife.

So his contract with the Clippers will be up to 2026-2027, that's a nice paycheck without having much to play at all. 

[danherbias07]

Jayson Tatum said something about the Finals.

Celtics' Jayson Tatum says Nuggets matched up best with 2024 champions
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/celtics-jayson-tatum-says-nuggets-matched-up-best-with-2024-champions/

"People always ask me, when did you guys know you were going to win a championship?" Tatum said. "When Minnesota beat Denver, I felt like Denver was the only team that they matched up best with us. I thought that we were going to play Denver in the Finals and it was going to be a good one.

"But when we were in Dallas and we went up, 3-0, oh my God. Nobody has ever come back from 0-3, so I remember getting back to the locker room and I remember saying, I don't know what game it's going to be, but we're going to win the championship. That was a weird feeling. I wasn't able to sleep that night and I remember the morning of Game 4 we had shootaround, and I had never been in the position that if we win tonight, we're champions. We were at shootaround and everybody was trying to act normal. I couldn't take a nap. We lost by like 30. We wanted to win so bad. We were so anxious and so tight. But I knew when we were coming back home for Game 5, we were going to win."

Just like Tatum, I thought it would be the Denver Nuggets too. I never expected that much from Kyrie and Luka of the Mavs that year because I thought they were still building their chemistry. That was really a surprising end on the Western Conference side.
Well, this year will be more surprising, I see the Timberwolves going back strong in the WCF, maybe against the Mavs again or the Nuggets. Eastern Conference could become unpredictable and I see the Knicks being on the top if healthy. 76ers should not be underestimated too after acquiring PG13, as long as he and Embiid stay healthy it will be a scary duo, plus Maxey of course.
I have doubts that the Celtics could make a back-to-back championship.