Unfortunately for NBA fans, we don’t have the serendipity to easily watch the days go by until opening night. There’s plenty of time left till the start of the NBA season, and already, so many beneficial moves have been made to better teams, especially from the Eastern Conference. I say this because in the past few years, the Eastern Conference has been considerably worse than the Western Conference.
In this article, I’m not just talking about the NBA season. I’m already talking about the playoffs, the time of the season where NBA fans go berserk. Sure, it may be a long ways away, but there’s nothing wrong with anticipation, which is exactly what NBA fans will be filled with all season long. Teams that have had magical offseasons like the Cleveland Cavaliers may finally be ready to make a playoff run. Other teams, like the Golden State Warriors, are just starting to become superpowers and are looking to establish more presence with another deep playoff run.
Here’s your list! (In no specific order)
1. Heat vs Bulls:
“…For I shall have my.. vengeance.” We all know that line. It was that brilliant commercial that left us all sitting there with chills running down our backs. Unfortunately for the Bulls, however, it’s not that simple. Maybe Derrick Rose has improved his game, maybe he hasn’t. We won’t know until he comes back to play. One thing that we know for sure, however, is that the Bulls are capable of finishing at the first seed with Rose in the rotation.
There should be no minutes restriction, and he should be 100%, or 110% as he prefers. LeBron James says that he “ain’t got no worries”, but I believe that he does. The only guy to win the MVP award in the past couple of years is finally back, and he’s ready to lead his team to a championship. James may be the better player, but does he have the better team?
I don’t care how much you may hate James, everybody wants to see this matchup. Now that the Cavaliers have a playoff-worthy roster, this may actually be a possibility if they finish at the seventh or eighth seed. The Heat always play well, under any circumstances. LeBron loves the hatred of his former city.
What he may do, however, is underestimate his opponents. Kyrie Irving is a very capable young man who knows what he’s doing in terms of scoring and handling the basketball. It may be difficult to hear, but the Cavaliers have one of the best rosters on paper. Hypothetically, they should be able to easily matchup with the Heat, and possibly even take them down. (Don’t kill me for saying that).
3. Warriors vs Clippers:
There’s nothing that we love more than a good old rivalry, and seeing the Clippers and the Warriors really reminds me of one. They may not completely hate each other just yet, but a couple more games, and they will officially be rivals. The Warriors/Clippers rivalry started last season in LA, when Stephen Curry drew a charge on Chris Paul to win the game for his team. It continued from then on when the Clippers got their revenge, blowing out the Warriors.
Up in Golden State, the Warrior fans had a lot of fun with Blake Griffin as they saw his 3-point shot hit the side of the backboard. These two teams are always entertaining when they play each other, and they have some of the best young players in the league. Now that they’re both up-and-coming superpowers, they’re looking to fight with each other for control of the pacific division, which will finally be relinquished by the Lakers.
4. Nets vs Knicks:
Ah, one of the simplest rivalries. Two New York teams battling it out? Who doesn’t want to watch that? God knows how good the Nets will be, depending on their head coach, Jason Kidd. Other than that, however, these are two very capable teams that have deep rosters. From great scorers like Carmelo Anthony and J.R Smith to NBA’s clutchest like Paul Pierce and Joe Johnson, these two teams have everything that one could hope for.
They both had successful seasons last year, but were both eliminated perhaps prematurely in the playoffs. They’ll likely be seeded closely together, but if these two find each other somewhere in the playoffs, all hell breaks lose in New York!
5. Rockets vs Lakers:
Considering that the Lakers make the playoffs, this will be a desired matchup. If the Rockets are as good as people say they’re going to be, they’ll
finish first or second. If the Lakers manage to make the playoffs, they’ll finish eight, and doubtfully seventh. This makes it likely for these two teams to play each other.
The Lakers should be blessing the fact that Dwight Howard left, but instead, they’re angry at him. Kobe Bryant is injured, and the Lakers’ period of greatness, at least for now, seems to be coming to an end. One last run?
6. Clippers vs Lakers:
Even simpler than the New York rivalry, the two LA teams would be the best battle of the playoffs, even if it’s in the first round. The Clippers are stacked and reloaded, while the Lakers are making one last attempt to win a championship before their core players retire. Whenever these two play in LA, it’s usually Laker fans overpowering the Clipper fans. As the Clippers begin to win, however, that’s all going to change.
The Clippers and the Lakers have been going at it pretty much since they’ve both been in LA. I think that NBA fans are deserving of a playoff series between these two teams. David Stern, make it happen!