NBA 2017 – 2018 Season Preview after it has started

The NBA 2017 – 2018 season is upon us.  Seems like last season just ended.  Actually it seems just like the last 3 seasons just ended.   What has really changed this year from the last three seasons.  Other than Kyrie Irving now being a Celtic not really a whole lot.   Did this trade make the Celtics a better team?  Maybe hard to tell.  With the loss of Gordon Hayward in the opening game against the Cavaliers.  The Celtic team that was going to put up a fight this year.  Is just not going to be.  Will they make it to the Eastern Conference finals against the Cavaliers?  More than likely yes.  Will they be able to beat them?   Probably not.

The NBA Offseason

The NBA off season, as exciting as it was, did not give us any reason to believe that anything will be different this year from the last three years.  If you are a listener of Mike and Mike.  Then you will know that they think the NBA off season is all that is really needed.  Check the side bar for our count down to the end of Mike and Mike.  We are happily waiting for it to end.

I will agree with them that the off season was pretty exciting.  There were a few changes and moves that have a chance to make things more interesting.  Saying that what it really means is that teams will be fighting for spot number three in the NBA this season.

Short of two or more players getting seriously injured on the Warriors and the Cavaliers.  There is a slim chance that those two teams will not meet for the fourth consecutive year in the NBA final.

Two for the East

There are only two teams that you really need to know about in the East.  The Celtics and the Cavaliers.  Really what they should do here is have these two teams play 82 regular season games.  The team that wins the most gets the home court for the playoffs.    Then they should play a best of 21 for the Eastern conference championship.

Pretty much that is what is happening anyway.  Along the way they will have to play a bunch of lesser teams.  Then they will have to play the lesser teams in the playoffs so that they can meet again in the Eastern Conference final.  The only way I see this not happening is if significant players go down on each team.  The way things have been going in sports lately.  Losing significant players to injury is a possibility.

Four for the West

Even though I am pretty confident that the Warriors will win the West.  I actually can see three other teams in contention.  It could make the West a little more interesting.  But the same result in the end.  The other three teams are the Thunder, The Rockets and the Spurs.

I really only put the Spurs in here because they are the Spurs.  The San Antonio Spurs are are just one of those teams that has the feel.   That feel that they will just be there.  They are not the team they used to be but they are still pretty good.  San Antonio also has one of the best coaches ever in the NBA and he always has them close.  Can they really contend.  Probably not but they will be close in the end.  They will be one of the last 4 teams alive in the Western conference playoffs.

The Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder also have potential to knock the Warriors of their Western Conference throne.  James Harden and his beard are a force on the court.  If not for Russell Westbrook he probably would have won his first MVP last season.  With the addition of Chris Paul this will be an even better team then they were last year.

The Thunder should be much better than last year as well.  Carmelo Anthony and Paul George give them a legitimate big three on the court.  The big question is how will Anthony handle not being the star of the team.  That will go to Westbrook and he will be the go to guy at the end of a game.  If Anthony can accept his roll then this team will probably be in the Western Conference final with the Warriors

And for the Fourth Year in a Row

For the fourth year in a row I see it being the Warriors and the Cavaliers.  This is hardly going out on a limb or making any bold predictions.  Until another team steps up though I really don’t see it any other way.

What do you think?