After the long absence, action in the NBA has resumed. Basketball fans all over the world, during the time, enjoyed action from the EuroBasket Championship, the AfroBasket Championship, among others. There was also action in the WNBA that saw Minnesota Lynx become champions for the 4th time in 7 seasons.
Now that the WNBA has taken a backseat, all is set for the new NBA Regular season to kick off – or tip off if you’re a die-hard fan. If you’ve been following the NBA for a while now, you’d have noticed all the Shenzen games and the pre-season friendlies that are currently being played.
As we countdown to tip off in a couple days’ time – specifically October 17, 2017 – what do you need to know about the new NBA season (apart from the fact that this season is starting earlier than previous seasons – to reduce the number of “back-to-back” games teams are scheduled to play)?
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The Kyrie Irving-Cleveland-Boston Drama
It may be an “off-the-court” issue but a number of names have jumped in on the case. It’s probably not news anymore that Kyrie Irving left Cleveland Cavaliers for Boston Celtics during the break. But he didn’t leave without causing uproar with his statements.
Lebron James’ former teammate was quoted as saying, “You would go to Cleveland, and it would be at nighttime, and things would be going on, but you just see a vast difference…. Boston, I’m driving in and (thinking), ‘I’m really playing in a real, live sports city?”
This didn’t go down well with Dwayne Wade who just joined the Cavs from Miami. In an interview, he responded to Irving’s comments by saying:
“My thing has always been — even in Miami — first of all, you never know where you’re going to be, what’s going to happen, where you’re going to end up, who you’re going to be teammates with.
“You just never know those things, so I never want to leave a place and talk s*** about a place. Because when you were there, it was great, and then you leave, it’s terrible?”
These kinds of comments have already set the tone for when Cleveland Cavaliers will face Boston Celtics on the 18th of October.
Click here to make your predictions and earn yourself some money.
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The “Super Teams” Argument
With the way teams like Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers are currently set up after the drafts and player moves, basketball legend Michael Jordan has come out to talk about the dominance of these super teams.
In an interview he said, “I think it’s going to hurt the overall aspect of the league from a competitive standpoint. You’re going to have one or two teams that are going to be great, and another 28 teams that are going to be garbage. Or they’re going to have a tough time surviving in the business environment.”
What do you think? Do you agree with Jordan or do you think other teams in the NBA franchise will stand up to these super teams and give them a run for their money? In addition to that question, which two teams do you think will be playing in the NBA Play-off finals next year June?
Leave us a comment and let us know what you think.
Tags: nba, NBA 2017-18 season, NBA New Season Countdown
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