The 77th edition of the biggest basketball competition in the world is fast approaching. A selection of 29 world-class American basketball franchise teams, plus one from Canada, will compete for the right to be crowned NBA champions.
All of these teams will be making their final preparations for what promises to be the most exciting NBA campaign yet.
Log dates
The 2022/23 NBA season is set to begin on October 18. This is when the regular season will begin and run until April 9 next year. The regular campaign will then give way to the Play-in Tournament which will take place from April 11 to 14.
The teams still standing will then move on to the playoffs proper. These will begin on April 15 and end the following month.
The series of finals will close the whole thing next June. Exact dates have not been set, but schedules should be confirmed by the NBA very soon. Everything is set for a compelling campaign, but which teams are most likely to take the pennant?
big gold
The most recent NBA title was won by the Golden State Warriors at the end of the 2021/22 season. GSW was the dominant force in basketball from 2015 to 2019 when they won five straight NBA pennants.
It was an incredible feat, and after a two-year hiatus, the Warriors are back at the top of the tree. Golden State endured two poor seasons, but they welcomed back two players who had been instrumental in their previous success.
Andre Iguodala returned after two seasons with the Miami Heat, while Klay Thompson made a real comeback after a catalog of injuries.
Stephen Curry’s form continues to be of paramount importance to the Golden State Warriors. Even as they reach the final stages of their career, the Point Guard is breaking NBA records for individual scoring.
In fact, Curry recording list defies belief. He was the only unanimous MVP in NBA history, and he set new levels for scoring averages and three-pointers.
Curry was the center player in Golden State’s golden years from 2015-2019 and he’ll have a vital role to play again in 2022/23.
Favorites for 2022/23
According to the independent view, the battle for the NBA championship could be very close this season. This notice is provided by the betting markets at Betway Sports and they show the Boston Celtics are the narrow favorites to win the title, with +500.
The Celtics, along with the LA Lakers, are the most successful team in National Basketball Association history. To date, they have 17 NBA championships behind them, but the most recent of them came back in 2008.
Boston has improved and was a runner-up last season when it was eliminated in the final series by Golden State. Following this 4-2 loss, the team was criticized for their lack of depth within the squad. Too much of a burden was placed on the starters and that’s a problem the franchise has sought to address.
The hunting pack
The LA Lakers equaled the Boston Celtics’ proud overall record when they won their 17th NBA championship in 2020. Much of the successful squad remains, but there’s plenty of debate over potential trades that could weaken the roster .
The most targeted man is Russell Westbrook who is bound with a move away from the Crypto.com Arena. At 33, Westbrook’s best years may be behind him, but most independent observers agree a trade would be foolish.
According to those same bettors, other teams challenging to the top of the NBA’s outright winners market include the Brooklyn Nets, LA Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets. All of these teams have been active in the offseason and will be confident of making the playoffs.
The surprise package?
One franchise that isn’t having too much luck in the markets is the Atlanta Hawks. They are among the mid-range underdogs, but could be equipped to surprise next season.
The Hawks have played consistently in recent years, and in 2021 they reached the semifinals. Atlanta lost 4-1 to the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs last season, but it’s a competitive unit that could go further this time around.
They won only one NBA championship and you have to go back to 1958 to find this solitary success. The Hawks have won 12 division titles, however, the most recent of which came in 2021, and they could be the likeliest underdogs next campaign.
The verdict
There will clearly be some tough challenges, but the NBA pennant is up for grabs for the Golden State Warriors. The Boston Celtics and LA Lakers might face the toughest challenge, but many indicators point to Golden State.
One man doesn’t make a team, but Stephen Curry continues to drive GSW forward and he brings out the best in those around him.
curry said which he wants to play on for another four years and he still has time to get Golden State to another long winning streak. That’s all in the future but, for now, the Warriors are the team to beat once again.