The first jump ball of the new season has not yet been played and yet the NBA has already made headlines in recent weeks. The news that Brooklyn Guard Kyrie Irving does not want to be vaccinated against the corona virus and is consequently excluded from his team’s training and play operations quickly spread around the globe.
Irving’s decision and the resulting discussions are evidence that even after two seasons marked by the pandemic, not everything is back to the pre-Corona period. And this despite the fact that the league is striving to go into normal operations in the anniversary season, the 75th since it was founded. For the first time, the regular season will be played in full over 82 games and the break between the seasons was long enough again after the final victory of the Milwaukee Bucks over the Phoenix Suns in July.
After their first title in 50 years, the Bucks are among the favorites again this year. Most of the team stayed together and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who made his mark in the history books with his performances in the final, should have the best time of his career ahead of him. The 26-year-old Greek has already won the Most Valuable Player Award twice. If he can lead Mike Budenholzer’s team to defend his title, another MVP trophy would hardly be taken away from him.
Capela’s development
The biggest adversary on the way there are the Brooklyn Nets on paper, who travel to the champions on Wednesday night. Last year, the two giants of the East fought an epic duel in the quarter-finals, which the Bucks did not lose only because Nets superstar Kevin Durant had touched the three-point line with one foot in his last-minute throw from distance and Brooklyn therefore touched the three-point line in the decisive seventh game only got two instead of the winning three points. In extra time, a dominant Antetokounmpo made the decision.
Even if Irving is missing from the Nets any longer, Coach Steve Nash has one of the most versatile, broadest and most offensively strong squads in the league at his disposal. If Durant and third star James Harden are spared injuries, they will be hard to stop.
The role of spoilers in the east is not only attributable to the Philadelphia 76ers but also to the Atlanta Hawks. The team with the Geneva center Clint Capela advanced to the Conference Finals in the preseason, where it had to bow to the eventual champion in six games.
Coach Nate McMillan has formed an exciting team in Georgia that is young, dynamic, flexible and can be spectacular. Capela is an important part of the rotation thanks to his presence on the defensive, which earned him a $ 46 million two-year deal in September. No one collected more rebounds last year than the 27-year-old, an average of 14.3 per game. The steady development of the Swiss has not escaped the notice of the American press. The sports magazine “Sports Illustrated” lists the hundred best players in the league every year. Capela jumped from 69th to 48th.
What can the Lakers do?
In the west, the Utah Jazz will try to replicate last season’s success when the Salt Lake City team finished qualifying with the best record. This time, however, without the disillusionment that followed in the second playoff round with the end against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Whether the Los Angeles Lakers will be a serious competitor has been discussed for weeks: Of the team that became champions in 2020, only five players are left or are back, and since the Californians rely on experienced players for their commitments, who often peak exceeded, it is widely doubted that the soon-to-be 37-year-old superstar LeBron James will get another chance at his fifth title in his 19th season.
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