On Wednesday night, the defending champion from Denver opens the new NBA season and begins its mission to defend its title. Several top teams want to challenge the Nuggets for the Larry O’Brien Trophy, and some surprise candidates emerged in the summer. All divisions in the kicker check…
Exciting fight for the NBA title: Among others, LeBron James (left) and the Lakers want to challenge Nikola Jokic (right) and the Nuggets. picture alliance / ASSOCIATED PRESS
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division Preview: On the East Coast, the Boston Celtics have massively remodeled their squad in the offseason, while the Philadelphia 76ers still have a groundbreaking decision to make regarding James Harden. The New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors are hoping for the play-offs – the Atlantic Division in the kicker check.
Central Division Preview: With the Milwaukee Bucks, one of the top favorites for the title has further upgraded, the Cleveland Cavaliers want to build on the mostly good previous season and the Indiana Pacers could turn out to be a positive surprise. The Chicago Bulls are currently threatened with stagnation, while the Detroit Pistons are focusing on the development of young talent – the Central Division in the kicker check.
Southeast Division Preview: The Miami Heat go into the new season as the clear favorites for the division title, although they waited in vain for the big bang on South Beach over the summer. The Atlanta Hawks have the playoffs as a clear goal, which would be a big step for the world champion Wagner brothers Franz and Moritz with the Orlando Magic. The Charlotte Hornets are pinning their hopes on LaMelo Ball and No. 2 pick Brandon Miller, while the Washington Wizards’ theme is: Rebuild – the Southeast Division in the kicker check.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Northwest Division Preview: The Denver Nuggets around superstar Nikola Jokic naturally want to defend their title, the Minnesota Timberwolves are facing a make-or-break season and the young Oklahoma City Thunder want to cause a sensation. The Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers will probably have nothing to do with the playoffs, but are no less interesting – the Northwest Division in the kicker check.
Southwest Division Preview: The Southwest offers some surprise bags with big ambitions in the form of the Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies. The Houston Rockets with newcomer Fred VanVleet and the San Antonio Spurs with rookie phenomenon Victor Wembanyama are facing a promising new beginning – the Southwest Division in the kicker check.
Pacific Division Preview: A wild tussle on the west coast, that’s what it will probably lead to in the Pacific Division. The Phoenix Suns with the new Big Three around Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, the Golden State Warriors around king of three Stephen Curry and the Los Angeles Lakers around GOAT candidate LeBron James all want to reach for the championship – and the Clippers too strive for the title. With the Sacramento Kings there is another top-class team that has at least the play-offs as its goal – the kicker check for the Pacific Division follows on Tuesday.
2023-10-23 21:02:59
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