On The Watch “It’s All About The NBA-Who’s On Top?

The NBA-Who’s On Top?

We are officially passed the Quarter mark of this year’s NBA Season and with the successful completion of the second NBA In-Season Tournament, now dubbed the Emirates NBA Cup, proving that even with a bad start at the beginning of the season you can still have enough time to change the negative to a positive.
Although the NBA ratings are down this year, the added Emirates NBA Cup cash prize brought life to all participating teams and raised the competition to an NBA Playoff level type vibe.

The two teams who represented their respective coasts for this Emirates NBA Cup in Las Vegas were the No. 5 Seeded Milwaukee Bucks (14-11) for the Eastside and No.1 Seeded Oklahoma City Thunder (20-5) for the Westside. Staged on a neutral floor, both teams balled out like it was the NBA Finals and made the game that much hyper, but it was the Bucks who showed up and played with that hunger and armed with a two-time League MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo determined to lead the way by making his presence felt with his 26 points, 19 boards and 10 assists on the night. Giannis walked it like he talked and delivered on his promise on claiming the Emirates NBA Cup for the Bucks by defeating a very gamed Oklahoma City Thunder team who fell short on the night. Hopefully the Bucks can use this accomplishment as momentum and build towards their main goal of another NBA Championship.

In Season Tournament aside, the true and surprising team holding down the No. 1 Spot is none other than the Cleveland Cavaliers (23-4). Them Boys are looking stronger and stronger game by game improving on every aspect on the floor. The defending Champions the Boston Celtics (21-5) are proven and still the team to beat and are well-equipped for the long haul this early in the season. The New York Knicks (16-10) with Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson and an improved team defense, are prime to keep things interesting. The Orlando Magic (17-11) is surprisingly in the mix with a young nucleus competing night in and night out. The Milwaukee Bucks (14-11) fresh off winning the Emirates NBA Cup, the momentum is on their side, now its up to them stay in the running and keep climbing up with Giannis in top MVP form. The Miami Heat (13-11), the Atlanta Hawks (14-13), the Indiana Pacers (12-15) and the Chicago Bulls (12-15) are all still in the running but gotta fight hard in these early stages to maintain a spot.

As for the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder (20-5) may have fallen short in the Emirates NBA Cup Finals, but they still hold the No. 1 Spot in the competitive Western Conference looking like the team to beat. Let’s not get it twisted-them Boys are a powerhouse on any given night and with Shai Gilgeous Alexander leading the squad the sky is their only limit. The Memphis Grizzlies (18-9) are picking up steam with a healthy Ja Morant on the floor. Now it’s all about building their way to the top and maintaining a strong hold. The Houston Rockets (17-9) are just now getting it together and improving as a young unit game by game. They have the potential and the goods to stay competitive all season long. The Dallas Mavericks (17-9) are steadily getting it together with Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving gelling game by game with their supporting cast playing their positions. Them Boys will remain a threat throughout the season. The Denver Nuggets (14-10) are not to be overlooked. Them Boys are going through the motions right now but remain in contender status and could easily take over the Western Conference at any time with Nikola Jokić averaging 30 points, 13 boards and 10 assists leading the pack. The Phoenix Suns (14-11) are definitely in the mix for contender contention but only if the 3 headed shooters Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal can stay healthy long enough to maintain a position in the running. Real Talk! As for the Golden State Warriors (14-11), the Minnesota Timberwolves (14-11), the LA Clippers (15-12), and the Los Angeles Lakers (14-12), any one of these competitive teams could easily move up in the tough Western Conference so don’t be surprised at an inevitable shuffle in the future standings.

Stay locked to another interesting Season.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About The NBA Season 2024/2025”

NBA Season 2024/2025

With the Boston Celtics regaining control by winning last year’s 2024 NBA Championship, the Celtics’ once again have a target on their backs and getting back to the promised land will not be an easy task this go around. However, with their team still intact with the same squad that got them their NBA leading 18 Championships, this team will definitely be looking to defend their hard-earned crown while welcoming all challengers from the East/West trying to block them of achieving back-to-back Championship glory.

The Eastern Conference has gained some significant ground with the Larry O’Brien trophy residing on their side for the time being but aside from the Defending Champions Boston Celtics, the jury is still out on who out of the Eastern Teams will come out the pack and pose a legitimate threat to the Celtics.

The New York Knicks have done a major upgrade by adding Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges to run aside a battle tested squad of OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Jalen Brunson. Giving the formidable starting 5, they will have to put in some serious work as a full unit in order to eclipse their previous successful year.

The Cleveland Cavaliers showed us once again that them Boys can ball during the regular season but they keep falling short in the playoffs. The Cavs just need to keep that same energy throughout the season and the postseason long enough to prove the naysayers wrong. I have them on the come up this year.

The Milwaukee Bucks are still amongst the top dogs in the East any given year with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard leading the pack but them Boys as a squad need to get it together asap in order to stay in the championship race.

The Philadelphia 76ers picked up Paul George to play alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey giving them their “Big Three” that is going to terrorize the league and give them a legitimate chance to compete for a Championship only if they can stay healthy enough for a long but competitive run.

The Indiana Pacers defied all odds last year by competing with the “Big Boys” night in and night out all the way to the Conference Finals but fell short due to injuries but with a healthy squad I expect these Boys to wreak havoc once again and outdo their previous year.

As for the remaining Eastern Conference teams the Miami Heat, the Atlanta Hawks, the Orlando Magic, Charlotte Hornets, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, the Brooklyn Nets and the Washington Wizards there is too much uncertainty surrounding these teams at this point but hopefully throughout the season they will be able to show their true identity to stake their claim.

The Western Conference continues to bear the mantle of the strongest conference, hands down, but newer faces keep moving up shaking up the conferences from top to bottom.

The Oklahoma City Thunder who “Started from the Bottom to the Top” all the way to the Western Conference Finals may have fallen short of an NBA Final but have all the right ingredients to find their way back to championship contention with the added experience earned and a Bonafide superstar in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading this young squad making this team must see TV on any given night.

The Dallas Mavericks reached the NBA Finals last year and with added fire power in Klay Thompson running aside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving and their solid supporting cast, if all healthy, anything less than reaching the NBA Finals and getting a crack at the Championship would be considered a failure. That being said be prepared for some serious balling to be going down with this squad.

The Denver Nuggets and their three-time MVP Nikola Jokic can never be counted out the mix. This team is solid from top to bottom. Although they may have lost a few good contributors to the team, they still have the experience needed to compete with the young and the old on any given night.

The New Orleans Pelicans are expected to make some serious noise this year with a healthy and slimmed down Zion Williamson leading the pack of solid veterans with a mix of youngins watching his back, them Boys might just be able to play spoiler if all goes well.

The Phoenix Suns have the shooters in Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal to outscore any team on any given night but have yet to show their full potential due to injuries. Hopefully they can put it all together this year and give us a good run in the Western Conference.

The Minnesota Timberwolves took the league by storm last year by being competitive on both ends of the floor and secured the third seed in a very tough Western Division. With Anthony Edwards steadily improving year by year alongside a motivated squad, them Boys should be able to continue their rise to the top of the food chain at a steady pace.

As for the remainder of the Western Conference Teams the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, the Sacramento Kings, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Houston Rockets, the San Antonio Spurs, the Utah Jazz and the Portland Trail Blazers, the Jury is still out. No Western team can truly be counted out even if dead last and judging by how the usual suspects have fallen only time will tell which team will find their way out of the pack and back into contention status.

Tune in on opening night Tuesday October 22, 2024, and be part of an intense but intriguing new NBA Season 2024/2025.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About 2024 NBA FINALS CHAMPIONS”

2024 NBA Champions

The Boston Celtics continued to stay true to their character and their No. 1 Seed by closing out the NBA Finals 4-1 with a dominant performance win over the Dallas Mavericks. The Celtics just added to their history by collecting their 18th Championship for their franchise and their first since 2008.

The Celtics, led by Jason Tatum and series MVP Jaylen Brown, were simply too much to overcome. Them two young and gifted athletes carried their tough squad to the promised land and delivered on their biggest night and did not drop the ball. Real Talk!

It was close out time and they did the job. The Boston squad knew what was at the end of the tunnel and as a unit wanted it more than the Mavericks who failed to keep up and never able to get back into the game when the Celtics came out the gate.

Simply put, it the Mavericks got outplayed, outgunned and out hustled by the better team.
The Celtics owned the NBA regular season and maintained the momentum to a dominant Playoff run all the way to conquering the NBA Finals to now being crowned the NBA Champion of the NBA Season 2024.

Congratulations to the Boston Celtics for completing a very convincing season from start to finish. You Boys earned this one Hands down!

Well Done!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About The NBA FINALS 2024”

The NBA Finals 2024

With the completion of the NBA’s version of the Final 4 now officially over, the two remaining teams representing their respective coasts are the No. 1 Seeded Boston Celtics for the EASTSIDE and the No. 5 Seeded Dallas Mavericks for the WESTSIDE.

Boston stayed true to their character and their No. 1 Seed by staying focussed and driven throughout the Playoffs and demolishing every team that dared to challenge their right to grace the NBA Finals.

The Celtics are coming into these Finals as the favourites by the way they’ve looked so strong in these Playoff runs. This well-balanced Boston squad armed with Jason Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday and company, have all the right ingredients needed to capture another Championship for the city.

That being said, standing in their way looking to spoil the plans of yet another team are the Dallas Mavericks who are cocked and loaded with two very talented offensive assassins in Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving ready to cause enough havoc while leading their squad through the last obstacle standing in their way of an NBA Finals Championship. The Mavericks have quietly silenced all their nonbelievers game by game throughout the Playoffs to the point that now they can no longer be avoided or disrespected. The Mavericks are the real deal and a serious threat to the Celtics.

That said, Boston will have to be on point on both sides of the court and continue their dominating performance and not let the hyped-up Mavericks get any type of momentum going their way. Both teams know of the opposition’s strength and weaknesses but which side will have the right “game plan” to capitalized on it in their favor.

The stakes are high but there can only be one Champion when it’s all said and done so tune in this Thursday night June 6, 2024 live on ABC for Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Who you got?

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About 2024 NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS”

2024 NBA Western Conference Finals

With the No. 1 Seed Oklahoma City Thunder and No. 2 Seed Defending Champs Denver Nuggets officially expelled out of the Playoffs, a new face will be crowned to represent the Western Conference at the completion of this year’s Western Conference Finals.

The No. 3 Seed Minnesota Timberwolves needed a Game 7 to dispatch of the Defending Champs Denver Nuggets but with the experience earned throughout that tough series and momentum firmly on their side, these can be key factors in helping them overcome the No. 5 Seed Dallas Mavericks who themselves needed a Game 6 to dispatch of No. 1 Seed Oklahoma City Thunder to secure their spot as well.

Although the Wolves don’t possess the Playoff experience the Mavericks will be coming in with, they do have the NBA’s meanest defense when focussed at the task at hand. Both teams have the young personnel bubbling for super stardom and the capability to take over games. Anthony Edwards is looking at making a name for himself and the Timberwolves in this series while the tough one two punch of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving leading the way for the Mavericks, they will be looking to offset whatever the Wolves throw their way.

As great as Anthony Edwards is turning out to be he will need the help of his entire squad to slow down and dispatch this fiery Mavericks squad in order to move on to the NBA Finals.

The intrigue is at an all-time high in the Western Conference Playoffs so tune in the night of Wednesday, May 22, 2024, for Game 1 and witness the drama unfold.

Who you got?

Blaze

ON The Watch “It’s All About The NBA PLAYOFFS WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS”

NBA PLAYOFFS WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS 2024

These attention-grabbing matchups in the second round of action are definitely must-see TV. The No 1. Seed in the Western Conference the Oklahoma City Thunder had themselves a quick four-game sweep in the first round of action and are now looking at a possible stiffer challenge in the form of the No. 5 Seed Dallas Mavericks. The Thunder are looking the part game by game and raising their play when push comes to shove and with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander growing into a superstar, the Mavs might have just met their match.

The Defending Champs the No. 2 Seeded Denver Nuggets had themselves a warm up in the first round by dispatching the Lakers in 5 but are now looking at a second round of action with a much younger, healthier and improved No. 3 Seeded Minnesota Timberwolves squad fresh of a sweep of the Phoenix Suns. Them Boys with Anthony Edwards turning into a bonified superstar are looking like they could have the goods at derailing the Defending Champs.

These are two very intriguing series to keep an eye on so stay locked in and don’t miss the action!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About The NBA PLAYOFFS 2024”

NBA Playoffs 2024 (Sweet 16)

With another full 82-Games NBA Season now over and the NBA Play-In Tournament successfully completed, we are now officially ready for the NBA Playoffs 2024.

“King of The Court” and the No. 1 Seed in the entire league belong to the Boston Celtics (64-18). Them Boys balled hard the entire season looking motivated and focused from the jump. Their squad looks complete from top to bottom and battle ready for whatever the Playoff runs have in store for them. This could definitely be their year.

The No. 2 Seeded New York Knicks (50-32) impressed all year and battled their way through to earn their spot. With Julius Randle out of commission for the Playoffs, the Knicks still managed to bring a worthy team to the dance. The way they finished the regular season is proof enough to me that they are ready for what awaits them in the first round of the Playoffs.

The No. 3 Seeded Milwaukee Bucks (49-33) faught hard to hold on to their spot but are coming in wounded with their star player Giannis Antetokounmpo and other key players still battling injuries making them vulnerable in surviving the first round.

The Cleveland Cavaliers (48-34) hold the No. 4 Spot in the tough and improving Eastern Conference but for some reason peeps are sleeping on them. Them Boys over there have a chip on their shoulders and they are driven to prove to the naysayers out there that they belong in the Playoff run as well, so be on the lookout for them Boys.

The Orlando Magic the No. 5 Seed (47-35), the Indiana Pacers No. 6 Seed (47-35), the Philadelphia 76ers the No. 7 Seed (47-35) and the Miami Heat No. 8 Seed (46-36) all fought exceptionally hard to hold on to a spot in the Playoffs but that being said, they also could have been seeded much higher in the standing if it wasn’t for some unexpected injuries to key players throughout the season. Nevertheless, any one of these teams could steal the show on any given night so stay tuned in to a very intriguing first round of Playoff action.

The stronghold of the Western Conference continues again but there are new faces dominating the hierarchy this time around with two top teams with identical records. The Oklahoma City Thunder have captured the No. 1 Seed (57-25) over the Defending Champs the Denver Nuggets the No. 2 Seed (57-25) who are looking at a repeat run at the Championship. That won’t be easy with the Thunder squad looking prime and ready for the challenges ahead.

The Minnesota Timberwolves the No. 3 Seed (56-23) are the sleepers in this year’s Playoff run that peeps need to keep an extra eye on. Them Boys have a bonafide star in Anthony Edwards and a solid squad that could easily disrupt and outplay any of the Teams looking past them if they are not taken seriously.

The Los Angeles Clippers the No. 4 Seed (51-31) are coming in a little shaky with the uncertainty of Kawhi Leonard’s availability for the first round series, leaving the squad quite vulnerable. Nevertheless, the Clips still have enough firepower to hopefully stand up and hold it down until Kawhi is able to resume play with the team.

The Dallas Mavericks No. 5 Seed (50-32) are finally gelling with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving who have been playing in sync Basketball, complementing each other the way two superstars should do and peaking at the right time. They are battle tested and healthy and are ready to do damage in this year’s Playoff run.

The Phoenix Suns No. 6 Seed (49-33), the Los Angeles Lakers the No. 7 Seed (47-35) and the New Orleans Pelicans the No. 8 Seed (49-33) all have their work cut out for them if they have any plans to disrupt the new hierarchy developing in the Western Conference. These lowered seeded teams could definitely shake up their Playoffs standing if caught sleeping.

The game is changing and moving at a faster pace. This year’s Playoff runs are attention-grabbing from top to bottom so tune in and witness the outcome.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About The NBA-Who’s On Top?”

THE NBA Who’s On Top?

We are officially past the midpoint mark for the NBA Season with 42 plus games played to date and still holding down the No. 1 Spot in the league are the Boston Celtics (35-10). Them Boys haven’t lost a beat and seem to be getting stronger as a unit game by game on both ends of the floor. Once again, the competitiveness of the Eastern Conference is vastly improving, keeping things quite interesting throughout the season so far. Creeping up behind them are the Milwaukee Bucks (31-13), the Philadelphia 76ers (29-14), the New York Knicks (28-17), the Cleveland Cavaliers (26-16), the Indiana Pacers (25-20), the Miami Heat (24-21) and the Orlando Magic (23-21). The Eastern Conference is definitely heating up!

The usual suspects at the top have taken quite the hit this year but surprisingly still holding down the No. 1 Spot in the Western Conference are the Minnesota Timberwolves (32-13). Them Boys have been looking the part game by game showing the basketball world that they are on a mission to silence the naysayers out there but, breathing down their necks looking to overtake them are the Oklahoma City Thunder (31-13) and the Defending Champions Denver Nuggets (31-13) while the Los Angeles Clippers (28-14), the Phoenix Suns (26-18), the New Orleans Pelicans (26-18), the Sacramento Kings (25-18) and the Dallas Mavericks (24-20) are all staying within striking distance to overtake one another in the standings at any given time. Real Talk!

The power struggles within both conferences continues to give the second half of the season that much more “HYPE” so stay locked in.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About The NBA-Who’s On Top?”

The NBA Who’s on Top?

We are officially at the Quarter mark of this year’s NBA Season and with the successful completion of the first NBA In-Season Tournament, the changing of the guards is looking quite optimistic within the early standings updates making some teams quite uncomfortable at the moment.

The NBA In-Season Tournament created some traction and some competitiveness that kept the players involved and motivated to reach the destination in Las Vegas and the two surprising teams to represent their respective coasts for this In-Season Tournament were none other than the two No. 5 Seeds in the Indiana Pacers (12-8) and the Los Angeles Lakers (14-9). Staged on a neutral floor both teams balled out like the NBA Finals and brought us a serious game this early into the season. LeBron James and Anthony Davis took it to the next level and raised the bar with LeBron closing out the game with 24 points and 11 boards while Davis finished off a run that secured him the first NBA Cup MVP Award with a performance of 41 points and 20 boards. Unbelievable! The Laker’s one-two-punch was simply too much for Indiana to contain. The Lakers were the In-Season Tournament’s best team from the jump and proved it by walking away with the Trophy of the NBA’s first In-Season Tournament. As the In-Season Tournament Champion all the players and coaches on the Lakers will receive $500.000 each and as runners-up, the Indiana Pacers will receive $200,000 each. Incentive well-earned.

In Season Tournament aside the championship game will not count for either team’s regular season record, unlike every other game played in the event.

Although the In-Season Tournament was interesting, the true and surprising team holding down the No. 1 Spot is none other then the Minnesota Timberwolves (17-4). Them Boys have been looking like true contenders game by game. The season is a long one but if they can maintain the right nucleus and keep growing as a unit, they could see themselves creating some serious havoc come Playoff time.

Another surprising team on the come up is the Oklahoma City Thunder (14-7). With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander increasingly improving year by year and leading this team to stardom, the Thunder seems to have the right attitude and competitiveness to maintain their position amongst the tough Western Conference.

The Dallas Mavericks (13-8) have been maintaining but have also been hit with the injury bug to key players like Kyrie Irving. Depending on how long Kyrie could be out they could find themselves in the hole quickly if Luka can’t hold down the fort for the time being.

The Defending Champs the Denver Nuggets (14-9) haven’t been themselves as of late but still maintain a certain presence in the league as Defending Champs. Health is key and when healthy they are damn near unstoppable. Nikola Jokic is still piling up the stats in an impressive fashion and has proven capable to carry the team when needed.

With new faces climbing up the standing in the Western Conference the Los Angeles Lakers (14-9) (In-Season Tournament Champion), Sacramento Kings (12-8) and the Phoenix Suns (12-10) could find themselves moving up in no time.

The Boston Celtics (16-5) are holding the No. 2 Spot in the league and are in a very competitive Eastern Conference where the new players on the squad have been gelling just right. Them Boys are proving to be legit and can ball with the best of them from either coast. Definitely early contenders on the watch.

The Orlando Magic (15-7) have showed mass improvement and seem to be getting it together. They have been competitive night in and night out but still have lots to prove but are definitely willing to put in that work.

The Milwaukee Bucks (15-7) have proven to have the fire power on the offensive end to hold onto their standing for now but where they fall is at the defensive end. With the loss of Jrue Holiday, the defense has taken a major hit that needs to be addressed if they are to compete towards a Championship.

The Philadelphia 76ers (14-7) have been competitive for the time being but do also suffer from weak defense that needs to be addressed as well. Two-way player MVP Joel Embiid is playing at an all-time high but can’t cover every part of floor at the same time.

The Indiana Pacers (12-8) (In-Season Tournament runners-up), the Cleveland Cavaliers (13-9), the New York Knicks (12-9), the Brooklyn Nets (12-9) and the Miami Heat (12-10) all have the talent but lack consistency but with the right momentum going their way could find themselves bumping the higher ups down from their pedestals.

So much can change from game to game so stay locked in as the season progresses.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About The NBA Season 2023/2024”

The NBA Season 2023/2024

With the Denver Nuggets finally breaking through and claiming last year’s 2023 NBA Championship, the Nuggets have now placed a target on their back and getting back to the promised land once again will not be an easy task this time around. With the team still intact with the same squad that got them their first Larry O’Brien trophy, this Championship team will definitely be looking to defend their hard-earned title while accepting all challengers from the East/West trying to prevent them of achieving back-to-back Championship glory.

That being said, with quite a few players jumping ship from East to West and from West to East this summer in effect changing the balance of power, the Western Conference still continues to bear the mantle of the strongest conference.

The Memphis Grizzlies, who had an amazing season last year, will be looking to pick up from where they left off with their squad pretty much still intact with some key new faces added, but they will have to maintain their play without their All-Star player Ja Morant who has been suspended for the first 25 games due to misconduct detrimental to the NBA. This group will have their work cut out for them but time will tell if they still got the juice.

The Phoenix Suns have their own new version of the “Big Three” with their latest acquisition of Bradley Beal to run aside Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. With them three lethal shooters lightening up the scoreboard night in and night out, their win column will definitely be up during the regular season but their defense will remain questionable.

The Golden State Warriors are at a crossroads with father time as their core players who have been running the team are getting older but when your star player is Stephen Curry who is still playing at a top 5 level at 35 years old, you still have plenty of lifeline needed to hopefully bring one more title to the Bay. This unit has experience on their side and with some new fresh faces to back up the core unit, they still have the goods to wreak havoc when push comes to shove.

The Los Angeles Lakers will always be in the running as long as they have LeBron James and Anthony Davis causing havoc at both ends of the floor. If both of these Dudes can stay healthy for most of the season and their supporting cast can keep up with them, the West could belong to them because as of right now a LeBron James at 38 years old is still top 5 on any given night.

As for the remainder of the Western Conference Teams the Sacramento Kings, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Dallas Mavericks, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Utah Jazz, the New Orleans Pelicans and the Houston Rockets, they will all have to duke it out and play musical chairs. Some of these teams have already proven themselves last year in a major way but we all know that the Westside doesn’t play. It’s do or die on this side so making the top 8 is a tough task within itself.

The Eastern Conference is looking to shake the league up again with top players relocating and changing the balance of power making this Season that much more intriguing. The Boston Celtics may have made the best move out of them all with them picking up Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to reinforce their starting line-up. Them two alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown is a defensive and offensive nightmare for their opposition. It will be interesting to see who will hold down that No. 1 Seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Milwaukee Bucks may have lost Jrue Holiday but they had themselves a major pick up in Damian Lillard a lethal assassin on that court riding shot gun to Giannis Antetokounmpo. Once Damian gets acclimated with his new teammates things will start moving a lot faster on the offensive end where teams will have a problem stopping this deadly duo in the open court.

I had high hopes for the Philadelphia 76ers to wreak havoc throughout the Season but with the uncertainty of James Harden on whether he’s staying with Philly or going is making things look quite bleak at the moment. Their one major strong point is that they have the reigning MVP Joel Embiid playing at a high level and with a strong core still intact they could still make some noise. Tyrese Maxey is that gem that could have another breakout season to help carry the load off of Embiid.

The Cleveland Cavaliers had the league shook the way they balled out last year making some serious noise throughout the season and in the Playoffs. They have the goods to do even better this time around with the valuable experience they pick up on their journey. They have to show up and prove that last year’s success was not a fluke. With Donovan Mitchell steadily improving in his leadership role, the sky is their only limit.

As for the remaining Eastern Conference teams the Miami Heat, the New York Knicks, the Atlanta Hawks, the Indiana Pacers, the Toronto Raptors, the Chicago Bulls, the Brooklyn Nets, the Charlotte Hornets, the Orlando Magic, the Detroit Pistons and the Washington Wizards, the jury is still out on most of them. There are too many unknowns and too much uncertainty surrounding these teams making it real hard to really assess where they’re at.

However, with the NBA holding an in-Season tournament for the first time between November 3, 2023 and December 9, 2023 with all games except the final counting toward the regular Season standings, this will give a chance to the bottom teams from the Eastern/Western conferences to prove they belong by giving all participating teams a much-needed incentive and the motivation to compete night in and night out.

This new added format could be a game changer and for that alone we should all tune in this Tuesday night October 24, 2023, and be part of another fascinating NBA Season 2023/2024.

Blaze