2020 NBA Season: The Time is Now
Well thank god January is over. It has been one of the worst starts to the year since I can remember. On the bright side, February has started with a bang. Super Bowl Sunday came and went and it left us with plenty of great memories. But where do we go from here? It’s time for Basketball to take the national spotlight, in terms of sports.
Basketball on National Stage
The next sporting event that will take place on a national scale is the NBA Finals. There has already been tremendous loss and hurt on the side of the Los Angeles Lakers from the death of their beloved superstar, Kobe Bryant. They entered the season as favorites to win the title but now they have an even bigger chip on their shoulders. Their goal isn’t to win a championship for Los Angeles anymore, it’s to win it for Kobe. Nothing would be a better tribute to Kobe’s legacy than bringing a championship back to the city he loved. The man that lived for basketball and was the embodiment of hardwork and dedication. The Lakers’ last title came in 2010 when Kobe was still on the team.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis have the weight of Los Angeles on their shoulders and it seems like this is the perfect time right? With the Warriors no longer being the dictators of basketball, this opens up the floor for many teams to be in the mix. The top three teams to win the title are the Los Angeles Lakers followed by the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Clippers. I think the NBA title will finally come back to Los Angeles this season. But it’s not the team you’re thinking of.
The 2020 NBA Champions
The Los Angeles Clippers will be the 2019-20 NBA champions. It’s easy to like the Lakers to win it all, but the Clippers have had that winning mentality way back when the season had just started. They rest their star players and play them on a load management mentality because they know that it doesn’t matter how many games you won in the regular season. The only thing that matters is if they win 12 playoff games.
Of course, from a fan standpoint, this is rather discouraging. You want to see your team put out their best players and have them play as hard as they can. But wouldn’t you sacrifice seeing your favorite team trying hard in the regular season so they have their best chance of winning it all in the playoffs?
Why They’ll Win
Basketball is a very complex sport. They play 82 games in the regular season. Basketball is also very intense mentally and physically. Besides hockey, I would say that the NBA season is the most draining than the other major sports. In the NFL, the seasons are short and it feels like a marathon because they only play 16 regular season games. Yes, the games are very intense, even more so than NBA games but still it’s a sprint. The NBA puts more strain on their players than any other league, except for the NHL. Because of this, I think load management is the smartest strategy a team can have.
The Los Angeles Lakers appear as though they have a better chance than the Los Angeles Clippers on paper because of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. And I am not trying to discredit Kawhi Leonard or Paul George but I’m positive everyone in the league would rather have LeBron James and Anthony Davis. But the reason the Los Angeles Clippers will win is because when the playoffs come the team will still have their legs under them. They will not have suffered through the NBA season like the other teams have.
Who Can Stop Them?
The only way that this will negatively affect them when the playoffs come around is that they are going to have to face a higher seed since they won’t finish the season as a high seed like the Lakers. The Lakers will finish in the first seed so they will play the eighth seed which is most likely between the Grizzlies and the Trailers Blazers. Teams that the Lakers should have no problem getting by. They will make quick work of the Grizzlies in a maximum of 5 games but the Trail Blazers might take them to 6 games.
Either way expect a quick and easy 5 game series no matter what team the Lakers face. The Clippers look like they might be facing the likes of the Rockets or the Mavericks. Both of these teams will definitely put up a fight. So yeah the Clippers might play a tougher playoff schedule but I’m sure that it won’t make too much of a difference since they are on pace to rest their star players for 20-30 regular season games. Even if they play an extra game or two in the playoffs at a higher intensity than the Lakers, the Clippers will be better prepared for the playoff sprint and run home with the championship in the end.
If you’re looking to support the Lakers either way and hope for the best then check out these fresh Starter Jackets from Shiekh. They provide amazing style and comfort, making it perfect for taking it to the game or watching the game at home. Makes sure to take advantage of their Affirm payment plans as well!
What You Need to Know
What do I do now that football is over?
It’s time to move on to basketball. This year’s champion is anyone’s guess. But we favorite the Los Angeles Clippers to be the 2020 NBA Champions.
Where can I get the latest NBA gear?
Shiekh offers a wide variety of clothing options that will definitely keep fans in style year round. Our favorite are the Starter Jackets.