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LeBron James barely had time to put down his last trophy before having to start defending it.
It was an extremely short offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers, who won their 17th NBA championship on October 11. That didn’t leave them much time to rest and relax before heading back to work before their first game of the season on Dec. 22.
But it was long enough to charge for a repeat run.
In addition to signing James and fellow superstar Anthony Davis to contract extensions, the Lakers added Montrezl Harrell and Dennis Schroder, who finished 1-2 last season in voting for the Sixth Man Award. Former Defensive Player of the Year Marc Gasol now occupies the center and will be counted on Wesley Matthews to knock down wide shots created by James, who led the league last season in assists.
That has the Lakers looking like the favorites to remain the best in the West and perhaps the entire NBA, which would break a tie with Boston to make them the winningest franchise in league history. James won back-to-back titles in Miami and understands the difficulty of trying to stay on top.
“I think the bullseye gets even bigger, even if that’s possible,” James said, beginning his 18th season. “For me personally, the bullseye has always been on my back, or on my forehead, since I entered the league and then you add the Lakers name on top of that. The Lakers franchise, the bullseye has also been in this franchise for a long time.
“Understanding that everyone is going to come after us, everyone is going to try to take away our title defense. But for me, personally, last year we won the ring, we won a title and this year is a new challenge ”.
A look to the West, in the expected order of completion of the regular season:
PLAYOFF LIMIT
1. Los Angeles Lakers – Once LeBron James claimed the Eastern Conference title in 2011, he held it for eight years, so it won’t be easy for any team in the West to take it from him.
2. Denver – The Nikoka Jokic-Jamal Murray combination could be the envy of many teams for years.
3. Los Angeles Clippers – Kawhi Leonard, Paul George will have to shake off an ugly ending to last season when they start over with new coach Tyronn Lue.
4. Portland: Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum could finally have the health and talent in their frontcourt to allow the Trail Blazers to play like they did in the bubble all season.
5. Utah – The Jazz have shots on the outside, Rudy Gobert on the inside and Donovan Mitchell to do it all on nights when those things aren’t good enough.
6. Phoenix – Unbeaten streak in the bubble followed by the acquisition of Chris Paul has the Suns thinking big.
7. Dallas – Luka Doncic could very well win the Most Valuable Player award, but Kristaps Porzingis needs to stay healthy to be in the lineup with him for the Mavericks to win much more than that.
8. Houston – Could finish much higher – or lower – depending on what happens to the James Harden situation that lingers in coach Stephen Silas’ first season.
IN THE MIX
9. New Orleans – The Pelicans have had Zion Williamson since the beginning of the season, this time when they start playing with new coach Stan Van Gundy.
10. Golden State – Stephen Curry will try to return the Warriors to the playoffs, but it won’t be easy with Klay Thompson on the verge of missing a second straight season with injury.
11. Memphis – Rookie of the Year Ja Morant and the Grizzlies won’t sneak up on anyone like they did last season in a surprising run that nearly earned them a playoff spot.
FACING LONG ODDS
12. Sacramento – De’Aaron Fox will make the Kings play fast and fun, but it takes a little more to compete in the West.
13. Minnesota: Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell are proven players, but it could take time, No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards, to make an impact in the NBA with so little setup time.
14. San Antonio – It seems strange to start any season without putting San Antonio in a playoff spot, but Gregg Popovich’s Spurs are no longer the safest thing in the NBA.
15. Oklahoma City – The Thunder are equipped with future draft picks, but that won’t do them any good on the court now.
WHAT TO KNOW
THE OTHER TEAM OF THE
The Clippers’ collapse in the bubble, when they blew a 3-1 lead against Denver in the Western Conference finals, cost them a showdown with the Lakers and coach Doc Rivers their job. Tyronn Lue will now attempt to take them to the NBA Finals venue that was out of the franchise’s reach.
THE HOUSTON PROBLEM
The Rockets have the longest current streak of NBA playoff appearances at eight years, all since James Harden arrived for the 2012-13 season. But with Harden potentially on his way out amid reports that he wants to be traded, Houston enters the season as a stranger.
RISING SUN
Phoenix hasn’t made the playoffs since 2010, when they lost to the Lakers in the Western Conference finals. The Suns had a spirited run to end that by going 8-0 in the seeded games at Walt Disney World and now returning with an All-Star backcourt after trading Chris Paul to play alongside Devin Booker. who averaged 26.6 points last season.
GOLDEN AGAIN?
Five consecutive NBA Finals appearances were followed by the worst record in the NBA, as the Warriors fell to the bottom of basketball when Klay Thompson missed the season and Stephen Curry missed most of it. Curry will attempt to return Golden State to the postseason, still without his backcourt partner, but with some intriguing pieces including Andrew Wiggins, newcomer Kelly Oubre Jr. and No. 2 pick James Wiseman.
THE MAN FROM MAVERICKS
Luka Doncic led the NBA with 17 triple-doubles last season to lead a powerful Dallas offense. But the Mavericks had to finish the playoffs without an injured Kristaps Porzingis and start this season the same way, so the point guard might have to be even better than last season to get through the first part of his schedule.
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