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In the other opening day game, the Golden State Warriors will face the Brooklyn Nets.
Unlike the Lakers, the Warriors haven’t played a game since March 10, 287 days ago.
These differences between teams could play an important role in the outcome of the season.
The team has been busy during the offseason, adding likely starters Marc Gasol, 35, and Wesley Matthews, 34, along with current NBA Sixth Man of the Year, Montrezl Harrell.
The Lakers’ likely starting lineup of James, Anthony Davis, Gasol, Matthews and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope looks formidable. But an average age of 31.6 years on opening night makes him one of the five oldest starters in NBA history.
Giannis and the Bucks
It is worth $ 228.2 million and is the largest in NBA history.
Some thought Antetokounmpo might leave the Bucks, but he stayed true, saying on social media: “This is my home, this is my city. I’m lucky to be able to be a part of the Milwaukee Bucks for the next 5 years. Let’s do it. May these years count. The show goes on, let’s do it. “
“I know there is probably more attention and more media when guys move and change, but I reflect on the guys who have stayed,” Budenholzer said.
“For me, a guy like Tim Duncan, a Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, guys like that, who have stayed in one place and made their legacy to win and win championships and win at a high level, wherever that may be. they were drawn up, be it a large market, a small market. “
A championship would certainly leave a legacy in Milwaukee for Antetokounmpo.
The Bucks dominated the 2019-20 regular season, finishing with the best record in the entire league.
When the playoffs rolled around, however, the team underperformed, losing its first game to the eighth seed Orlando Magic, before crashing in the Eastern conference semifinals to eventual runners-up Miami Heat.
Despite the wet end of the season, Antetokounmpo won the NBA MVP for the second year in a row.
For Antetokounmpo’s contract to pay off, for both parties, he has to bring to the city his second NBA title, and what better year to do it than the 50th anniversary of his first win in 1971.
Harden going to Brooklyn?
With those three lined up in black and white in New York, the Nets would immediately become legitimate contenders.
Even if Harden stays with the Rockets, the future doesn’t look bright for the team and it could be mutually beneficial if the eight-year relationship comes to an end.
A hard reset for Houston may be the only way out of this situation.
Is the Golden State dynasty over?
Between 2015-2019, the Golden State Warriors reached the NBA Finals each season, winning three titles. In 2020, the Warriors finished with the worst record in the entire NBA, notching just 15 wins in 65 games.
Missing stars Steph Curry, for most of the season, and Klay Thompson, through it all, turned out to be too great a loss for the team.
The next season raised hope for the team to show that the 2019-20 season was a bump, and that the return of Curry and Thompson, along with the addition of Wiseman, could get the team back in the fight.
“I can’t just sit here and say I feel good,” Warriors general manager Bob Myers said. “I have confidence in our players. I have confidence in our coaches. I have confidence in our property. We are going to keep moving. We are never going to stop. But to be honest, it hurts. It hurts and I know it hurts our organization.”
Unless other players step up in a meaningful way, it’s hard to see the Warriors prove the 2019-20 season was a mistake.
