Everything is finally official for the upcoming season in the NBA. The Players' Association and the NBA have agreed, and we are finally going to see exciting basketball action this coming December 22, 2020.
Negotiations between free agents and teams can start as early as November 20, 2020. Teams can sign players in free agency by November 22, 2020. The season will consist of 72 regular games. The NBA Draft will take place on November 18. By the end of the month, we might have a better idea of how the different teams will look.
With the NBA starting this coming December, we are set to see a classic favorite occur with NBA on Christmas Day. With the new season coming up, we may see the start of an amazing new rivalry between two giants; the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Lakers – Warriors rivalry?
Back in 2018, LeBron James brought his talents to Los Angeles to bring greatness back to the Purple And Gold. They didn't get far that season, but in 2019, James made moves to convince Anthony Davis to join him in Los Angeles. The duo would later led the Lakers towards a Championship in what was NBA's longest ever season.
In another corner in Southern California are the rebuilding Golden State Warriors. From 2015 to 2019, the Warriors made continuous appearances in the NBA Finals and won 3 of those 5 appearances. However, last season, they received numerous blows through injuries. The Warriors pretty much lost all their stars. Kevin Durant suffered a torn Achilles tendon. Klay Thompson tore his ACL. Stephen Curry broke his hand. The Warriors were unable to make a playoff appearance for the first time since 2012.
This coming season, though, the Warriors are looking to make a comeback with a strong and healthy squad. With James and Davis now in Southern California, we may be seeing these two teams develop a great rivalry on the West Coast.
Christmas Day preview
We may get treated to an early preview of what may become something great. ESPN's Brian Windhorst hinted earlier this week that we might see the two teams headline the Christmas Day event. He said that this 'centerpiece' game would be great with the Splash Brothers back in action. Aside from their two biggest assets making a comeback, they will also have their third pick from the draft. Another surprise that the Warriors could bring in is Jeremy Lin, who has expressed interest in joining the team and has recently trained with Curry.
In 2018, the two teams actually faced each other on Christmas Day, but it wasn't as exciting. The Lakers won the game but ultimately lost their hopes of making a playoff appearance after James suffered a groin injury and missed a significant number of games for the remainder of the season.
With the coronavirus still posing as a problem for everyone, the NBA is currently trying to reduce players traveling so we may see more local games during the season. Also, we still won't be seeing any fans on the bleachers for any of the games.
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