Double Clutch NBA 2015-16 Season Guide

DOUBLE CLUTCH 2015-16 season guide #NBAintheUK

Š 2015 | Double Clutch is not affiliated with the NBA and does not claim ownership over any NBA audio, video or images used. All rights are those of the NBA & NBA UK. All content produced is purely for non commercial means. 2015-16 Season Guide designed and produced by Matthew Wellington.

welcome to our first ever season guide

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for! After an incredible summer which saw the San Antonio Spurs obtain LaMarcus Aldridge, the National Basketball Association is back and we cannot wait!

We’ve done some work on the website this summer to give it a more modern and user friendly experience.

Every article now posted allows you to comment and share via the various social networks, and the new theme is mobile and tablet friendly so you can keep up with the NBA on the go.

Just like last season the main port of call for NBA fans in the UK will be of course, Twitter, but more specifically hash tag NBAintheUK.

On the website we’ve got Podcasts on every single NBA Division and much more to come throughout the 2015-16 regular season.

It’s been truly fantastic to see the support for the NBA this summer, and we’ve had a record number of download figures once again and as more and more of you get involved, the platform grows. The NBA grows.

So all that’s left to say is a massive thank you to everybody who has contributed their time and effort this off-season, including Kristen Ledlow at NBA TV, and 2K Sports who gave a select few of us a special treat this past summer.

It’s not only a great way of letting us know your thoughts and emotions, but also a fantastic way of joining the growing NBA community on these small islands, and trust us when we say this, you are not alone.

It’s been an incredibe four seasons thus far, so let’s make this one the best yet.

Whether you’re rooting for the MVP Stephen Curry or Marcus Smart, everyone is welcome here.

We are not responsible for any lack of sleep, alarms missed or sick days pulled.

Enjoy the guide, the show and most importantly the new season!

how the

works

Two Conferences.

EAST WEST

Six Divisions Atlantic Central Southeast Northwest Pacific Southwest

Each team plays: 4 games against the other 4 division opponents, [4x4=16 games] 4 games against 6 (out-of-division) conference opponents, [4x6=24 games] 3 games against the remaining 4 conference teams, [3x4=12 games] 2 games against teams in the opposing conference. [2x15=30 games]

There are 82 games overall, not including the Playoffs.

The goal of the NBA schedule, as it is constructed, is to be efficient from a competitive standpoint with an indirect consideration of travel costs.

A win is a win, a loss is a loss, there are no 3 pts for a win here.

The top 8 teams from each conference make the Playoffs.

THE UK GUIDE TO ALL 30

FRANCHISES

If you’re new to the NBA, then you may be wondering who to follow. It’s a daunting task. It’s a foreign sport, and with no knowledge or background on the Association, it’s difficult to find common ground.

You know... something to cheer about.

Well luckily for you we created a guide, a British guide to the NBA franchise. Featuring all 30 NBA franchises.

Ross Macleod and Matthew Wellington break down each team, its history and its memorable moments.

EASTERN CONFERENCE WESTERN CONFERENCE

northwest division denver nuggets

oklahoma city thunder

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The franchise began in 1967 as the Denver Rockets before joining the NBA in 1974. They were renamed as the Nuggets, due to Houston already having the Rockets nickname.

To date, Denver has never won the Western Conference but has won 7 division titles, 3 in the last 8 years.

In 1993, the Nuggets shocked the NBA by eliminating the top seeded Seattle Supersonics in the first round of the playoffs. This was the first time a number one seed had lost a series to an eighth placed team.

The Nuggets are owned by Stan Kronke, who will be familiar to EPL fans as Arsenals’ majority shareholder.

On December 13th 1983 the Nuggets and Pistons combined to score 370 points. The Pistons eventually won after overtimes, with the final score being 186184. This remains the highest scoring game in NBA history.

minnesota timberwolves •

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The T-Wolves joined the NBA as an expansion team in 1989, finishing with just 22 wins and 60 losses in their debut season.

They recorded their best season in 03-04 with 58 wins, and went to the Western Conference finals, where they lost to the LA Lakers.

The most recognizable player in their history is Kevin Garnett, who won MVP honors in 2004. He spent 12 seasons in Minnesota, before being traded to Boston in the off-season of 2007, where he won the NBA Championship in his first year with the Celtics.

To date, the Timberwolves have not reached the Playoffs for ten consecutive seasons, the longest streak of any current NBA team.

The offseason of 2014 saw the trade of All Star forward Kevin Love to Cleveland. In return the Wolves received the number one picks of the ’13 and ’14 Draft in Anthony Bennett and the hugely talented Andrew Wiggins on who the franchise plans to build its future on.

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Originally known as the Seattle Supersonics, they entered the NBA in 1967 and played in Seattle until 2008. The franchise was then sold and relocated to Oklahoma, retaining the Sonics history but leaving behind the team name so if any future team in Seattle was established then the old name could be used.

The team gets its name from the violent thunderstorms in the area as it is situated in ‘Tornado Alley’, and the links to the 45th Infantry Division, known as the ‘Thunderbirds’ They have contested the three of the last four Western Conference finals, losing to Dallas and San Antonio respectively, but advanced to the Finals in 2012 before losing to the Miami Heat in five games.

Kevin Durant led the league in scoring in the 2013-14 season, averaging 32 points per game and winning the regular season MVP award. He has finished as the league top scorer in four of the past five seasons, and is also the youngest player to win a scoring title.

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The ‘Blazers’ were founded in 1970, and have always played in the City of Portland, Oregon.

To date they have won 1 NBA Championship, in 1977, and 3 Western Conference titles. The last NBA final they contested was in 1992, where they lost to a Jordan inspired Chicago Bulls team.

They took on the nickname ‘Rip City’ from their famous announcer Bill Schonely. During a broadcast,Schonely exclaimed “Rip City! All right!” and the name became popular with fans since.

The franchise has also enjoyed a strong following; from 1977 through 1995, the team sold out 814 consecutive home games, the longest such streak in American professional sports. That streak was broken when they moved to their new arena, The Rose Garden, in late ’95.

utah jazz •

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The Jazz were originally founded in New Orleans, in 1974 before moving to Utah in ’79 and keeping the Jazz name. (Even though Salt Lake City is not particularly known for Jazz music….)

Their best period of success came in the mid to late 90s, where they contested consecutive NBA Finals against the Chicago Bulls, losing 4-2 in each series.

The Jazz once boasted the All-Star tandem of point guard John Stockton and power forward Karl Malone.

They have the fifth best winning percentage amongst active NBA teams, only the Lakers, Celtics, Spurs and Suns have a better record.

Game 6 of the 1998 finals, which saw the Bulls win the series, had the highest TV audience of any NBA game. The Bulls held on to win the game, after John Stockton missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

atlantic division new york knicks •

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The Knicks currently have two NBA Championships, both of which were attained in the 1970s under coach William ‘Red’ Holzman.

In 1985 Patrick Ewing became a Knick and the ‘Ewing Era’ began. Ewing is perhaps most famous for leading the Knicks to two Finals’ appearances in 1994 and 1999. He is also well known for his stellar performance in Space Jam. They play at Madison Square Garden, the most famous arena in the world. MSG is so famous it was even destroyed by Godzilla in 1998.

From 2000-2008 the Knicks fell from grace, posting poor regular season records and consistently failing to reach the Playoffs.

Recently, acquiring Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony made the Knicks a legit contender (in some people’s eyes) once again, although given the current state of their team no one expects them to win a championship any time soon.

The Knicks are a huge media market and as such are

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toronto raptors • •

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The Nets currently hold no NBA Championships, but if we look back to their ABA (American Basketball Association) days, they won two in 1974 and 1976.

The Nets have had multiple names; they started life as the New Jersey Americans then spent almost two decades as the New York Nets. In 1977 they became the New Jersey Nets and it remained that way until 2012, when they became the Brooklyn Nets.

From 2004-2008 the New Jersey Nets treated the league to one of the best guard combos in history, Jason Kidd and Vince Carter.

The Nets are currently owned by Mikhail Prokhorov, a Russian billionaire.

In February 2011 the Nets made a blockbuster trade for Utah Jazz star Deron Williams. Williams’ first game as a Net was actually played in the O2 Arena in London.

They subsequently added the likes of Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett in the hope of winning a title but failed miserably and now find themselves back at square one.

boston celtics • • • •

Boston currently holds 17 Championships, the most in league history to date.

Founded in June 1946, they have become one of the most well known sports teams in the world.

They have had a host of Hall of Fame players including the likes of Larry Bird and Bill Russell.

In recent history, the big three of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce helped the Celtics to a Finals’ victory over their fiercest rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, in 2008.

Founded in 1995 and currently the only franchise based in Canada.

Between 1999 and 2002 the Raptors had three consecutive seasons of attendance records, helped by impressive playoff berths.

1998 draft day acquisition Vince Carter was instrumental in leading the team to a franchise-high 47 wins and their first playoff series win in 2001, where they advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

The Raptors have three division titles to date, 2007, 2014 and 2015.

They originally played their home games at the SkyDome, before moving to the Air Canada Centre in 1999.

philadelphia 76ers •

always a destination for the league’s top stars.

brooklyn nets

They have possibly the fiercest rivalry in the NBA, with regards to the Los Angeles Lakers. The teams have met 12 times in the Finals.

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The Sixers are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA. Founded back in 1946 they played in Syracuse until the team moved to Philadelphia in 1963.

The teams owes its name to 1776, the year the Declaration of Independance was signed in Philadelphia.

Notable players to have played for Philly include Allen Iversen, Charles Barkley, Julius Erving, Moses Malone and Wilt Chamberlain.

To date they have won three NBA Championships and nine Eastern Conference titles.

In the 2012-13 season, the Sixers became the fifth 8th seed to cause upset and eliminate the 1st seed by beating the Chicago Bulls 4-2.

pacific division Golden State Warriors •

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The Warriors were originally founded in 1946, in Philadelphia. The franchise moved to San Francisco from ’62 till ’71, then moving to their current home in Oakland, California. In 2018, the team is scheduled to move back to the San Francisco area.

Hall of Fame inductee Wilt Chamberlain once scored 100 points in a game against the Knicks in 1962, which is still a league record. Wilt is the Warriors all time leading scorer with 17,783 points.

In the 2008 playoffs, the Warriors eliminated the top seeded Dallas Mavericks in one of the shocks in Playoff history.

The home crowd at the Oracle Arena is known for making huge noise and a great atmosphere at games.

So much so, ESPN installed a decibel meter by the in screen score displays.

Led by Steph Curry, the Warriors won the 2015 NBA title.

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los angeles clippers •

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Previously located in San Diego, the Clippers moved to Los Angeles in 1984 but the franchise struggled for several decades, making only a handful of playoff appearances in the past 30 years.

Historically in the shadow of their more famous and successful neighbours, the Clippers have seen an upturn over the past 4 years installing themselves as the ‘Showtime’ team in Los Angeles, often referred to as ‘Lob City’ on account of their above the rim plays, fast breaks and exciting style of basketball.

Last season saw the team win a thrilling playoff series against San Antonio, but blew a 3-1 series lead in the semi final against Houston, and were eliminated.

The franchise was sold to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for an eye-watering $2billion in May 2014, after previous owner Donald Sterling was found to have made racist remarks on an audio recording.

los angeles lakers • • • •

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The Lakers currently hold 16 Championships, the second most in the league to date.

They were originally founded in 1947 as the Minneapolis Lakers. They became the Los Angeles Lakers in 1960.

Along with Boston, they have a global appeal and have become one of the most successful sports brands ever.

In the 1980s the Lakers created ‘Showtime’ basketball.

Led by Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar the Lakers claimed five Championships and helped to reinvigorate interest in the NBA. 2000-2010 has become known as the Lakers’ decade.

In recent history they are perhaps best known for seasons 2000, 2001 and 2002 where they won three Championships in a row. They also claimed back to back Championships at the end of the decade in 2009 and 2010.

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Joining the league as an expansion team in 1968, the Suns boast the fourth all time winning percentage in NBA, making the Finals twice but losing on both occasions.

Traditionally known for a high tempo style of play, best evidenced during the mid 00’s in the ‘Seven Seconds or Less’ era, Phoenix became known for the free scoring offense led by two time MVP and future hall of famer Steve Nash.

After a tough playoff exit in 1992, then assistant coach Lionel Hollins said to the team owner “We’ve got to get us a Charles Barkley.” That offseason they made a trade for the outspoken superstar, which propelled them to the NBA finals and a matchup with Jordan’s’ three-peat Bulls team. Barkley won regular season MVP honours, and his move became a turning point in the history of the franchise.

This off-season the Suns added defensive big man Tyson Chandler, but narrowly missed out on LaMarcus Aldridge to San Antonio.

sacramento kings •

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The franchise originated in New York, as the Rochester Seagrams in 1923. Between 1957 and 1985, the franchise moved around from Cincinnati, Kansas (where they took the Kings name) before settling in Sacramento where they currently play at The Sleep Train Arena, The Kings have won one NBA Championship, way back in 1951.

After moving to Sacramento they struggled to make any impact until the turn of the millennium, where they had a lineup featuring Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic and Mike Bibby. In the 01-02 season, they posted a franchise record 61 wins in the regular season, but fell to the LA Lakers in the Western Conference Finals in a controversial series. Many believed the officials favoured the Lakers.

The Kings have failed to make the playoffs in the past 9 seasons.

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chicago bulls •

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The Bulls were formed in 1966 and have gone on to win six championships, all of which came in the 90’s during Michael Jordans period of dominance.

They are the only NBA franchise to have won 3 consecutive titles twice, which came in an eight year period, and have never lost an NBA finals series they have contested.

During their second ‘three-peat’ run in the mid-late 90s, they set a new regular season record of 72 wins, and only 10 losses.

The franchise took its name from Chicago’s meat packing traditions, denoting power and strength.

Star Point Guard Derrick Rose was the youngest player to win the MVP trophy, at the age of 22. He is also from the Chicago area.

cleveland cavaliers • •

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detroit pistons •

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The Pistons are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA, founded originally in 1941 in Indiana before moving to Detroit in 1957 To date they have won three NBA championships, although their best period of success didn’t come until the 1980s, when they were known as the ‘Bad Boys’, due by their physical style of play.

They hit prominence again in the mid-90s when they drafted Grant Hill in the 1994 Draft. He led them to a 54 win season in 1997. However, the following seasons saw many changes in playing and coaching staff and a decline in the franchise.

The Pistons made the Finals in 2004, where they faced the heavily favoured L.A. Lakers, who they went on to defeat in five games to win their third championship.

The Pistons are currently in the process of rebuilding the team around a core group of young players, led by head coach Stan Van Gundy.

indiana pacers •

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Pacers began in the ABA before becoming NBA members in 1976. They won three ABA championships but so far have never won the NBA title.

The team gets it’s name as a result of Indiana’s keen motor racing industry and heritage.

Throughout the 90s, the team had a heated rivalry with the Knicks. The most memorable game took place in Madison Square Garden where Reggie Miller silenced the hostile New York crowd scoring 25 points in the 4th quarter, leading the Pacers to victory. The Knicks, however, won the next two games and advanced to the 1994 NBA Finals.

The 2003-04 season saw the Pacers win a franchise record 61 games, behind the play of Jermaine O’Neal, a 38-year-old Reggie Miller, and Ron ‘Metta World Peace’ Artest.

Current star player Paul George will return for the 2015-16 season after missing most of 2014-15 due to a horrific open fracture to his right leg, sustained on Team USA duty.

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The Cavs were formed in 1970, and play their games at the Quicken Loans arena.

In 1970, Cleveland’s newspaper, The Plain Dealer, held a contest to name the city’s new basketball club.

Contest winner Jerry Tomko wrote that the Cavaliers “represent a group of daring, fearless men, whose life’s pact was never surrender, no matter what the odds.”

Cleveland has never won an NBA championship, appearing in the Finals in 2007 and again in 2015.

In 2003, they drafted hometown hero Lebron James with the number one pick. James left in the summer of 2010 to join the Miami Heat, much to the anger of the fans and team owner. Following his departure, the Cavs went from a league best 61 wins in the previous year to only 19 wins in the ’10-’11 season, the biggest drop in wins by any team in league history.

The summer of 2014 saw Lebron opt out of his contract with Miami and rejoin the Cavs, much to the delight of their fans. He carried the team to the 2015 NBA Finals, a contest they eventually lost to the Golden State Warriors.

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The Bucks joined the NBA in 1968 as an expansion franchise To date they have won one NBA championship, back in 1971 where they were led by the legendary Kareem Abdul Jabbar (known then as Lew Alcindor before converting to Islam).

The Bucks drafted Alcindor as a result of winning a coin toss with the other expansion team in 1968, the Phoenix Suns, and went on to record one of the most impressive careers of any player in NBA history, mainly with the LA Lakers.

Other notable players to have played for Milwaukee are Oscar Robertson, Glenn Robinson, Ray Allen and Sam Cassell.

Forbes magazine ranks the Milwaukee Bucks as the least valuable franchise in the league, at $405 million (sorry Bucks fans).

SOUTHwest division for one more title during the Tim Duncan era.

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The Grizzlies joined the NBA as an expansion franchise located in Vancouver, in 1995, alongside their Canadian counterparts the Toronto Raptors. They moved to Memphis in 2001 and are the city’s only major professional sports team.

Their home games are played at the Pyramid Arena which, at 32 storey’s high, is the third tallest pyramid in the world. It seats up to 21,000 fans.

They have made the playoffs for the past four consecutive and a total of seven times in the past decade.

Both Gasol brothers (Pau & Marc) have appeared for the Grizzlies, although not at the same time. Pau was traded to the Lakers for the rights to Marc, who has been there since 2009.

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The Rockets were formed in San Diego, from ’67 to ’71, then moved to Houston where they have played to the present day.

They have won two NBA Championships, and four conference titles.

During their first year in Houston, the Rockets used a logo that showed a basketball player with a flaming rocket strapped to his back.

Hakeem Olajuwon is the most recognized player in their history. As one of the game’s most dominant big men, he led them to back to back titles in 1994 and in 1995, setting franchise records in blocks, rebounds and points scored in his 17 seasons in Houston.

Current Head Coach Kevin McHale has 3 NBA Championship rings; all from the early 80’s when he was a member of that legendary Boston Celtics team

new orleans pelicans •

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dallas mavericks •

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san antonio spurs •

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To date they have won five NBA Championships, most recently back in June when they defeated the Miami Heat in six games. They also faced the Heat in the 2013 finals, losing to them in an epic seven game series.

They have been one of the most consistent franchises in the modern game, winning their division 15 times in the last 24 years, regularly competing deep into the playoffs.

David Robinson was the mainstay of the San Antonio team throughout the 90s, then forming the Twin Towers attack in the frontcourt with Tim Duncan when the Spurs drafted him with the 1st pick of the 1997 Draft.

Since Duncan joined the Spurs, they have never failed to make the playoffs.

Small forward Kahwi Leonard was named the 2014 NBA Finals MVP following a series of superb performances, overshadowing veteran teammates Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Miami’s Lebron James.

This summer they added forward LaMarcus Aldridge to an already loaded roster in the hope of competing

The Pelicans began in the NBA as the New Orleans Hornets in 2002, after the relocation of the Charlotte Hornets franchise. In 2013, it was announced that the franchise would be renamed the New Orleans Pelicans, as the Charlotte Bobcats were reclaiming the Hornets name, and history. (Got all that?)

Owner Tom Benson said of the name change; “”The Pelican is a symbol for our city and region, and we’re excited to start a new era in Louisiana basketball history. This offseason is going to be a special time for the Pelicans.”

After the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, the franchise played out of Oklahoma from 2005-07 before returning to the Smoothie King Centre for the 07-08 season.

The 2007-08 campaign saw the Pelicans post their best regular season record of 56 wins, qualify for the playoffs as the number two seed in the playoffs and clinch the Southwest division title.

The 2014-15 season saw them return to the playoffs by clinching the 8th seed in the West.

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The Dallas Mavericks were founded in 1980 and have remained in Dallas since, despite being under the shadow of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.

From 1985-88 the Mavs became a true contender in the NBA, posting multiple 50+ win seasons. Unfortunately for them they ran into the Los Angeles Lakers and lost the chance for their first Finals’ appearance.

To date they have 2 Conference Titles and 1 NBA Championship, which was acquired recently in 2011, when the Mavs knocked off the big three of the Miami Heat.

They have played in two Finals against the Miami Heat and a rivalry has emegered from them, after losing to a young Dwyane Wade in the 2005-06 season.

The 2012-13 season saw the Mavericks fall out of the Playoffs for the first time since 2000, but returned last season, eliminated in the first round by Houston.

southeast DIVISION miami heat •

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Founded in 1988, the Miami Heat became the first NBA franchise established in Florida. They made the Playoffs twice in their first eight seasons and were considered a mediocre team.

In the past decade, the Miami Heat have established themselves as one of the forces in modern basketball.

Their first Championship came in 2006 as a young Dwyane Wade and veteran Shaquille O’neal became one of the most dominant partnerships in the NBA. The Lebron James Era of Miami basketball is sure to remain long in the history books. Lebron led them to 4 straight Finals’ appearances. They lost the first to Dallas in what was one of the shocks of the decade.

However they bounced back the following season, beating the young and talented Oklahoma City Thunder and Championship number 3 could not have come under more difficult circumstances. The 201213 Game 7 win vs the Spur will go down as one the greatest Finals’ series in NBA history. In 2013-14 the Heat lost to the Spurs in a rematch of the previous year’s Finals.

From February 3 to March 27, 2013, the Heat won 27 games in a row, which is currently the second-longest streak in NBA history. They were stopped just 5 games short of the Lakers’ record by a rampant Chicago Bulls team.

charlotte hornets • •

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The Hornets joined the league in 1998 as an expansion team.

In 2002, the franchise was moved to New Orleans with a new expansion team in Charlotte, called the Bobcats, formed in 2004. 2014 sees the Charlotte organisation reclaim the Hornets name and the history of the original franchise.

Their best period of success was in the early-to-mid90s when they boasted a core of young talent including Alonzo Mourning, Larry Johnson and Kendall Gill.

They stunned the Boston Celtics in the 1993 Playoffs, their first time in post season action, when Mournings’ game winner from twenty feet out sealed the first round series win. They were then eliminated by the vastly experienced New York Knicks in the second round.

In 2010, Michael Jordan bought the franchise, becoming the first former player to own an NBA team.

orlando magic • •

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The Magic joined the NBA in 1989, a year after their Florida neighbours in Miami, as an expansion team.

They drafted Shaquille O’Neal in 1992 which was a catalyst for the young franchise, leading to a surge in their popularity and also brought about their first trip to the NBA Finals in 1995 where they were swept 4-0 by the Houston Rockets.

Orlando has boasted some of the NBA’s biggest stars in their 25 year history. Aside from Shaq, platers they have had on their rosters include Tracey McGrady, Grant Hill, Penny Hardaway, Vince Carter and Dwight

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Howard to name but a few.

The team has been in rebuilding mode for the past few seasons since Howard’s departure. As a result, the emphasis has been on building through the draft process and acquiring young talent through trades, as opposed to short-term fixes.

Since their inception in 1989, the number 6 jersey was retired in honour of the Magic fans, although it was reactivated for the 2001/02 season for former Knicks legend Patrick Ewing to wear in his only season in Orlando.

washington wizards •

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The franchise started in Chicago in 1961, then moved to Baltimore two years later, before settling in Washington in ’73.

The Wizards were formerly known as the Bullets, but changed name in 1997 as the owners deemed the name too violent, and wished to disassociate themselves from the tag.

During the 90s, the franchise boasted the league’s tallest player, seven foot seven Gheorghe Muresan.

Michael Jordan played his final two NBA seasons in Washington, from 2001 until 2003.

The Wizards emphatically completed the first sweep of a seven-game seriesa in club history last season, beating the Toronto Raptors 125-94 in Game 4 of the NBA Playoffs.

atlanta hawks •

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The Hawks were founded in 1946. They were originally called the Bisons and played in Buffalo but they then moved to Milwaukee and St Louis, eventually changing their name to the Hawks and settling in Atlanta in 1968.

They have won one championship, in 1958, and six division titles in total.

Their all time leading scorer is Dominique Wilkins, also known as ‘The Human Highlight Film’ on account of his scoring and spectacular dunks. He played for Atlanta from 1982-1994, scoring 23,292 points in his 13 year stay with the Hawks.

In 1986, Hawks’ Guard Spud Webb shocked NBA fans and players by winning the Slam Dunk contest.

Spud was only 5 feet 7 inches tall and had never even dunked in an NBA game prior to entering. One of his opponents was Dominique Wilkins.

toronto air canada centre HOME OF the 2015 All-star weekend Capacity: 19,800

the life of an

uk fan

My body clock is messed up. It has been since 2006, because being an NBA fan in the UK will do that to you.

At the turn of the millennium the only way you could watch the NBA was by having Sky Sports. It had two games a week, the All-Star game and every Finals match-up.

However for me, this represented a serious problem. The problem being I didn’t like any of the other sports Sky offered, and that I didn’t have a chance in hell of persuading my mum to by the package. For what would effectively be a pathetic 6 hours of content a week.

However in 2006 this all changed as NASN came to the UK. It was luxury, the North American Sports Network or ESPN as we know it now, showed a whopping five games a week, my mornings haven’t been the same since.It was then that I began to record games, with a VHS, waking up at 6am to watch the latest games before school became my new addiction.

That season was my first true induction into the NBA and it was thrilling to be part of it. I saw LeBron come into his own, Kobe break records, the Heat win their first Championship and Tracy McGrady doing the impossible (I woke my whole house up at 7am when McGrady hit the game winner that morning).

At this time I thought NBA watching could never get better, but fastforward to 2009 and NBA heaven landed... right on my own laptop.

The emergence of NBA League Pass was huge, it had never been easier to watch and fall in love the NBA, and it became the essential tool in any NBA fans arsenal. In fact, you can now get every NBA game live & on demand, available on a wide variety devices (Apple TV being my preference) to watch whenever you want. You can follow your own team, watch the key matchup of the night or watch a filler game as you wait for your desired game to start. It even lets you watch multiple games at once.

So really there’s no excuse to miss a minute of action this season.

League Pass has easily maintained and furthered my love for the sport, making it the best way to watch the NBA in the UK. The be all and end all is you can watch who you want when you want, so what are you waiting for?! go and subscribe.

By Matthew Bates Podcast Co-Host

click thumbnails to play VIDEO: Tracy McGrady | Vince Carter

WARNING: video content may not play on your device | best viewed in adobe reader

division previews

Over the next 12 pages you’ll find Division Previews of varying styles and formats. Some are flowing, some are straight to the point and some are indepth.

Now you may be wondering why we haven’t just formatted them all the same, but just like an NBA franchise, individual style is often the truest form of expression.

We thrive off variety and with fans from every background, there are often varied opinions.

Each writer has also included their Division predictions, which means you can come back and laugh at them when the season ends.

Enjoy!

CONTENT: Matthew Wellington - Co-Founder | Podcast Host Zach Salzmann - Podcast Co-Host | Editor Ross Macleod - Editor Thomas Rowberry - Podcast Co-Host | Contributor Sean Guest - Editor Joe Hulbert - Podcast Host | Contributor

northwest division preview portland trail blazers

Utah Jazz

denver nuggets

Last Season’s Record: 1st in Northwest, 51-31 The talent drain in Portland this summer was extraordinary and unexpected. Whilst many imagined Forward Lamarcus Aldridge moving on, few saw the mass exodus which followed.

Aldridge flirted with the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers, before eventually deciding upon the San Antonio Spurs. Wesley Matthews ended up on the Dallas Mavericks.

Nicolas Batum found himself traded to Charlotte and Robin Lopez pegged it to the bright lights of New York City. So it’s all change, and with it comes the moment Damian Lillard has been waiting for. This season is Lillards season, no one else on this Blazers roster matters. He’s the star, their best player and the only reason to watch Blazers basketball this season. His usage rate will go through the roof, he’ll lead the league in shot attempts, and he’ll probably have a few 45+ point games.

Having four of the five starters leave is bound to have a bad effect, and the rest of this Blazers roster poses nothing but questions.

They brought in a collection of low-priced, generally unproven players as part of a start-over plan, paid Lillard the max then claimed this isn’t a full-blown tank job... well it will be if anything happens to Lillard.

They’ll lose a lot of games this season, but the future is reasonable positive.

Last Season’s Record: 3rd in Northwest, 38-41 Utah went all defensive on the NBA last season. Their post All-Star break display helped them post some of the best statistics in the league. At 38-41 the Jazz aren’t a Playoff team yet, but their late surge has thrown a huge shadow of expectation over them this coming season.

Rudy Gobert, who was previously only well known due to his nickname, the Stiffle Tower, is now in command of his and Utah’s future. The Frenchman hosts a 7’9” wingspan and has Defensive Player of the Year written all over him.

And when combined with the still young, Derrick Favours, the Jazz have their frontcourt of the future cemented. It’s Gobert who made Enes Kanter expendable, forcing the Jazz to ship Kanter to the Thunder for little more than a protected first-round pick. It was a huge leap of faith from the Jazz frontoffice, but it paid off, massively.

Unfortunately for them this season, Dante Exum, the enigmatic Australian point guard, will miss a huge chunk (if not all) of the season. After he tore his ACL playing for Australia this past August.

Exum was the key, the key to development, and with him sidelined it’s up the much maligned Trey Burke to prove his worth. Exum will be a miss on both ends of the court, his length and freakish athleticism is something which Burke simply doesn’t possess and it gave the Jazaz a real bite in the backcourt.

As for this year, their hope now relies on Rodney Hood, Gordon Hayward and Gobert. The first of which, posted outstanding perimeter shooting numbers late last season.

Alec Burkes too will be back in uniform, after he missed out on the post All-Star run.

If the jazz have one weapon up their sleeve it’s this. They have an average age of 23, so even if this team achieves nothing of significance this season, it isn’t the end. This unit has many more NBA seasons to come, and with the experience taken from last season and perhaps this, could forge a future title contender. The simple fact is, the talent is there, it’s now up to Quin Snyder and the Utah Jazz players to show the basketball world what they’re capable of.

Last Season’s Record: 4th in Northwest, 30-52 The culture has changed in Denver recently. As a team that remained resolute in the Playoffs for ten straight seasons, losing isn’t in their blood. Yet this season a crossroad has been reached, presenting the question: be bad or mediocre?

To be honest there’s talent in Denver, but whether or not head coach Michael Malone will be able to make the most of it is another question all together. The hope this season, if any, lies in Emmanuel Mudiay. The rookie will be entering his first season in the NBA, but make no mistake about it, Mudiay can handle the limelight... or altitude as it will be in the Pepsi Center.

At the ripe age of just 18, Mudiay embraced China, its culture and its basketball, becoming a prolific stud in China’s popular CBA. Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari have chips on their shoulder, as do several others on the Nuggets roster. All of which, comes as a direct result of press and public humiliation, or should that be mockery?

The public press bashing of Denver last season was heavy and often hard. It hurt these players and they’ve made it their personal goal this season to at least prove that Denver is a capable unit once again.

Capable players dot the roster, three of whom were part of a 57-win team three seasons ago and it’s within them that the rest of the Nuggets’ hope lies.

Kenneth Faried looks set for yet another season of trade rumours, which he’ll be used to by now. It will however be interesting to see how he enters this season, as the much spoken of Ty Lawson trade deeply hurt him this summer.

oklahoma city thunder Last Season’s Record: 2nd in Northwest, 45-37 If anyone questions the best team in this Division, then they seriously need their head checking and unless a Salt Lake City miracle occurs, the Thunder have this one in the bag.

The Thunder posted a 45-37 record last season, narrowly missing the playoffs after suffering an unfair amount of regular season setbacks. Kevin Durant, the second best player in the NBA rushed himself back from injury, only to sustain another. Serge Ibaka underwent arthroscopic knee surgery, which knocked him out for a good 6 weeks.

Then Russell Westbrook, who almost broke the tripledouble record, fractured his cheek bone leaving him with the classic Batman style mask. A trade deadline move for Enes Kanter fired the Thunder back into contention for the Playoffs, but it’ll be this season, where we truly see the rewards.

This is the best roster the Thunder has ever had, yes I said ever. Strength and depth, combined with a good run of health, should make this a Top 5 team in the NBA. They’ve got a new coach too, Billy Donovan, who brings with him an added sense of optimism and a fun college style offense system, intent on making the Thunder run and gun. With all their pieces in place, their fate rests in that age old NBA enemy or ally, luck.

Minnesota Timberwolves Last Season’s Record: 5th in Northwest, 16-66 The Timberwolves are intriguing and they’ll certainly keep us on the edge of our seats this season or beds at 2am in the morning. The roster consists of Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, Zach LaVine, Ricky Rubio, Shabazz Muhammad, Adreian Payne, Gorgui Dieng, Anthony Bennett and Tyus Jones among others; it’s immensely talented but not very good, yet.

The Timberwolves however aren’t messing around here; because in two or three years, several of these player will become some of the most talented and intelligent players around. In fact I struggle to see a more promising team in the NBA, save the previously mentioned Jazz.

The youth and inexperience of the Timberwolves however will work against them when competing in the ultra-deep Western Conference. The teams around them are tough, battle hardened and host NBA stars. Meaning the basic fact of the matter is, it’s a long road to earn a playoff spot in the menacing West.

Northwest prediction Oklahoma City Thunder Utah Jazz Denver Nuggets Minnesota Timberwolves Portland Trail Blazers

W-L 57-25 40-42 32-48 26-56 20-62

by Matthew Wellington

CENTRAL DIVISION It’s Cleveland, then the rest Outside of the unfairly tough Southwest, the Central Division was the league’s most competitive grouping last season. Three teams—Cleveland, Chicago and Milwaukee—made it into the playoffs, while Indiana narrowly missed out and Stan Van Gundy’s rebuilding Detroit Pistons remained somewhat respectable with a record of 32-50 (Yes, unfortunately that counts as respectable in the East).

This season the Central Division promises to be no less competitive, with the divisional powerhouses— and title contenders—the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls, battling it out in a bid for conference supremacy, and the up-and-coming Milwaukee Bucks looking to make the next jump in their exciting development. And don’t sleep on the Pacers and Pistons; both teams, if things go their way, could fight for a low playoff seed.

Prediction: They won’t finish ahead of Cleveland, but new coach Fred Hoiberg inherits a team that has all the pieces necessary to win the title—in fact, the Bulls were a Game 4 meltdown away from emerging from the Cleveland series and likely from the East. Jimmy Butler will lead the way once again, but if Derrick Rose can stay healthy (one of life’s biggest ‘ifs’, I know) and build on a solid 2015 post-season, the Bulls are a real threat.

Cleveland Cavaliers Last Season’s Record: 1st in Central, 53-29 Biggest Strength: The Cavaliers are blessed with three superstars—Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and the planet’s best player, LeBron James—and can pretty much run any offensive play in the book with that talented trio; post-ups, pick-n-rolls, pick-n-pops, isolations, you name it. After a slow start the Cavaliers were unstoppable offensively from February onwards.

Biggest Weakness: David Blatt needs to do a better job involving Kevin Love in the offense this season, but his teammates also need to cover for him defensively when he’s on the floor. Love isn’t the most mobile and teams, even with Timofey Mozgov down low, can still find ways to exploit Cleveland in the paint. Tristan Thompson’s contract situation (he was so important last season) also remains a concern.

Prediction: Even with a tired LeBron James, and a cast of misfit role players, the Cavaliers were two games away from the NBA title. If the team can get a full season from Irving and Love—and some injury luck in the playoffs— Cleveland will comfortably win the division, conference, and will challenge for the championship.

Chicago Bulls Last Season’s Record: 2nd in Central, 50-32 Biggest Strength: The Bulls have many strengths, but their depth in the frontcourt is the envy of teams across the league. Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson are two of the best defensive big-men in the game, Pau Gasol remains one of the most highly skilled offensive centres in the league and Nikola Mirotic spreads the floor to great effect.

An embarrassment of riches.

Biggest Weakness: A lack of focus? It’s seem strange to say regarding a team that’s been one of the most intense and gritty over the past five years, but last season the Bulls switched off during multiple stretches of the season and frequently played down to their opposition.

Indiana Pacers Last Season’s Record: 4th in Central, 38-44 Biggest Strength: The Pacers were decimated by injuries last season, but Frank Vogel kept his team disciplined and organized defensively they therefore remained a very competitive Eastern Conference outfit. The team should still have enough defensive acumen to remain greater than the sum of their parts.

Biggest Weakness: Even during their brief title window— from 2012-2014—generating offense was an absolute grind for the Pacers, and despite the addition of Monta Ellis that should remain the case this season. The return of Paul George will be very welcome, but he’ll take some time to regain his old form and the team is very thin on players who can generate offense.

Prediction: It hard to believe how different the 2015-2016 Pacers are to the team that made two straight Eastern Conference Finals. Gone are David West and Roy Hibbert—and gone is the team’s inside-out, half-court style. Paul George will see time as a small-ball powerforward and the team will look to imitate the style that worked so well for the Golden State Warriors. The Pacers are short on talent, however. They’ll finish fourth in the division and will struggle to make the playoffs.

Detroit Pistons

Milwaukee Bucks Last Season’s Record: 3rd in Central, 41-41 Biggest Strength: The Milwaukee Bucks were the best defensive team in the Eastern Conference last season and outside of the Golden State Warriors no team boasted a stingier defense in the NBA. That should continue this season. With the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Michael Carter-Williams on the roster— players blessed with supreme length and athleticism—the Bucks are a nightmare for ball-handlers across the league.

Biggest Weakness: The Bucks were great at generating turnovers and scoring in transition last season, but really struggled creating offense in the half-court—that was on show too many times during their playoff series against the Bulls. Jason Kidd’s team will need to get much, much better at scoring when the game slows down.

Prediction: The Bucks are a team on the rise, with a young, exciting roster and an extremely talented head coach unafraid of trying new things. The addition of Greg Monroe—a beast on the block—and Jabari Parker (out for most of last season through injury) should bolster the team’s offense, while their defense should remain elite.

The Bucks will finish third in the Central and will make the playoffs as a 5th or 6th seed.

Last Season’s Record: 5th in Central, 32-50 Biggest Strength: With Andre Drummond (13.5 rebound per game) at centre the Pistons were one of the best rebouanding teams in the league last season and finished third overall in offensive rebounding rate. The Pistons remain big and athletic in the frontcourt and will give major headaches to any team, with their play in the painted area.

Biggest Weakness: Defensively there are still question marks surrounding the Pistons. Drummond may be a beast on the glass, but he’s still learning the art of defending the pick-n-roll—he can look like Bambi on ice, at times—and neither Reggie Jackson nor Brandon Jennings are world-beaters at that end of the floor.

Prediction: This is effectively year one of the Van Gundy experiment—last season was about seeing what he had and getting rid of what he didn’t like. Gone are Josh Smith and Greg Monroe—noted black holes on offense—as Stan looks to create something similar to his Dwight Howard-era Orlando team. Drummond will be the Howard-esque fulcrum, but the team doesn’t quite have the shooting of that Magic team. The Pistons will be improve on last season’s showing, but will once again finish bottom of the division and will struggle to snag a playoff spot.

Central prediction cleveland cavaliers chicago bulls milwaukee bucks indiana pacers detroit pistons

W-L 60-22 52-30 45-37 39-43 37-45 by zach salzmann

southwest DIVISION preview Houston Rockets

San Antonio Spurs

Dallas Mavericks

Last Season’s Record: 1st in Southwest, 56-26 The Rockets arguably have the most talented roster in the whole league. In James Harden they have the best scorer in the League and a genuine MVP Candidate in any season he competes in. Dwight Howard gives them defensive stability and they have a great collection of role players such as Trevor Ariza, Patrick Beverley and Sam Dekker.

The biggest move for the rockets was adding Ty Lawson, he is a troubled guy but the Rockets organisation is a very secure organisation with a lot of experienced figures to help him through his tough times. Lawson is a ‘walking double double’ if he is on form, he averaged double figure assists on two occasions for the Nuggets.

I would argue the addition of Lawson gives the Rockets the most talented starting five in the League as Lawson, Harden, Ariza, Motiejunas and Howard is as good as it gets really. With the Rockets analytics division still there, this team should find the most effective ways to beat every team.

My critique of Kevin McHale is well documented all over the internet and until he actually demonstrates ability to make adjustments, this won’t be changing. He is the only thing holding this team back, they are a genuine championship contender.

Saying this, in the regular season coaching doesn’t matter as much, this roster will coach itself and that is why they will be a top two seed in the West. They have a deep team with a lot of good three point shooters, they will blow teams away.

Last Season’s Record: 3rd in Southwest, 55-27 The Spurs were rather disappointing in the playoffs last year, but in fairness to them they were never going to match up with the star studded Clippers over a lengthy series. Kawhi Leonard however had an unbelievable year and fully deserved his defensive player of the year award.

The big addition was of course the signing of pure scorer LaMarcus Aldridge, he will form a formidable frontcourt with Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard and he gives them a genuinely elite scoring option that they haven’t had since Tony Parker was playing at his MVP level. Aldridge has defensive weaknesses, but he should be covered by Leonard and Duncan on that end.

Even with this, the Spurs come into the year slightly overrated. Parker has declined as a player and they lost Cory Joseph who was a very useful backup. The over criticised Tiago Splitter was sent to Atlanta and it is questionable whether David West has a lot left in the tank.

With Gregg Popovich at the helm this team will easily make the playoffs and should finish in the top four, but I question whether they have enough roster depth for a championship run. Popovich is a huge factor, but I don’t think he lifts the Spurs over the Thunder, the Clippers or the Warriors.

Last Season’s Record: 4th in Southwest, 50-32 Dallas fans won’t be enjoying sports a lot currently, the Cowboys have their two best players injured, the Stars look poor and the Texas Rangers blew a two game lead in the playoffs against Toronto. In continuation of this, it wont be a pretty season for the Mavericks, they lack depth all over the court and will be relying on Wes Matthews and an old Dirk Nowitzki to give them their primary scoring.

The DeAndre Jordan fiasco has set this franchise up for failure, it completely screwed them as they couldn’t target other guys like Roy Hibbert and Robin Lopez due to the extreme delay put on them by Jordan and the Clippers.

Zaza Pachulia is a decent player, but he is nowhere near good enough to push them to the playoffs.

Deron Williams was brought in, and Rick Carlisle is one of the few guys who could get him back to his best, but this is extremely questionable and asking him to return to his MVP level is a huge ask considering how poor he was last season.

One thing the Mavs have is great wing defence, Parsons, Justin Anderson and Wes Matthews are all lock down defenders so this team should move up from their 18th placing on the defensive efficiency chart.

Monta Ellis isn’t one of my favourite players, but in him they had a genuine first scorer, they don’t have one of those anymore. They will struggle

Memphis Grizzlies Last Season’s Record: 2nd in Southwest, 55-27 Memphis aren’t a particular favourite around the League, but they are the most effective team in basketball. They make you work for every point you get and they simply bully their opponents on the offensive end behind the pure power of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph.

They haven’t done a lot over the offseason, but they didn’t really need to, they have a settled starting five and there is no reason this team can’t contend for a title. Some have written that they need to change their ways, but I disagree.

They are good at what they do, and I do not believe they aren’t winning a championship because of their style, they simply come up against more star studded teams.

Matt Barnes was their most notable addition, its hard to think of a more perfect guy for the Grizzlies system, he is a terrific perimeter defender and has a tough and intense personality which will scare the opposition.

They will make the playoffs again unless they get an injury or two, they may lack perimeter scoring but I’m not sure they really need it, they have enough scoring inside the paint and their defence more than makes up for their deficiency from beyond the arc. The biggest question for this team is whether they can push for a top four side ahead of teams like the Clippers and the Spurs

New Orleans Pelicans Last Season’s Record: 5th in Southwest, 45-37 The biggest addition to the Pelicans this offseason was upstairs, as Alvin Gentry arrived as Monty Williams replacement from the Golden State Warriors. Gentry designed the modern NBA offence based on three point shooting and quick cuts to and from the basket, he will work wonders with this team.

They also have a guy called Anthony Davis, he is already a top three player in the League and he will only get better in the coming years, he could win MVP this year. Jrue Holiday coming back is great news for them as on his day he is one of the most efficient and consistent point guards in the whole league.

People like Tyreke Evans and Eric Gordon are very useful players who can give the Pelicans different ways of scoring on the offensive end, something Alvin Gentry will love.

They didn’t add too much over the offseason, but guys like Alonzo Gee, Chris Douglas-Roberts and Kendrick Perkins are useful role players who will not harm the team when they are on the floor.

This teams biggest issue is the fact they are in the West, they will make the playoffs but due to a lack of talent in comparison to other teams a fifth seed is probably the absolute ceiling for this group.

This season must be used to make their offense unstoppable and to develop some of the raw talent they already have on the roster.

southwest prediction houston rockets san antonio spurs memphis grizzlies new orleans pelicans dallas mavericks

W-L 63-19 55-27 54-28 49-33 34-48 by joe hulbert

atlantic DIVISION preview Toronto Raptors

Brooklyn Nets

Last Season’s Record: 1st in Atlantic, 49-33 The Toronto Raptors head into the 2015/16 season as clear favourites to win the Atlantic Division. They were the best team in the division last season, as evidenced by them being the only team to go above .500; doing so with a franchise record 49 wins and 4th seed in the Eastern Conference.

The season, whilst their best regular season, was seen as a disappointment when it came to the playoffs as with homecourt advantage the Raptors crumbled at the hands of the 5th seeded Washington Wizards who swept them in 4.

Rather surprisingly embattled head coach Dwane Casey was kept in the hot seat during the offseason and enters the 2015/16 with a roster which should fit his skills and reputation as a ‘defence-first’ coach. General Manager Masai Ujiri went out and paid primarily defensive players; the likes of DeMarre Carroll, Luis Scola and Bismack Biyombo all joined the Canadian ball club over the offseason.

DeMarre Carroll gives Toronto what they have been missing. He’s a 1st team all defence calibre player who shone in the playoffs last season on the offensive end.

Carroll gives the Raptors a ball handler and scorer at the small forward position with the versatility to defend any position from point guard to power forward. He can legitimately change how teams plan for the Raptors.

One of the bigger offseason moves was reaching a contract extension with Lithuanian center Jonas Valanciunas, keeping the talented big man around for a further 4 years.

With the re-signing of Valanciunas and the addition of DeMarre Carroll the Raptors now have a legitimate All-Star candidate at four of the five starting spots. Last season Valanciunas was taken out of games in the fourth quarter in favor of longtime Raptor Amir Johnson, this season with Johnson gone Valanciunas looks set to play far more important minutes.

With an improved starting five and arguably a better bench than last season the Raptors shouldn’t be any worse than the 49 wins they achieved last season, they may well break their franchise best in wins yet again.

Last Season’s Record: 3rd in Atlantic, 38-44 For the first time since the Nets moved to Brooklyn they enter the season with low expectations. Somehow the Nets managed to scrape to 38 wins last season with Brook Lopez missing significant time, Deron Williams continuing to prove he’s not worth his contract and Lionel Hollins coaching uninspired basketball.

An already average Brooklyn team managed to somehow get worse this offseason, surprisingly the losses of Mirza Teletovic, Alan Anderson and Mason Plumlee are seen as significant losses. GM Billy King went out and ‘acquired’ the likes of Andrea Bargnani, Thomas Robinson and Shane Larkin.... These are clearly a downgrade on what was previously at Lionel Hollins disposal. All three have done nothing but bounce around the NBA, and disappointed at every stop yet are expected to play significant minutes for the Nets. That spells bad news.

Rather unexpectedly Billy King actually managed to make a couple smart moves, getting Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young to re-sign for far less than their market value was fantastic business. Drafting Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Chris McCullough gives the Nets a couple of legitimate starting calibre guys for the future. With a team on the downturn they’ll get plenty of time to play meaningless minutes and learn the NBA trade.

As bad as the Nets offseason has been it wouldn’t shock me to see this team trying to win games, they only have a second round pick in the 2016 Draft and don’t select again (unless they trade) until the 2020 draft... They need to try and win, unforunately they’re not talented enough to win.

Boston Celtics Last Season’s Record: 2nd in Atlantic, 40-42 The Boston Celtics shocked the NBA last season by reaching 40 wins and squeaking into the Eastern Conference playoffs as the 7th seed after winning 20 of their last 31 games. The team, which has pride itself on being one of the winningest franchises in sporting history seemed to have a bit of an identity crisis last season, many predicted that the Celtics would struggle through the season and wind up with a lottery pick; head coach Brad Stevens however had his team playing so well that Danny Ainge helped the efforts by acquiring Jae Crowder and Isaiah Thomas during the season.

After last season it seems that the culture and expectations in Boston are once more along the lines of playoffs or bust.

The Celtics played the Draft game rather well by selecting guards Terry Rozier and RJ Hunter as well as forward Jordan Mickey, all three give Boston even more young talent to add to a team stacked with the likes of Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas.

Danny Ainge continued to show he’s one of the NBA’s better GMs this offseason when he acquired former AllStar forward David Lee from the champion Golden State Warriors for basically nothing (Gerald Wallace and Chris Babb). Other additions to this roster saw Amir Johnson and Perry Jones join a frontcourt rotation which has far more depth than previous seasons.

The main problem facing the Celtics this season is the amount of players who could potentially start at every position. Isaiah Thomas was a legitimate candidate for Sixth Man of the Year last season but could easily start over Marcus Smart at point guard, Jae Crowder and Evan Turner both have the ability to start at the three whilst both the power forward and center spot look to be in a heavy rotation with the likes of Johnson, Zeller, Olynyk, Lee and Jones all capable of playing starting minutes.

In a division which should pan out similar to last season Boston look set to once more finish second.

Philadelphia 76ers Last Season’s Record: 4th in Atlantic, 18-64 The Philadelphia 76ers enter the third season of the ‘Trust the Process’ era coming off an expectedly horrendous season in 2014/15 in which they only won 18 games.

The ‘talent’ in Philadelphia is pretty laughable, apart from Jahlil Okafor and maybe Robert Covington the Sixers don’t have any players who would even compete for a starting spot on the other 29 NBA rosters. Whilst rookie Jahlil Okafor is expected to compete for Rookie of the Year honors former first round pick Joel Embiid is once more expected to miss the entire season, meaning he again won’t suit up for the Sixers.

Head Coach Brett Brown is doing an admirable job developing young players, even though the Sixers have the least talented team in basketball they’d be significantly worse if Brown wasn’t there. Second year forward Nerlens Noel has raved about Brown’s impact on his game, if Brown continues to help young guys develop they’ll atleast continue to compete in games.

Last season the Sixers were awful shooting the ball, hitting on only 40.8% of their shots and led the NBA in turnovers.

With D-League stud Pierre Jackson FINALLY getting a chance in the NBA Philadelphians could well be expecting him to get a shot at the starting job if Tony Wroten doesn’t

play as expected coming off an injury.

At some stage the Sixers will HAVE to start winning, unfortunately for Philadelphia fans it doesn’t appear as though the continuous losing is coming to an end any time soon. Don’t be surprised to see this team tank yet again... luckily for Sixers fans Jahlil Okafor is a serious candidate for Rookie of the Year so should provide some exciting moments during the season.

New York Knicks Last Season’s Record: 5th in Atlantic, 17-65 New York Knicks fans should actually have optimism heading into the 2015/16 season, General Manager Phil Jackson put together a fairly productive offseason and the team has All-World forward Carmelo Anthony back from injury.

Fourth overall pick Kristaps Porzingis could well be the most undervalued player from the 2015 Draft, the Latvian stretch four is one of the most versatile European players to come out of the draft since Dirk Nowitzki; he’s got a legit stretch four game, can knock down threes with the best of them whilst provides a solid, efficient post game.

Defensively he’s no slouch either.

Whilst Porzingis may not be a full time starter this season his impact playing next to Carmelo Anthony and Robin Lopez should be visible from the get go. Which brings me to Jackson’s astute free agent acquisitions - Robin Lopez and Arron Afflalo joined from the Trailblazers and should start from day one. Kyle O’Quinn is one of the more underrated free agent pickups, he’s a solid bench player who looks like a perfect fit in Jackson’s triangle offence.

With a roster that is no longer completely devoid of talent there is a real chance we get to see Derek Fisher actually coach this season. Last season he looked nothing more than a yes man for the ‘Zen Master’ and didn’t offer anything in terms of ingame adjustments, hopefully the former NBA champion can provide something more in his second season as a head coach.

The Knicks actually have a shot at the playoffs, with Carmelo Anthony back the Knicks have a legitimate superstar. In the Eastern Conference a superstar and a decent team around him could well earn the 8th seed.

atlantic prediction toronto raptors boston celtics new york knicks brooklyn nets philadelphia 76ers

W-L 50-32 42-40 38-44 29-53 20-62 by thomas rowberry

pacific DIVISION preview Golden State Warriors Last Season’s Record: 1st in Pacific, 67-15 The reigning NBA Champions had a quiet offseason, retaining the same main group of players that saw them win 67 games in the regular season. Steve Kerr ripped up Marc Jackson’s half-court playbook and directed the high tempo offense... that took them to title. He may have lost Alvin Gentry to the Pelicans but the playing staff virtually remains the same, adding Jason Thompson for even more scoring options.

The biggest key this summer for Golden State was resigning Draymond Green to a five year, $82 million contract which ensures they keep him as a vital part of the team for the future seasons ahead. His ability to guard multiple positions, and play centre if required, is invaluable to the Warriors style of play. They boast the league’s best backcourt tandem in regular season MVP Steph Curry and Klay Thompson who emerged as a legitimate star in his own right. His 37 point 4th quarter performance against the Kings last season added the punctuation mark on his star status. Harrison Barnes offers them athleticism and on his day, a streaky scoring option. Andre Igoudala adds another presence from the bench, with veteran guard Leandro Barbosa giving respite for the backcourt.

One thing the Warriors had in their favour last season, compared to a team such as Oklahoma, is that their core stayed intact. They will be praying for more of the same this coming season.

Prediction It’s hard to see past the Warriors winning the Western Conference again, the main challengers will likely be fellow division rivals LA Clippers and the evergreen San Antonio Spurs. The biggest challenge for many of the greatest NBA championship teams in history has been to repeat the following season. Bulls, Lakers, Celtics, Rockets and Pistons have managed it in the past few decades and it’s something the Warriors will be striving for this coming season to add their names to that list of great teams.

Los Angeles Clippers Last Season’s Record: 2nd in Pacific, 56-26 Now established as the premier team in Los Angeles, the Clippers have emerged from the shadow of their more decorated city rivals but have still fallen short in the playoffs in the last few seasons. Coach Doc Rivers has responded by having a retooled roster this summer adding more depth to the bench which now has more experienced and savvy heads such as Paul Pierce, Josh Smith, Wesley Johnson and most importantly, resigning star defensive centre D’Andre Jordan.

The first couple of weeks of free agency was dominated by the D’Andre drama, which saw him verbally commit to signing with the Dallas Mavericks only to perform a massive u-turn and sign a new deal with the Clippers. Without his change of heart (heavily influenced by personal pleas from his teammates and a locked room with Doc Rivers), the Clips were looking at a much different outlook for the new season. Yes, he can’t shoot free throws and is quite limited

offensively but he adds a massive interior presence that they would not be able to fill otherwise. Blake Griffin has added a consistent mid range jump shot and Chris Paul continues to fill up the stat sheets with points, assists and steals.

The first round series against the Spurs was one of the best playoff matchups in the last few years, but it will be remembered more for their inability to put away the Rockets when 3-1 up in the Western Conference Semi Final. This memory should fuel the fire for the Clippers to prove they have the bottle for a fight and be a legitimate contender in the championship conversation Prediction The Clippers will be steady in the regular season, bolstered by an improved bench. With the continued rise of Blake Griffin, they will be a formidable matchup come the playoffs and a team that could go to the Western Conference Finals if they can hold their bottle.

LaMarcus Aldridge in free agency but he opted to sign with the Spurs. John Leur and Mirza Teletovic were added to provide outside shooting and rebounding, and Sonny Weems joined from CSKA Moscow to fill the void left by Gerald Green. Rookie guard Devin Booker has looked sharp in preseason, but at 18 will take time to adjust to NBA demands. TJ Warren should compete with PJ Tucker at small forward and look to make an impact this season.

The backcourt of Bledsoe and Knight is now locked down for the next 5 years after Knight signed a new extension.

Prediction The Suns roster is much more balanced this season, two deep at every spot. The addition of Chandler is huge as it give the Suns a much better defensive presence, and he will share minutes with the developing Alex Len under his wing. They face a dogfight (again) for the last couple of playoff spots in the west, but are better equipped this season than they have been since the Steve Nash era.

Sacramento Kings

Phoenix Suns Last Season’s Record: 3rd in Pacfic, 39-43 Last season saw a turbulent second half of the campaign for Jeff Hornacek’s team, which culminated on trade deadline day when Goran Dragic demanded a trade. The three point guard system left Dragic unhappy and Isaiah Thomas feeling marginalised. The subsequent chain of events saw half a roster traded and the team fall out of playoff contention which landed the Suns with another late lottery pick.

The Suns needed leadership and experience, and this really showed by the Morris twins’ complete lack of professionalism on and off the court. Assault charges, arguments with fans (and Coach Hornacek on live TV), childish tweets and immature behaviour burnt bridges with fans, and this was taken up a notch when Markieff took exception to his brother being traded to Detroit, and proclaimed he wanted out.

The front office signed centre Tyson Chandler to address the locker room issue, provide leadership on the court and mentor Alex Len. They came a whisker away from luring

Last Season’s Record: 4th in Pacific, 29-53 The Kings started last season on fire. Trouble is, the wheels fell off after a couple of months. Mike Malone was fired, DaMarcus Cousins contracted meningitis and everything just went against them. Rudy Gay was one bright spot for them, trying his best to keep their heads up and compete but the lack of talent on the roster and atmosphere around the organisation made for a miserable season.

George Karl was hired as the new Sacramento Head Coach and things seemed to be positive, until it was reported that there had already been a falling out with star player Cousins. Boogie lay low in the off season save for the odd tweet, but Karl is not known for shying away from superstar egos. This is one relationship which could be volatile as the season progresses. Rajon Rondo was signed on a one year deal. Low money (by NBA standards), low risk but high gain if he can get back to being the Celtics Rondo of three years ago. The other concern is that he plays so well, another team offer him a deal next summer and leaves the Kings to search for another Point Guard yet again.

Ben McLemore showed signs of promise last season, and adding Marco Belinelli to provide some scoring and the drafting of defensive stud Willie Cauley-Stein should give the Kings more options this time round. Rudy Gay gives them consistent scoring and good all round play with added flexibility at the forward positions. Veteran Caron Butler and Seth (not Steph) Curry round out the other additions to the roster, but may not play a huge number of minutes.

Prediction If Karl and Cousins can get along, and DMC play like we know he can, the Kings should have an improved season but finishing just shy of a playoff spot. I do feel Rondo is another potential spanner in the works for Sacramento, he doesn’t seem to motivate himself on losing teams, exemplified by his attitude in Dallas last time round.

George Karl may have his man management skills tested this season to keep the Kings progressing, but there are a

few bright spots on this roster that he can build on.

Los Angeles Lakers.

Last Season’s Record: 5th in Pacific, 21-61 I bet Kobe never thought he’d be playing on a Lakers team as bad as last season. The good news is they should be (slightly) better this season. The last campaign was an absolute disaster for Lakers fans, the worst regular season record in franchise history. Due to injury Kobe Bryant only played 35 games and looked a shadow of his former self; but with several preseason games and training camp appearances under his belt, he looks ready to play in what may be his last ever NBA campaign.

Coach Byron Scott was criticised for his ‘No three point shot’ mantra, and sluggish offense. Losing rookie Julius Randle to a freak injury compounded the Lakers misery early on. Randle is now back and fully fit after his horrific leg break, forming a potentially powerful front court with newly acquired centre Roy Hibbert from Indiana. Jordan Clarkson was the one bright spot for them, averaging nearly 12 points per game and proving to everyone he belongs in this league. The flamboyant Nick ‘Swaggy P’ Young also returns, along with additions Brandon Bass and former favourite Metta World Peace.

The Lakers did draft point guard D’Angelo Russell with the third pick of the draft and big things are expected of the former Ohio State youngster. How he will fit with the likes of Kobe, Young and Clarkson remains to be seen as he is a player that likes to have the ball in his hands, just like Bryant. Last season’s Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams joined in free agency, after the Lakers front office bombed at their pitch for Aldridge (remember to pitch basketball, not movies) and he should provide scoring and a spark from the second unit.

Prediction With the roster as it stands, the Lakers will be marginally better than last season.

The problem is, a lot rests on the shoulders of Kobe Bryant.

Scott too, will also have to somehow turn this mismatch of players into a cohesive unit, as the entire roster suffers an imbalance, with too many players needing the ball. So it would appear, to me at least, that another painful season is in store for Lakers fans.

pacific prediction golden state warriors los angeles clippers phoenix suns sacramento kings los angeles lakers

W-L 64-18 55-27 44-38 38-44 24-58 by ross macleod

southeast DIVISION preview The Southeast Division hasn’t been all that competitive since the LeBron James-led Miami Heat made its last, albeit unsuccessful, trip to the NBA Finals in 2014.

This offseason, however, they’ve improved and so it seems has the rest of the division. While only two of the teams making up the numbers have a genuine chance of competing for the East the other three have enough exciting young pieces to make the 2015-16 season interesting in the south east.

Atlanta Hawks Last Season’s Record: 1st in Southeast, 60-22 The Atlanta Hawks won 60 games last season and, for the most part, they succeeded in keeping the core that achieved that feat together. Sure, they lost DeMarre Carroll to Toronto but they’ve got a glut of players, including Thabo Sefolosha and Kent Bazemore, capable of playing at the small forward position ready to replace him. Furthermore, they brought back Paul Millsap and added Tiago Splitter, who should provide some much needed length (not to mention championship experience) at the centre spot. Jeff Teague, Al Horford and Kyle Korver should all be as reliable as ever, while Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dennis Schröder could realistically push for starters’ minutes. Expect head coach Mike Budenholzer to take this team deep into the playoffs once again but don’t expect it to go any further than it did last year.

quite simply, made the roster that little bit worse. Granted, they’ve still got Wall, Beal, Marcin Gortat and Nenê but none of their new additions seem likely to elevate this team to dizzy new heights. That said, Jared Dudley was a nice pick up, as was Kelly Oubre Jr. (who the Wiz traded up for after he was taken 15th overall by the Hawks).

Assuming Otto Porter’s game continues to develop and they can get some decent back up minutes from the likes of Alan Anderson and Ramon Sessions this team should be up there once again this year, but, on the flipside, a serious injury to Wall or Beal could put them right back in the doldrums.

Orlando Magic Last Season’s Record: 4th in Southeast, 33-49 Since trading Dwight Howard back in 2012 the Orlando Magic have been terrible: they won just 20 games in 201213, 23 games in 2013-14 and 25 games last season. In the meantime they’ve been gathering assets and, on paper at least, now have a roster that should be able to take a significant leap forward. Players like Victor Oladipo, Nikola Vucevic, Tobias Harris and Elfrid Payton will be expected to lead this team this year, while the likes of Aaron Gordon, Mario Hezonja (drafted 5th overall), Evan Fournier and Dewayne Dedmon should provide some of the depth they’ve been lacking in the post-Dwightmare years. Veterans like Channing Frye and Jason Smith will be essential as the 82 game campaign progresses but, whichever way you look at it, this is still a very young roster that could very well struggle for consistency this year.

Miami Heat Last Season’s Record: 2nd in Southeast, 46-36 Since the Miami Heat traded for Goran Dragic last February people have been raving about their potential.

On paper a starting five of Dragic, Dwyane Wade, Luol Deng, Chris Bosh and Hassan Whiteside seems exciting but let’s not forget that due to factors like the overall age of the roster and, obviously, injuries to key men (Wade and Bosh both missed large chunks) the Heat won just 37 games last season, missing out on the playoffs in the weak, weak East. There’s no denying that Pat Riley reenergised this group by adding Dragic, but that alone won’t necessary transform it into a contender capable of competing with the Cleveland Cavaliers. If newbies Amar’e Stoudemire and Justice Winslow can make immediate impact that’ll help a lot, but for the Heat to compete Wade, Bosh, Dragic and Whiteside are going to have to play out of their respective skins.

Washington Wizards Last Season’s Record: 3rd in Southeast, 37-45 Behind the strong play of John Wall and Bradley Beal the Washington Wizards have been coming along nicely in recent years. After winning 44 games in 2013-14 and 46 games last season they’ve made two consecutive conference semi-finals appearances, losing 4-2 (to the Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks respectively) on both occasions. In theory this should be the year they make that big push, but losing veteran forward Paul Pierce has,

Charlotte Hornets Last Season’s Record: 5th in Southeast, 25-57 After winning 43 games in 2013-14 the Charlotte Hornets took a step back last season, logging just 33 wins.

Obviously the Lance Stephenson experiment failed terribly, but that’s no excuse for a team featuring players like Al Jefferson, Kemba Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Cody Zeller to slump like it did. This summer’s been a productive one, as they added forward Frank Kaminsky via the draft, as well as Nicholas Batum, Jeremy Lin, Jeremy Lamb and Spencer Hawes via free agency, but the news of MKG’s shoulder injury, which could keep him out for up to six months, really put a dampner on proceedings. He is after all their best defensive player, one who will be hard to replace on a team that’s been blighted by the absence of a superstar, not to mention some questionable draft picks, in recent years. This season they look deeper but, realistically, the best they can hope for at this stage is sneaking into the playoffs as the eighth seed.

southeast prediction atlanta hawks miami heat washington wizards orlando magic charlotte hornets

W-L 53-29 51-31 41-41 37-45 35-47 by sean guest

zach lavine - 2015 NBA Slam Dunk winner

kristen ledlow: 2015-16 For those of you who don’t know, Kristen Ledlow is a US sports broadcaster based in Atlanta, currently serving as a host on NBA TV (Monday nightBT Sport). Ledlow joins former NBA star Grant Hill on NBA Inside Stuff, along with full-time contributions as a Turner Sports personality.

Additionally, Ledlow serves as a sports update anchor on CNN and HLN. You can follow her on Twitter @kristenledlow

What makes you excited about this coming NBA season?

It’s nearly impossible to name every reason I’m excited about this NBA season! To name just a few, I’m looking forward to watching an increasingly competitive Western Conference, whether or not the Warriors can repeat (or, will it be the Spurs?) witnessing LeBron James and the Cavs vie for another shot to bring an NBA title in Cleveland, and seeing the 2015 rookie class develop, Of course, I’m also excited about the return of NBA Inside Stuff with Grant Hill and me, every Saturday on NBA TV! (Nice plug, huh?!)

And the MVP of the 2015-16 Regular season is?....

LeBron James, Cavaliers

Who do you think will win Rookie of the Year?

Jahlil Okafor, 76ers

Which team do you believe will surprise us this season?

How do you think your own team will do?

The Sacramento Kings

As a Florida native, I’m a lifelong Magic fan. The future is bright in Orlando! I’m excited to watch the development of this young core, including a more experienced Victor Oladipo, a healthy Aaron Gordon, and an exciting pick in Mario Hezonja. With a new coaching regime in place, I think the Magic have a shot at surprising a few teams in the Eastern Conference.

What team are you most looking forward to watching?

Do you think Lebron James will enter the Dunk Contest?

3. Washington Wizards

Ha! No, I don’t.

4. Miami Heat

the ledlow Western Conference standings:

5. Chicago Bulls

1. San Antonio Spurs 2. Golden State Warriors 3. Memphis Grizzlies 4. OKC Thunder 5. Houston Rockets 6. LA Clippers 7. New Orleans Pelicans 8. Sacramento Kings 9. Dallas Mavericks 10. Minnesota Timberwolves

The (healthy) Cavaliers

the ledlow Eastern Conference standings 1. Cleveland Cavaliers 2. Atlanta Hawks

6. Toronto Raptors 7. Milwaukee Bucks 8. Boston Celtics 9. Indiana Pacers 10. Orlando Magic 11. Charlotte Hornets 12. Brooklyn Nets 13. Detroit Pistons 14. Philadelphia 76ers 15. NY Knicks

11. Utah Jazz

3 League Pass teams to watch this season:

12. Phoenix Suns

1. Orlando Magic

13. LA Lakers

2. Milwaukee Bucks

14. Denver Nuggets

3. Charlotte Hornets

15. Portland Trailblazers “What if Michael Jordan had quit?

He would’ve never made Space Jam. And I love Space Jam.”

nba london 2016

The NBA has enjoyed a hibernation of sorts since the Golden State Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers back on June 17. The Warriors claimed their first championship since 1975 playing an incredibly exciting brand of basketball, yet the one thing that’s certain for NBA fans is that the offseason lull will always come, and when it does, it’s long.

For NBA fans in the US that might afford an opportunity for them to embrace other sports, whether that’s MLB baseball, MLS soccer, or even the early weeks of the NFL. For European fans though the offseason adds a completely different style of respite.

It’s a chance to catch up on sleep.

We’ve all been there. Late nights turn into early mornings in front of your eyes as the greatest basketball players on planet earth do battle. For the devoted few, that means facing up to the challenges of watching events take place in time zones that range from five to eight hours behind the UK and Ireland, and even an hour greater for Central Europe.

It’s generally worth the bleary eyes, as most NBA fans will tell you, but that only makes it all the more special when the NBA is presented to Europe on its own terms as such.

Early starts are nice, but there’s only one thing even better, and it has quickly become a mid-January tradition.

For the fourth straight year, the greatest basketball show on Earth will come to European shores, and more specifically London’s O2 Arena, as British and European fans get the chance to enjoy the sights and sounds of a regular season NBA matchup in front of their eyes.

2013 saw the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons roll into town, the 2014 game was contested by Eastern Conference playoff teams the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets, while last year saw the Knicks return, this time to square off with the Milwaukee Bucks.

To date, none of those games have been particularly close, but an exciting matchup between the playoff established Toronto Raptors and the up-and-coming Orlando Magic could be just the game to rectify that.

When the two teams take to the floor in London on January 14, there’ll be plenty of key battles for casual and hardcore fans alike to watch out for.

Toronto’s All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry has returned from a summer of hard work in the shape of his life, and matched up against the young, yet traditional, pass-first floor general Elfrid Payton; we could see fireworks.

Shooting guard will see two of the league’s most athletic and explosive swingmen go head to head also, as former All-Star Weekend Dunk Contest participants DeMar DeRozan and Victor Oladipo go toe-to-toe.

In the paint, not only will the O2 Arena play host to two of the NBA’s best young centers, but they are two men of European heritage also. Lithuania’s Jonas Valanciunas and Montenegro’s Nikola Vucevic will go to war on the boards, while both men are also capable of demonstrating a deft touch around the rim.

Add into the mix, Toronto’s marquee free agent signing, former Atlanta Hawks “Three-and-D” specialist DeMarre Carroll, and Orlando’s ultra confident Croatian rookie Mario Hezonja, and talent, skill and excitement should not be in short supply.

It’s always a special occasion when European fans get a chance to see the NBA’s players put on a show up close and personal, but this one really is a date worth marking on your calendars.

If you’re a veteran of previous NBA Global Games, you don’t even need this game sold to you. If you’re an NBA fan who has never truly experienced the game played at this level in the flesh, set time aside in your schedule to get to London and soak it all in.

We’ll all spend the year enthralled by hard-fought games late into the evening across all corners of the US, so why not take advantage of the atmosphere when it comes to your own doorstep?

As an added bonus, you’ll even be asleep early enough to wake up refreshed the morning after the game has finished!

Then again, there’s always NBA to watch after the game…

by adam mcgee Features writer for @Fansided | Editor @BehindTheBucks

NEXT:

the playoffs