Tonight the season finally starts. Let’s discuss the four teams playing and what I think their season holds.

Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics:

I have this strange feeling the 76ers will be a top-tier team in the East which isn’t a “bold” prediction but I could see them making a deep playoff run. This could be seen as bold because as we all know James Harden has refused to play competitive basketball for the past couple of years. Joel Embiid will be an MVP candidate this year and if Harden can be a consistent second fiddle to the big man, they will cause trouble this year. De’Anthony Melton will end up being one of the most underrated pickups during this off-season. Tyrese Maxey will take another step forward from last year. A big 3 of Embiid, Maxey, and Harden is bound to be a top offense, right? The Boston Celtics are coming off a disappointing NBA Finals loss. Jayson Tatum is a top guy in this league but to be even topper than a top guy he must follow up and continue the ascension into an MVP player. He has been touted as a future MVP since he was drafted and has left us wanting more from him more times than not. He is a great player and has the potential to achieve that greatness so that is why I am pushing him for it. (Yes me, I am giving Tatum that extra motivation.) The Celtics open up as the favorite to win the NBA Finals and the defense they played last year will be what drives them to a repeat appearance in the Finals. The league is wide open this year (The Warriors will probably ruin that and just win again) so hopefully the trade they made for Malcolm Brogdon helps with that. If healthy he will be another defensive presence for one of the better defenses and he will be a stat-sheet stuffer. With all that being said I am picking the 76ers in this game for the reason that I believe losing the NBA Finals and losing Head Coach Ime Udoka will lead to the Celtics having a slow start out of the gate.

Los Angeles Lakers vs Golden State Warriors:

The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t that fun to think about or talk about. Yes, LeBron James is 37 and yes he is still going to carry a team on his back. Anthony Davis will have to play basketball this year. Easier said than done am I right Davis? If AD plays and reaches that level he reached in the 2020 NBA Bubble Finals then maybe LeBron can take it easy this year. Even if AD can contribute in the dominant way he did that year the roster around them will have to change or step up. Russell Westbrook will most likely get traded if LeBron doesn’t ship him overseas so it is not worth even discussing his impact. Dennis Schroder took a year off from the Lakers and is now back to join a crowded point guard room with Russ and Patrick Beverley. Juan Toscano-Anderson and Lonnie Walker IV are good wing additions who can add a little of both sides of the ball. Despite having a poor roster this year it honestly is improved from last season. At least they finally got rid of Talen Horton-Tucker so we don’t have to see his name in every Bleacher Report trade article. P.S. Kendrick Nunn is supposed to play basketball this season. Big if true. The defending champions, Golden State Warriors. They will be back to where they were last season and maybe even better. Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins got their bags for playing huge roles in the championship run. Poole should shake off Draymond Green’s punch and continue his improvement as the third splash brother. Stephen Curry is still Stephen Curry but are we sure Klay Thompson is still Klay Thompson. He is 32 and the two seasons he had off due to his injury could catch up to him. But who am I kidding this is the Warriors they are invincible to anything even Draymond walloping a teammate. Klay will be fine he can take a bunch of catch-and-shoot threes while teams are chasing Steph and Poole all over the floor. Wiggins has emerged as a top-flight defensive player so Klay won’t have to guard the other team’s best wing player anymore. The only thing I see that could hamper this team’s success is Draymond. He wants a contract extension and with how his attitude has been recently it is tough to think it is a good idea to give him it. His offensive struggles have gotten even worse with teams just daring him to shoot and missing the occasional layup or passing out of the wide-open layup. The Warriors can afford to let him go with Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and James Wiseman waiting in the wings. The obvious choice here is to pick the Golden State Warriors so I am going to swerve you all and say the Lakers will run. Just kidding, chill, the Warriors will win this game, and if not it’ll be Draymond’s fault because he let Bron win.

Right now you can get 76ers ML and Warriors ML at +206 on Fanduel Sportsbook but I got it at +256 because I placed it on October 4th. What can I say I’m a sharp.