NBA Preview: The Time is Now for Clippers
September 16, 2022
The overzealous cheers of Steve Ballmer in 2019 had fans hyped; heck, it had everyone hyped.
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The overzealous cheers of Steve Ballmer in 2019 had fans hyped; heck, it had everyone hyped.
The Orlando Magic took a step back during the 2020-21 season after back-to-back playoff berths. It all started in “the bubble”, when Jonathan Isaac tore his meniscus, causing him to miss the entire season.
The Brooklyn Nets saw a rollercoaster 2020-21 season end in disappointing fashion. They fell to the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks in the second round, four games to three.
The Pacific Division is set to look very different after one of the biggest offseasons in NBA history completely shifted the league balance. The division went from one of the decent divisions in the NBA to the most competitive in a very quick period of time. Here’s an outlook at the division.
Last season, the Miami Heat missed the playoffs for the third time in the past five seasons. In order to improve their chances for this upcoming season, the Heat acquired all-star Jimmy Butler in a sign and trade from Philadelphia 76ers. Miami traded Josh Richardson to the 76ers for Butler and also moved Hassan Whiteside to the Portland Trail Blazers for Meyers Leonard. With Butler in the fold, the Heat are likely to be better.
Now that all of our NBA previews are completed, we have a grasp on what the season will hold. Here are our predictions for this year and links to all of our NBA previews by our team of writers.
The Los Angeles Clippers finished 42-40 last year and missed the playoffs by five games. They were one of the best non-playoff teams in the league. With the moves they made, can they get back to the playoffs?
The Charlotte Hornets enter the 2018-19 season which more questions than answers this season. Will they resign star guard Kemba Walker or will new GM Mitch Kupchak and team owner, the great Michael Jordan, decide to tear down the roster and do a complete rebuild. Those are just some of the questions facing this team as they look to rebound off back-to-back 36-win seasons and missing out on the playoffs.
Relevancy has really been an issue for one of the most storied franchises ever in sports because the Los Angeles Lakers have failed to make the playoffs for the last five years and last season was no different. The organizational turmoil was finally over as Jeanie Buss took over and hired Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka. Now they have LeBron. Will it be enough to get the Lakers back to being the standard?
The 2018 season ended earlier than the Miami Heat would have hoped. After going 44-38 and earning the 6th seed in the playoffs Coach Erik Spoelstra’s team was only able to win one game in the playoffs before falling to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Heat were still able to win the Southeast division last year. This season the Heat are hoping to not only win more games but more importantly win them when they count in the playoffs. As if they needed any additional motivation, this is the last dance for the future first-ballot hall-of- famer Dwyane Wade.
The Houston Rockets have certainly presented themselves as one of the best teams in the NBA. With a heartbreaking defeat in last season’s Western Conference Finals, will the Rockets return to their glory and perhaps make the Finals?
The Sacramento Kings were 12th in the Western Conference last season going 27-55. Will they improve enough to make the playoffs this year? Or will it be another year of tanking?
The overzealous cheers of Steve Ballmer in 2019 had fans hyped; heck, it had everyone hyped.
The Orlando Magic took a step back during the 2020-21 season after back-to-back playoff berths. It all started in “the bubble”, when Jonathan Isaac tore his meniscus, causing him to miss the entire season.
The Brooklyn Nets saw a rollercoaster 2020-21 season end in disappointing fashion. They fell to the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks in the second round, four games to three.
The Pacific Division is set to look very different after one of the biggest offseasons in NBA history completely shifted the league balance. The division went from one of the decent divisions in the NBA to the most competitive in a very quick period of time. Here’s an outlook at the division.
Last season, the Miami Heat missed the playoffs for the third time in the past five seasons. In order to improve their chances for this upcoming season, the Heat acquired all-star Jimmy Butler in a sign and trade from Philadelphia 76ers. Miami traded Josh Richardson to the 76ers for Butler and also moved Hassan Whiteside to the Portland Trail Blazers for Meyers Leonard. With Butler in the fold, the Heat are likely to be better.
Now that all of our NBA previews are completed, we have a grasp on what the season will hold. Here are our predictions for this year and links to all of our NBA previews by our team of writers.
The Los Angeles Clippers finished 42-40 last year and missed the playoffs by five games. They were one of the best non-playoff teams in the league. With the moves they made, can they get back to the playoffs?
The Charlotte Hornets enter the 2018-19 season which more questions than answers this season. Will they resign star guard Kemba Walker or will new GM Mitch Kupchak and team owner, the great Michael Jordan, decide to tear down the roster and do a complete rebuild. Those are just some of the questions facing this team as they look to rebound off back-to-back 36-win seasons and missing out on the playoffs.
Relevancy has really been an issue for one of the most storied franchises ever in sports because the Los Angeles Lakers have failed to make the playoffs for the last five years and last season was no different. The organizational turmoil was finally over as Jeanie Buss took over and hired Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka. Now they have LeBron. Will it be enough to get the Lakers back to being the standard?
The 2018 season ended earlier than the Miami Heat would have hoped. After going 44-38 and earning the 6th seed in the playoffs Coach Erik Spoelstra’s team was only able to win one game in the playoffs before falling to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Heat were still able to win the Southeast division last year. This season the Heat are hoping to not only win more games but more importantly win them when they count in the playoffs. As if they needed any additional motivation, this is the last dance for the future first-ballot hall-of- famer Dwyane Wade.
The Houston Rockets have certainly presented themselves as one of the best teams in the NBA. With a heartbreaking defeat in last season’s Western Conference Finals, will the Rockets return to their glory and perhaps make the Finals?
The Sacramento Kings were 12th in the Western Conference last season going 27-55. Will they improve enough to make the playoffs this year? Or will it be another year of tanking?
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