Los Boston Celtics They broke the 16-year drought without being champions of the NBA but they face challenges in a league where it is increasingly difficult to repeat a title.

Next season he will once again have great rivals who will seek to take the championship from him.

ESPN experts answer the 10 big questions the NBA has for the 2024-2025 campaign.

Fiction. Luka Doncic He is a wonderful player who showed superlative performance in the 2023/2024 campaign both in the regular season (top scorer with 33.9 points per game) and in the playoffs. While it is difficult to improve what Doncic produced statistically, there is something that he has not yet achieved and will pursue until he achieves it: being an NBA champion.

To achieve that goal he will have to be even better, perhaps not in his individual numbers, but in being the leader who raises the level of play of his teammates. His path must go in that direction and he has the tools to do it. (Pablo Cormick)

Reality. The recent trend does not favor them, since no team has repeated since the Warriors they won their second consecutive title – and their third in four Finals – in 2017. The change in salary rules complicates the development of dynasties, but in the way in which Brad Stevens built this version of the Celticsit looks like this championship version will be able to stay together for at least two more seasons.

However, those same salary rules have led to a greater competitive balance, and more teams can be considered as contenders. Dallas showed that with the combination of Luka Doncic y Kyrie Irving At its best it is in the conversation, Denver Nuggets It still has the current MVP and a good core, Minnesota Timberwolves and the Oklahoma City Thunder They are two emerging forces and in the Eastern Conference, New York Knicks can be reinforced, Philadelphia 76ers can peek out with a Joel Embiid healthy all year, Indiana showed that it belongs in the Playoffs and Milwaukee Bucks still has Giannis Antetokounmpo y Damian Lillard on their roster.

However, the Celtics must start as favorites to win in 2024-25, led by Jayson Tatum y Jaylen Brown, now without the pressure of having to answer all the questions about winning together in the month of June. (Hiram Martinez)

3- Fact or fiction: Next will be the last season of LeBron James.

Fiction. It has been heard on multiple occasions LeBron James mention that at least he plans to play between 2 and three more seasons. Who are we to contradict him?

Although he knows that he is on the downward curve of his career, if nothing happens that physically limits him and he cannot continue playing, LeBron is not going to give in and will continue with the idea of ​​extending his career. Last season, James averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.3 assists with 54% shooting from the field and 41% shooting from three-point range. Whoever dares to ask for his retirement, arguing that he is finished, should cast the first stone. (Marcelo Bousquet)

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4- Fact or fiction: The Mavs’ route to return to the Finals is more difficult than the Celtics’.

Fact: There are more contending teams and stars in the Western Conference than in the East. It is not to demean the path of the brand new champions, Boston Celtics, but Mavs will have to be better than Nuggets, OKC, Golden State Warriors, LA Clippers y Lakers, more than one surprise that is revealed in the regular season.

On the other hand, the impact that the Mavs had to reach the Finals with the duo Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving It was one of the shortcomings in the series against the Celtics, except in Game 4, in the others, it was either Doncic who shone or Irving, but not the two together and for the following season the duo will have to have a similar performance if The Mavs want to repeat as finalists. Extra point are the movements that management makes to strengthen the team. (Roland of the Forest)

5- Fact or Fiction: There will be a matchup between two different teams in the 2024-25 Finals.

Reality: In the East, much will depend on the recovery of Kristaps Porzingis so that the Celtics have a similar season and repeat in the Finals. The ‘Unicorn’ injuries were a headache for coach Joe Mazzullaa pain ‘healed’ thanks to Al Horford, who, being already a veteran, needs support for a long season. On the West side, there are several teams and players with a debt and/or a thorn in their side who will not want to watch the NBA Finals from home again and that will be the big obstacle for the Mavericks to be champions of the Western Conference. (Roland of the Forest)

6- Fact or Fiction: Wemby and the Spurs will be the team with the greatest progress in 2024-25.

False, but they will be close. Victor Wembanyama is real and the team’s rise must go hand in hand with the development of its budding superstar. The San Antonio Spurs They have the national team capital to accumulate young pieces and eventually make a significant change that leaves them fully in contention. The key word is ‘eventually’; San Antonio must be patient, similar to how the Thunder built their roster.

If it is true that Wemby’s presence accelerates the line time to compete, the situation is very different from the leap that the franchise took when it had David Robinson and then Tim Duncan. Another 22-win season shouldn’t be in the cards, but contending for the playoffs seems like a big step for a team that has yet to build around its pivotal pivot. (Victor O. Lopez)

7- Fact or Fiction: Klay Thompson will return to the Warriors, but Golden State will miss the playoffs.

True and true. It would seem unlikely that Klay Thompson he leaves ‘Bahia’, despite the drop in his production that puts his future as a star player in doubt; he would look destined to return. But, the panorama of the West, in any case, is arranged against the Warriors. Golden State has missed the playoffs in three of the last five seasons, falling in the play-in twice. Sure, they won a championship in between, but can Stephen Curry at 36 years old lead them back into contention? It is undoubtedly a risky bet, especially when we consider the improvement expected from the Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies y San Antonio Spurs in the West. (Victor O. Lopez)

8- Fact or Fiction: the Lakers will choose Bronny James in the draft.

Editorial Selections

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Reality. Even though Rich Paul (his agent) has maintained that drafting Bronny doesn’t ensure LeBron makes it to the team that drafts him, the Lakers can’t risk knowing whether that’s true or not. The Lakers’ interest in keeping LeBron on the team is genuine and necessary. And the interest in selecting Bronny too, although it is presumed that they will not spend their first round selection (17) but rather their second one (#55).

Furthermore, I dare to think that if the management feels that a rival could pick him earlier, they would make an effort to move up in the draft. Finally, the fact that Bronny has only auditioned with the Lakers and Suns (who only has the 22nd pick), refusing to do so with other teams, fuels the possibility that Bronny ends up dressing in purple and gold. (Marcelo Bousquet)

9- Fact or Fiction: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander y Anthony Edwards They will be one and two in the voting for the 2024-25 MVP.

Reality. After what he did last season, especially in the playoffs, Edwards has established himself as the most dynamic young talent in the entire league. The following season will be his fifth, however Edwards will only be 23 years old. He improved in virtually every statistical category in 2023-24, and there’s nothing to indicate he won’t continue to do so. Meanwhile, Gilgeous-Alexander has two consecutive seasons averaging 30 points per game, and this year he surpassed his record for assists and steals. He came second in this year’s voting, but in 2025 he will lift the trophy. (Eric Gomez)

10- Fact or Fiction: Jokic and Nuggets will be the candidates for the NBA title.

Reality. The Western Conference improved tremendously this season, after Denver easily dominated in 2023 en route to the first title in franchise history. This year, Denver, Minnesota and Dallas exhausted each other to such an extent that the Mavericks put up little resistance to Boston in the Finals. It is more than logical to think that Jokic, Murray and company would have been much better sparring partners for the Celtics. If there are no significant injuries, it is possible that the last two NBA champions will meet next June to define the 2024-25 crown. (Eric Gomez)

2024-06-25 13:18:45
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