The NBA is Back!
After a long 4 months, the 2024-2025 NBA season has finally arrived!
In case you missed them, here are some of the major things that happened this offseason:
- Klay Thompson signed with the Dallas Mavericks
-Julius Randle was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves
-Karl-Anthony Towns was traded to the New York Knicks
-Donte DiVincenzo was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves
- Mikal Bridges was traded to the New York Knicks
- Isaiah Hartenstein signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder
- Paul George signed with the Philadelphia 76ers
- Chris Paul signed with the San Antonio Spurs
- Dejounte Murray was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans
- Alex Caruso was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder
- Josh Giddey was traded to the Chicago Bulls
To start this season the teams that have been given the highest odds of winning the finals are the Celtics, Thunder, 76ers, and Knicks. The teams that have been given the lowest odds of winning the finals are the Hornets, Pistons, Nets, and Wizards.
This is going to be a very exciting NBA season! Here are a few of the key dates to look out for:
NBA Preseason begins - October 4th. Preseason games don't count towards the team's records, but it is a chance to see how good the teams are looking with their new trades and additions.
NBA Season Begins - Knicks vs. Celtics - October 22nd. The very first game of the 2024 NBA season will be a matchup between last year's top 2 teams in the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks, and the Boston Celtics, which will make for a very exciting game. Additionally, the Celtics will have their championship ring ceremony right before this game.
Knicks vs. Pacers - October 25th. Last season the Pacers barely defeated the Knicks in the conference semi-finals, however, the Knicks had many major injuries. This game is a chance for the Knicks to prove that they are the better team when healthy.
The NBA in-season tournament begins - November 12th. The NBA in-season tournament begins on November 12th, with the championship game in Las Vegas on December 17th. Every player on the winning team receives $500,000
Mavericks vs. Warriors - November 12th. After playing his whole 13-year career with the Warriors, where he won 4 championships, Klay Thompson decided to sign with the Dallas Mavericks this offseason. This game will be the first time he plays the Warriors since leaving.
Knicks vs. Nets - November 15th. The two New York teams face off. Knicks vs. Nets. This game itself might not be that close because the Knicks are the way better team right now. However, the Knicks/Nets rivalry is always fun to watch. Additionally, Mikal Bridges played his last two seasons with the Nets, so this will be the first time he plays his former team since signing with the Knicks.
Knicks vs Timberwolves - January 17th. This is going to be a crazy game. Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo were both just traded to the Timberwolves, so this is going to be an emotional game for them. The crowd will definitely go crazy cheering for them and they will probably both have tribute videos shown on the jumbotron. Definitely looking forward to this game.
(This is the first matchup between the Knicks and Timberwolves back in New York. but they will also first face each other in Minnesota on December 19th.)
Celtics vs. Mavericks - January 25th. A rematch between the 2 teams in the finals last year. Will the Celtics win this as well or will the Mavericks' offseason moves be enough to defeat the champions?
Playoffs Begin - April 19th
NBA Finals Begin - June 5th
Preseason starts today and ends October 18th
Schedule of Preseason games taking place this weekend:
Looking forward to this season!