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I have been following the NBA since I was 8 years old, so, for around 10 years. I remember the first game I ever watched was the Celtics vs Lakers match, at the time when they were the dominant forces within basketball. I remember watching Ray Allen and him sinking 3s, making it look so easy. Now you know the background, let's get into the main article.
The first thing I want to talk about is dominant forces. The current dominant forces within the NBA today are the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. They have both been in the finals, their players have won the previous MVP awards and, overall, haven't looked like anyone would de-throne them, until now.
The team that I am about to talk about are my team, a team that have gone under the radar in terms of what they have been doing off the court in recent times - the Boston Celtics.
The Celtics have gone under the radar with how they have built their team and this is showing in the current season. In my opinion, and this could be viewed as biased, they have strategically looked at the Cavs and Warriors and identified that their teams are made up of players that are on the way out and thought 'Well, let's build for the future, specifically the near future'. The likes of Jaylen Brown, who has found his rhythm this season, Jayson Tatum, who could very well win Rookie of the Year - I believe Ben Simmons will romp home with it - and Kyrie Irving, possible MVP winner and someone who is young and just entering his prime years, form a young but solid core.
Then you have the other quality players such as Rozier, Marcus Smart, Marcus Morris, Al Horford, Daniel Theis and let's not forget Gordon Hayward when he comes back from injury. It wouldn't surprise me if they go all the way this year and become the dominant force that I mentioned before, although I would drop all of that just to see Ray Allen play one more game!
The next thing I want to talk about is the concept and hype over star players. Every team has them, even if the fans think otherwise. The Bucks have Giannis Antentokounmpo, the Knicks have Kristaps Porzingis, the Thunder have Russell Westbrook and arguably Paul George, the Suns have Bledsoe...Oh! wait...
Anyway, my point is, every team has that one player who can change the game when they are needed the most. However, teams are now showing that they don't have to rely on a single player to win games, and win them consistently. For example, in the last 2-3 games, the Celtics have been without either Irving or Horford and have still managed to keep their win streak going.
Another team to do so, and shock everyone, is the Suns. After sacking their coach and excluding Bledsoe from their squad, they went on to win four games out of five, showing that they still have got some quality. In conclusion, I believe that NBA teams are moving away from their dependency on one quality player and are now looking to build a team of players who work collectively rather than individuals who just play for their own stats and recognition.
The final thing I want to talk about before finishing the article off is having an opinion. In terms of basketball, everyone has an opinion on a player or a team and that's fine, but I see too many fans having an opinion because it's popular with others.
I can wholeheartedly say that I believe Lonzo Ball won't be the player many are hyping him up to be, but I can also recognise when someone does have talent, and he showed this earlier this week when he beat 'The King's' record to become the youngest player in history to record a triple-double.
Now, that's impressive and to do it against a team like the Bucks is even more impressive. But, unfortunately, I still see fans saying that it doesn't matter, because the team lost, and these sort of comments are just because it has been popular since day one to give Lonzo a lot of unneeded hate, although his dad has definitely not helped his career with the way he has been speaking about him. I think he should focus on Lonzo's younger brother at the moment.
In conclusion, if you are a person looking to get into basketball, now is the time because I believe that this season and the seasons to come are going to be the most competitive the league has seen for a long time.
Guess the Lakers players!
