NBA Preview: Top Dogs Warriors, Celtics Ready to Impress in Season Opener

NBA Preview: Top Dogs Warriors, Celtics Ready to Impress in Season Opener

THE NBA IS BACK!

After four months of waiting, the grandest basketball competition in the world makes it return for the 2018-19 season. And fans are in for a treat in its curtain-raiser as the best teams in both the Eastern and Western Conferences make their debut.

To kick off the new campaign, reigning NBA champions Golden State Warriors start their title defence against the retooled—and seemingly much-improved—Oklahoma City Thunder.

On the other hand, with LeBron James bolting out of the East, Kyrie Irving and his Boston Celtics will look to take over and establish their dominance early against their closest and biggest rivals, the Philadelphia 76ers.

Philadelphia 76ers @ Boston Celtics (October 17, 08:00 GMT+8)

The top two East teams meeting for the opener? Surely, it’s as good as it gets!

Philly have matters to settle against Boston. After all, the Celtics were the ones who denied the Sixers a dream run in the playoffs last year, beating them in the second round to set a date with the then LeBron-led Cleveland Cavaliers in the East finals.

Now, the Sixers return to the league with not only playoff aspirations but also championship hopes. Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons remain the core of the team, and they have Markelle Fultz—the top overall pick of the 2018 draft—fully healthy and ready to contribute.

Boston, however, will provide a stern test. They always do, anyway.

It should be remembered that this Celtics team sent the Sixers packing in just five games in a best-of-seven playoff series without All-Star players Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward.

Irving and Hayward are ready to start at TD Garden for this opener, so the Sixers are undoubtedly up for a fight unlike any they have experienced before.

Brad Stevens is unarguably the best coach in the NBA today and, no disrespect to Philadelphia coach Brett Brown, his basketball wizardry was the reason why Philly managed to win only two games in their nine encounters (including the playoffs) with Boston last campaign.

The NBA 2018 odds at SBOBET have Boston winning this one by a small margin, at Asian Handicap -5.00 that pays at 1.94. Nonetheless, I think the Beantown will win by more, considering that it’s an opportunity for them to make a statement and tell the basketball world they are now the team to beat in the East.

Oklahoma City Thunder @ Golden State Warriors (October 17, 10:30 GMT+8)

The strong just got stronger.

That’s the storyline for the mighty Warriors this year after an offseason move that saw them land free-agent All-Star centre DeMarcus Cousins.

Imagine a lineup of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins. That fivesome will easily be the starting squad of the Western Conference All-Star team (if it is still alive).

Sure enough, Cousins is far from being game-ready as he recovers from the torn ACL he suffered last season. However, the idea of that lineup playing together is just plain scary.

For now, the Warriors will have to do with their usual “Death Lineup” of Curry, Thompson, Durant and Green or their ultimate small-ball crew—famously called the Hamptons Five—that inserts Andre Iguodala into the equation.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma City will hope that cashing in on the All-Star duo of Russell Westbrook and Paul George will bear fruit for them.

The Thunder parted ways with Carmelo Anthony and broke the bank to keep the Westbrook-George partnership running, committing more than $230 million to the two players alone. They did make some low-risk, high-reward acquisitions in the likes of Dennis Schroder, Nerlens Noel and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, but the focus will always be on Russell and Paul and if they can bring the Thunder to the promised land.

As the Warriors host the Thunder at Oracle Arena this Wednesday, Durant’s match-up with former teammate Westbrook will grab the NBA 2018 news headlines. Nevertheless, the game is promising to be thrilling overall, especially if their head-to-head record last year is to be considered.

They split their four matches in the 2017-18 season, each winning one at home and one away. Oklahoma won their first two games against the Warriors though, and they will surely look at that as a source of confidence.

While the Dubs are overwhelming favourites with Asian handicap betting (-11.50 @ 1.94), the Thunder should be able to keep it tight and close. The Warriors lack depth at the centre post, and that is something the Thunder could exploit to turn the tide of the battle.

Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.

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