The Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers all had the talent to make the NBA Finals, and the Brooklyn Nets loomed as a dangerous dark horse from the play-in tournament thanks to the presence of Durant and Irving. The champion ultimately came from the Western Conference, but there was no shortage of contenders in the East at the start of last season's playoffs. Last season's effort from the Lakers was nowhere near enough to help the King in his quest for another ring, and they will look to bounce back under new head coach Darvin Ham in what figures to be a daunting Western Conference. ![]() James was again one of the best players in the league last season, but he turns 38 years old in December and may not have many years left to chase a fifth NBA title and further bolster what is already one of the best resumes in sports history. Whether they can do that remains one of the league's biggest storylines. Yet Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported in July that James, Davis and Westbrook "huddled up on a phone conversation the first weekend of NBA Summer League in Las Vegas with each expressing their commitment to one another and vowing to make it work." That led to an offseason of rumors with Westbrook's future up in the air and some speculation that James and Kyrie Irving would reunite with a potential trade for the Brooklyn Nets point guard. The Westbrook fit was less than ideal given his shooting struggles and ball-dominant ways, and head coach Frank Vogel was fired at the conclusion of the regular season. Los Angeles missed the playoffs entirely on the way to an ugly 33-49 record. ![]() I want to give the guys a chance to do it again." Yet the defending champions chose to remain relatively intact, with general manager Bob Myers even telling Mark Medina of NBA.com, "I like our team and where it's at. They were even connected to Durant at a time this offseason, which was surely a frightening thought for the rest of the league. The Warriors could have chosen to trade some of their younger players and draft picks for another veteran as they chase another championship at the back end of Stephen Curry's prime. What's more, secondary players such as Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole and Kevon Looney played monster roles on the way to the title. After all, Kevin Durant was three years removed from the roster, Klay Thompson was battling back from serious injuries that kept him out for two years and the team missed the playoffs entirely in back-to-back campaigns when he was sidelined. ![]() Golden State was a loaded dynasty while winning three titles in four seasons from 2014-15 through 2017-18, but this past season's championship felt different. For the fourth time in eight years, the rest of the NBA is starting a new season in pursuit of the champion Golden State Warriors.
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