The NBA’s official season opens Dec. 22
Fred Jeter | 12/17/2020, 6 p.m.
Ready or not, here comes the NBA, just in time for the holidays.
Seems like only last week — actually it was Oct. 11 — that LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Miami Heat in six games for the truncated 2020 NBA Championship.
Due to the global pandemic, the 2019-20 season finished in “The Bubble” near Orlando, Fla. The NBA’s 2020-21 campaign will be played at the franchise arenas, but with attendance limitations.
Sign of times: Traditionally, the NBA regular season starts in October.
History lesson: This marks the NBA’s 75th season. The Chicago Stags won the inaugural crown in 1947, defeating the Philadelphia Warriors in the finals.
Let’s get started: The official season starts Tuesday, Dec. 22, with a doubleheader — Golden State Warriors versus the Brooklyn Nets at 7 p.m. and the Los Angeles Clippers play the Lakers at 10 p.m. TNT is to televise the games.
Under the Christmas tree: Four games are on tap Dec. 25 — New Orleans at Miami at noon; Golden State at Milwaukee, 2:30 p.m.; Brooklyn at Boston, 5 p.m.; and Dallas at L.A. Lakers, 8 p.m.
Smaller sample size: Due to the late start of the season, teams will play 72 regular games instead of 82.
Dates: Regular season is Dec. 22 to May 16; play-in tournament, May 28-21; playoffs, May 22-July 6; finals July 8-22.
Something missing? There will be no All-Star game this year because of the pandemic. The game was set to be played in Indianapolis. Still, there will be an “All-Star Break” March 5-10.
Coach changes: Steve Nash at Brooklyn; Billy Donovan at Chicago; Steve Silas at Houston; Nate Bjorkgren at Indiana; Tyronn Lue at L.A. Clippers; Stan Van Gundy at New Orleans; Tom Thibodeau at New York Knicks; Mark Daigneault at Oklahoma City; and Doc Rivers at Philadelphia.
No Canada: Due to safety concerns crossing the border, the Toronto Raptors will start the season playing “home games” at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, Fla.
In the spotlight: Minnesota will be showing off the overall No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, 6-foot-5 shooting guard Anthony Edwards from the University of Georgia.
X-factor: After missing all last season with an injury, Kevin Durant will join Kyrie Irving in the Brooklyn lineup. The Lakers won the championship last season with marquee co-stars James and Anthony Davis. Durant and Irving might emerge as this season’s dynamic duo.
Alphabet soup: Games will be televised on ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA-TV.
Movin’on up: James, 35, has passed the late Kobe Bryant and climbed to third place on the NBA’s all-time scoring chart. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar leads with 38,387 points, followed by Karl Malone at 36,928 and James, the active leader, at 32,241. It would likely take three more healthy seasons for James to catch Abdul-Jabbar.
Will he get there? It may be wise to never bet against “King James.”