One of the more disappointing things about the 2019-20 NBA season being postponed is that it was the first season in some time in which there wasn’t an obvious favorite.
The Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, and Milwaukee Bucks had seemingly emerged as the favorites, but teams such as the Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, and Philadelphia 76ers all could make a championship run if certain things fall into place.
The uncertainty made for some intense, playoff-like atmospheres throughout the season for the Lakers. It started early on when they faced the Dallas Mavericks on the road, but recent contests against the Nuggets, Celtics, Bucks, and Clippers all brought that same intensity. Needless to say, even though the Lakers were arguably the favorite to win the championship, they have a ton of competition.
Danny Green knows all about the NBA playoffs and how tough this league is and couldn’t even narrow it down when asked about it. Green recently appeared on ‘Take It There’ with Taylor Rooks and when asked who the team’s toughest competition is, he listed off a number of teams:
“I think there’s more than one. In the West, I think there’s a lot of them. In the East, of course Milwaukee is very tough, Philly is good when they’re healthy. Boston is very tough, you’ve seen that matchup… it’s a very tough matchup. That could be a Finals, you never know, preview.”
Green added that the uncertainty and overall number of potentially good teams are great for the fans:
“You have three or four teams in the West, three or four teams in the East that can come out each side and it makes it more exciting for basketball fans to watch.”
Obviously all of this was recorded before the league was shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic, so Green had no clue that things would turn out the way they have. Hopefully, the NBA is able to return this season as everything Green said about the Lakers and their competition is true.
The playoffs were shaping up to be one of the best in recent memory and everyone was watching closely to see how the matchups would turn out as that would play a huge role in who would ultimately advance. For the Western Conference, teams such as the Mavericks and Utah Jazz were capable of giving the top teams major issues and the same can be said for the likes of the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference.
The Clippers and Bucks were the two teams everyone looked at as the team’s biggest competition in winning the 2020 NBA Finals but even before getting to them, the Lakers would be facing some tough teams.
