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A20 SPORTS
Tuesday 22 OcTOber 2019

NBA ‘19-20: NBA champion is," Hall of ple-double will be his 139th

Fame player and TNT ana- and break a tie with Magic
Continued from Page 17 lyst Reggie Miller said. "Be- Johnson for second on the
fore you would have three, career list, while Harden
"The Staples Center is four teams that were dead- will be aiming for a third
where you want to be with locked. You know they're straight scoring title after
the team we got and with going to be there. This year, averaging 36.1 points last
the team they have." given no injuries, a team season.
The finals' Western Confer- getting hot, chemistry ob- COACH'S CHALLENGE
ence headquarters had viously issues, there's a lot NBA coaches will have a
moved north in recent of teams that can go for it. chance to get calls over-
years, with Golden State But the Lakers and Clippers turned as the league
building a dynasty in the being headliners." They're implemented a coach's
Bay Area. But Kevin Durant hardly alone among the challenge on a one-year
is gone, Klay Thompson is contenders out West. Den- trial basis. Each team is al-
injured, and even Stephen Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James congratulates forward ver, Portland and Utah all lowed one per game and
Anthony Davis during a timeout in the first half of the team's
Curry's sharpest shooting preseason NBA basketball game against the Golden State figure to be tough. And can challenge either a foul
might not be able to keep Warriors on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019, in Los Angeles. don't count out the War- called on its own team, the
the run going. Associated Press riors, who'd like their new call of an out-of-bounds
It wasn't good enough last teams meet Tuesday on ers. That could open the Chase Center in San Fran- violation, or a goaltending
season, when Durant and opening night, when the door for MVP Giannis An- cisco to be the same spring or basket interference vio-
Thompson were hurt in the regular season gets started tetokounmpo and the Mil- destination that the Oracle lation.
finals and Leonard led To- after a turbulent preseason waukee Bucks, or the Phila- Center in Oakland was. WINNING WARRIORS
ronto to its first champion- overshadowed by tension delphia 76ers to seize the This season, that will be Golden State's NBA Finals
ship. Leonard then joined between the NBA and Chi- East title. harder than ever. "The streak is the second-longest
fellow Southern Califor- na . The Raptors get their The wide-openness of the West is stacked all the way in NBA history, behind only
nia native George with rings in the first game be- league this season is a far up and down," Curry said. the 10 straight trips by the
the Clippers, who have fore facing New Orleans, cry from recent years, when Some other things to know Boston Celtics from 1957-
never even gotten out of whose heavily hyped rook- travel plans to the Bay Area about the NBA season: 66. The Warriors' hopes of
the second round but are ie Zion Williamson injured in June could be assumed REVVED-UP ROCKETS extending it could depend
now considered title fa- his knee late during exhibi- months in advance, or Houston acquired Russell largely on the play of guard
vorites. Davis was traded tion play. when James' teams in the Westbrook to join James D'Angelo Russell, an All-Star
to the Lakers, who loaded Toronto lost two starters to East went to eight straight Harden, putting two recent last season in Brooklyn who
up quickly after flopping in Los Angeles, with Danny NBA Finals. MVPs in the same back- was acquired when Durant
James' first season. Those Green signing with the Lak- "You can't call who the court. Westbrook's next tri- went to the Nets.q