In today’s modern NBA, the formula for winning isn’t rocket science. Still, it’s not exactly a walk in the park to figure out, either.
For years, GMs around the association work hard through the draft, free agency, and trade market to find stars, collect depth, and build a roster that fits together.
Of course, in the end, it really comes down to fire-power, and perhaps no two teams in the NBA have more than the Lakers and Nets.
With Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook, it’s hard to imagine a world where they don’t meet up in the Finals.
In a segment on “Get Up!” ESPN’s Jalen Rose made the following prediction about next season:
“You bring in a guy like Russ, who averaged a triple-double last year, and he’s gonna help get you through the regular season. Once the playoffs start, in a seven-game series, when you can try five Hall of Famers out on the floor at the same time, that’s gonna be great to watch. They’re not “too old” to win the Wests or even to win it all.
The problem is, you got to beat the Nets. And if you lose to the Nets, it ain’t gonna because you’re too old. It’s gonna be because they got KD, James Harden, and Kyrie ballin’.
I think it’s Lakers and Nets [in the Finals], and KD is the Finals MVP as Brooklyn gets it done next season.”
"I think it's Lakers and Nets [in the Finals], and KD is the Finals MVP as Brooklyn gets it done next season."
👀 @JalenRose pic.twitter.com/DJf4pGXbSS
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) August 11, 2021
Even with all the doubts about the age, durability, and overall health of both the Nets and Lakers, they’re an easy choice to select as the favorites to win it all.
In Brooklyn, the “Big Three” couldn’t stay healthy last season, which was no doubt the main contributor behind their playoff elimination. Given another chance, who is to say they couldn’t win it all? No matter your biases, a team with three of the best scorers in the game has to be taken seriously.
For the Lakers, their strategy of collecting older, part-their-prime veterans has raised more than a few eyebrows. For this team, however, age might be just a number. LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook should be given the benefit of the doubt.
Ultimately, nobody has a clue how things will end next campaign. All we can do now is make our best guess, and there are definitely two teams that stand out from the rest.
