{"id":1315927,"date":"2019-10-21T23:08:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-22T05:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/nba-19-20-suspense-returns-la-teams-seek-hollywood-ending\/"},"modified":"2019-10-21T23:08:00","modified_gmt":"2019-10-22T05:08:00","slug":"nba-19-20-suspense-returns-la-teams-seek-hollywood-ending","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/local-news\/nba-19-20-suspense-returns-la-teams-seek-hollywood-ending\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA \u201819-20: Suspense returns; LA teams seek Hollywood ending"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.863670411985\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-989881-71\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/Warriors_Lakers_Basketball_46481-95a60-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/Warriors_Lakers_Basketball_46481-95a60.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"AP | AP | Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James congratulates forward Anthony Davis during a timeout in the first half of the team's preseason NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo\/Mark J. Terrill)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"12\">\n<p><strong>Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James congratulates forward Anthony Davis during a timeout in the first half of the team&#8217;s preseason NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo\/Mark J. Terrill)<\/strong><br \/>AP | AP<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/Warriors_Lakers_Basketball_46481-95a60.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James congratulates forward Anthony Davis during a timeout in the first half of the team's preseason NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo\/Mark J. Terrill)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/Warriors_Lakers_Basketball_46481-95a60-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/Warriors_Lakers_Basketball_46481-95a60-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"AP | The Canadian Press | Los Angeles Clippers' Kawhi Leonard (2) drives against Dallas Mavericks' Maxi Kleber (42) during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck\/The Canadian Press via AP)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"13\">\n<p><strong>Los Angeles Clippers&#8217; Kawhi Leonard (2) drives against Dallas Mavericks&#8217; Maxi Kleber (42) during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck\/The Canadian Press via AP)<\/strong><br \/>AP | The Canadian Press<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/Warriors_Lakers_Basketball_46481-95a60-1.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Los Angeles Clippers' Kawhi Leonard (2) drives against Dallas Mavericks' Maxi Kleber (42) during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck\/The Canadian Press via AP)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/Warriors_Lakers_Basketball_46481-95a60-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/Warriors_Lakers_Basketball_46481-95a60-2.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"AP | AP | Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, front, shoots as Los Angeles Lakers forward Devontae Cacok defends during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game Monday, Oct. 14, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo\/Mark J. Terrill)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"14\">\n<p><strong>Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, front, shoots as Los Angeles Lakers forward Devontae Cacok defends during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game Monday, Oct. 14, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo\/Mark J. Terrill)<\/strong><br \/>AP | AP<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/Warriors_Lakers_Basketball_46481-95a60-2.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, front, shoots as Los Angeles Lakers forward Devontae Cacok defends during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game Monday, Oct. 14, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo\/Mark J. Terrill)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/Warriors_Lakers_Basketball_46481-95a60-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/Warriors_Lakers_Basketball_46481-95a60-3.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"AP | FR171181 AP | Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, left, drives to the basket against Minnesota Timberwolves' Robert Covington during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo\/Aaron Gash)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"14\">\n<p><strong>Milwaukee Bucks&#8217; Giannis Antetokounmpo, left, drives to the basket against Minnesota Timberwolves&#8217; Robert Covington during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo\/Aaron Gash)<\/strong><br \/>AP | FR171181 AP<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/Warriors_Lakers_Basketball_46481-95a60-3.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, left, drives to the basket against Minnesota Timberwolves' Robert Covington during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo\/Aaron Gash)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/Warriors_Lakers_Basketball_46481-95a60-4-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/Warriors_Lakers_Basketball_46481-95a60-4.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"AP | The Canadian Press | Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers watches from the sideline during the second half of the team's NBA preseason basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck\/The Canadian Press via AP)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"13\">\n<p><strong>Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers watches from the sideline during the second half of the team&#8217;s NBA preseason basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck\/The Canadian Press via AP)<\/strong><br \/>AP | The Canadian Press<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/Warriors_Lakers_Basketball_46481-95a60-4.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers watches from the sideline during the second half of the team's NBA preseason basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck\/The Canadian Press via AP)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/sports\/nba-19-20-suspense-returns-la-teams-seek-hollywood-ending\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/sports\/nba-19-20-suspense-returns-la-teams-seek-hollywood-ending\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">For five years the NBA Finals have returned to the same spot, the longest run ever in one Western Conference location.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">LeBron James and Anthony Davis want to bring them back to Los Angeles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">So do Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">With the Warriors weakened and powerhouse pairs popping up all over the place, the 2019-20 NBA season, unlike many in recent years, is a suspense story.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Both L.A. teams will try to give it a Hollywood ending.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">When a whirlwind of player movement was finished, the real winner, as James noted, was Staples Center, which is now home to two title contenders in the Lakers (the way it used to be) and Clippers (the way it\u2019s never been.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI agree with what Bron said,\u201d George said. \u201cThe Staples Center is where you want to be with the team we got and with the team they have.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The finals\u2019 Western Conference headquarters had moved north in recent years, with Golden State building a dynasty in the Bay Area. But Kevin Durant is gone, Klay Thompson is injured, and even Stephen Curry\u2019s sharpest shooting might not be able to keep the run going.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">It wasn\u2019t good enough last season, when Durant and Thompson were hurt in the finals and Leonard led Toronto to its first championship.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Leonard then joined fellow Southern California native George with the Clippers, who have never even gotten out of the second round but are now considered title favorites. Davis was traded to the Lakers, who loaded up quickly after flopping in James\u2019 first season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Those teams meet Tuesday on opening night, when the regular season gets started after a turbulent preseason overshadowed by tension between the NBA and China. The Raptors get their rings in the first game before facing New Orleans, whose heavily hyped rookie Zion Williamson injured his knee late during exhibition play.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Toronto lost two starters to Los Angeles, with Danny Green signing with the Lakers. That could open the door for MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, or the Philadelphia 76ers to seize the East title.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The wide-openness of the league this season is a far cry from recent years, when travel plans to the Bay Area in June could be assumed months in advance, or when James\u2019 teams in the East went to eight straight NBA Finals.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cYou can\u2019t call who the NBA champion is,\u201d Hall of Fame player and TNT analyst Reggie Miller said. \u201cBefore you would have three, four teams that were deadlocked. You know they\u2019re going to be there. This year, given no injuries, a team getting hot, chemistry obviously issues, there\u2019s a lot of teams that can go for it. But the Lakers and Clippers being headliners.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">They\u2019re hardly alone among the contenders out West. Denver, Portland and Utah all figure to be tough. And don\u2019t count out the Warriors, who\u2019d like their new Chase Center in San Francisco to be the same spring destination that the Oracle Center in Oakland was.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">This season, that will be harder than ever.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe West is stacked all the way up and down,\u201d Curry said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Some other things to know about the NBA season:<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">REVVED-UP ROCKETS<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Houston acquired Russell Westbrook to join James Harden, putting two recent MVPs in the same backcourt. Westbrook\u2019s next triple-double will be his 139th and break a tie with Magic Johnson for second on the career list, while Harden will be aiming for a third straight scoring title after averaging 36.1 points last season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">COACH\u2019S CHALLENGE<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">NBA coaches will have a chance to get calls overturned as the league implemented a coach\u2019s challenge on a one-year trial basis. Each team is allowed one per game and can challenge either a foul called on its own team, the call of an out-of-bounds violation, or a goaltending or basket interference violation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">WINNING WARRIORS<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Golden State\u2019s NBA Finals streak is the second-longest in NBA history, behind only the 10 straight trips by the Boston Celtics from 1957-66. The Warriors\u2019 hopes of extending it could depend largely on the play of guard D\u2019Angelo Russell, an All-Star last season in Brooklyn who was acquired when Durant went to the Nets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">HAPPY (OR UNHAPPY) RETURNS<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Among the games of note in which a player will be returning to his former home:<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Nov. 7 \u2014 Kemba Walker (Boston) to Charlotte.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Nov. 15 \u2014 Mike Conley (Utah) to Memphis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Nov. 27 \u2014 Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn) to Boston, Davis to New Orleans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Dec. 11 \u2014 Leonard to Toronto.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Jan. 9 \u2014 Westbrook to Oklahoma City.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">March 28 \u2014 Marc Gasol (Toronto) to Memphis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">WHO WINS?<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The Clippers have never even played in a conference finals, but they\u2019re the favorites of both oddsmakers and NBA general managers. With Leonard and George on the wings, a potent bench and one of the league\u2019s best coaches in Doc Rivers, it\u2019s easy to see why.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s not about what people think or what they picked, it\u2019s about the work we do and what our mindset is going to be,\u201d Leonard said. \u201cIf we don\u2019t want to win then we\u2019re not going to win. If we want to, then we have a big chance to win.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">More AP NBA: <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/NBA\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/apnews.com\/NBA<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AP\u2014Sports\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/AP\u2014Sports<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter at <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/briancmahoney\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/briancmahoney<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/sports\/nba-19-20-suspense-returns-la-teams-seek-hollywood-ending\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Post Independent<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James congratulates forward Anthony Davis during a timeout in the first half of the team&#8217;s preseason NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo\/Mark J. Terrill)AP | AP Los Angeles Clippers&#8217; Kawhi Leonard (2) drives against Dallas Mavericks&#8217; Maxi Kleber [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1315927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-09-06 16:58:48","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSKE Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1315927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1315927"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1315927\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1315927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1315927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1315927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}