The NBA is Back

Zach Freihofer

23 April 2018

COMM-2103 Writing for the Media

Professor O’Hanlon

The NBA Is Back! No Cake Walk for Anyone

In 2016, after the Cleveland Cavaliers came back from 3-1 deficit to beat the reigning NBA Champions Golden State Warriors, Kevin Durant, a superstar that was currently on the Oklahoma City Thunder, decided to join the Warriors, which put their team over the top. Many people were infuriated with Durant because he “hopped on the bandwagon.” “He ruined the NBA season for me. I have no intention to watch NBA basketball this season because we know the outcome, the Golden State Warriors are winning the NBA Championship,” Stephen A. Smith said on First Take, a national television show airing on ESPN.

This season, everything has changed. Superstars joined other NBA superstars to compete with the Golden State Warriors, They succeeded. Obviously, the Warriors are still a favorite to win the title again, but that may change. In the Western Conference, we have teams like the Houston Rockets, who have James Harden and Chris Paul, the Oklahoma City Thunder, who has Russell Westbrook and acquired Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, the Utah Jazz, who some think aren’t as big of a threat, but they are playing great, who have a future superstar in Donovan Mitchell and a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, Rudy Gobert. In the Eastern Conference, we have the Philadelphia 76ers, with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid who are playing lights out. The Toronto Raptors, who have an amazing backcourt in Demar Derozan and Kyle Lowry and finally, the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have the best player on the planet in LeBron James.