2021 – 2022 NBA Season Tip Off

It’s that time of the year again when the sneakers hit the hardwood and the superstars of the NBA emerge for another season of basketball. After quite an interesting 2020-2021 NBA season, which saw the Bucks and Suns square off in an improbable finals matchup, the new season tipped off on October 19th. This season promises to have just as many surprises and drama, as some powerhouse teams have kept their cores together and others have revamped their rosters to make another run at an NBA Championship.

A lot has happened since the Bucks were crowned champions back on July 22nd of this year. For the most part, the champs have kept their roster together, but they did lose key defender PJ Tucker to the Miami Heat. In the rest of the Eastern Conference, teams like the Atlanta Hawks, the new look Chicago Bulls, the 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets will be competing against the Bucks for supremacy. The Brooklyn Nets, led by Kevin Durant and James Harden, may be considered bigger favorites than the Bucks to win the East. However, Kyrie Irving will miss all home games after refusing to abide by New York vaccination guidelines that ban anyone unvaccinated over the age of 12 in New York City from entering “covered premises”.

Out West the team that faced the Bucks in The Finals, the Phoenix Suns, have kept their superstar duo together with Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton, but they’ll face some stiff competition against the Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers. The Golden State Warriors will finally have their star shooters Steph Curry and Klay Thompson back together after Klay was injured in back-to-back seasons. The Lakers stole headlines again this off season as they try to get back to their championship winning ways. Lebron James and Anthony Davis will now have Russel Westbrook as part of a big three in LA, along with aging superstars Carmelo Anthony, Deandre Jordan and Dwight Howard.

Like most years, the NBA wasted no time in giving their fans some marquee matchups early in the season. On October 19th, the season tipped off with the Eastern Conference favorites the Brooklyn Nets, and in the West fans were treated to the Golden State Warriors facing the Lakers in Los Angeles. On Christmas, the NBA continues the tradition with some great games including a playoff rematch with the Hawks at Knicks, the Celtics at Bucks, Warriors at Suns, and the first time Kevin Durant and Lebron James have played against one another in three years, when the Nets face the Lakers Christmas night.

After the New Year, the stars will gather in Cleveland, Ohio on February 20th for the 2022 NBA All Star game. Then the down the stretch there will be key games between the Clippers and Lakers on February 25th, The Finals rematch with the Suns at Bucks on March 6th, and a late season game with playoff implications with the Lakers at Suns on April 5th. The fun will then continue for the second year in a row with play-in games for the playoffs between April 12-15,and the actual playoffs beginning right after on April 16th, 2022.

Like last season, fans will be able to see their teams live in their home arenas again this season. Some arenas, like in New York City will require vaccinations, face coverings and social distancing in common areas to attend these games but others do not, so it is still important to check your local state and city guidelines as well as the entry requirements set by the arenas as the guidelines are constantly changing. Whether you’re watching live on tv or cheering your favorite team on in an arena, the 2021-2022 NBA Season is sure to be an entertaining one, with plenty of twists and turns.