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The NBA season is in full swing as the ageless LeBron James is in his 21st professional season and counting in the league. I have followed some of the developments and drama that met the start of the new season and it has certainly been quite interesting. There were surprising trades, such as the movement of Damian Lillard to the Bucks, which has made them an instant bookmakers favorite. There has also been drama once again surrounding James Harden and his determination to leave the 76ers. All in, this is certainly gearing up to be quite the season ahead.

One major talking point for me has been analysts and their predictions of how the season will conclude. Of course in every competition there are always favorites and underdogs, and we certainly have them this new season. There are those we consider Perennial favorites like the Bucks, Warriors, Nuggets and Celtics. While there are others who have pushed themselves into contention by virtue of their acquisitions. What is strange to me is that the teams making all the moves this year are teams we already consider to be contenders. For instance the acquisition od Lillard by the already contending Bucks has only strengthened their likelihood of contention, which is also true of acquisitions made by the Phoenix Suns and the Boston Celtics.

I am seeing no clear favorite in this years battle but I'll have to go with most bookmakers when listing their top five likely to win the title.

• Celtics
• Bucks
• Nuggets
• Suns
• Lakers

They are not ranked in any particular order but I believe that the winner will emerge from here. However, I also think that picking one clear winner based on transfer moves will be insane. Apart from the fact that we don't know how much of a fit players become in new teams, there is also the glaring issue of being unable to predict injuries and how things eventually unfold.

When the Brooklyn Nets acquired Durant, Harden and Kyrie they were odds on favorites in many books. However injuries and a Covid vaccine showdown between Kyrie and NBA regulators meant they really didn't play as much as a trio. The experiment failed and they were completely disbanded. The New headline trio of Durant, Booker and Beal at the Phoenix Suns look good on paper, but let's first hope that everyone can be healthy before analysts start screaming out their expectations.

Conclusion

In a season usually filled with Twists and turns the only thing I hope for is that all the big names stay healthy enough to truly give the fans a show both during the regular season and the postseason.