Storylines to Follow For The 2014-15 NBA Season
LeBron’s back home, the Knicks try the triangle and more.
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Storylines to Follow for the 2014-15 NBA Season - After an offseason dominated by the news of LeBron James returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the 2014-15 NBA season is upon us. The league’s new year tips off Tuesday night with three games on schedule, including the Dallas Mavericks challenging the defending champion San Antonio Spurs followed by the Houston Rockets visiting the Los Angeles Lakers. After a full-slate, 12-game NBA schedule on Wednesday, hoops fans will get to see King James and the Cavs host the New York Knicks on Thursday night in LeBron’s first official regular-season game back in Cleveland.(Photos from left: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images, Jason Miller/Getty Images)
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Can LeBron James Lead Cavs to NBA Title in First Season Back in Cleveland? - Having formed a new Big Three alongside Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, does LeBron James have what it takes to help lead the Cavs to the NBA Finals this season or is Cleveland still a few years away? That’s just one of the pressing questions facing what looks to be another exciting season in the NBA.(Photo: AP Photo/Al Behrman)
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Can Derrick Rose Stay Healthy? - The main obstacle standing in front of LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ route to an NBA championship is Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls. A healthy D. Rose, that is. Considering that the injury-riddled Rose only played 39 games in 2011-12, missed the entire 2012-13 season and only played 10 games last year, the point guard’s ability to stay healthy over a full season will be vital if the Bulls are to return to their first NBA Finals since 1998. They have weapons and depth, considering they’ve added Pau Gasol and skilled rookie Doug McDermott to their existing core of Joakim Noah, Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson. Now it’s all about whether Rose could sustain his health.(Photo: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
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Will Spurs Win Second Straight Title? - Is all the talk about LeBron James returning back home and a healthy Derrick Rose giving the Chicago Bulls a chance to win it all just another set up for the San Antonio Spurs to win their second straight NBA title? Quite possibly. With their roster intact, the Spurs still have the best mix of veterans and young stars in the NBA. And we already know what a great job coach Gregg Popovich does keeping his players’ bodies fresh all year. Are those simple ingredients enough for the Spurs to repeat as champs? If they do, that’d would spell a sixth title for Tim Duncan, tying him with Michael Jordan.(Photo: Chris Covatta/Getty Images)
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What Kind of Season Will Kobe Bryant Have? - Kobe Bryant’s best days are behind him, but that doesn’t mean that the NBA superstar can’t make this season one to remember. Coming off a 2013-14 season, in which he only played six games due to a fractured leg, all eyes will be on Bryant every single game that the Los Angeles Lakers play this season. You already know that, at 36, Bryant will take great pleasure in proving naysayers and critics wrong this season. (Photo: AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
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