Finally, there will be basketball!!!
As it has been well documented, the NBA and the Players Association have reached a tentative agreement to end the five-month old lockout and start the league’s 2011-12 season on Dec. 25. Commissioner David Stern said, “There’s still some tweaking…that needs to be done”, but pending ratification, and barring any unforeseen major event, the season will start on Sunday, December 25th with the Boston Celtics at the New York Knicks, followed by Miami at Dallas in an NBA Finals rematch before MVP Derrick Rose and Chicago close the triple-header against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.
We would like to pose five questions before the first tip-off at Madison Square Garden on Christmas Day and see the kind of responses it brings:
NBA triple-header scheduled for Christmas Day.
1. Will LeBron, Dwayne, and Chris finally get to enjoy their first championship together?
2. Will a shortened season prove beneficial to aging teams such as the Celtics and the Lakers?
3. Will Dwight Howard be staying in Orlando?
4. Will the Mavericks repeat or retreat?
5. Are the Knicks serious contenders or just a bunch of talented pretenders?
What do you think? Feel free to comment below or email fantasyfurnace@yahoo.com
FANTASY FURNACE 
In response to these questions, here’s my thoughts . . . 1)As an LBJ fan, I think and hope the big three will finally get those rings. They are much too talented to experience another meltdown like last year. Hopefully, last season has taught them valuable lessons that should make this year an exciting one. I predict that the Heat will have an easy road to the championship and finally bring a championship to Miami. 2) A shorter season will most definitely benefit older teams like the Celtics and the Lakers in that they will not be playing as many games thus experiencing less injuries. 3) I think Dwight Howard is a player with a lot of personality and Orlando loves that personality too much to let Dwight go. He is now the face of the Magic and he is very aware of that. As long as the Magic keeps bringing talent his way, he will have no choice but to stay in a city that has nothing but love for Dwight. 4) The Mavs are a great team…but last year was last year. I think it is impossible for Dirk to top last season. The man was not human. 5)I think last years first round sweep by the Celtics is all I have to say for the Knicks. It speaks for itself. Yeah, I know what you might say, it’s a new season. However, the Knicks are still the same team. They can score 100 points a game but what they can’t do is play defense. DEFENSE wins championships, and the Knicks are a perfect example of that. Looking forward to the next article.
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All good points.
Dwight-not sure if “love” has anything to do with any superstar remaining with any team. Not when $$ drives all major professional sports.
Knicks-Point well taken. Amare still needs help, they need someone to play defense, (right now Turiaf is the Knicks’ center) and a healthy Chauncey (there’s an oxymoron…).
Thanks for the great comments Brian!
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1. No, just no. There’s too much competitition now, but the Heat will win at least one championship during the Big Three’s run.
2. Yes, the season will be better on KG and Kobe. They need to lighten their workload as they get older, and this season is a great thing for them.
and for 5, I really hope the Knicks are contenders, they’ve certainly got enough talent.
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