Photo Illustration by Deija Zavala

A Look Into the 2019-20 NBA Season

The Golden State Warriors were once unbeatable, but this season the NBA landscape changed.
Translate

The Golden State Warriors were once unbeatable, but on Oct. 22 the NBA landscape changed

Balance has returned to the force, or rather, the NBA. The past three seasons, the Golden State Warriors were an almost unstoppable force while employing one of history’s best scorers: Kevin Durant.

The Toronto Raptors won its first NBA title against the Warriors last season thanks to Kawhi Leonard. Leonard has since joined the Los Angeles Clippers as a free agent while Kevin Durant also made a splash in free agency by joining superstar point guard Kyrie Irving on the Brooklyn Nets.

Over in the Eastern Conference —sometimes known as the weaker conference— not much has changed for the top teams from last season. Philadelphia hopes to make a run at glory after trusting the process for the past few years. If Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid can take the next step in their skills, then they can be the best 76ers team since Allen Iverson graced the court.

The Boston Celtics is the most storied franchise and it’s making its way back to playoff stardom. But with Irving now in Brooklyn, the Celtics is running its offense through Kemba Walker, who is good, but not quite the caliber of Irving. Second-year man Jayson Tatum will need to evolve his game if the Celtics want any shot at a championship this year.

The Raptors are basically the same team they were last year, minus star player Leonard. It will make the playoffs, but anything beyond that will take a miracle. Last season’s MVP, Giannis Antetokoumpo, is leading the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks are off to a slow start, but when you have a fantastic athlete like Antetokoumpo, aka “The Greek Freak,” it’s hard to be counted out.

If Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid can take the next step in their skills, then they can be the best 76ers team since Allen Iverson graced the court.

Leonard joins another all-star forward, Paul George, to create one of the best teams the Los Angeles Clippers has seen. Lebron James is now in year two with the Los Angeles Lakers and they recently brought in one of the top big men in the league, Anthony Davis. James is keeping his standard stat line that puts him near the best in the NBA, but Davis is a top 5 player in points (28.8), blocks (3), and rebounds (12.5) so far this season.

Both LA teams look to lead the Western Conference, but the up and coming Utah Jazz is an exciting team to watch, with Donovan Mitchell as the star averaging almost 25 points a game in 2019. However, as long as Gregg Popovich is coaching the San Antonio Spurs, they will be an obstacle for other teams. Demar Derozan is the star, but the roster has plenty of talent and young point guard Dejountae Murray has what it takes to make the Spurs dangerous again.

The Golden State Warriors is no longer the team to beat in the west. Durant is gone and multiple key bench players are playing elsewhere. A team with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will not be a pushover. However, with Thompson still recovering from an ACL tear from the end of last season’s playoffs and Curry suffering from a broken hand, Green will have to take over as the team’s best asset for now.

Also in the west, there is the rookie sensation, Zion Williamson, who is healing from a knee injury. Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans are young and dynamic and they just might surprise the rest of the NBA.

The most dangerous team in the west, outside of the LA Clippers, is the Houston Rockets. The Chris Paul and James Harden combo was good, but it didn’t work out as planned. Paul is gone and now the 2016 MVP Russell Westbrook joins the 2017 MVP Harden to create a two-headed monster down in Texas.

Share This Post

More Stories

Nina G uses comedy to start conversations

During the virtual comedy event held by the SDRC, Nina Ghiselli tells her story and emphasizes the importance of student disability resources within schools.

It’s not just the Capitol Police

As the world watched from their televisions on January 6, we witnessed scenes unfold before our eyes that were, to many, unimaginable: supporters of President Trump swarmed the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building, then proceeded to break in and

The San Jose State University Football Team Comes to Humboldt

On a day’s notice from administration, the SJSU football team spends a week and a half in Humboldt practicing because their county did not allow it. Students react to their presence on campus in the midst of a pandemic. Directed

Homelessness in Humboldt, CA

This is the first trailer of a homeless documentary created by HSU students. We have spent months filming and will continue to film throughout the next year. Follow the heartbreaking stories of the homeless community around Humboldt county and the

Thrifty Arcata

Taking a tour of the local thrift shops in Arcata during the COVID-19 pandemic. Directed and produced by Skylar Gaven.

House Plants Generate Peace and Meaning During the Pandemic

Three different people with the same love for plants! House plants have become quite popular these days especially since we’re all basically stuck inside during the pandemic. Not only are they aesthetically pleasing, but these beautiful green oxygen-makers provide more

Prop 22 represents political favoritism of money over workers’ rights

California’s passing of proposition 22 on Nov. 5 represents a frustrating history of workers’ rights being trampled by the overwhelming influence of greed in politics.  This proposition forces app-based workers to be classified as independent contractors, rather than employees. This

Remembering Evelyn Andrews 10 months after her passing

By Katelyn Dendas It has been 10 months since my friend, teammate and freshman year dorm mate, Evelyn Andrews, passed away. I don’t remember what the grief counselor said or what transpired after that Monday, but I do remember arriving

Protestors seek to defund HSUPD

Two local, activist organizations work together to stage a sit-in against Humboldt State’s police department.

Getting stuck on the Trump train

Writer Anthony Aragon details his experience of accidentally joining a pro-Trump car rally.

Justin Turner exposes the World Series to COVID-19

Justin Turner didn’t need to be the story in the wake of the Dodgers’ first World Series victory in 32 years. Instead here we are, wondering what sort of, if any, punishment Major League Baseball will decide to hand down

Four more years of fear

News Editor Carlos Holguin explains why he is worried about the next four years.

Dismal democracy

The Lumberjack editorial staff comments on America’s flawed electoral system As the world watches the United States 2020 election results, waiting for our pseudodemocratic process to churn out a new president, historically unprecedented voting methods misrepresents the reported Election Day

The Mario triple pack invokes a nostalgia attack

When I was a child, the first video game system I owned was a Nintendo 64. Among the games I played was Super Mario 64. I played it all the time and when I wasn’t playing it, I was lying

Women’s lacrosse drops their competitive season

Greta Roberts, president and player of Humboldt State University’s women’s lacrosse team, made the decision with her coach and teammates to cancel the upcoming spring season. The team decided that not being able to recruit in the fall would be

Dobby’s proposition opinions

Haven’t voted yet? Well, you’re running out of time. Here’s a quick rundown of California’s propositions on the ballot this year

Corporations buy out propositions

In a series of general and misleading advertisements, corporate backers of Propositions 22 and 23 show their grubby hands

CDOR continues virtually

The Campus and Community Dialogue On Race returns covering global justice for Black Lives.

Indigenous Food Sovereignty

Local food management practices of the Tolowa Dee-ni, Yurok and other indigenous peoples.

Humboldt State Admin attempts to discredit the Lumberjack

***A Lumberjack editorial represents both the majority opinion of the student newspaper’s editorial board, nine editors, as well as the overwhelming majority of Humboldt State University’s student body. Collectively, an editorial echos, embodies and advocates for community beliefs.*** Insensitive communications

Music of the Moment 6

21 Savage and Metro Boomin drop a classic with “Savage Mode II”

Spartans arrive at HSU despite campus concerns

***Editor’s note: SJSU football program was tested in congruence with Mountain West conference guidelines*** The Spartans have arrived and this time they’re not carrying spears or shields. Instead the San Jose State football team stepped onto the Humboldt State campus

Music of the Moment 5

After shooting Megan Thee Stallion, Tory Lanez cancels himself

Welcome to the Twilight Zone

Comparisons between episodes of the classic TV show The Twilight Zone and our own dismal reality

Music of the Moment 4

YoungBoy Never Broke Again dodges the sophomore slump with his new album “Top.”

Self-Care Cuts

Changing your hair to change your life

HSU Seaweed Farm sets sail

The first commercially-approved seaweed farm in California will be on the map.

Music of the Moment 3

For better or worse, Big Sean is likely gone for good.

More Layers, More Protection?

Humboldt State demands double masking on campus, does more layers equal more protection?

The Ethnic Studies Bill is a Blessing

Ethnic Studies will thankfully become mandatory for all California State University students – as it should be.

The Complex Interface of Humans and Wildfires

How fire suppression is a mixed bag in Humboldt County Every fire season, blankets of smoke roll over Humboldt County. Here on the coast, that’s as close to wildfires as some of us get. But our practice of fire suppression

Defund HSU’s Police Department

Incidents of racism from the former UPD Chief, past examples of excessive force from current officers and a shrinking university budget.

How Not To Be Bitten By A Kitten

Please prepare to be prey Congratulations, a baby feline has recently come into your life. If they’re anywhere from 2-18 months, they bite. They see you as prey. Because you are prey. You always have been. You always will be.

Graduating Into Uncharted Waters

HSU graduates attempt to navigate a world turned upside-down by COVID-19 In May, Humboldt State University graduated hundreds of students, as it does every year. Unlike past years, graduates didn’t get to shake hands with their respective dean and receive

HSU Cultural Center Budget Slashed

Associated Students leaves student body devastated after significant reductions in cultural center’s budget.

All aboard the plague ship

Unprecedented times are met with normalized behavior, HSU puts students and community members at higher risk after reopening campus and student housing.

Music of the Moment

The hip-hop community rallies behind the Black Lives Matter Movement

Inside the Immune System

How the body uses multiple levels of defense against foreign intruders

Catcalling Can’t Continue

Verbal harassment toward women is about control and the assertion of gender discrimination

Major League Marijuana

Why I don’t think marijuana is everything it’s cracked up to be in baseball

Pigs Compost on Campus

CCAT tries to reduce HSU’s food waste footprint through new pig program