This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.
Good morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thanks so much for rocking with us today. We appreciate you reading this morning.
There have been six different NBA champions in each of the last six seasons. The last teams to repeat were the 2017 and 2018 Golden State Warriors, who went back-to-back against the Cavaliers. Since then, parity has taken over.
WHO’S NEXT?: The teams most likely to extend the streak of new champions.
Any squad looking to continue that trend will have a tough time doing so. The Celtics are standing in the way and right now, it looks like Boston has a pretty strong chance of going back-to-back.
There’s no doubt the path will certainly be harder. The East is loaded behind the 76ers’ acquisition of Paul George and the Knicks’ acquisitions of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges. We’re not looking at a cakewalk anymore for Boston.
The Milwaukee Bucks are also back after a full offseason and training camp under Doc Rivers, who took over for Adrian Griffin in the middle of last season.
But, even considering all of that, we shouldn’t be convinced that any of those teams will be able to match the ferocity of the Celtics.
Boston was historically great last season. That team had the 5th best point differential in NBA history and didn’t change anything about its roster. Its two best players, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, are coming into the season unusually motivated after drama with Team USA. Its fourth and fifth-best players, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, are arguably All-Stars. Kristaps Porzingis might be the best third option in the league when healthy.
There’s no good reason to pick against this team to make it out of the East right now. There’s not a team in the conference you should trust more.
In the West, there’s calamity. The Timberwolves and Nuggets both lost core pieces this offseason. Kawhi Leonard isn’t healthy for the Clippers and Paul George is across the country in Philly. The Mavericks made it to the Finals but were underdogs throughout that entire playoff run.
The Thunder are the best option as a challenger, but that team isn’t very experienced and, as good as it is, probably shouldn’t be trusted to beat a healthy and experienced Celtics team.
The C’s will be tested somewhere along the way. You can be sure of that. Going back-to-back is not easy. But if there were ever a team poised to do it, it’s this one.
OTHER NBA STUFF:
— Expansion is on the table this year. Conversations will persist throughout the season, so you’d best read up on it.
— The Clippers have opened the best arena in the NBA. You need to check it out.
— There are lots of old faces in new places this season. Here’s a look at where all the names you know are playing these days.
—You’ll also hear a ton about the second-apron this season. Here’s how that’s impacting your favorite teams.
— Here are a few notable free agents that are still out there on the market.
WANNA BE LOCKED IN ON THIS SEASON? Subscribe to our Layup Lines NBA newsletter and get insights on the league from our experts every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
The 49ers nightmare season keeps getting worse
Every time I turn around, I feel like one of the 49ers players is injured. This time, it’s Brandon Aiyuk. And we won’t see him again this season.
News broke on Monday confirming Aiyuk officially tore his ACL and MCL, leaving a glaring hole at receiver for the 49ers. Here’s Robert Zeglinski with more on what that means for San Francisco (and Aiyuk fantasy owners!):
“If anyone can mitigate the loss of elite skill talent, it’s Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers, who probably have the best plug-and-play offense in the NFL. For example, I wouldn’t necessarily be surprised to see Pearsall shine in the coming weeks in Aiyuk’s role. The 49ers seem to make this kind of thing happen all the time.
The glaring issue for the 49ers is that you can only plug in holes and put a smile on your face to a certain degree. It’s one thing to consider how to replace Aiyuk alone. It’s another to also think about the plan without McCaffrey and the rest of San Francisco’s best playmakers. You can only scheme up quality plays that don’t need special players for so long.
No one in the NFL, not even the 49ers, has that much depth.”
I’m not sure how Kyle and the gang get out of this one. I say that but, next thing you know, some undrafted receiver will be catching 8 balls for 250 yards for San Francisco next week.
We’ll see.
Tua Tagovailoa is back, for better or worse
The Dolphins QB might return to the football field this week for the first time since suffering a concussion against the Bills earlier this season, Cory Woodroof writes.
There’s a lot of controversy with this one. That was Tagovialoa’s third known concussion in the last two seasons. Many think he should retire (myself included!), considering the long-term implications too many concussions could have on his overall health in the future.
Tagovailoa is willing to overlook those concerns for the game he loves.
Tua Tagovailoa on those who worry he could get hurt again: “I appreciate your concern. I really do. I love this game. And I love it to the death of me. That’s it.” pic.twitter.com/fAvoHA2PXo
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) October 21, 2024
“I appreciate your concern. I really do,” he said to reporters on Monday. “I love this game. And I love it to the death of me. That’s it.”
His commitment to the game is his priority — not his long-term health. That’s his decision. No matter how we feel about it, we’ve got to respect his decision, even if it doesn’t feel right.
Here’s to good health for the Dolphins’ QB.
Quick hits: CFB Winners and Losers … The future of the WNBA CBA … and more
— Here’s Tyler Netunno on the winners and losers from CFB Week 7, including why Indiana is a CFP contender and Bama probably isn’t.
— Meg Hall has more on the WNBA and WNBPA’s decision to opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement.
— Robert Zeglinski and Christian D’Andrea have NFL Power Rankings for you here.
— Here’s Cory Woodroof with 10 potential trades for Maxx Crosby.
— Prince Grimes has his NBA awards picks for you here.
— Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are both injured. Here are 7 targets the Buccaneers could go after to replace them, from Christian D’Andrea.
That’s a wrap, folks. Thanks for reading today! Happy NBA-is-back day. Peace.
-Sykes ✌️
