#NBA Ten Questions for the 2015-16 Season

The NBA regular season is just one day away from officially beginning. There's a lot of excitement and anticipation for all 30 teams. Here are some burning questions which can be answered during the course of the season. Let the games begin!

Image taken from: Bleacher Report

1. Can the Dubs Repeat?
Winning back-to-back rings is no easy feat in the NBA. Even the mighty San Antonio Spurs have not won consecutive titles. I'm not saying that the Dubs cannot win a second straight ring but it's very difficult especially when opposing teams bring their "A" games against them every night. It also hurts them that Coach Steve Kerr is ailing and his return from a back injury has no timetable. The Warriors could lose a few extra games during Kerr's absence and that could be the difference in deciding home-court advantage in the stacked Western Conference. The Dubs used home-court advantage to its fullest last season as they finished with a 39-2 record at the Oracle Arena during the regular season. GSW can repeat as champs but I'm not banking on that happening.

#NBAPlayoffs Roundup: May 17, 2015

Sucks if you’re a Clippers fan. Your team had a 3-1 series lead and then end up losing Games 5-7. To the Rockets, who, up until this point had looked listless and uninterested. 

#ChokeTime

James Harden and the Rockets succeeded in coming back from a 1-3 deficit to beat the Clippers.
(image from CBS)

Game Capsules from The Sports Network:

May 17, 2015:
Houston 113, LA Clippers 100
Houston, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - The Rockets followed an epic comeback with a blowout to reach the Western Conference finals for the first time since 1997. The Clippers came up short again despite looking like a sure thing last week. James Harden had 31 points, Trevor Ariza scored 22 and No. 2-seeded Houston never trailed in a 113-100 win over Los Angeles in Game 7 on Sunday afternoon, completing a stunning comeback in their semifinal series. The Rockets won three games in a row after falling behind 3-1 and moved on to face top-seeded Golden State starting Tuesday in Oakland. They closed out the series three days after stealing Game 6 from the Clippers on Thursday night by rallying from a 19-point deficit in the second half for a shocking 119-107 victory. The Clippers, in their first season under new ownership, were trying to reach the conference finals for the first time in franchise history. Instead, they were knocked out in the semifinals for the third time in four years. Dwight Howard chipped in 16 points and 15 rebounds for the Rockets, including 12 points and 11 boards in the first half. Chris Paul had 26 points and 10 assists to lead the Clippers. Blake Griffin added 27 points and 11 rebounds and DeAndre Jordan added 16 points and 17 boards.

#NBAPlayoffs Roundup: May 15, 2015

The Cavs closed out, while the Clips collapsed. That was the theme for today’s 2015 NBA Playoffs action.

Game Capsules from The Sports Network:

May 15, 2015:
Cleveland 94, Chicago 73
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Kyrie Irving sat primarily on the bench due to an injury. LeBron James didn't light it up either. Somehow, the Cleveland Cavaliers are heading to the Eastern Conference finals. Matthew Dellavedova scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and the Cavaliers routed the Chicago Bulls 94-73 in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinal. Irving, already dealing with a right foot strain and tendinitis in his left knee, exited the contest at the 9:47 mark of the second quarter with a left knee injury. He did not return. The Cavaliers, however, surged on without him, outscoring the Bulls 23-9 to close the half and leading by 14 at the break. Chicago failed to take advantage of Cleveland's dry spell to begin the second half. The Cavs missed their first 11 shots to start the third and didn't score until Dellavedova put in a floater at the 6:14 mark. The margin still stood at 14, though, because the Bulls netted just two points and went 1-for-10 shooting themselves during the stretch. James was a rebound shy of a triple- double, posting 15 points, 11 assists and nine boards, but was just 7-of-23 from the floor. He will be making his fifth straight appearance in the East Finals. Tristan Thompson, Iman Shumpert and James Jones also played pivotal roles in second-seeded Cleveland's first trip to the conference finals since 2009. Each one took over at times during the game. Thompson, who snatched 17 rebounds, netted 10 of his 13 points in the opening frame and Shumpert poured in 11 of his 13 in the second. Jones knocked down a trio of 3-pointers in the first half. Cleveland will play either the Atlanta Hawks or Washington Wizards in the next round. The top-seeded Hawks can lock up their first trip to the conference finals with a win over the Wizards Friday night in Game 6 of their semifinal. Chicago shot just 37.5 percent and sunk 4-of-20 from beyond the arc.

#NBAPlayoffs Roundup: May 13, 2015

The plot thickens in the 2015 NBA Playoffs. The Cavs withstood a strong rally from the Bulls to win and move within a win of the East Finals, while the Rockets lived to fight another day after beating the Clippers in Game 5.

Game Capsules from The Sports Network:

May 13, 2015:
Cleveland 106, Chicago 101
Cleveland, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - LeBron James played through a sprained left ankle and turned in his best performance of the playoffs, posting 38 points, 12 rebounds and six assists to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 106-101 win over the Chicago Bulls in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal. James, who evened the series at 2-2 with his buzzer-beating jumper at the end of Game 4, missed shootaround Tuesday morning with the injury that he suffered late Sunday but it hardly showed when the lights came on. Kyrie Irving scored 25 points and also through played through a number of injuries, including a sprained right foot and tendinitis in his left knee. The duo shot 23-for-40 from the floor. Jimmy Butler paced the Bulls with 29 points and Mike Dunleavy netted 19 in their second straight loss. Derrick Rose put in a forgettable 7-for-24 shooting effort, including 1-of-12 in the second half. The Cavaliers can close out the series Thursday in Chicago.

#NBAPlayoffs Roundup: May 11, 2015

Another game-winner, but no backboard involved this time. LeBron James hit a baseline jumper to beat the buzzer and tie the Cavs’ series with the Bulls, while the Clippers continued their mastery of the Houston Rockets in Game 4. Still think these 2015 NBA Playoffs aren’t as exciting as usual?

Game Capsules from The Sports Network:

May 11, 2015:
Cleveland 86, Chicago 84
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - LeBron James answered Derrick Rose's buzzer- beater with one of his own in Game 4. James, after being whistled for a costly offensive foul on the previous possession, caught an inbounds pass with 1.5 seconds remaining and hit a tough fadeaway from the left corner with Jimmy Butler in his face. The clutch shot gave the Cavaliers a thrilling 86-84 win and tied their Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Bulls at two games apiece. The whirlwind finish mirrored the roller-coaster swings throughout the pivotal showdown, with Cleveland falling behind by as many as 11 after missing 13 straight shots at one point in the third quarter. J.R. Smith sparked the turnaround, scoring 11 of his 13 points during a 23-5 stretch spanning the third and fourth quarters. Timofey Mozgov also came up with several big buckets and finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. James took on an even bigger role with Kyrie Irving clearly limited with a foot injury. The former MVP played 43 minutes and totaled 25 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists while committing a game-high eight turnovers. Rose, two days after banking in a 3-pointer to steal Game 3, poured in 31 points for the Bulls and pulled them even with a scintillating drive to the basket with 9.1 seconds remaining.

#NBAPlayoffs Roundup: May 9, 2015

It was an awesome day filled with 2015 NBA Playoffs action! In Chicago, Derrick Rose hit a buzzer-beating trey off the board to beat the Cavs and give the Bulls a 2-1 series lead, while the Clips leaned on JJ Redick and Austin Rivers to pull out another win over the Rockets. 

Game Capsules from The Sports Network:

May 9, 2015:
Chicago 99, Cleveland 96
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Derrick Rose put together a vintage performance on Friday. It was fitting that the game ended on his terms. Rose banked in a 3-pointer as the buzzer expired, giving his Chicago Bulls a 99-96 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers and a 2-1 series lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal. Rose netted 30 points with seven assists and seven rebounds while producing more than his share of highlights, but that wasn't enough for the former MVP. With the game knotted at 96 after Cleveland's J.R. Smith hit a deep 3 at the other end, Rose was hounded near midcourt by LeBron James, who appeared to foul Rose multiple times -- the whistles were quiet -- as the ball rolled out of bounds with three seconds to play. Chicago took a timeout, then went back to Rose out of the huddle. Rose received the inbounds pass and dribbled hard to his right before pulling up from 26 feet with Cavs power forward Tristan Thompson draped all over him. It was Rose's first 3-pointer of the game, and his first-career playoff buzzer beater.