Basketball season is back! After an extremely eventful and exciting last season for the NBA, anticipation was high for the next one to start. The first game of the season took place on Tuesday, October 23, between last year’s champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Houston Rockets. Although it was a very close game with a double overtime, Thunder stayed true to their title and won.
Then, on Wednesday, Central Florida’s very own team, the Orlando Magic, took on the Miami Heat. Magic won the game, starting off their season very well, but unfortunately lost their next two games on Friday and Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks and the Chicago Bulls, respectively. IB sophomore Boomika Jutu Srinivasan was “surprised they won” because they “have not been doing well” in more recent years, but she was also “really happy.”
Another unfortunate situation is that of the Indiana Pacers. After a great last season where they made it to the finals against Thunder, they have unfortunately lost every game so far this season. During the finals last season, point guard Tyrese Haliburton tore his achilles leading to his recovery time on the sidelines this season. Other teams that also have no wins so far are the Boston Celtics, the Brooklyn Nets, the New Orleans Pelicans, and the Houston Rockets.
On the other hand, Thunder has been doing excellent with a five game win streak as of Wednesday, October 29. A team to rival their streak is the San Antonio Spurs who trail not too far behind with a four game win streak, and although the Golden State Warriors also have four wins on them, they did lose a game. All three teams belong to the western conference and unfortunately only one team from the eastern conference has four wins- the Philadelphia 76ers. The board as of October 29 is dominated by the 76ers, who have four wins, and the Chicago Bulls who have three wins.
Some notable players this season include Nikola Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a Thunder player who is keeping up his energy from last season. Both players are currently part of the top scorers list, with Jokić at an average of 31.5 points per game, right behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has an average of 31.6 points per game. Gilgeous-Alexander is not far behind with an average of 31.3 points per game. Surprisingly, LeBron James, who currently holds the record for most career points in NBA history, only has an average of 25.7 points; another fan favorite, Stephen Curry, is close behind with an average of 25.3 points per game.
The NBA season is set to span from October of 2025 to April of 2026. During the group stage games, each team plays four games which count towards group standings. The playoffs are going to start on April 19, marking the end of the regular season. The playoffs are a best-of-seven series, where two teams play against each other, and the first team to win four games moves on. There are four rounds total- first round, conference semifinals, conference finals, and NBA finals. The finals will happen in June and will follow the same structure as the playoffs. Even though IB sophomore Riya Malladi does not “keep up” with basketball, she hopes to start watching and learning about it so she is ready for the finals. As the season continues, the excitement will ramp up. Basketball brings together people of all races and backgrounds together to rally behind a team. Whether it be the teams themselves, the cities they are from, or even the players, basketball forms a community of pride and unity throughout the United States.