The NBA Is Back , Sort Of
By Patrick Karam Chieftain Staff After a wild 2019-20 NBA season , due to COVID-19 , it seems like the 2020-21 season is returning to relative normalcy . There are still restrictions , however , like COVID testing , and a limited numbers of fans allowed in the arenas , but at least they ’ re playing . In the West , The Lakers are looking just as dominant as they were in the last season , if not moreso , after picking up players like Montrezl Harrel and Dennis Schröder . However , teams like the Nuggets , Jazz , and Suns are looking like they could make a splash in the playoffs . In the East , unlike the West , there seems to be no clear front-runner among the teams . The Celtics look the
A March Madness Preview
By Teddy Dunn Chieftain Staff
March is approaching fast and with it comes most basketball fans ’ favorite time of the year , March Madness . Obviously , predicting the champion is very hard , so we will be looking at the four teams that I see going very far in this year ’ s tournament .
Baylor This team has done everything right so far , from great coaching , to a top-five recruiting class , and , of course , a bright , young core , centered around Jared Butler and MaCio Teague . I can see Baylor going deep in the tournament this year .
UCLA We all love an underdog in March , and one team that I think could fill the role this year is UCLA . Right now , the Bruins are looking like a 4- to 6-seed . The chemistry on this team is insane , with
Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets should give the Lakers a challenge in the West
most promising of them all but , with the Nets adding James Harden to an already-elite duo of KD and Kyrie , there is sure to be a battle between the two . Here are some predictions for postseason awards .
perfect ball movement and shot creation , and star Senior Chris Smith . Not only do they have great coaching , they have the talent to do a lot this year .
Illinois My next choice for the Final Four would be Illinois . The Illini have fantastic shooters and phenomenal defense at the guard position , in Marcus Garrett and Ayo Dosunmu . I see them facing off against Kansas in the Elite 8 , and I ’ ll take Illinois , due to better paint scoring and rim protection from Kofi Cockburn .
Iowa The Hawkeyes are the team to watch , in my opinion . Even though they ’ ll most likely sit behind Gonzaga in the rankings , Iowa has the best player in college basketball right now is Luka Garza . They started off strong , and I think they are only going to pick it up come March .
MVP : Nikola Jokić , Nuggets Rookie of the Year : Tyrese Haliburton , Kings Most Improved Player : Collin Sexton , Cavs NBA Finals : Lakers over Celtics
If I had to bet on one team winning it all , I ’ d take Iowa .
Iowa ’ s Luka Garza
Brother Rice High School Chieftain Page 7 f e b ruary 2021
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