2002-2003 NBA Season Preview

Dec 27, 2006

Will the Lakers three-peat? Will MJ still have air or will his comeback fall flatter than Shaq's free-throw? The answers to these questions are coming your way faster than an Iverson crossover.

MJ Returns
The biggest story to the upcoming NBA season, and to all of sports for that matter, is the return of Michael Jordan. From what we've seen in pre-season, MJ definitely still has game but it's not at the level we saw three years ago. We won't see Michael dunk the ball as much and he's sure to be schooled when he matches up against younger guys like Vince, Kobe or Allen. But it's gonna be great to see such a superstar playing in the NBA again - too bad he's playing with a team as stinkingly awful as the Wizards.

New Rules
The NBA has added a few new rules this season. A player must now cross half-court in eight seconds, rather than 10 seconds and teams can now play some zone defense. The league hopes it will encourage players to be more creative on offense. That should be good for run and gun teams like the Lakers, Kings and Raptors - but don't count on it. By mid-season, refs will be back to blowing calls like they usually do and fans will be wondering why the guys in the stripes don't bring their guide dogs and brail dictionaries to the arenas.

New Kids on the Block
This season, you'll see a record number of rookies who spent last year playing ball in high school. Kwame Brown, Eddy Currie and Tyson Chandler are top picks who will have trouble adjusting to the NBA. It's way easier to slam and block shots against skinny, zit-faced 16 year olds than it is trying to battle against Shaq, Tim Duncan or Kevin Garnett. Look for this year's top rookie to be a guy like Shane Battier who played against some tougher competition in college.

Championship Favorites
The Lakers are the faves to win another championship and the only way they won't three-peat is if Kobe or Shaq gets injured in the playoffs. The Raptors, 76ers, Kings and Magic may give the Lakers some trouble - but the bottom line is: Kobe is an unstoppable force and Shaq is an immovable oject. Physics wins every time.