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Ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season and Team USA’s redemption campaign in the 2024 Paris Olympics, LeBron James addressed the talks as to how the Lakers can actually make a push towards a title with him already inching closer to a possible retirement from the NBA in the years to come. James did not hold back in his confident answer, saying that he can definitely win a title before he moves on from the game.

So far, this has been a quiet offseason for the Lakers. They have drafted Dalton Knecht and Bronny James, then later signed LeBron to a max contract that has player options one year after another. No upgrades or massive roster changes were made, and a lot of familiar faces are also returning to the team heading into the next campaign.

And yet, LeBron has full confidence that he can come up with a massive title in the next few years or so. That says a lot about how the Lakers can actually hope to see a title run as well, and it cannot be denied that James is definitely yearning to snag one more title before he moves on from the NBA.

James’ Unwavering Confidence

The Lakers went on to win big in the 2020 NBA Bubble when James and Anthony Davis led the way to win their first championship in a decade. However, that success could not be sustained well as the Lakers would go on to come up with short playoff runs, with the best one being in the 2023 Playoffs where they reached the Western Conference Finals – only to get swept by the Denver Nuggets. The 2024 NBA Playoffs sort of had the same ending, with the Nuggets ousting them in the first round in five games.

"We still have two guys who commit every single day, myself and AD. We commit to excellence," James said. "We're not that far off. We were one year removed from the Western Conference Finals. This past year didn't go as well as we would like, but we're not that far off.”

The Lakers have made significant changes to its coaching staff though. JJ Redick was hired as the head coach, while the team has added massive winners in Nate McMillan and Scott Brooks to serve as assistant coaches for Redick’s staff. One can say that the Lakers are definitely gearing up for a massive war in the Western Conference that has just got stacked at this point.

James Not Slowing Down

James has turned down his $51.4 million player option and rejoined the Lakers at a pay cut to help the team come up with a good addition to the squad and improve their chances. However, it is worth noting that James alone remains at the top of his game even at the age of 39, which says a lot about the performances that he can offer in the coming seasons until he retires.

For context, James averaged 25.7 points, 8.3 assists, and 7.3 rebounds in 71 games for the 2023-24 season. He even shot 54% from the field, including 41% from three. These numbers eerily mirror the same stats that he had in the 2015-16 season, the same campaign where he led Cleveland to its first championship.

James is not backing down in the game, and he is certainly playing at a high level, this says a lot about how he can take his game to the next level and possibly guide the Lakers to one last championship before he retires.

The Cincinnati Bengals have struggled to meet expectations in their games last season after they finished with a 9-8 record with Joe Burrow sitting it out after playing only 10 games, which many led to believe as the collapse of the club. Now that he’s healthy and ready to roll, it seems that Burrow seeks a massive comeback that would put him back into MVP discussions in the long run.

The Bengals were two wins away from securing a wild-card spot in the 2024 NFL Playoffs last season, and it cannot be denied that Burrow’s injury has played a huge role in the team’s collapse, which seems to be the big talk of expectations in the coming campaign. The Bengals are hyped to reclaim their place in the NFL next season, especially with the AFC North having no clear dominant team aside from the Kansas City Chiefs.

Confidence is never an issue for the Bengals, and it is easy to say that Burrow’s unwavering desire to win a championship will play a huge role in the team’s hopes of making a splash in the coming season.

Burrow’s Desire to Prove People Wrong

Of course, injuries means that you won’t get a chance to be the MVP talks, let alone be hyped for a chance at a championship. But with the Bengals falling to the division cellar, it is only quite fitting that Burrow will need to work hard in order to prove his worth with the critics and elevate the Bengals’ chances of winning the Super Bowl in the 2024 season as well.

"That's what happens when you get hurt," Burrow said. "You don't play football, people forget about you. ... I love the spot I'm in. ... You're not out there, people aren't watching you, then there's nothing to talk about. So I'm gonna give people something to talk about this year. I'm excited."

Burrow benefitted well from the extra recovery time that he has by the end of the 2023 season. He successfully rehabbed from a wrist surgery, and that seems to be a promising look given how the Bengals really need him to come back into the fold now more than ever. Prior to his injury, Burrow was a promising signal-caller in the game and is considered one of the best in his position.

Health in Best Consideration

Of course, injuries means that you may no longer play at a high level like you used to. For Burrow, 18 games is too much and it can be a massive difference between being healthy for the whole season and not being able to play in the playoffs. Fatigue is a massive factor in the NFL, and it means that Burrow has to capitalize on every turn if he will have to play at a high level.

“Got to have two bye weeks," Burrow said. "I think it would be cool to do a normal bye week schedule that it is now, have it spread out, but then like Week 13 do the Pro Bowl break where you're doing like the 7-on-7 and all the skills challenges like the NBA does because I think that would get more ratings for the Pro Bowl. Then, it would also give everybody that bye week going into like the last six games of the year.”

Injuries have definitely forced Burrow to be more careful about his game and find out what he can maximize to be able to play at a high level for his team. With the NFL lobbying a possible shift to an 18-game season, the Bengals star is sure to advocate a way to play through it all and still be available for his team.

For the first time since 2008, the Boston Celtics have clinched a title in the biggest stage of NBA basketball as they defeated the Dallas Mavericks in a show of attrition after a promising campaign that showed why the Celtics deserved to win the NBA title right from the start of the season.

Jayson Tatum dropped 31 points, 11 assists, and 8 rebounds to lead the Celtics in the massive victory, while Jaylen Brown chipped in 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. Jrue Holiday had 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Derrick White added 14 points and 8 rebounds. The Celtics were firing from all cylinders, drilling 13 threes early in the game.

But the defense was the biggest story of the game. Dallas was held to just 29.7% from three, and had 13 turnovers for the whole game. Kyrie Irving only had 15 points, and Luka Doncic was held under 30 points for the fourth straight game – even making 0-6 from deep in the first half.

A Story of Back-and-Forth Runs

Dallas was well within the game despite their poor shooting, making runs to stay on the prowl and keep their hopes alive. However, a sudden burst from Boston that spanned just a minute helped the Celtics take the wheel to end the first quarter with a 28-18 lead. The Celtics would go on to pour more offensive barrages in the second as they scored 39 points to build a 67-46 lead at halftime.

On that note, Luka Doncic was held to just 9 points at the half, and no other Mavericks player had scored double-digits aside from Josh Green, who drilled three threes in the first half and ended the game with 14 points total. Boston has been deadly almost everywhere on the court, and even that halfcourt buzzer-beater three from Payton Pritchard set the cherry on top of a winning cake that sealed the deal right from the start.

A Story of Firsts in Boston

Al Horford, at the age of 38, has finally won the NBA Finals for the first time. It was also the first time that a player from the Dominican Republic has won the NBA title. There are a lot of firsts in the storied ending by the Boston Celtics. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis all won their first NBA titles. It is also the first title for head coach Joe Mazzulla as the man at the helm, and the first for Brad Stevens as the president of basketball operations.

Also, for the first time since the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors, who had a 67-15 record, the team with the best record in the season has won the NBA Finals, with the Boston Celtics finishing the 2023-24 season with a 64-18 record and NBA Champions.

Lucky Date Continues to be Lucky

The last time the Boston Celtics won their NBA title was in the 2008 NBA Finals, where they defeated the Kobe-led Lakers in a 131-92 victory. If you are looking at the date, it was on June 17, 2008. Now 16 years later, on the same day, the Celtics would go on to blow out the Mavericks in stunning fashion, with a lot of promising plays as they wrapped up the 106-88 win that defined their story for seasons. Now they are champions – the winningest in NBA history.