2019 delivered a healthy slate of gifts for NBA fans. A new champion was crowned after back-to-back Finals blowouts, Los Angeles gained a pair of superteams and the chase for the championship is as wide open as perhaps any year since the start of the decade. The talent crop is healthy. Young stars populate the MVP race. Don’t let ancillary ratings debate fool you. The league’s future remains plenty bright.
The year didn’t come without its disappointments, however. The Warriors could have remained a Western Conference power with good health, albeit one on a level playing field.