With the NBA’s restart of the 2019-20 season now underway, the top four teams in betting markets to win the 2020 title are the Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, and Houston Rockets.
There’s a common thread linking all four of those teams: Between LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, and James Harden, each squad is led by a perennial MVP candidate who is widely considered among the five greatest basketball players in the world.
As such, an argument could be made that the top players might largely cancel each other out, and the champion could be determined by the remainder of those rosters. That’s how ESPN analyst Ryan Clark (formerly an NFL player) seems to see it, anyway.
In comments made Friday on ESPN’s Get Up, Clark said he believed it could be a “tournament of number twos,” and he believes the Rockets could have the upper hand thanks to Russell Westbrook. Clark began by referencing Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant as his all-time favorite NBA players, and he explained why Westbrook reminds him of that duo.
Russell Westbrook, to me, has that same type of vengeance every night. He wants to go out and take your heart, every single night. And he’s going to be down in the bubble, where you have to bring your own energy.
Who brings more energy than Russell Westbrook? Who wants it more, each and every night? This looks like it’s going to be a tournament of number twos. The Rockets have the best No. 2 in the league, and that’s why they’re going to win the NBA Finals.
Ryan Clark chooses the Rockets to win this year's NBA championship. Here's why… pic.twitter.com/7w1yHD9c6m
— AlwaysnForever Art (@Alwaysn4evaArt) July 31, 2020
Now 31 years old, Westbrook is averaging 27.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.0 assists in a brilliant debut season in Houston. His 47.4% shooting clip is the best of his 12-year career, and his scoring and efficiency metrics have progressively improved throughout the year. He joined Harden as a Western Conference representative in the 2020 All-Star Game.
But even though Westbrook is now a nine-time All-Star and the 2017 MVP, he and Harden are each still searching for their first NBA title.
Their new journey begins Friday night, when the Rockets (40-24) will take on rival Dallas (40-27) in a crucial opener from the league’s “bubble” in Florida. Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m. Central, with the game televised regionally on AT&T SportsNet Southwest and nationally on ESPN.
Houston has already clinched its spot in the 2020 NBA playoffs. Based on upcoming results from the eight regular-season games, the Rockets could finish anywhere between No. 2 and No. 7 in the close race for playoff seeding out West. The playoffs will begin around Aug. 17.
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