ALL THRILLER, NO FILLER

The National Basketball Association, together with its 2023-24 season tip-off brand campaign, "Everyone's Game", will hit the court and the screen with two mouth-watering matchups on Tuesday night (Wednesday morning, Beijing time).

Symbolizing the "power of basketball to bring people together", the Everyone's Game campaign, which will appear in 215 countries and territories, is designed to stir global interest in the coming season.

"We wanted the campaign to reflect the moment the league is in right now as we tip off the 2023-24 season with a wide-open field and competition at an all-time high," said the NBA's chief marketing officer, Tammy Henault.

"The creative (concept) captures the passion and hard work that NBA players put in day in, day out, eliciting emotion and anticipation for an exciting and unpredictable season," Henault added.

"Everyone's Game also has a dual meaning — it speaks to our values of inclusion and symbolizes the power of basketball to bring people together."

The opening two matches on Tuesday night see the defending champion Denver Nuggets against Los Angeles Lakers followed by another highly anticipated clash between the Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors.

Simmering Lakers

The Nuggets spent the offseason celebrating while the Lakers were simmering.

Denver is in unchartered territory as the reigning NBA champion after an impressive 16-4 run through the postseason last spring. One of the teams in the Nuggets' path was Los Angeles, who they swept in the Western Conference finals.

The Lakers don't have to wait for another shot at the Nuggets, but they will have to witness them raise their championship banner when the teams open the NBA season on Tuesday night in Denver.

The Nuggets had never beaten Los Angeles in the playoffs before last season, and while it was a sweep, the games were close. That didn't stop Denver from relishing the series win, and head coach Michael Malone lit the fuse in the immediate aftermath of the victory.

"If anybody is still talking about the Lakers in the NBA Finals, that's on them," Malone said in June. "They've gone fishing. We're still playing."

The comment reportedly angered LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and Davis was vocal about Malone's words providing motivation.

"It was just a lot of talking," Davis said on media day earlier this month. "We get it, y'all won, but me and Bron had some conversations. ... We can't wait (to play them)."

The back-and-forth will spill onto the court in the opener, and while the Nuggets have the same starting five that won it all, there have been significant changes. Bruce Brown, one of the key players in the drive to the title, signed a big-money contract with the Indiana Pacers and Jeff Green also left via free agency to join the Houston Rockets.

The moves hurt Denver's depth, but the team addressed this in the offseason. Zeke Nnaji just signed a contract extension, veteran Justin Holiday and Reggie Jackson were signed to add backcourt depth and the Nuggets drafted sharp-shooting Julian Strawther.

Denver also has the player many consider to be the best in the league in Nikola Jokic. The do-it-all center was the NBA MVP for two straight years before finishing second to Joel Embiid last season and then promptly was named MVP of the Western Conference finals and the NBA Finals.

The Nuggets also have Jamal Murray, who starred in last season's playoffs, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to round out arguably the top starting five in the league. Christian Braun, who as a rookie worked his way into valuable playing time in the postseason, is expected to have a bigger role off the bench.

The Lakers have retooled, adding Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish and Taurean Prince to an experienced roster. James, who turns 39 on Dec 30, is entering his 21st season but still plays at a high level while Davis, 30, is entering his 12th season.

KD showdown

Kevin Durant begins his 17th season by experiencing a first when the Suns and Warriors tip off their campaigns at Chase Center in San Francisco on Tuesday night.

Immediately following the Lakers-Nuggets game, when the Denver players will receive their 2023 championship rings, the TNT spotlight will shine on the Suns and Warriors, both of whom will be beginning a quest to dethrone the defending champion.

Seeded fourth and sixth, respectively, in the Western playoffs last year, the Suns and Warriors saw their championship bids end in the conference semifinals, the Suns falling in six games to the Nuggets, the Warriors likewise losing four of six to the Lakers.

The opening matchup also gives the 35-year-old Durant a chance to perform in front of the fans he thrilled for three seasons while leading Golden State to championships in 2017 and 2018.

He eventually left the Warriors in a sign-and-trade deal with the Brooklyn Nets, and has made just one return to the San Francisco Bay Area — in February 2021 when fans were not allowed inside Chase Center due to COVID-19 restrictions.

He has never faced the Warriors anywhere since joining the Suns in February in a blockbuster four-team deal.

The new season begins with Durant surrounded by Devin Booker and Suns newcomer Bradley Beal, giving Phoenix as much frontline firepower as any team in the league.

"It will be a change for everybody," Beal said. "None of us have played on the floor with three guys who can score the ball anytime. It will have to be a little sacrifice for everybody."

Durant was last seen teaming with veteran guard Chris Paul. But two offseason trades later, Paul is scheduled to make his Warriors regular-season debut on Tuesday.

Durant, Paul and Golden State star Stephen Curry have been consistently outstanding on Opening Night over their careers.

Durant has scored 20 or more points in his last 12 Opening Night outings, tying Karl Malone for the NBA's longest streak.

Curry will be seeking a 10th straight 20-point opener. If successful, he would tie Kobe Bryant and Bob Lanier for fifth place on that list, with Paul Pierce and Michael Jordan just one more ahead with 11.

Paul, meanwhile, will be attempting to compile his ninth career Opening Night double-double. Only LeBron James has more (10) among active players, all of whom are chasing Tim Duncan, who retired with 14.

Golden State played the preseason without defensive ace Draymond Green, who sprained his left ankle in a pre-camp workout. He remains questionable for the opener but was impressive on Sunday during a scrimmage in the eyes of Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

'Anything can happen'

The video vignettes for the Everyone's Game campaign feature the 76ers' Joel Embiid, Celtics' Jayson Tatum and Nuggets star Murray, among others, and is accompanied by the song How You Like Me Now? by The Heavy.

With 12 separate versions, the season tip-off spots are streaming across the league's social platforms and the NBA app.

The campaign opens with Murray being chased up an LA Coliseum staircase by what symbolically appears to be the rest of the league. Other scenes consist of Embiid, the reigning league MVP, pounding a tire with a heavy anvil; Tatum slickly dribbling the ball on a blacktop; and the Chicago Bulls' Zach LaVine parachute training on a beach.

The Suns' Beal, Nuggets' Caldwell-Pope and Kings' De'Aaron Fox also make appearances, while former WNBA star Sue Bird and FIFA World Cup champion Alex Morgan are shown marveling at the players' skills.

"We landed on this concept around Everyone's Game — which is just celebrating everyone who's a fan," said Henault, who joined the league last November from Paramount Global. "And it's also 'everyone's game' from the point of the competition, right? It's a new season and anything can happen."

Agencies - China Daily