The Brooklyn Nets is a team who just like the Raptors, acquired a small forward to help elevate their

game. Signing Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant has made the Nets one of the favorites in the East even though Durant has a torn Achilles and will be sidelined for quite some time. If Durant can return healthy the Nets have a

chance to be in the finals this year. Lastly, the Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC easily had the worst offseason in the NBA. Losing their main scorer in Russell Westbrook, the Thunder will almost certainly miss out on the playoffs. The good news for the Thunder is they obtained a lot of draft picks to build upon. The Thunder may be able to make their way back into the playoff race within the next few years, assuming they use their draft picks well. As the season comes closer, this is how I see the playoff race ending:

1. Clippers 2. Lakers 3. Trail Blazers 4. Nuggets 5. Warriors 6. Rockets 7. Jazz 8. Spurs

1. 76ers 2. Bucks 3. Celtics 4. Nets 5. Raptors 6. Pacers 7. Heat 8. Wizards

Trypanophobia did not even register with the joyous Nataly Felix Medina (12). She

was calm, cool, and collected while she did her part, and helped out our local

community with her donation of blood. This was the first blood drive of our school

year and marked our continued relationship with LifeStream. Photo was taken on

August 30, 2019 by Melissa Portilla.

By Xavier Ruedas With the 100th season of the National Football League upon us, we can see that for the first time in what seems like many years, there is a large parody of teams that can take the throne of dynasty within the conferences. With the arrival of young players and talents on teams, they plan not only to take the Super Bowl, but to take it for many years to come. The Kanas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Rams are two of the young, top contenders for the new season and are the newest dynasties of the National Football League. With both teams having a young, star quarterback with astounding targets, weapons, crafty and technical head coaches, both teams are aiming for the ultimate prize, however there are other teams in the league that have a shot at glory. The reigning champions, the New England Patriots, are looking once again for Tom Brady to lead them to another appearance; fortunately, this year is look-ing as one of the best in recent years for the Patriots near 20-year dynasty over the league. An aging legend and a large multitude of playmakers enhance the team, with the reinstatement of Josh Gordon and other weapons in both the backfield and the receiving corps, this is the strongest we have seen the team in years. While this team is unsure of the future years of Tom Brady; the dynamic duo of Brady and Belichick still is a force to be reckoned with throughout the league, so expect them to be favorites for Super Bowl contention within the coming months. On the flip side of the league, one standout team expected to make a splash is the Cleveland Browns; a team with all potential and no lack of diva on the team. Second year signal caller Baker Mayfield is projected to carry his team to new heights the team has not seen since many decades ago, with a great supporting cast of Odell Beckham Junior, Jarvis Landry, Kareem Hunt, Nick Chub, and a multitude of destructive, defensive personnel that is not only great, but young and impactful. This could be the year where a winning culture is grown from the ashes of the past, with many people believing this team has hopes for the playoffs. Within a brief interview, Adrian Jimenez, (12), had chosen the Patriots as the team to both compete and win the Super Bowl, with the National Football Conference being a toss-up for their contender, but “... A repeat of Super Bowl 51, a matchup against the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots”. After a moment of deciding, he stated that a dark horse playoff team would be the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team that has hopes to have a top 10 pick within the 2020 NFL draft. The team within the previous years has competed for a chance in the Super Bowl, but eventually lost to the Patriots, and never quite recovered from that year. The 100th season of the NFL is looking to be a spectacular one, with many teams aiming for the Super Bowl. Teams such as the Chiefs and Rams look to cement themselves as the newest dynasties within the next five to ten years, while others look to begin the long process of rebuilding and fighting for playoff spots. The league is beginning to change well past the era of the New England Patriots dynasty, and into the new, young, and exciting teams of the future. This season may be the biggest we have seen yet, and it will guarantee the fans of the teams and the league itself one of, if not the greatest season of NFL football we have ever seen.

Hate ‘em, or love ‘em. You cannot deny the New England

Patriots’ dominance. Graphic courtesy of CBS Sports HQ.