Hoops Tonight - NBA Contenders: Will Warriors stay hot? LeBron & Lakers obstacle, who stops Celtics

Jason Timpf is joined by Sam Vecenie of The Athletic to break down their top NBA contenders over the start of the season. Jason and Sam discuss whether Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics have separated themselves from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the Oklahoma City Thunder as the top team in the league. Later, they debate whether Steph Curry's Golden State Warriors or Donovan Mitchell's Cleveland Cavaliers are legitimate NBA Finals contenders following their hot starts to the season. Next, Jason and Sam break down what is wrong with Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks' defense, why they believe in LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers to be competitive in the NBA Playoffs, and much more! Timeline: 04:00 - Happy Thanksgiving 5:00 - Have Celtics separated from Thunder? 23:45- Are Warriors or Cavaliers legit? 37:00 - Should Warriors target Jimmy Butler 42:15 - How far behind Celtics are Cavs? 52:15- What's wrong with Knicks defense? 1:02:45 - Why Sam believes in Lakers 1:10:15 - Which West teams are threats? 01:15:45 - Watch out for Grizzlies 01:20:30 - Will Lakers address their problems? 01:35:30 - Check out Sam's work! (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.) #Volume #Herd Follow Jason Timpf on social: https://twitter.com/_JasonLT https://www.instagram.com/jtimpf15/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.