Getty Images; ZUMABasketball is officially back.
The 2015-2016 NBA season begins tonight with some major match-ups, including LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Derrick Rose's Chicago Bulls and Stephen "Riley's dad" Curry's defending-champion Golden State Warriors taking on the New Orleans Pelicans, featuring perhaps the best player of 'em all, Anthony Davis.
So what better way to get you prepared and hyped for tip-off than with our list of the 11 most burning questions we've got ahead of the brand-spanking-new season, including what we want to know about socks, eyebrows, Kobe Bryant's old self and, of course, Drake.
1. Will the Golden State Warriors repeat as NBA champions?
Who didn't fall in love with the Oakland, Calif.-based team that ultimately dominated the playoffs in June? The widespread appeal was helped along, of course, by their charismatic point guard, his precocious daughter, their tendency to shoot nothing but 3-pointers and their head coach, the other guy from the 1990s-dominating Bulls. The defending champs are a favorite to repeat, according to Vegas odds, so chances are you will be seeing Steph Curry a lot until June.
2. Or is this finally the Cavs' year?
Cleveland conceivably has the easiest route to the NBA Finals since they play in the, er...less-competitive-than-the-West Eastern Conference and Kevin Love looks so gorgeous to have fully recovered from the dislocated shoulder that prematurely knocked him out of the 2014-15 postseason. All signs point to a rematch of the finals from a year ago and LeBron obviously wants at least one more ring before he enters the Space Jam 2 phase of his career.
3. Is this really Kobe's last season?
At 37, Bryant is entering his 20th and presumably last season with the L.A. Lakers, if not the final season of his career. While Kobe has not officially said this is it, not being one for the distraction that would come with a farewell tour, it's best we all prepare ourselves. One day, the way your parents talk about stuff that happened "before your time" will be the way you tell your kids about Kobe scoring 81 points on Jan. 22, 2006.
4. Can both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook stay healthy? As in, at the same time?
When these two super-stars are both actually playing together, the Oklahoma City Thunder are right next to the San Antonio Spurs in being hot on the Warriors' heels. However, Durant and Westbrook haven't played an entire season together in a while. Westbrook returned from his third knee surgery in February, only to lose Durant to a foot injury in March. Now that both are back for good, theoretically, will they play to their potential or continue to rue the day that James Harden was traded away in 2012.
5. Will all the celebs finally decamp to the Clippers?
Not that they need to go far. Both the Lakers and Clippers play at Los Angeles' Staples Center, so Jack Nicholson doesn't even need to change his parking routine. But while courtside at the Lakers has always been the place for the rich and fabulously hooked up to see and be seen in the Hollywood area, the Clippers are the contenders. Prices are going up and the luxury boxes are getting fuller, but there's still plenty of room next to pre-bandwagon Clippers fan Billy Crystal.
6. What will they wear?!
NBA players are eons ahead of other pro athletes when it comes to style. Injuries suck, but it's still always a sight to see these guys on the bench in their impeccably tailored designer suits, pocket squares, jaunty hats and shoes big enough for Mother Hubbard and all her children. Amare Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh are just a few of the big fellas who truly seem to enjoy the process of getting dressed, almost as much as Craig Sager does. (And a hearty welcome back to him tonight.)
7. Will Riley Curry perform with the Warrior Girls?
Steph Curry's daughter made press conferences more exciting, she's done many a nae nae and now she's a big sister. So what is left for this outspoken 2-year-old? We hope it's her prime-time debut with Golden States' illustrious cheer squad.
8. Will Anthony Davis' eyebrow(s) stay intact this season?
Yes, the Pelican star's most visible feature has even been trademarked. He could be the first player in NBA history with one eyebrow to ever win league MVP this coming season.
9. Will this finally be the year Charles Barkley gets a Twitter account?
We love it when the outspoken analyst spars with Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith on TNT's Inside the NBA, but we would really just love it if the Hall of Famer were to get himself a Twitter account and spar with the whole Internet. Barkley, alas, hasn't sounded too keen on the idea (despite the forum being made for him), having told CNBC, "The only reason I do no social media whatsoever [is because] I don't feel the need to talk to all these nitwits out there…Unfortunately we have given all these trolls the opportunity to voice their opinion [on social media]. Just because you watch Grey's Anatomy doesn't mean you can do the operation."
10. How do we get our hands on (and our feet in) these awesome new socks?
Following in the footsteps of the stylish players on the court, the NBA enlisted Stance Socks to design new socks for all 30 teams. Now you can see Denver Nuggets sportin' the Rocky Mountains just above their sneakers, stars on the Philadelphia 76ers' shapely calves and the outline of a wolf for, naturally, on the Minnesota Timberwolves. The socks should also be available for the masses when the NBA opens its new flagship store on 5th Avenue in New York in December.
11. Will Drake be at the NBA All-Star Game?
Ha, do Drake memes go viral? No doubt Drizzy has had the weekend of Feb. 13, 2016, circled on his calendar for quite some time, and we are sure this NBA All-Star Game in his hometown of Toronto will be a party for the ages. We should just rename the entire schedule "Drake's All-Star Weekend Featuring Rihanna, Jay Z and Kevin Hart."