After one of the most memorable offseasons in league history, NBA fans can turn their attention toward the actual games. 

The NBA announced it will release the schedule for the 2019-20 campaign on Monday at 3 p.m. ET, providing the roadmap for a number of realistic title contenders. Gone are the days when it was the Golden State Warriors and everyone else playing for second place. Rather, realistic arguments can be made for approximately a third of the league contending for a deep playoff run.

With that in mind, here is a look at the necessary information for the schedule release and some of the top storylines to follow once the season arrives. 

Viewing Information

Date: Monday, Aug. 12

Time: 3 p.m. ET

TV: NBA TV

Storylines

Dynamic Duos Set to Rule a Wide-Open Western Conference 

Dear Western Conference contenders, there is good news and bad news when it comes to your title chances.

The good news is the Warriors—who will be without Klay Thompson at the start of the season because of a torn ACL—are no longer loaded with future Hall of Famers and All-Stars after losing Kevin Durant, DeMarcus Cousins and Andre Iguodala this offseason. The bad news is a list of dynamic duos sprinkled throughout the conference will make every round of the playoffs a battle.

There are some leftover pairings that figure to make noise in the postseason race, including Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum in Portland, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in Denver, Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis in Dallas (even though they haven't played together yet because of health), and LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan in San Antonio, but the dramatic reshaping of the conference's landscape was centered in Los Angeles this offseason.

The Los Angeles Lakers finally traded for Anthony Davis after failing to do so during the 2018-19 season, meaning they have two of the league's top 10 players.

He and LeBron James can work in pick-and-rolls or attack individually, be it as a point forward who can run the offense or a dominant big who can extend his game to the perimeter or overwhelm defenders on the blocks.

Los Angeles has a number of solid role players around them in Danny Green, Kyle Kuzma, Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley, but the season may depend on Cousins' ability to return to pre-injury form. The four-time All-Star struggled to replicate his past production in his one season with the Warriors but is now more than a year removed from his ruptured Achilles and could give the dynamic duo a third star.

The Purple and Gold aren't the only show in town, as the Los Angeles Clippers landed both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George this offseason.

They battled the Warriors in the first round last season without the NBA Finals MVP and a regular-season MVP candidate and now have the star power to match up with any roster in the league. They also figure to be a stifling defensive squad with Patrick Beverley hounding point guards, Leonard and George locking down the wing, and Montrezl Harrell battling down low.

It is not a stretch to suggest the Western Conference Finals will be a battle for Los Angeles, but both teams may have to go through a revamp of an old pairing.

James Harden and Russell Westbrook were teammates on the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier in their careers and now represent the Houston Rockets' best chance at competing for a title. They took home two of the last three MVPs and are capable of leading Houston to the Finals if they can figure out a way to work together despite being heavily isolation dependent.

The Utah Jazz should not be overlooked either after creating their own dynamic duo in the backcourt by adding Mike Conley. He will play alongside Donovan Mitchell and look to set the young star up for success with his ability to facilitate for teammates and defend the opponent's best ball-handler.

With Conley running the offense, Mitchell attacking from the wing, Rudy Gobert protecting the rim and Bojan Bogdanovic taking advantage of the spacing created by the attention his teammates draw, Utah could be the one to knock the Warriors off their mantle.

Golden State still runs the West until proven otherwise after five straight trips to the NBA Finals, but Thompson's injury and the losses of Durant, Cousins and Iguodala will be a lot to overcome even with D'Angelo Russell.

It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Warriors in the No. 6 or 7 seed range come the playoffs, but teams would be wise not to overlook them. Thompson's potential return and the presence of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green will give them the same primary trio that won the 2015 title.

That's not a bad counter in the land of duos. 

A Void Is Open for a New Dominant Force to Emerge Out East

The Eastern Conference representative in the last nine NBA Finals has revolved around a dominant singular force.

It was James for eight straight years and then Leonard in the King's first season out West. Leonard is no longer on the Toronto Raptors after perhaps the best one-year stop on a team in league history, which means the door is open for another superstar to become the king of the East.

The obvious candidate is reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who led the Milwaukee Bucks to the best record in the NBA last season before losing to Leonard in the Eastern Conference Finals.

He won't have to worry about being guarded by Leonard unless it's in the NBA Finals, and the Raptors aren't nearly the same threat without their leader even with the pairing of Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam.

The Philadelphia 76ers won't have to worry about Leonard either after he defeated them in Game 7 of the second round with a buzzer-beater. While they lost Jimmy Butler to the Miami Heat, they still have two franchise cornerstones in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons and added Al Horford to a frontcourt that features Tobias Harris.

Horford's old team, the Boston Celtics, also lost plenty of talent with his departure, Kyrie Irving joining the Brooklyn Nets and Terry Rozier going to the Charlotte Hornets.

Yet, they responded by adding Kemba Walker and Enes Kanter and perhaps creating a better chemistry situation with more defined roles. They were inconsistent at best in 2018-19 after Irving and Gordon Hayward returned to a lineup featuring Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Rozier after that trio led them to the Eastern Conference Finals, but Tatum and Brown could have more room to grow with this roster.

Boston, Philadelphia or Milwaukee could have its hands full in a possible matchup with the Indiana Pacers, who will be dangerous once Victor Oladipo returns to a backcourt that now has Malcolm Brogdon.

Brooklyn is also a threat with Irving joining a young core that reached the playoffs last season, although it will likely have to wait until Durant recovers from his ruptured Achilles to contend for a title.

Parity is the name of the game in the East as Antetokounmpo looks to defend his MVP and become the latest individual star to emerge from the conference.