As the NBA season nears the all star break, it would be a good time to get an overview of the season thus far. While the league powers, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors, are odds on favorites to meet again in the NBA Finals, not everything remains unchanged. Here’s a quick look at what’s remained at status quo, what teams have impressed, what teams have disappointed and just some miscellaneous stuff.
Maintaining the Status Quo
When a team wins a record 73 games in the regular season and adds Kevin Durant they figure to be hard to beat.
The Warriors won’t be tested until the playoffs. There they will probably meet another perennially outstanding team, the Greg Popovich led San Antonio Spurs. The players may change, and some of their veterans may be old enough to draw social security, but they still win. They figure to have a puncher’s chance in the playoffs.
Whoever survives, should meet the Cavs in the finals. The Cavs have been tinkering with their lineup and LeBron James shows occasionally frustration, but the Cavs are marking the time until the playoffs. LeBron has denied being frustrated with Cavs management despite the team’s hitting a recent bump in the road. That’s good, because he is management. And coach too, for that matter.
Of course, when you win a NBA title, that’s okay.
Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!
I don’t know how many people thought a combination of Mike D’Antoni and James Harden would be a rousing success, but I’m not one of them. Regardless, the Houston Rockets are much improved with this duo. Whether this combination and style will work in the playoffs remains to be seen but, it's worked well so far.
Quick, name a member of the strangely named Utah Jazz besides Gordon Hayward. They may be anonymous, but they’re good. The fear, if you’re a Jazz fan, is they’ll be like the Tom Thibodeau led Bulls. Those teams outworked other teams in the regular season, but had a hard time in the playoffs when talent came into play
After a succession of early round draft picks, the 76ers, behind Joel Embiid, are finally moving forward.
While they’re still well below .500, they’re gaining on a playoff berth. Its a refreshing change for 76ers fans to see their team go from punch line to playoff contender.
It seemed like a good idea at the time.
While some experts thought the Knicks might be greatly improved, others were more skeptical. The additions of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah were supposed to help. That hasn’t been the case. Fans that saw Rose and Noah play in Chicago are not so surprised. Rose racks up decent scoring stats, but his game is not conducive to being the highest scorer on a bad team. Carmelo Anthony already had that role nailed down. The team is now looking to rebuild around Kristaps Porzingis.
The Bulls were a mediocre team that made major changes in personnel and remain a mediocre team.
Dwyane Wade is still a decent player, but has already become disenchanted with the team’s situation. The Bulls are a team hovering at .500, but look for that to drop as frustration takes its course.
I'll take Hodge Podge for one hundred, Alex.
When Tom Thibodeau went to coach the Timberwolves, it seemed like a great match of young talent and a respected, defensive minded coach. After a slow start, the team seems to be jelling.
While the Timberwolves started slow and are warming up, the Lakers started fast and have slowed down. Still, they are showing improvement behind Coach Luke Walton. Look for the Lakers to near respectability next season.
The Sacramento Kings are looking at signing DeMarcus Cousins to a 200 million dollar contract. That’s all well and good, but for that to work, they’ll need to find a coach worth 300 million dollars.
