Blought #43: 2019-20 NBA Mid-Season Wrap-Up
Man has this been an entertaining NBA season. All-Star Weekend was one for the books with one of the best All-Star games of all time. As we continue to mourn Kobe, his daughter, and the other seven victims, I believe that we all have grown a new appreciation for these athletes and their ability to entertain us. This NBA season is going to be one for the history books, regardless of outcome.
Prelude to the Season
When the 2019-2020 NBA campaign started, it was met with anticipation and excitement and rightfully so. Let’s start by looking at the end of last season. The landscape of the entire league was changed in a matter of months. The Raptors won their first ever championship after acquiring Finals MVP Kawhi Leaonard for just one season. To make it even more interesting, they did so by ending the Warriors’ bid for a fourth championship in five years. LeBron James missed the Playoffs for the first time since 2005 while we had to bid farewell to Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki as they retired from their illustrious and Hall of Fame worthy careers. Giannis Antetekounpo’s MVP season dazzled us all as he let it be known that the NBA’s next generation of superstars had something to prove. He was backed up by the stellar head turning play of Rookie of the Year winner Luka Doncic and runner up Trae Young.
Then the Summer of 2019 happened. Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant both suffered season ending injuries during the NBA Finals which effectively ended their series against Toronto. Then, Kevin Durant in a surprised us all when he moved to Brooklyn to join Kyrie who left perennial East contender Boston. Anthony Davis joined the Lakers in a bid to return glory to the Lakers franchise. Russell Westbrook got traded to Houston where he reunited with former Thunder teammate and childhood friend James Harden. The biggest news of course was Paul George (the initial motivation for Westbrook’s move) and Kawhi Leonard joining forces in LA, but not the purple and gold. They joined The Clippers, the Stepchildren of the Staples Center.
In the end, Basketball’s focus had shifted from the Bay back to SoCal. The opening game of the season was dubbed “the first round of the ‘Battle for LA’” by NBC Los Angeles. Milwaukee were dubbed the kings of the East before the season started with Boston and Philadelphia viewed as their biggest competition.
As it stands currently, the teams that we can rule out of any late mid-season push are as follows; The Bulls, Hornets, Knicks, Pistons, Hawks, Cavs, Suns, Kings, Timberwolves and Warriors seasons are all pretty much over. Both the Kings and the Suns have records that suggest that they could make a playoff push but neither team has the personnel to actually compete.
Middle of the Pack Teams
As it currently stands in the east, the Wizards, Magic, and Nets are all fighting for the final 2 spots in the playoffs with the Bulls right in the thick of it. If you ask me, the Bulls don’t have the personnel to make a true impact on the playoff race while the Wizards trail Orlando by 3 games. Barring any major setbacks Brooklyn is a lock for the playoffs. Kyrie is back (scratch that, update: He’s out indefinitely) and the team has youth, talent, and depth. We can’t know how good this team really is until KD is healthy and ready to suit up. They can be contenders, but not until next year. Orlando can lose their spot but 8th in the east is usually not that long of a playoff run anyway.
While Indiana finally got their franchise star back in Victor Oladipo, they still don’t have enough to make a meaningful push in the playoffs. They will definitely give a team like Philly a hard time, but in the end, they are just a middle of the pack team.
The west is once again the hottest ticket as we wind down the final 2 months of the NBA regular season. New Orleans has been one of the pleasant surprises of the season. With a young core comprised of Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Zion Williamson, the latter who made his NBA debut just a few weeks ago, this young team is putting the league on notice. They currently sit 6.5 games behind Memphis, the current 8th seed.
The Spurs and Trail Blazers are in similar positions as neither team is less than 4 games behind the 8th seed. Speaking of Memphis, how about Ja Morant? Morant, the clear favorite for Rookie of the Year, is averaging 17 points and over 7 assists per game and with help from his supporting cast including second year player Jaren Jackson, The Grizzlies are positioned to make the playoffs establishing themselves as one of the teams of the future a la the 76ers and Bucks a few years ago.
The Mavericks and Thunder round out my “Middle of the Pack” category. OKC has been another pleasant surprise. Point God Chris Paul and star on the rise Shea Gilgeous-Alexander have the Thunder sitting at 6th in the standings. If the playoffs started today, they’d face Utah in the first round. It’s a long shot but that’s a winnable series for OKC. The Mavericks led by 20-year-old phenom Luka Doncic, the reigning ROY, are sitting at 7th. OKC and Dallas are both tied with records of 33-22 making the West once again the Conference to watch down the stretch.
Title Contenders
East
5. The 76ers have had some problems living up to expectations this season. The addition of Al Horford has stifled much of their post play and many pundits and analysts are suggesting that Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid can’t coexist together. Their first-round matchup is currently Indiana. I think that Philly is the better team and can win a first-round series, but their road woes WILL come back to haunt them in the playoffs.
4. The Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler play like they have a chip on their shoulders. Butler has been partially demonized by some as difficult. He “forced” his way out of Minnesota by trade after failing to mesh with his teammates then he left Philly and signed with Miami during this past summer’s entertaining free agency period. With a supporting cast of Bam Adebayo, rookies Kendrick Nunn and Tyler Herro, veterans Goran Dragic, Andre Iguodala and Jae Crowder; you’d be lying if you said this team didn’t have chance at a deep playoff run.
3. Boston is once again in the top 3 of the East. Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens have built and molded this team into serious title contenders. They lost Kyrie but signed Kemba as a free agent. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum continue to show that the both of them can be stars in this league for a long time. They’re even making it work without Horford who was a straight beast with them the past few years. With the rumored distraction of Kyrie Irving out of the locker room, is this the year where Boston can put it all together for a real run at the Larry O’brien trophy?
2. To be honest, we disrespected the Raptors. Everyone who isn’t from Toronto is lying if they said they saw the Raptors remaining this dominant. Pascal Siakam just made his first All-Star game and Kyle Lowry is an invaluable veteran leader. Besides losing the Kawhi sweepstakes, the Raptors didn’t lose too much else. Nick Nurse is one of the top coaches in this league and that may be all they need to have a chance at repeating as champions this June.
1. The Bucks are the clear runaway favorites to represent the east this summer in the NBA Finals. Giannis is the reigning MVP and he’s looks focused. The team is stacked with talent including Kris Middleton, Wesley Matthews, Eric Bledsoe and both Lopez Twins. They aren’t a 2010’s super team but they are a super team. What convinces me the most isn’t their roster or style of play. Instead it’s their chemistry as a team. When we see Giannis and Robin Lopez wrestling before games, that’s chemistry. All champions need that to win, regardless of sport.
West
5. Houston has a problem. Mike D’antoni and Darryl Morrey’s experiment looks worse and worse every year. Do they make the Playoffs every year? Yes. Do they win over 50 games? Yes. Does Harden dazzle us dropping what seems like a 50-point average while Russell Westbrook ruins rims and opposing teams’ post defenses with reckless abandon? Yes. But that has yet to translate to anything substantial. Both of these players are 30 meaning that window is closing soon. And now with no true center in the middle, this experiment has gotten even more out of hand.
4. Utah is one of those teams that’s really good but no one talks about them. They added veteran Mike Conley to a team with rising star Donovan Mitchell and underrated, defending back to back DPOY and All-Star Rudy Gobert. While they did add Jordan Clarkson before the trade deadline, they lack a sufficient bench and could struggle after a potential first-round win.
3. The Clippers clearly won free agency when they added Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. They were also the 4th seed in last year’s playoffs. And before their recent skid they were dominating competition including their more popular stepbrothers, The Lakers. Most people have them as the favorites to win the West and possibly the whole thing. I’d chalk the past two losses up and still put my money on them, but I’m not a gambler.
2. Denver has been another one of those surprise teams. On paper, their team doesn’t stand out but when it comes to sports you can never disregard the eye test. This team looks good. Nikola Jokic is becoming a true superstar in this league as he averages 20 points, 10 rebounds and just under 7 assists a game as a center! He’s surrounded by true veterans like Paul Millsap, Will Barton and Mason Plumlee while also having the likes of Gary Harris, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. on the team. This could be the first time Denver does anything substantial since they had AI and Melo.
1. The Lakers are officially back. After losing LeBron for the back half of the season and missing the playoffs yet again, the Lakers tried to retool. They added Anthony Davis along with some spare parts that aren’t as shiny as they once were. Their best acquisition behind AD is probably Dwight Howard who has shown he’s got plenty of juice left in the tank. The Lakers look good running up and down the court giving us highlights for Bleacher Reporter, IG, and YouTube but that’s pretty much it. Their toughness is a big question and they still haven’t beaten the Clippers. But when you got the King, nothing is off of the table in terms of winning that ring.