By: Anthony Martinez, Sports Editor
The NBA All-Star Weekend has past and the second half of the season is underway. The race to the playoffs is heating up, teams are starting to become more complete, and a better understanding can be made of them.
As for the results of the All-Star Weekend, it had its critics, and some wondered if it even should take place due to trying to keep the league safe and COVID-19-free. Regardless, it took place, and there were still fun moments that occurred; specifically, the three-point contest where Stephen Curry proved to everyone, once again, that he is the greatest shooter in NBA history with another win in the contest.
Looking forward, the conference standings are starting to tighten up. For the Western Conference, this is especially the case for the top four seeds. The Utah Jazz still currently lead the west with a record of 28-10; their play has been more inconsistent recently, with just a 5-5 record over their previous ten. The gap between them and the rest of the field is shrinking. Following them is the surging Phoenix Suns, who have been playing some of the best basketball recently, and look as if they’ll finish strong.
Following them are the L.A. teams, the Lakers and Clippers respectively. The Lakers have found some struggles in recent weeks before the break with the injuries to Dennis Schroder and Anthony Davis, especially. However, they’ve managed to win their last two, so time will tell how they manage before AD’s return.
The bottom of the west features the Houston Rockets who have lost an insane 16 games in a row; absolutely abysmal. Despite that awful record, they are only second to last in the west. The last place goes to the Minnesota Timberwolves who have the worst record in the NBA at 9-30. They had the number one pick last season and are currently favorites to land it again this season.
The top of the east is currently a two-headed race, although third-place Milwaukee Bucks are right behind as well. At the top, however, is the Philadelphia 76ers at 27-12 and the Brooklyn Nets are right behind them at 27-13. Time seems to favor the Nets however, the 76ers best player and MVP candidate Joel Embiid will miss 2-3 weeks with a knee injury. Meanwhile, the Nets have played well without Kevin Durant, their best player who should be making his return soon.
As stated previously, the Bucks are third and in fourth place, are last season’s NBA Eastern Conference Champions, the Miami Heat. The Heat got off to an extremely rocky start to the season, between the injuries to Jimmy Butler and then Tyler Herro and other key players, they were struggling to get the ball rolling. Well, now they are 9-1 in their last ten and sit at fourth place. Last season they made the finals as the fifth seed. The fourth is plenty good enough for them to potentially repeat.
At the bottom of the barrel, in the east, are the Detroit Pistons. They made a lot of questionable decisions in the offseason, overpaying for certain players, signing too many bigs, passing on Tyrese Halliburton in the draft. Now with a record of 10-29 and trading Derrick Rose and Blake Griffin, the Pistons are still in complete rebuild mode. With March Madness coming up shortly, there will be plenty of talent for them to get a good look at.
Currently, the odds on favorite to win a champion are kind of blurry. The Jazz have a strong record but their star-power is outmatched by other teams, they’re reminiscent of the Atlanta Hawks several years back when they had the best record and then getting dismantled easily by LeBron James and the Cavaliers.
The Lakers and Clippers have great duo’s and the Lakers are the defending champs but the favorite has to go to the Nets currently. Time will tell when Anthony Davis returns if they can compete with the Nets when both teams are healthy but the Nets have so much firepower. Between three all-NBA level players and great surrounding pieces, they are the team to beat currently.
In terms of individual awards, like the Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year award, one winner seems much more clear than the other. In terms of the MVP, it seems to be lead, by three standouts, the aforementioned Embiid from the 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers star James, and Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic. With Embiid’s injury, James and Jokic could pull ahead in the race.
For the rookie of the year, there have been some great rookies. Or, at least, ones that have shown lots of potential: players like Tyrese Halliburton and James Wiseman. However, it will most likely go to LaMelo Ball. Ball has exceeded expectations and is having a wonderful season at just 19-years-old. He’s playing well and as a result, the Charlotte Hornets are currently in the playoff picture after being one of the worst teams last season.
The season has a lot more storylines to go through for the remainder of the season before the playoffs eventually start. It’s been a great NBA season and thankfully has managed well through the pandemic, and one could only hope it remains that way for the rest of the season.
