This article was published in the January issue of The Hoof Print, which is the school newspaper at Alamo Heights High School.
If you’ve been too caught up in football lately, which is totally acceptable because bowl season and the NFL have provided plenty of action, you may not realize that the NBA season is already past the halfway point. Not to worry, however, because I’m here to catch you up on all things hoops.
The Boston Celtics pulled off one of the league’s biggest free agent acquisitions, signing Star Guard Gordon Hayward away from Utah. On opening night of the NBA season, Hayward suffered a grotesque injury to his ankle and has been out ever since. That hasn’t stopped the Celtics from claiming the Eastern Conference’s best record, led by Superstar Point Guard Kyrie Irving in his first year in Boston. The Celtics are clearly the best bet to knock the new look Cavaliers off their throne in the East. The Cavs struggled a little early on, but Point Guard Isaiah Thomas, whom they got in exchange for Irving from Boston, is finally healthy and back on the court. Guard Dwayne Wade, Forward Kevin Love and Thomas would make a team good on their own, but in Cleveland they’re just complimentary pieces to the unstoppable Forward Lebron James.
Historically, the Eastern Conference has been a one team race, with the Cavaliers dominating recently, but this year it is more competitive. In Milwaukee, 6’11” Forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, also known as the “Greek Freak,” is putting up stellar numbers for the Bucks and can go up against anybody. The duo of Guards of Demar Derozan and Kyle Lowry continue to lead the Raptors to success up north in Toronto, and young teams like the Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons have done well early in the season. It’s certainly not a runaway race this year in the East.
Over in the Western Conference, things are tougher than ever. The Golden State Warriors, with their star-studded cast, again sit atop the conference, even though they’ve dealt with several injuries so far, including Point Guard Steph Curry missing 11 games because of a sprained right ankle. The Houston Rockets started off the year firing on all cylinders with Guards James Harden and Chris Paul leading the way, but injuries to those two stars have slowed them down a bit. If healthy, the Rockets have a ton of firepower and can bury a team from behind the three point range before they even blink. A match-up with the Warriors to win the West would not be surprising, and it would be must-watch television.
As always, the San Antonio Spurs continue to win, despite a plethora of injuries. All-Star Forward Kawhi Leonard missed the first 27 games of the season with a quad injury, Point Guard Tony Parker made a resounding return in late November after a devastating injury in the second round of the 2017 playoffs, though he recently re-injured it in Sacramento. Several others have been in and out of the lineup, yet the Spurs currently are in third place behind the Rockets and Warriors. Guard Manu Ginobili, at 40 years old, returned for another season after many thought he would retire, and Ginobili has played spectacularly well. He already has two game winning shots this year, and he continues to work his magic, or as he calls it, “Grandpa Juice”. This season, the Spurs are relying more on their young players such as the Young Guards of Dejounte Murray, Kyle Anderson and Bryn Forbes. As long as Head Coach Gregg Popovich is at the helm, you should never count out the Spurs.
The most intriguing race thus far has been the bottom half of the Western Conference playoff race. Everyone knows Golden State, Houston and San Antonio will be in the playoffs, but the remaining teams are a mystery. There’s no easy game in the west, as even the worst teams put up a fight on any given night. The Minnesota Timberwolves, with the addition of Star Forward Jimmy Butler, seem destined to break their nearly 14 year playoff drought. They’ve played extremely well at home and are a pesky team. Then it’s a jumble for the five through eight seeds between the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Clippers.
For most of the season, the final four playoff spots have been separated by less than two games. A long win streak by one of the teams jumbled together would seemingly create some separation, but none of those teams can get on an extended role. Of those teams, the Thunder and Pelicans are the most talented, but the Thunder, with their trio of Electric Point Guard Russell Westbrook, Shooting Guard Paul George and Small Forward Carmelo Anthony, got off to a dreadful start and are just now getting things together, and the Pelicans have traded wins and losses to remain at .500 most of the season. If the duo of Stretch Big-Men DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis stay healthy and get enough help, and the Pelicans play better defense, New Orleans could put a scare into the Western Conference. But those are big ifs.
With football season coming to a close, it’s time to begin shifting your focus toward the hardwood. The NBA has highly entertaining games day-in-and-day-out, so try to catch some action now that I caught you up on what’s been happening.