WHO YOU GOT?

NBA Championship Discussion

We’re a little more than two weeks into the NBA season. The best word to describe the start is PARODY. A “tanking” Utah Jazz team, currently third in the West, will miss out on Wemby because they are simply too good. There is a tremendous difference between starter Russell Westbrook and sixth man Russell Westbrook. And the defending champions have been off to the same poor start as their 2019-2020 season; they finished 15-50 that year (but they are still going to win the West). Teams are scoring at unprecedented rates, more than ever before. We can’t forget the shitstorm that is the Brooklyn Nets.

I admit I sided with Stephen A. and believed the Brooklyn Nets were the favorite to win the chip this year. Instead, they are 2-6, have fired a coach, and are going to hire a coach that has currently been suspended. It’s still too small of a sample, but Ben Simmons has a lot of rust to knock off, but I think at the end of the season, we will still be talking about how far he has come. For the second season in a row, Kyrie has caused off-court controversy. The best thing Brooklyn can do is trade Kyrie and KD now and kickstart the rebuild. The project failed. They’ve proven that an offense with no defense can’t win championships, let alone games. They could put up 200 points and still lose by 5. They will miss out on the playoffs this year and ignite a firesale.

On the other hand, the team I did not see coming is the Cleveland Cavaliers. They are on an absolute tear. Last night’s game against the Celtics felt like I was watching game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. That may be the matchup we see in the conference finals. When they traded for Donovan Mitchell, I didn’t think that would make them that much better. I thought they gave up way too much to get him. He still doesn’t help the backcourt defense, but the Mobley-Allen frontcourt more than makes up for the poor backcourt defense. Plus, Spyda’s athleticism is wild. Look at this rebound below. He also had another crazy one-handed rebound in last night’s game. However, they will face the same as last season’s Cavs. Spyda also had the same problems out in Utah. Both were plagued by the inability to finish the season. The Cavs ended the season losing 14 of 22 and dropped from the sixth seed into the play-in tournament, where they lost both games. The Utah Jazz dropped 11 of their final 22 games, including a 5-game losing streak at the end of March. So, can Spyda and the Cavs figure out how to finish the season strong? I don’t think so, but they can definitely be legitimate title contenders if they do.

You can’t talk about the championship without the Milwaukee Bucks. They are far and away the best team and the league. It’s the Milwaukee Bucks, 50 feet of crap (“Moneyball” is a GOAT sports movie), then the rest of the league. They are unbeaten and are just toying with other teams at this point. And they don’t even have Khris Middleton back yet. What happens when he comes back? There is incredible depth on the team. And the scary part is Giannis may not have to play most 4th quarters because they can blow out anybody. I don’t really think the Bucks have any weaknesses other than health. I just think a team, a team in the East, for that matter, will find a way to stop them.

As much as it pains me to say it, that team is the Philadelphia 76ers. They don’t look like it now, but they are getting that chip. Embiid and the Beard are both HUNGRY to prove themselves. Embiid is the big man with the best chance to match Giannis’ perimeter and paint play. Plus, the undersized but pesky defender, PJ Tucker, can and will give Giannis problems. James Harden isn’t the same player he was in Houston or Brooklyn. Philly also has a good bit of depth; De’Anthony Melton will continue to settle in. They will be a tough team to beat if Doc can get them to play with pace. At the time of writing this, it was announced that Harden will miss a month, but the 6ers will be ok. Why? Because they have a bona fide star. Tyrese Maxey’s development is INSANE. He has become one of the best players under 25. He turns 22 tomorrow! He is the leading scorer on a team with Joel Embiid and James Harden. He is averaging 34.6 points in the three games they were without Embiid. In my best Max Kellerman impression, “I want Maxey!”

Final Take: Doc finally makes the proper adjustments and rotational decisions, and Harden finally gets his ring.