NBA | FANtastic ALL-STAR Break

All-Star weekend is a reminder of the immense talent the NBA possesses. The break allows us to assess the Association. The events and game itself showcased how basketball is both fun and exciting, perhaps like no other major sport in America. I thought the ELAM ending was good. I also liked how each quarter felt like a mini game, bringing more of a competitive edge. Third quarter intensity ramped up near the horn as teams jockeyed for point totals leading into the fourth. Big ups to both squads for bringing more to the All Star game.

Los Angeles 

I'll begin in the City of Angels due to the star power of both Staples Center teams, and an unfathomable tragedy (I'll briefly address this at the end). The center of the NBA universe seems to be LA. The Lakers stood pat while the Clippers made a move at the deadline. I thought it was okay, and in some way spiritual right, that the Lakers didn't make a move. They were probably doing their due diligence behind the scenes, and yet it may have felt inappropriate to overhaul the roster. Whether or not they should have is for the talking heads to debate. 

The Forum Blue and Gold destroys teams they're suppose to, and although they have a winning record against plus .500 teams, they don't always look as great against superior competition. The primary teams to be concerned with in this regard are Milwaukee, Toronto, and the Clippers. 

It's no secret that the Lakers offense looks pedestrian when LeBron is off the court. Do Davis and James have to do more? Perhaps in the playoffs, which they are capable of. The ball is almost always in LeBron's hands, but when he does turn it over, I want him to hustle back. On botched possessions he rarely crosses half court before the opponents trigger a shot. I'm not expecting game seven of the Finals, chase-down LeBron, but more effort to invigorate his teammates wouldn't hurt. His "free safety" role on defense sometimes confuses his help-side defenders who are trying to rotate and recover. I want him to be more engaged on defense. Also, too often he settles for that mid-post fade away. He should attack the rim to score or facilitate. Ultimately I'm just nitpicking my favorite player because I want his squad to shine. Maybe he's angling for the playoffs.  

Davis could use a jolt of assertiveness. I'm wondering if he'll play as though this team is his. It's no secret he's a beast on both sides of the ball, the best two-way Laker. Davis leads the team in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocks. His PER is more than 3 points higher than LeBron's and he hits free throws. AD's a machine sent to earth to wreak havoc on basketball opposition, and LeBron's his running mate. So why doesn't he consistently get touches when it's crunch time? Again, I'm nitpicking an all-time talent. I just want him to excel.

The Clippers traded for a ball-stopping Morris twin. They appear to be the ultimate Dr. Jeckyll Mr. Hyde, lacking consistency and chemistry. PG and especially Kawhi have powers to summon once postseason begins. Regardless of the talent, chemistry and health play major roles in the march toward a Finals. Will the Clippers have enough court time together to build cohesion?

Dame Time ? !!!

How severely did he strain his groin? Why did he even attend All Star weekend, especially if he had to move around in skinny jeans? There were more than enough rappers in Chicago to fill in, however none as slick as Dame. Can he and the Blazers catch the Grizzlies? They can if he plays in most of the 26 games that remain.

Gary Trent Jr. is making the leap. GT's play has been a revelation. He plays with confidence and physicality. If he continues to shine his value to the team will only grow moving forward. He's earned his increased minutes, especially in the fourth quarter. Trent's proven he has the onions to take shots and make them. He's an NBA scorer. Good on him for continuing to work hard.

Ariza's been a helpful surprise. His veteran smarts, long limbs, and ability to shoot the deep ball has increased the Blazers ceiling. Swanigan may be a bull in a china shop, but he plays hard and brings a bit of nasty onto the court. Simons needs to recapture his swagger and that ability to be lightening in a bottle on offense. He showed flashes of it just before the all star break. Little is getting little to no run, yet the new guys acquired from Sacramento are, what gives? If Dame misses prolonged time, McCollum better pick it up. CJ where have you gone?

Minnesota or Golden State?
Who won the trade? Which key player is better? Who's contract is more of an albatross? Will Russell help the Wolves out of dysfunction, or just lighten the load for Towns? Can Wiggins excel as the Warriors fourth best player? Which guy lasts longer on their new team? The answers to these questions won't be known until next year. Only one team will continue to stink; hint, it's not the one from the Bay area.  

Houston Skill Ball

Unleash the beast...Westbrook that is. I'm all for a front office and coaching staff that go for it. Why not play your best guys? Size be damned. If this version of the Rockets fully gels heading into the playoffs, Harden and Westbrook will not be fun to defend. In the meantime it sure is fun to watch.

Milwaukee Finals bound?

A scenario does exist that could prove to be worrisome. If Milwaukee has to play Miami in the second round and Toronto in the conference finals I'm not sure they advance. Each team stands in their way with 28 games remaining. Giannis is beyond superlatives, but the rosters and coaches for Miami and Toronto are decidedly better in my opinion. I for one want those matchups to unfold. If the Bucks only have to play one of either the Heat or Raptors, they'll gallop into the Finals. Oh, and if you're wondering about Philly, they stink.

2 * 8 * 24

Considering the heavy hearts that are obvious in all of us, this year will be remembered for a deeply sad reason. A note of positivity I have taken from this tragedy is to make each day count. A super hero-like star taught me to honor that which you love and to always try your hardest to do your best. 

Rest in Peace

NBA All Star Break

Team LeBron vs. Team Steph

The All-Star break is taking place February 16-18 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The players will probably enjoy the friendly confines of LA, most NBA stars have a home there. This year the Association decided to mix it up by having the leading vote-getter from each conference draft their team—Team LeBron versus Team Steph. I'm leaning toward Team LeBron, although Steph does have, James Harden, Giannis, Klay, Towns and Butler. But damn, LeBron, KD, AD, Russy, Kyrie and PG, that sounds scary and I haven't even named the other six—plus the reunions, Bron and Kyrie, Russ and KD.

Hopefully this new way of creating teams brings more intrigue. I don't expect this contest to become super intense, after all it's an exhibition game. I prefer not to see a two-time MVP lay down in the lane so someone can dunk. That type of play embodies the criticism of those who say the All-Star game has lost its way. NBA athletes can dunk over and around you in real-game situations. I'll always tune in for All-Star weekend. I'm a sucker for the three point contest and the annual pickup game. And, don't tell me that great dunk contests aren't awesome.

Earlier in the year I made conference predictions. The NBA All-Star break gives me a chance to rekindle those thoughts and reflect on my projections. In the East I missed on two teams. I thought the Hornets and Pistons would make the playoffs, and they still might. Thus far, those teams are on the outside looking in, my apologies to the Pacers and 76ers. Detroit landed Blake Griffin and is currently the first team out, we'll see how he impacts the standings. Indiana plays hard, appears to be legit and Oladipo looks amazing. Philadelphia has the talent, they could use a perimeter scorer/creator. Simmons looks like a star, if he develops a respectable jumper, yikes. For my take on Cleveland's trade deadline moves click here.

The Western Conference is shaping up to be what most expected. I'm still pulling for the Jazz and Clippers. For a brief stint, Utah was again being robbed by injury. They definitely defend and are superbly coached. The Jazz have shown an ability to string wins together during late January and into February—they're hot. Donovan Mitchell is a breath of fresh air, he could literally fly in and snatch R.O.Y. He and Gobert appear to be the building blocks of Utah's future. The Clippers are currently the first team out. It's probably safe to say that Portland and Denver will make the postseason, it's New Orleans that could slide out of the playoffs due to Cousins' injury. 

This year's All Star Game will showcase the embarrassment of talent the NBA currently possesses, hopefully they show a little intensity as well, it could happen. Look no further than Giannis and Westbrook, my picks for AS MVP, they're über competitive and on opposing squads. I'm excited to see how the season shakes out. 

Thanks for checking in,

eightychoices.

New Orleans | All-Stars

Game notes: These accounts of the 66th NBA All-Star Game will probably be biased, and that's OK, because everyone has a rooting interest when in comes to sports. I will however, try and make comments that are impacted by observation versus preference. 

Starters: LeBron and Giannis were the two most impressive guys on the court to start the game. Speaking of the court, I loved the Fleur de lis lane and the minimal use of graphics around each side's three point line. Bron Bron and The Greek Freak (does he even like that nickname?) both posses once-in-a-lifetime athletic ability and otherworldly builds. Combine those traits to their gifted skill sets and your left with two players the spotlight has to follow.

LeBron had some ridiculous highlight reel dunks. The lob and the shot-like skip-pass from Kyrie, the pass to himself off the glass, the two reverse slams, and a three from the half court circle; it's unexplainable, he's unexplainable, we are all witness.

19 minutes | 23 points

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Giannis has now ascended into the Russel Westbrook realm, he plays every game hard, knowing only one gear, all out. I love that he went for steals, made windmill dunks look like child's play and wanted to guard Durant for real. His flush on the lob from Kyrie and his rebound put-back dunk, both on Curry, were stank. The reactions of Green, Carmelo and Kyle Lowry, post-posterization were priceless? Antetokounmpo is moving beyond impressive.

23 minutes | 30 points

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John Wall is a stud. He may be the fastest player with the ball, he has the ability to finish with either hand and he can straight rise in hurry. Those lefty dunks aren't easy. I came away thinking, what a gamer, he wants to win. I believe Wall knows how good he is; he's been making others around him better all year in D.C. And another thing, I think John Wall is one of the three to five best athletes among the NBA's elite players. In no particular order: LeBron, Westbrook, Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, John Wall.
----- 21 minutes | 12 points | 6 rebounds | 4 assists | 4 steals -----

Russel Westbrook for president in 2020. If you like sports, especially hoops, you have to like Westbrook. You don't have to root for him (I do), but you should respect how he exerts himself physically. Hell, he forces his will onto the opposition (aka: the obstacles in his path to destroying normal humans and thus, leading his group of real life hybrid super-human/X-Men into the future). I loved that he warmed up on his own hoop before the game...then Harden and some others joined him. He didn't have to start in order to flex is Alpha-dog might. The entire West squad was obviously hooking up the host star with heaps of love. Capturing MVP, Davis scored 52 and broke Wilt's record by ten. Regardless, Russel stole the show, mixing snarls with smiles. Westbrook Jedi'd the in-game call guy into announcing that he had scored a three, even though Harden sunk the failed lob attempt. Former NBA star and now announcer, Chris Webber declared, "he only knows one speed, aggression." Russy accelerated his way into every particle of the game like a hadron collider. When he dropped four straight 3's and then quickly added another, or when he passed that laser beam off the back board to DeAndre Jordan, all I could mentally conjure was, Damn! Sure the lob from KD was fun too; Russel pointed toward him after they converted the give and go. Big ups to the West bench for breaking the ice as they headed toward a TV timeout. Westbrook played this game like every other—Damn!

20 minutes | 41 points

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One of my favorite moments of the game was the conversation between Gordon Hayward and Kemba Walker during a mic'd up segment. The first-time All-stars (I'm a big fan of both) were chilling next to each other chatting about their handles and such. The way the two of them interacted made me remember all the great encounters I've had throughout life on a basketball court.

eightychoices.

ps. TE4M

Only in the NBA

Zach LaVine, eventual repeat champion, and Aaron Gordon gave the NBA its best dunk duel ever. On a side note—please tell me the T'Wolves are going keep the trio of Lavine, Wiggins and Towns long-term, please.

eightychoices.

Finish Strong

New Orleans kicked off All-Star weekend last night. With that in mind, I have a former all-star on my radar. Steve Nash is one of my favorite players and one of the Association's best over his 18 year career. He's been chronicling his journey to regain his mobility and return to the court. Hopefully his career can end on his terms rather than having injuries decide when to call it quits. Don't get me wrong, I despise the Lakers, but I have always loved watching Steve orchestrate an offense. Nash's Phoenix teams, the seven-seconds-or-less Suns, were the closest thing to Magic and "Showtime" the NBA has seen. No other player from the 1996 NBA draft has two MVPs. Steve Nash loves the game and I'm rooting for him to stay healthy and succeed.

Hockumentary and Grantland present, The Finish Line: Episode 1, Move Like A Child.



eightychoices.