The First Half of the NBA Season Has Ended

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Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. I write about what’s happening in the NBA daily, even when COVID has ravaged the league.

The Phoenix Suns might be a bit ahead of schedule.

(PHOTO CREDIT: Rick Scuteri/AP.)

So the first half of the season ended. Let’s take a look at the standings. Let’s remember that 9th and 10th now have a shot at the playoffs.

Let’s check out the Eastern Conference first.

We probably expected Philadelphia to be at the top LAST YEAR. Their playoff exit made us doubt about how they would do this year and there were even murmurs about Ben Simmons getting traded for James Harden. But Joel Embiid having possibly the best season of his career and a more fitting supporting cast has buoyed them to first.

Brooklyn ended up getting Harden after Spencer Dinwiddie got hurt. The Nets have showed flashes of dominance, including an 8-game win streak that just ended. But they haven’t had all three of their superstars for an extended period of time. Once they do, they’re going to be terrifying. At least, offensively.

The Bucks have had their ups and downs but there doesn’t seem to be as much stress with Giannis Antetokounmpo signed long-term.

Most of the rest of the East is a little too close for comfort. Boston may be 4th but they’re just hovering over .500. The Knicks have been a pleasant surprise as Julius Randle and RJ Barrett have improved so much from last year. Having Coach Tom Thibodeau definitely helps.

Miami was ravaged by COVID and they’re finally getting into rhythm. Charlotte is at #7 but they’re also below .500 so they’re kind of par for the course. LaMelo Ball has been a treat this season. Toronto lost some vets over the offseason and that may be affecting them more than they thought.

Chicago has been better than advertised but they also like their coach (Billy Donovan this time around. Indiana got off to a great start but has been disappointing since. The Hawks are aiming for the postseason but they’re outside right now. Maybe the firing of Lloyd Pierce suggests they’ll be better.

Washington was affected by the pandemic, too, and they’re trying to dig out of that hole. Cleveland just ended a huge losing streak and that probably affected their chances for the postseason. Orlando has had so many injuries and Detroit has decided to go full rebuild by letting Derrick Rose and Blake Griffin go.

I like the Nets once they get their full team back. Philly, MIlwaukee, and even Boston could be players at the end of the season. I think Miami will be right back in the mix. The Knicks have been quite the story and they could very well end their 8-year absence from the postseason.

Okay. Let’s see the West.

The Utah Jazz are on top but let’s also not act surprised that they are. That core has been together for years while also adding Mike Conley to the mix last season. They have really found their identity offensively to go along with their physical defense. And say what you want about Donovan Mitchell but this guy is one of the best scorers in the league. Did you see him in the playoffs last summer?

The Phoenix Suns were expected to be better but I didn’t think we expected #2 seed better. Chris Paul has really settled this young team. Devin Booker continues his rise and Deandre Ayton is becoming that scary two-way center. Plus we have internal improvement from Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson, veteran grit from Jae Crowder, excellent play from Dario Saric, and continued surprising contributions from guys like Cameron Payne and Abdel Nader. They have really found their stride as they have gone 16-3 in their last 19 games.

The Lakers are a bit worn down but they’ll be there at the end. The Clippers just want to get back to the postseason to make up for that embarrassing playoff exit. Portland had been without CJ McCollum but they have stayed resilient with Damian Lillard. Denver is close behind so don’t let that 6th seed ranking fool you.

The surprise in the West has been the San Antonio Spurs. They have the same number of losses as the Clips and the Blazers. But then, even when they were winning titles, we don’t really talk about the Spurs so them sneaking into the mix seems usual, anyway. Dallas has struggled but they’re still hanging onto the 8th spot.

I think it’s hilarious that the Warriors ended with winning three straight and then losing three in a row after not getting any kind of streak that went past two all season. Memphis has been hit with injuries to go along with the pandemic but for them to be .500 is impressive.

I feel like New Orleans should be better than where they are. Oklahoma City has a lot of no-namers but they’re still there, tied with the Pelicans. Sacramento got off to a good start and, much like Cleveland in the East, went through a long skid. The Rockets are going through THAT slide right now and injuries have really smacked them around. And Minnesota just has a sad situation right now with coaching changes, injuries, and the pandemic really affecting them.

Phoenix and San Antonio have been nice surprises but I like Utah and the L.A. teams to duke it out for the top three spots. I don’t think anyone should be surprised that the Warriors are hovering at .500; Stephen Curry is good enough to lead a roster like that to a postseason spot. Maybe Denver can surprise everyone, with Nikola Jokic being one of the leading candidates for MVP.

The championship does go through the Lakers, though. It’s hard to bet against LeBron James. Even after a short turnaround from their title run.

Bullet Passes

So the midseason classic that is happening in the middle of the pandemic held their draft on Thursday. LeBron James got to pick first and Kevin Durant still got to pick for his team despite him not being able to play. So here it is:

My gosh. What a starting line-up for LeBron, though. It’s salivating to think about LeBron, Giannis, Curry, Jokic, and Luka Doncic on the court at the same time and ON THE SAME TEAM. Harden and Zion Williamson are also coming off the bench for Bron. Good grief. Not that Durant’s team isn’t good but my gosh.

You know who continues to get no respect? Utah. Mitchell and Rudy Gobert got picked in the LAST TWO SPOTS. That’s something to think about for the Jazz and their fans.

As mentioned, Blake Griffin got let go by Detroit. He has agreed to a buyout so he’s free to go wherever he pleases.

His days as a 36-minute-per-game player are pretty much done. But off the bench, he can be extremely important for a contending team.

You know what would be funny? If the Clippers picked him up.

I think it’s insane that while we have been saying Dame Time for years now, Damian Lillard is having a career year in scoring. And he showed that prowess again by scoring 10 points in that all-important 12-0 run against Sacramento. Lillard ended with 44 points and, my gosh, he’s just one of the most exciting athletes in sports today.

Fouling up three could’ve backfired on Washington on Thursday and this is why I’m so against it. They’re extending the game. Good thing that Bradley Beal got the offensive rebound off Rui Hachimura‘s foul shot miss (I don’t mention Hachimura enough; we Asians gotta stick together).

Isaiah Roby did a little something something to the basket.

He has had some highlights this season.

NBA Scoreboard

Mar. 4, 2021

Watch This Play

Aren’t the Bucks glad to have Jrue Holiday back?

It’s a nice way to finish the first half of the season.

Everyone, please take care of yourselves during this pandemic. And that goes for everyone involved with the NBA as well.

You can find Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.

You can also check out Rey-Rey’s podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental, for more basketball content and, really, whatever else.

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