One More All Star Saturday Night

For perhaps the first time since Magic Johnson’s farewell All Star game, the actual game on Sunday was more entertaining than the festivities leading up to it.  The popular vote was throttled again in the Slam Dunk contest but the NBA’s seemingly last minute changes to the format of the actual game, a bold move, Cotton, made for an optimal situation.  This year each quarter was its own mini-game with each team competing for children’s charities. Note to NBA: It is not a good look to have hundreds of thousands of dollars for freakin’ little kids’ futures teeter in the  balance over a usually lackluster basketball game. I see a change in that format next year. But that 4th quarter? Man, oh man.  

We watched the greatest basketball players in the world actually competing hard against each other and playing defense (Defense!?) in a game that really seemed to matter.  It was riveting stuff and reminded you how incredible basketball can be. This improvement in the game can be attributed to pride and the Elam Ending where the clock is taken out at a certain point of the 4th quarter and replaced with a target score.  My only gripe is how GM Giannis let GM LeBron pick so many of the best players. Almost vice-versa of when they’re playing GM for their own teams, at least in LBJ’s case.

The Road to Zion

Zion Williamson is dominating the NBA more than college.  I don’t know if that’s because he has better talent supporting him, that it’s just that much better (and faster) a brand of basketball, or his college coach was just really bad at his job.  Dude is 19 years old, averaging 29 ppg his last 5 games, and if he scores at least 20 his next game, will surpass Carmelo Anthony for having the most 20 point games in a row for a teenager. Pelicans are 8-6 in those games with 5 of those losses coming against the top 8 teams record-wise in the NBA.  They’re 3.5 games out of the 8th playoff spot currently held by the Grizzlies and the supposed shoe-in for Rookie of the Year, Ja Morant. The road to Zion was well worth the wait.

Cleveland Crocks

Well that was short-lived.  Newly hired coach John Beilein made a beeline for the exits, resigning his position over the all star break after just 9 months on the job and tied for the 3rd worst record in the league (hello Knicks!). That’s half the average life expectancy of slugs!  He’ll be replaced by former head coach candidate J.B. Bickerstaff. Old heads might remember his dad Bernie, the Seattle SuperSonics coach back in the day (‘85-’90). Maybe that was Beilein’s play all along. Pulling strings to get that cushy “special assistant to the president” gig.  The Cavs have some young talent like the blossoming Kevin Porter Jr. but they’re going to have to find someone or something to fix a culture that ails without LeBron.  

The Lakers and Clippers and Bucks, Oh My!

These teams have emerged as the strongest contenders for the chip.  The Clippers still have the most depth but.. the least amount of opportunities to build a team with their two superstars.  The Lakers have the best duo in the league and have surrounded them with an annoyingly lovable rag tag bunch of Mad TV characters that genuinely look like they love each other and never give up.  However, the best record in the league belongs to a team on pace to win 70 games with the frontrunner for MVP having another ridiculously, incredibly, fantastical, very good season.  

Still the question for the Milwaukee Bucks remains: Can one superstar beat two? Enter Khris Middleton. Middleton might “just” be averaging 21 points per game but he’s got 50-40-90 shooting splits (50% from the field, 40% from three, and 90% from the foul line or better).  He’d be the 9th player in NBA history (shoutout Mark Price!) to hit those marks for a season and if he can play even better in the playoffs, Milwaukee might be too much for anyone to behold. But winning in June will depend on Giannis taking the steps that have eluded him and defeating two of the other best players in the world who’ve all won it before multiple times.  We can only wait and see and I for one, can’t wait.

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