As the NBA prepares to unzip the pause button over the course of the season, we asked some communities on our team to list some important things that fans may know. Here is just a handful of succulent tidbits to help us all recover with the championship and prepare for Bubble Ball.
1. Toronto finally manages to defend their title (via Raptors HQ)
You would be forgiven if you forgot that the Toronto Raptors are the defending NBA champions. It has been over a year since The North brought Larry O’Brien home and once Kawhi went west, he got all the media attention. But the Raptors are in good health, have a great manager, have the second best defense of the NBA and Marc Gasol is still ticking. Don’t sleep in Toronto.
We can admit here, among friends, that Raptors are not considered the favorites to win the NBA 2020 title. The smartest money bets LeBron James and the Lakers, Kawhi Leonard and the scissors, is Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks. This is a good position to take; those are three really good teams.
But it’s worth remembering: the Raptors were the fourth team in that small mix and spent most of the season playing one man, or two, or three (or four?) Below.
The the most exciting young player in the league is back and we can see him turn his defenses into confused stacks of shivering shivers. Like this:
Orlando is comfortably in eighth place in the East, where he aims to retain the Magicians for the right to “play” in the first round against a (probably) juggernaut milwaukee. Fun. But it’s not bad at all for the “home” team:
Make no mistake, Magic put together a completely burning 12-round burst before the hiatus, apparently flipping the switch over time found between the beats of the heart. Orlando emerged as the league’s most dangerous outfit, transforming their moribund offensive score before February 10 by 105.5 (26th) into a gold standard of 118.2 (1st).
The Sacramento Kings enjoy the support of one of the most loyal NBA fan bases that absolutely deserves a hit for the first time since the post-season since 2006. They will have to reverse the trend of slow starts, including a 2-6 record on the first eight games of the first part of this season. Good luck.
The Phoenix Suns will say all the right things about the fight for eighth place, but without Kelly Oubre (knee) their already weak possibilities are … weaker. Obviously, fans will watch to see if Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton do that Phoenix thing and “show promises”, but more eyes will be on free agent Aaron Baynes.
Basically the whole facade of Suns is able to hit the open market in this offseason, with Baynes boss between them. Its impact on this group is unmistakable and fits well with their offensive system. One might even imagine that his comfort would allow suns to get him for a price below his $ 10 million limit. What happens during the eight games in Orlando could be the deciding factor for Baynesfuture in the valley.
6. Some Mages will be present (via Bullets Forever)
No John Wall yet. Bradley Beal is undecided. David Bertans is out. But hey, at least the Washington Wizards are bad in defense.
They allowed 115.8 points per 100 possessions – the second worst in NBA history – and that’s an improvement over where they were at the start of the season.
Houston swapped their big initials and I guess they will use 6’5 “PJ Tucker and aging Tyson Chandler against the likes of Rudy Gobert, Nikola Jokic and Anthony Davis. Huh. Okay. At least James Harden bought the Pocket Rockets “dropping his extra baggage.
The Memphis Grizzlies are currently a playoff team and their young stallions want to keep it that way by fighting a group of competitors. Meanwhile, rookie of the year Ja Morant will likely try to prove that he deserves the title despite Zion Williamson’s shortened injury season. And the second year Jaren Jackson Jr. must be excited about the possibility of playing meaningful games. We are also excited for him.
While Zion was elite in 19 games played before the season’s suspension, Ja’s 59-game champion size is extremely impressive in and of itself. It is a coil of human highlighting with a remarkable resumption of games in the fourth quarter and the willingness to involve his teammates early and often to gain their trust. He is arrogant and cheeky in the best way, willing to face all visitors and embrace the underprivileged mentality that both he and Memphis have had for the longest time.
The best team in the NBA for both records and statistics hopes that their momentum of the season will translate into Bubble. The reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has already proven his chops as a great player and now has the chance to move on to the next level and join the conversation as one of the greatest players ever. This sort of thing happens in the postseason. The X factor for this team is the Lopez twins’ advantage of playing in a Disney facility. This could give the Bucks an unfair advantage.
But why have a gigantic center when you can have two and when there are overlaps of skills, physical profiles and genetic backgrounds? Twin brother robin it was an off-season takeover that ensured that Bucks would have 48 minutes Lopez to throw any other big man they could run into, and Robin also shoots three now!
10. It’s Dame Time for Portland (via Blazers Edge)
When Damian Lillard starts shooting there is nothing that can stop him. He will have to bring all those powers to the effort if the Blazers capture both Grizzlies and support four other teams for the final spot. But if anyone can do it …
During the 2019-20 campaign the star point guard averages the career maximums in points (28.9) and assists (7.8) per game. He also publishes his best percentage of goals on the pitch (45.7) and draws for his best shooting season by 3 points (39.4%). This is all despite being the league leader in minutes per game (36.9).
The exceptionality of Lakers is alive and well in Los Angeles and basketball, shoes and culture exist practically everywhere. It was a tragic year for the team and it was before, you know, everything. But The King seems focused on using his incredible platform for incredible things and the longer he plays and attracts attention, the more he can do well. LeBron will head towards the fully rested and highly motivated post-season of Bubble, so even I, a lifelong Laker Hater, wouldn’t bet against another Laker ring.
Avery Bradley was originally on the list, but will not travel with the Lakers to Orlando for personal reasons. The Lakers replaced him with JR Smith, a move they just have made official on Wednesday. We will update this section when and if they add someone else. For example, general manager Rob Pelinka says they still are I’m not sure if Howard is going or not.
When Russell Westbrook left for the Rockets we all thought the Thunder race was over. But Chris Paul is experiencing an exceptional season and as a high mileage vet he should benefit from the long layoff.
It was fantastic to watch Chris Paul take on a leadership role with Thunder. When the trade was made, there was a feeling that Paul didn’t want to be in Oklahoma. Paul is in the phase of his career where he wants to compete for titles. Oklahoma City isn’t a tough team for Larry O’Brien’s trophy at the moment.
OKC is only 1.5 games behind Denver for third place in the West and while the home field advantage isn’t a thing this year, the seeding advantage is still important for the team’s chances of pushing the Los Angeles teams. in the playoffs.
Paul George is healthy. The Clips added some depth needed with Marcus Morris, Reggie Jackson and everything Joakim Noah left in his energy tanks. But above all, if we have learned something about the NBA in the last few years or so, Kawhi Leonard is never granted in the post season. All this brings us to the possibility (probably really) of an epic crosstown series played across the country without the benefit of celebrity fans sitting on the field. Less circus, more basketball – it looks fantastic to me!
The Clippers have the best lineup (who played at least 50 minutes together) in the NBA since the All-Star break. The Clippers’ bench extends beyond Williams and Harrell. The best five-unit in the league (+35.7 net votes over 60 minutes) since the All-Star break belongs to the Clippers reserves: Jackson, Williams, Landry Shamet, JaMychal Greenand Harrell. Clippers appetizers arrive seventh at +19.4.
The pelicans of New Orleans head to Orlando in 10th place, but they are considered by many to be the favorites to overcome the Grizzlies and steal the end point of the playoffs. Because? Maybe it’s the development of Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram in combination with Mr. Inevitable Zion Williamson. But above all you can give credit to the combined game of all five of the first ones who have obtained the best score in the league (from 22 January onwards) +26.3 of net score. It’s crazy.
Zanos returned to wreak havoc on mere mortals of the NBA …
[…]His efficiency as a scorer has been off the charts, although it fits the size and speed of the NBA game. Williamson converted nearly 59 percent of his field goal attempts, averaging 23.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists.
Reports indicate that Zion has a phenomenal shape and is starting to restart. If he was able to perform that way while training in basketball conditions, imagine what a healthy Williamson will do to opponents who are now realizing that they have to adapt to him.
