What is there to remember among the many things, facts, news that crowded the 2021 of the NBA? We have chosen ten, which seem to us to be exemplary and preparatory for evaluating how world basketball will take place in the coming years.
1 – Milwaukee NBA champion
After unsuccessful attempts in recent seasons, and with a brilliant Giannis Antetokounmpo (28.1 points, 11 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.2 blocks per game), Milwaukee beat the Phoenix Suns in the final and became the NBA champion . It was his second title in 50 years. In the playoffs he defeated the Miami Heat, the Brooklyn Nets and the Atlanta Hawks on an away basis, to overturn the final series after being down 2-0 and conquering the coveted ring.
2 – Giannis Antetokounmpo MVP of the Finals
Giannis Antetokounmpo needed to show everything that was expected of him and in these last playoffs he has taken away all doubts. Since the regular season it has stood as the flag of a full team, with Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton as squires of a Greek who in the sixth game of the final scored 50 points and lost 14 rebounds, with a block and a dunk that will remain indelible. in the history of the championship.
3 – The Phoenix Suns return to the final after 28 years
Chris Paul’s arrival at the Suns completed a team that had already proven in the Orlando bubble that they could compete for any goal. With him Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton, leading the team to the finals after the team that starred Charles Barkley in 1993. They reached the final act dominating every series against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Clippers. And in the final they went 2-0 against the Milwaukee Bucks, but that doesn’t detract from the feat of Monty Williams’ team.
4 – Steph Curry, every three-point shooting record is his
The last major event of the year in the NBA was the confirmation that Steph Curry is the best shooter in history. In the December 15 game against the New York Knicks, the Golden State Warriors star made the triple that took him to the top of the list of the greatest scorers from the arc in the history of the League, beating Ray Allen. He had already surpassed him earlier in the NBA’s overall tally, taking into account the triple scored in the regular season.
5 – Nikola Jokic, the historic NBA MVP
When we think back that no one had placed Nikola Jokic among the favorites for the MVP title at the start of the season, his success erased all predictions and led his Denver Nuggets to the Western Conference semi-finals. He dominated the championship with his vision of the pitch and his movements in the area, averaging 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists, after playing all games. Additionally, he was the lowest-selection NBA MVP in his draft, as the Nuggets picked him in second-round 41 in 2014.
6 – James Harden’s move to the Brooklyn Nets
What was the Brooklyn Nets missing for a title team? Big Three, adding a third star after Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. And in February that came true, when they added James Harden on a move from Houston! Despite this, due to injuries and covid problems, they have so far not been able to play together. It is almost surprising to see them this season the best in the East given Irving’s absence.
7 – Lakers revolutions work intermittently
The arrival of Anthony Davis and the duo with LeBron James led the Lakers management to profound renewals of the rest of the roster with each lap. Winning the 2020 title in the Orlando bubble was a wicked illusion. The injuries of the two Aces were enough to wreck the team in the 2021 play-in, and they still are today after the departures of Dennis Schroder, Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Alex Caruso, Andre Drummond and Markieff Morris, and the arrivals of ten new ones, above all Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and Trevor Ariza, as well as Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo (who has already changed teams). Modus operandi completely opposite to that of the Bucks (see above) and Golden State (see below). Will it pay off in the end?
8 – The return to the limelight of the Golden State Warriors
After two erratic seasons, where he did not reach the playoffs, the Golden State Warriors have had a brilliant start to the current season. With the Curry-Green duo in a great moment, more secondary players at the highest level, they are the best team in the NBA so far, and have yet to add Klay Thompson and James Wiseman after their injuries. The Warriors are back and will give us something to talk about in 2022.
9 – The season in which NBA basketball celebrates its 75th anniversary
There are already a fair amount of games postponed in the year the NBA celebrates its 75th birthday. However, the League does not show any signs of old age, and continues to be a beacon for the movement, from approaching the fight to the pandemic, to the constant study of updating the game, to the relationships to be maintained with the media, television in the first place. Too bad that, dazzled by the gigantism and saddened by the provincialism, the Italian leaders do not know how to appreciate the many small and excellent things that can be successfully replicated by us too.
10 – The catch-all Ace of the best players in the world
Never before in this year has the NBA, with over 100 non-US players on the payroll of the franchises, played the role of ace-catcher of the best world talent. The organization of the G-League then reached the highest level, so the transfers of American and university players between the first and second tier of merit jumped towards Europe. Recruitments with 10-day contracts to deal with the pandemic are there to prove it, if needed. FIBA Europe and EuroLeague, in their internal struggle, have not managed to raise the level of competition even against the Far East championships!
