Now that football season is over I think more people will focus the NBA. I mean no offense to the NBA fans who watch religiously throughout the regular season, but you know as well as I do that some people don’t find pro basketball interesting until after the All-Star break.
So, just in case you need to catch up with this season’s action here is a brief update. In the East, the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers are the top team followed by the Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards, and Toronto Raptors.
Lebron James has been the force we have all expected averaging 25 points per game and dishing eight assists per contest. King James is not doing it all alone as Kyrie Irving scores 24 points per game and Kevin Love provides 20 points per contest. Recently, Cleveland filled a void in their three-point shooting by signing Kyle Korver. The “sharpshooter” who is successful 40% of the time from behind the arc, averages 9 points per game. Korver will fill in nicely for the injured J.R. Smith, who is out for an extended period with a thumb injury.
In the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs are the top two teams followed by Houston and Utah. Keep an eye on Oklahoma City! The Thunders’ Russell Westbrook has been a triple-double machine this season and leads the league in scoring averaging 30 points per game. The Thunder shooting guard has also grabbed ten rebounds per contest and dished ten assists each outing. Westbrooks’ 26 “Triple Doubles” have been instrumental in helping the Thunder holding down the eighth spot seven games ahead of the Denver Nuggets. I think if Oklahoma City can avoid a collapse in the second half of the season, the Thunder are a lock to make the playoffs.
Another player to keep an eye on is Houston Rockets Guard, James Harden. His performance this season has Houston sitting in third place in the West with a seven-game lead over the Utah Jazz. Harden executed 14 triple doubles, he is third in the league in scoring averaging 28 points per game, and he averages eight rebounds per contest. The Rockets “Triple Threat” is leading the league in assists with 11 per game and has Houston looking almost unbeatable at home.
So buckle up and enjoy the ride, because after the upcoming All-Star break teams will pull out all the stops focusing on their playoff push. I haven’t mentioned Atlanta, Indiana or Chicago in the East, mention but you can’t count them out. I also say the Clippers, Grizzlies and Nuggets out West who are also primed to make a run for the post season. The bottom line is, the excitement and energy on the court the rest of this NBA season will make it an exciting ride.
Trevin A Jones
