On The Watch “It’s All About The NBA-Who’s On Top?”

The NBA-Who’s on Top?

We are officially at the Quarter mark of this year’s shortened NBA Season and although we are still going through a Worldwide Covid-19 pandemic, the players from both the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference have all managed to keep their morals up and  stay upbeat while entertaining us with some thrilling games.

The struggles of the unexpected circumstances have affected every team somehow in some ways but throughout the challenges, some teams have risen to the occasion while some unexpected teams have faltered trying to keep up.

The Philadelphia 76ers are taking claim of the No. 1 Spot on the Eastside for the time being with a modest start of 17-7 record. Under the guidance of new head coach Doc Rivers, the 76ers seem to have found the right leader to help elevate this team to Championship calibre. The Milwaukee Bucks have had some tough losses to date but still maintain a respected 15-8 record. The Boston Celtics have actually had to postpone a few games due to Covid-19 protocol but still managed a reasonable 12-9 record. With the latest acquisition of James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets who stand at 14-11 record, the fire power has just dramatically increased but only time will tell how well this version of the “Big 3” Kyrie, Kevin and James actually gel together. While the Indiana Pacers 12-11 record, the Atlanta Hawks 11-12 record, and the New York Knicks 11-13 are playing musical chairs between themselves, it has been the poor start of our Canadian team the Toronto Raptors 10-13 record and the Miami Heat 8-14 record that has been the most surprising to me so far.

The Utah Jazz lead by Donovan Mitchell is marginally taking claim of the No. 1 Spot on the Westside with their own impressive start of 18-5 record. Them boys have shown some serious growth and maturity in their steady play so far at both ends of the court. The defending Champions the Los Angeles Lakers 18-6 record and the Los Angeles Clippers 17-7 both have picked up where they left off last year and could easily steal that No. 1 Spot on any given day. That being said the Phoenix Suns 12-9 record have kept things very interesting. With Chris Paul now running the point this squad has upped their competitiveness to 100% at both ends of the floor. As for the San Antonio Spurs 12-10 record, the Denver Nuggets 12-10 record, the Portland Trail Blazers 12-10 record and the Golden State Warriors 12-11, it’s a toss-up from this point on. The Western Conference teams are all capable of putting up some serious win streaks together that could set the whole Western standings into a roller-coaster game by game. Real Talk!

Stay locked in and appreciate this attention-grabbing and unpredictable NBA Season.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About The NBA-Who’s On Top?”

The NBA-Who’s On Top?

We are well passed the midpoint mark for the season with 51 plus Games played to date and leading the entire league again this year is the Milwaukee Bucks (43-7). Them boys are on a redemption tour playing hard night in and night out from offence to defence. The Bucks are locked in and driven to get to the NBA Finals and the way they have been ballin all season it could very well be theirs for the taking. Our own Canadian team, the Defending Champions the Toronto Raptors (36-14) are surprisingly keeping it interesting considering the loss of their MVP Kawhi Lenard to the Clippers. The Raptors still have a solid squad that can definitely upset any team thinking that they are a walk over. The Boston Celtics (34-15) and the Miami Heat (34-15) are presently tied for third but either team could easily grab the No. 2 Seed with the way both teams have been playing as of late. They are both well- balanced teams who play hard ball from start to finish. The Indiana Pacers (31-19) and the Philadelphia 76ers (31-20) are both trying to hold down their respective spots for a Playoff seed but truth be told I personally expected Philly to be fighting for the 1 to 3 spot and not the lower seeds. That being said, there is still lots of ball to be played and the brackets could change come April.

With the Golden State Warriors forced to take a back seat this year, the Western Conference has a new face leading the pack with the Los Angeles Lakers (38-11). They started the season with the No. 1 spot and are still holding onto it thanks to the play of their two All Stars, LeBron James and Anthony Davis helping to lead the way. That being said, holding onto the No. 1 spot won’t be that easy with The Los Angeles Clippers (35-15) chasing that No. 1 Seed and gunning for “king of the Los Angeles Court” with their two All Star players, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George getting it going come crunch time. The Denver Nuggets (35-16) are right there as expected and ready to take the No. 1 or the No 2 Seed if either Los Angeles team falter. The Nuggets may be overlooked here but they are definitely ballin the right way this season. The Utah Jazz (32-17) are bubbling at the right time securing their Playoff spot in the competitive Western Conference but holding onto their spot is a challenge within itself considering how tough the conference is. I expect a musical chair type seeding to happen within the remaining teams vying for a potential Playoff spot. The Houston Rockets (32-18), the Dallas Mavericks (31-19), the Oklahoma City Thunder (30-20) and the Portland Trail Blazers (23-28) all have a chance at a final run.

Just my thoughts.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About The NBA-Who’s On Top?”

The NBA-Who’s on Top?

We are at the Quarter mark of this year’s NBA Season and both the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference have been playing some serious early competitive ball to jump start this NBA season 2019/2020.

The Milwaukee Bucks are taking claim of the No. 1 Spot on the Eastside for the time being with an impressive start of 20-3 record. The Bucks have been looking good and playing hard on both ends of the floor and although we are early in the season, they are definitely seeking to hold onto that No. 1 spot. The Boston Celtics’ 16-5 record is a well-balanced squad with Kamba Walker now leading the show and definitely keeping it interesting with their play. The surprising play of the Miami Heat 17-6 has made things very interesting.With the addition of Jimmy Butler, the Heat have improved dramatically in a competitive way. Without Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, our own Canadian Team the Defending Champs the Toronto Raptors 15-7 have managed to stay competitive at both ends of the floor and they’re not showing any signs of folding under any pressure of the competitive Eastern Conference. That being said, the Philadelphia 76ers 17-7 and the Indiana Pacers 15-8 are not to be overlooked.

The Los Angeles Lakers are also taking claim of the No. 1 Spot on the Westside with their own impressive start of 21-3 records. The powerful combination plays of LeBron James and Anthony Davis creating havoc on both ends of the court is this year’s version of showtime. The Lakers are looking to hold on to their No. 1 Spot but doing so will not be easy. The Dallas Mavericks 16-7 are surprisingly climbing up the rankings with their steady play as of late. They have a deceiving squad that can hang with the best of them on any given night. The Los Angeles Clippers 17-7 have all the goods and can turn things around in a blink of an eye. The combination of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George is certainly keeping this team in the running. The Houston Rockets 15-7 are not to be taking lightly. As long as they stay focused and competitive, they can duke it out with the best of them on any given night. The Western Conference is a battle within itself. That being said the Denver Nuggets 14-7 and Utah Jazz 13-10 can’t be slept on just yet.

Stay tuned in. This NBA Season is full of surprises.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About The NBA-Who’s On Top?”

The NBA-Who’s On Top?

We are officially well passed the midpoint mark for the season with 57 plus Games played to date and lo and behold we have a new contender in the Milwaukee Bucks (43-14) holding down the No.1 Spot by a very small margin over our own Canadian team the Toronto Raptors (43-16). Giannis and The Bucks have been looking like legit contenders as of late. Real Talk! The Bucks as a Team are looking to secure their bid for the NBA Finals by balling hard every night with their MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the way with his do it all, no holds barred playmaking. Giannis is balling on another level right now and the Bucks are definitely benefiting from it. That being said, the Raptors still have a very good chance of claiming the No. 1 Spot in the Eastern Conference as do the Indiana Pacers (38-20), the Boston Celtics (37-21) and Philadelphia 76ers (37-21). They are all battling to secure a better seeding come Playoff time.

Holding down the Western Conference once again is the Defending Champs Golden State Warriors (41-16) but, surprisingly, behind them is the standout play of the Denver Nuggets (39-18). The Nuggets are the wild card in the Western Conference that can undeniably disrupt the seedings and possibly take the No.1 Spot if the Warriors are caught slipping. Real Talk! That being said, the Western Conference is still a tight and competitive race with Oklahoma City Thunder (37-20) balling hard while holding on to the third spot but could perhaps shuffle up or down with the Portland Trail Blazers (34-23) and the Houston Rockets (33-24) breathing down each other’s necks. The Los Angeles Lakers (28-29) have fallen off as of late but do have “King James” on the squad that could still flip a switch and turn things around and get back into contention.

The landscape is changing fast for both conferences and making it that much more interesting. Keep tuned in to see the final stretch to the NBA’s version of the “sweet 16” aka the Playoffs?

Blaze