New NBA Thoughts
Cleveland finally lost a game, De’Arron Fox had put up a 60 bomb, and the differences between the Eastern and Western Conferences are staggering. Just some thoughts about the chaotic world of the NBA.
For starters, let's take a moment to appreciate the win streak that Cleveland had. 15-0 is no simple feat, the Cavs are the 4th team in NBA history to start a season with 15 wins and zero losses, joining teams like the 2016 Warriors, 1994 Rockets, and 1949 Capitols, and each of those 3 teams went to the NBA finals (well technically the Capitols didn’t play in the NBA finals, they played in the BAA finals, but you get the idea.) Anyway, Cleveland’s hot start shocked everyone including me, who previously wrote an article about how awfully intermediate the Cavs were going to be. Well, I was very much wrong, despite Donovan Mitchell’s usage rate going down, other players' playing time went up which was what made the Cavs so successful. Evan Mobley and Darius Garland have been incredibly helpful for the Cavs. Mobley is averaging 18.4 ppg on 57.4% field goal efficiency, and Garland is averaging 20.6 ppg on 49.2% FG efficiency. Cleveland’s perfect start is what made last night's game against the defending champion Celtics, and eventual loss such a big deal.
Not only was it an In-Season Tournament game, but the Celtics were considered to be the test for the Cavs. Yes, the Cavs had beaten the Warriors who are arguably the best team in the West, but Golden State’s Steph Curry barely played that game, and unlike the Celtics, the Warriors were not the defending champions. While the Cavs only lost by three last night, they spent most of the game coming back from a 21-point deficit. Despite Donovan Mitchell’s 35-point performance, the Celtics would prevail thanks to a tremendous game by Jayson Tatum, and very poor shooting for Darius Garland. Some considered this a test game for the Celtics, others thought it was a test game for the Cavs. I think that this game was a test for both teams, and the Cavs were able to make it a 3-point loss. Last night’s game could very well have been an Eastern Conference Finals preview.
Last Friday while everyone was watching the Tyson vs Paul fight, De’Arron Fox put up a 60 bomb in a In Season Tournament exhibition game vs the T Wolves. Despite the loss, the Kings would get a win in their next game vs the Jazz where Fox would put up 49. De’Arron Fox is a great point guard, but I think he’s still underrated by many. He should have been named All-Star last year when his stats were better than the year prior when he was named an all-star and selected to the All-NBA Third Team. The overlooking of De’Arron Fox continues to baffle me, something I hope does not continue this year.
Finally, we get to the Eastern and Western Conferences. And wow there is a large difference. For example, seeds 6-8 in the Eastern Conference have records of 6-7 (Miami Heat) 7-9 (Detroit Pistons), and 6-8 (Indiana Pacers.) Well if these teams were placed in the Western Conference today with Western teams of similar records, they would be sitting in seeds 12-14. That means the Heat, Pistons, and Pacers would go from playoff teams to bottom of their conference. 4 teams in the Western Conference have records of 8-7 and currently sit at seeds of 8-11. Technically 5 teams except the T Wolves have 6 losses instead of 7. If those teams from the Western Conference were placed in the Eastern Conference, they would all be directly in the playoff picture. Yes, it may be still early in the season, but the numbers are pretty jarring. The West is far better than the East right now, and whoever comes out of the East come June will have their hands full with whoever survives out west.
