Goeiedag, enchantée and welcome to this week's episode of Eight 2 Four presents: All-NBA Team of the Week. The LA Clippers are cursed, there is no doubt about it. Just as they start to put things together and climb the standings, Paul George hyperextends his knee and is out for the remainder of the regular season. These guys were actually becoming the number 1 candidate to come out of the West! It just makes the race over there even crazier. The Clippers of the East, the Miami Heat, are working on their end of season run and snuck into the top 6 just recently. They could prove to be a bit of a headache for Embiid and Philly in that first round matchup! Back to the West where the Mavericks have completely imploded and can’t win a game. They’ve dropped out of the Play-in game spots all together and look like they could be heading towards a crazy offseason with an unhappy Doncic and an unpredictable Kyrie. They have 9 games left to turn it around, that’s going to be great tv! As we’re approaching the end of the regular season, at the time of recording there’s only two weeks of games left, we’re going to focus on some of the contenders in both conferences. Next week, we’ll tackle the Western Conference, because a lot can still happen in the last few games. This week, we concentrate on 5 potential contenders in the Eastern Conference. I’m Peter Peake and this is your All-NBA Team of the Week!
PICK #1
Our first pick of the week is Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Let’s get one thing straight, I don’t actually see the Cleveland Cavaliers as a contender in the East this season. But, as you all know, the Playoffs rarely go as expected, so I’m not counting them out either. At this point they’re lined up to meet the New York Knicks in a 4-5 match up, if the Knicks can hold off Miami in this final stretch of the season. I think the Cavaliers are looking forward to a meeting with the Knicks, even though they’re losing their in-season series. The Knicks took out their two home games, and the Cavs won their home game convincingly early in the season, game 4 is on Friday March 31st. Battling with Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson just seems a bit easier than taking on a hungry Jimmy Butler. For the Cavaliers, the Knicks are their ticket to round 2 in the Playoffs, where they will meet the Bucks.
Obviously, going through the Bucks will be difficult, especially because you can expect them to get through the first round with a sweep, maybe they drop 1 game. The Cavs are going to have to battle through at least 6, if not 7 games, regardless if they play the Knicks or Miami. They’re going to rely heavily on the experience and expertise of Donovan Mitchell, pretty much the only player on the Cavs roster right now, who has played in high stakes Playoff games before. And Mitchell is on fire this season, so count on him to be ready for it. So far he’s averaging 27 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists per game on easily his most productive season in his career. Surrounded by young talent, his masterful offensive skills are put on display so much better than they ever were in Utah. But, we’ll need to see bubble-Mitchell in the Playoffs for Cleveland to get through to the Finals. Remember those games against Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets in the bubble? That’s what Cleveland needs from Mitchell, in every series!
As I said, I think it is unrealistic to expect Cleveland to make the Finals this year. But if we look at it as great practice and a learning experience for their young talent, like Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Isaac Okoro, then next year we can expect Cleveland to start being a real menace in the Eastern Conference. And with Mitchell under contract for at least 2 more years, they have the time to take their lumps, have some playoff heartbreak and build towards something beautiful. A trajectory similar to the Boston Celtics, who have made the Conference Finals 4 times in the last 6 years. Of course, I’m sure everyone in Cleveland would like their run to be a little bit more successful, and that they manage to win an NBA title without LeBron James on their roster. A scenario, I think, that is likely to happen within 5 years, if they can keep the majority of this core together.
PICK #2
Our second pick of the week is Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics. There is trouble in paradise. It seems that Jaylen Brown is not so happy in Boston after all, and heading into his final year of his contract next season, he might be starting to look elsewhere if Boston doesn’t come to his party. The recent trade rumours around the Celtics offering him, and some other assets, to the Nets for KD, seem to have hit him hard. Hard enough to open up in a rare sit-down interview with Logan Murdoch from The Ringer. Murdoch wrote a very interesting interview that you can read on The Ringer’s website, and I strongly encourage you to take the time to read through it because he touches on his rookie year with Kyrie, the Ye-saga, because Brown was a client of Donda Sports, Kanye’s Agency, and a lot more.
But for today’s show, heading into the Playoffs and Boston being one of the contenders to come out of the East, the most interesting part is that Brown is clearly not happy with the way he is treated by his franchise. We all hear the saying way too often that the NBA is a business, and that no player should take it personally when they are traded or even just named in rumours. I understand the logic behind it, but putting myself in Brown’s shoes, I can definitely see why he is bothered by it. Role players can expect this to happen, and should really encourage it as they can improve their contract by bouncing around and playing certain parts for different franchises. But for someone like Brown, who is supposed to be your 1B, next to Jayson Tatum, it can be hard to swallow that your front office doesn’t think you’re good enough to get the franchise all the way.
And it is not like he isn’t good enough, I mean, last season in the Playoffs, it was Brown carrying the Celtics in the Conference Finals and the Finals when Tatum struggled getting through the Miami and Warriors defence. Brown got more room on the court and he took advantage of it. Obviously, the Celtics failed to beat the Warriors in that series, but when you’re so close, surely the same roster could repeat its Finals run again, especially considering the Warriors will more than likely not make it into the Finals. Their Eastern Conference competitors will be their biggest opponents this season, and they got past the Bucks last season, so why shouldn’t they be able to do it again? We’ll see how their season will end, but this narrative between Brown and the Boston front office will dominate next years’ news cycle, if they drag out giving him a contract extension.
PICK #3
Our third pick of the week is Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat. They were a write-off for this season, they struggled to make anything happen and were getting way too old. And yet, 9 games before the end of the regular season, the Miami Heat are sneaking into the top 6. They have a game lined up against Brooklyn today and if they win that one, that should really sure up that 6th spot. If they lose, they drop back to 7th, but I’m not expecting them to lose. The main reason the Heat have struggled this season to get anywhere near the top of the East is because of injuries. Most of their core players have missed way too many games to be competitive and frankly, it’s quite the surprise that they are here, poking their nose at a Playoff spot, so close to the end of the regular season.
Now that they are likely to make it, Miami automatically becomes a threat for any of the contending teams in the Playoffs. Why? Because they are the Miami Heat and the Miami Heat don’t go away. They turn every game into a dog fight and you are never finished with them. Just look back at last year. Philly lost to them in 6 games in Round 2, even though they were the clear favourites and the Celtics needed 7 games to get rid of Jimmy Butler, who nearly made the go ahead 3-pointer in the dying minutes of that game 7 and almost got his team to the NBA Finals. And it’s in this series that the Celtics basically lost their chance to win the Finals, because they were so banged up and tired after going head to head with the Heat.
You see, you can never write off Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat. Now, it’s far from a certainty that they’ll repeat last year’s performance. In fact, they might not even get in the Playoffs if they do get stuck in those Play-In games. And in reality, that’s what the whole Eastern Conference is praying for, especially Philly who are the favourites to see Miami in a 3-6 match up, because if you meet Miami in a Playoff series and you can win and progress to the next round, but you won’t be in great shape anymore. And teams like Philly, who have players who are injury-prone, need to do everything they can to avoid a clash with the Heat. They can cost anyone the title.
PICK #4
Our fourth pick of the week is Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.When in doubt, you can always vote for the best player on the best team. That’s some common advice handed out for people who struggle to pick an MVP for the season. Now, there is doubt alright this season on who deserves the MVP. Denver and Jokic have lost a lot of shine these past couple of weeks, and I’m not sure anymore if he deserves that third MVP. Considering the other 2 applications, who are incredibly strong, I think it’s time to start putting some championship pressure on Jokic, if he wants to win another MVP. That’s what happened to Giannis after he won 2 MVPs in a row, the narrative shifted that he doesn’t deserve a third one until he wins in the postseason. So he did, and now he struggles to be even named in the conversation.
Because, let’s be honest, the conversation is Jokic and Embiid, yet again. Giannis gets included by people who don’t want to limit themselves to a two horse race, but at the end of the day, I don’t believe anyone is considering Giannis seriously. And they should, because Giannis is playing one of the best offensive seasons of his career. He’s averaging 31 points per game, his highest ever and he’s been a menace on the offensive boards this season. With Middleton missing the majority of the season, he only played 28 games of which he started half and barely cracked 30 minutes per game, Giannis had to step up and carry his team a little more than usual. He did get a lot of help from Jrue Holiday, who is also having an exceptional season.
The Bucks sit at the top of the league, after starting off conservatively, and now only losing 4 games in their last 30 games. I don’t see anyone catching them, not Boston, not Philly and definitely not Denver in the Western Conference, no, they need to start looking down because the Grizzlies could still catch them. That alone should be reason enough for Giannis to lead the odds on winning the MVP. But we’ll see. With games against Denver, Boston and the 76ers ahead of us, Giannis will have time to make another statement and bring home that MVP trophy. Or it could go completely the other way, if he doesn’t perform against his direct competitors!
PICK #5
Our fifth pick of the week is Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers. How legit are the Sixers as contenders for the NBA title. Considering they are among the 4 best teams in the league, you would say very, but a lot of people on this roster, including the coach, have a lot to prove this season if they want to be taken seriously. If Embiid wins that MVP trophy, he will have to prove in the Playoffs that he actually is the best player in the league. James Harden will need to step up in close games, instead of shrinking away when things get tough. And can Doc Rivers hold onto a 3-1 lead in the Playoffs? He’s the only coach to have blown that kind of lead 3 times. Once with the Magic and twice with the Clippers.
So, Philly has a lot to prove and, as far as I’m concerned, they have run out of excuses. This has to be their year. Embiid needs to be able to stay on the floor, James Harden needs to take his responsibility and Doc has to step up and run this team like a championship winning coach, because we can’t forget that he’s that too, when he won the chip with the Celtics back in 08. They have the pieces around the 2 big names, like Tyrese Maxey, De’Anthony Melton, PJ Tucker, Jalen McDaniels and of course, the highest paid role player in the NBA, Tobias Harris. They’re definitely strong enough physically to win it all this year, but are they strong enough mentally as well?
Sitting in third, and most likely finishing there as well, Philly will have the hardest road to the Finals in the East. First up, more than likely Jimmy Butler and Miami. And if they haven’t gotten in their heads or bodies by the end of that series, then wait the Boston Celtics. A fantastic 2-3 match up that could go either way and will likely finish in heartbreak for one of those teams after 7 games. If Philly is still standing at this point, they get to play Giannis and the Bucks. It goes hard, harder, hardest. But if Philly does do the unthinkable and win the Eastern Conference Finals, chances are they have eliminated the most difficult teams along the way and can cruise to victory against a “weaker opponent”. If they can still walk by then, of course.
This is our All-NBA team of the Week. Please share our podcast and give us 5 stars. If you have any questions, you can contact the show on eight2fouroffice@gmail.com. Thank you for listening, ballers out!