Goeiedag, enchantée and welcome to this week's episode of Eight 2 Four presents: All-NBA Team of the Week. Over the previous weeks we have discussed the teams most likely to get the number 1 lottery pick and make it to the Play-In games in the Eastern and Western Conference. This week we were going to discuss some of the teams fighting for home court advantage in the Play-Offs. Instead, we will discuss five teams that are, in my opinion, most likely to take it all the way. Before we start, I wanted to make a special mention of 2 teams that have been incredible so far this season but might struggle in the Play-Offs. As you may have guessed, these teams are the Utah Jazz and the Phoenix Suns. These teams are 1 and 2 in the whole league, yet have everything to prove and to lose in the Play-Offs. Right now, it is a likely scenario that the Jazz have to play Curry and the Warriors in the first round and the Suns could meet Lillard and the Blazers. If those teams are at full strength, it could be the first time in NBA history that the 1 and 2 seed don’t progress to the second round. But before we get there, we still have at least 12 games left to play in the regular season. Get ready for your five contenders in this week’s All-NBA Team of the Week.
PICK #1
Our first pick of the week are the LA Lakers. The Lakers are the reigning NBA Champions. LA is home to LeBron James, the best player of this generation, maybe even all-time, and Anthony Davis, easily one of the five best players in the league right now. These superstars are surrounded by a bunch of quality role players that know how to play hard. They have proven that over the last few weeks when both superstars were benched with injuries. Objectively speaking, the Lakers have a better team than last season and therefore more chance to win the title again. This is why they are my top pick to win the championship again.
The Lakers can’t afford to miss one of their superstars, though, if they are to repeat their championship run. With AD and LeBron out for about a month, their record is 7 wins and 11 losses. They’ve lost their last 3 games, against Utah and twice against Dallas. Yes, their role players are giving it all they have but it will not cut it in the Play-Offs. AD is slowly being brought back into the rotation, he played about 15 minutes his first game and almost doubled that in his second. He is rusty, after not having played in almost 10 weeks, but at least he is back. There is still no update on when LeBron will return. It is possible he will not return this regular season and just wait until the Play-Offs start.
If those would start today, the Lakers would be in fifth spot, facing Denver in the first round. As fate would have it, the Nuggets are missing Jamal Murray, their star point guard due to injury as well. In this scenario, the Lakers will likely make it through to the second round of the Play-Offs, even without LeBron or AD but not both. But if there’s one thing we have learned over the last few weeks, it is that this regular season will not be decided until the last game has been played. The Lakers could still drop to the Play-In games or even seal home court advantage. There is only one thing certain, and that is that you don’t bet against a healthy LeBron James.
PICK #2
Our second pick of the week are the Brooklyn Nets. On paper, the Nets are the favourites. Absolutely no question about it. They have 3 of the best offensive players of all time in their ranks, with Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving. They have one of the best shooters in the league, with Joe Harris. And they have some quality veterans with Jeff Green, DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin to support them. First time coach, Steve Nash, who used to be a fantastic player himself, is surrounded by an experienced coaching staff, lead by Mike D’Antoni, a 2-time Coach of the Year. These guys have everything they need to be successful, they just have to put it together.
And let that be an issue for Brooklyn this season. They have not been able to get their 3 stars together on the court for more than 186 minutes, spread out over 7 games. That is less than 30 minutes per game. Yes, these guys are all 3 incredible basketball players that can read and anticipate the game better than anyone but when you face the toughest competitors at the highest level, it pays to know your teammates through and through. The Nets are going to have to use the first 2 rounds in the Play-Offs as practice runs. Far from ideal if you are trying to win the championship. Hopefully, they can have their team together for the first round because right now, Harden is out much longer than anticipated, KD seems to injure himself everytime he is on the court and LaMarcus Aldrigde had to retire due to heart problems. Oh yeah, and Kyrie likes to take some time off at the most inconvenient times.
But, as much as I like to rag on these guys, they are without a doubt the best team in the league. Even with all the troubles they’ve had over the course of the season, they are leading the East by a game and a half over Philly. They are unstoppable in offence and where they lack in defence, they just make it up with some extra offence. Their only cause of concern is the loss against Philly, 2 weeks ago, where Embiid just proved too strong for them. The positive side is that Embiid will need four of those games in a series to beat the Nets, where KD, Harden and Irving only need 1 or 2 spectacular nights each. And let that be the one thing that these guys specialise in, going off on any given night.
PICK #3
Our third pick of the week are the Philadelphia 76ers. For me personally, the Sixers are the hardest team to work out. I’m still not sure if their roster works amazingly and they will finally make their well-deserved run to the Finals. Or if they’re preparing themselves for another implosion like last season. Joel Embiid is by far their most dominant player but I don’t believe he is their most important player. Their success is usually determined by the other star player on their team, Ben Simmons. His contributions to Philly’s wins are less obvious than Embiid’s but his presence on the defensive end of the court is literally paralyzing the competition.
Philly has lost their last four games, all four of them they played without Ben Simmons, who is out with a mysterious flu-like disease but it is not Covid, so they say in Philadelphia. Last season, in the Play-Offs, they had to play without Ben as well and that ended dramatically, they were humiliated by the Celtics and were sent home with a 4 and 0 sweep. If they can’t get Ben healthy by the start of the Play-Offs, who is to say the same thing won’t happen again?
The situation is different. Philly has a better roster than last year, and a better coach. Doc Rivers has found a way to unchain Embiid, who has been playing on a MVP-level all season. The only reason he won’t win that award is because he missed too many games. Tobias Harris has found his form from back with the Clippers and has been very important for the Sixers’ offence. Seth Curry is one of the best shooters in the league, shooting at a higher percentage than his brother. If Doc can keep his team healthy for 2 months straight, these Sixers should have a very good chance at taking a shot at the NBA title this year. Or maybe they’ll have an embarrassing exit in the first round, only time will tell.
PICK #4
Our fourth pick of the week are the LA Clippers. The Clippers are the complete opposite of themselves last year. Their record wasn’t great and yet they couldn’t stop trash talking. This year, they are on the best run of the contenders in the last 10 games and we don’t hear a peep from LA. They have only lost 1 game in the last 10, against Philly, and have played 7 of those games without Kawhi Leonard. That is good and bad news for the Clips. It’s good because they are winning games without their superstar but, obviously, you want Kawhi to be healthy. In the meantime, Paul George can show the NBA that he truly deserves superstar status himself.
Injuries is the one thing that can really knock the Clippers around, with their best players very injury prone. Like we already said, Kawhi has missed 7 of the last 10 games and is currently out with foot soreness. The man made of glass hasn’t played more than 60 games per season in the last 4 seasons. His running mate, PG, is also known to be injury prone and has already missed 16 games this season himself. Serge Ibaka, who signed in the off-season to replace Montrezl Harrell, has been out for almost a month with a sore back and new recruit Rajon Rondo is missing games with a sore wrist. For the Clippers that is 4 of their starters struggling with injuries close to the Play-Offs.
What we do know is that Kawhi likes to sit each time he feels a little soreness, he takes being cautious to a whole new level. If the Clippers organisation has adopted this strategy, it could well mean that these guys will be healthy when the Play-Offs start, and more importantly, they will be fresh. If they are, they will be a force to reckon with in the West. They have a score to settle after last season’s disaster and, if they want to hold onto Kawhi, have almost no choice but to get to the Finals. I can imagine that Kawhi will stay if the Clippers end up losing in the Finals but if they lose against LeBron, I’d say he is playing in a different city next season. I still doubt that they are strong enough to get there, they’ll have to convince me during the Play-Offs, but at least they are showing what they are made of on the court, instead of off the court.
PICK #5
Our fifth pick of the week are the Milwaukee Bucks. If I said that the Bucks have the best offence in the league, most people would dismiss me but at this point in time they lead the league in points per game. Granted, they are closely followed by the Nets but it is an impressive feat for the Bucks to be this strong offensively. On the other end of the court, they have not been as impressive as in previous seasons, but, according to the players and coaching staff, they have been experimenting with line-ups and, more importantly, switching on assignments. The Bucks have had issues switching in the past so, all year long, they have been practising so they are ready for when the Play-Offs come around.
The Bucks have been in the East what the Jazz are in the West. Absolutely killing the competition during the regular season, only to bow out of the Play-Offs way too early. The Bucks have tried a different method this year, with less focus on the regular season record and, hopefully, more focus on a result in the Play-Offs. With Jrue Holiday on the roster, they have the perfect guy next to Giannis and Middleton to make a run this season. Holiday is defensively one of the best players in the league and is a great point guard to be playing with Giannis, always looking for the best possible play. And Giannis is the best possible play, every play.
The Greek Freak has almost no chance of winning the MVP this year, because he has won it the last 2 years and only Russell, Chamberlain and Bird have won the MVP 3 times in a row before. In my opinion, he should at least be in the conversation. His numbers are almost the same as the previous years, his team is up there in the standings and he hasn’t missed as many games as some of the other contenders. But Giannis doesn’t care about winning the MVP 3 times in a row. He wants to win that title. That is all he cares about, and all anyone cares about in Milwaukee. And if they do, it will be a victory for small-market teams in the NBA and a bitter pill for the super teams created in LA and New York.
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!