NFL
By: Joe Cardoso
NBA fans, we have less than 20 games left, and a lot still needs to be decided. Who will land the number 2 seed in the West? It feels like every 30 minutes, the play in the East standings changes, and injuries won’t let us have great hoops with teams at full strength. A look at the storylines shaping the league lately and what to watch over the next few days. These are the dog days of the season where we see the effects of an 82-game season and why load management late in the season to me makes sense. When we see an all-time great like Steph Curry sit out games you know it is real.
The Kids Will Be All Right:
People who thought the Houston Rockets would crumble toward the end of the season or show their youth are mighty quiet these days. Sitting on an 8-game winning streak which includes a big-time comeback YES, it was versus the 76ers but it still counts in the win column. And then go on the road and take care of a hungry Orlando team fighting to get back in the playoff fight. Ime Udoka continues his coach-of-the-year run pushing the right buttons and getting his squad to show up night in and night out. The fact no one is really talking about this team on the national stage is a shame, but the real hoopheads, know this team is good and will be a problem in the upcoming playoffs.
It was a feel-good story early in the season when the Detroit Pistons matched and then passed their win total for the season before the All-Star break. Fast forward to March, they are looking at 40 wins, and if the postseason started today a 1st round matchup with the Knicks. When was the last time we saw the league switch out a nationally televised game so we get to see the Pistons faceoff with the Miami Heat the game gave us the goods. Cade Cunningham grows as a player and leader right in front of our eyes and do NOT forget this team still is waiting on the return of Jaden Ivey who has been out since January with a broken fibula in his left leg I would love to see him get a few games in before the postseason if he gets back.
The Miami game was his 65th so under the new league rules he is now in the running for all awards and all-NBA teams. This is huge for Cade and the team that is putting the league on notice they aren’t here for the free gift bags they want respect. Improvement from 3 to be at least at league average and old-school Pistons defense have been another HUGE reason for the improvement. Trajan Langdon has made moves that are paying off and new head coach JB Bickerstaff is showing the rest of the NBA that he is LEGIT and can lead teams to higher levels. Not since the days of Rip Hamilton and Ben Wallace have the fans in the D seen a real basketball team take the floor.
L.A. Clippers Is That You?:
It is tough to get love in Los Angeles basketball circles with the new-look Lakers and Luka, JuJu Watkins carrying USC. Don’t look now but the Clippers are playing good basketball right now. Sitting on a 4-game win streak and 7th in the west. Kris Dunn seems to have found a home with the team staying true to the phrase “next man up” Kawhi Leonard is PLAYING basketball and good ball at that. James Harden continues to fly under the radar and put up numbers this is a team no one wants to play. Ty Lue is one of the better headmen in the league and has this team peaking when it matters most. The next few questions are who will they face in the playoffs and does anyone want to face them? The next few games they have upcoming will show us a lot about them but today they look for real.
Coming Up Next:
Which team tanks its way to the top pick? Will Cooper Flag go back to school really and avoid a possible job with the Washington Wizards? Can the Orlando Magic still figure things out or did the injuries and bad play seal their fate? Will the New York Knicks EVER beat one of the league’s elite teams? Should I just finally give up on the Bucks finding a groove and making a serious playoff run? One thing I am sure of this will be a fun end to the season which has had its share of ups and downs. What questions or hot takes do YOU have about the NBA? Hit me up on X and let’s talk hoops
