Sometimes, it has felt like I’ve been the only one watching the NBA. Great games are on and the media focuses on the NFL. When the media does discuss the NBA, it’s only for the low hanging fruit of the “Are the Heat suddenly terrible?” or other basic and obvious stories. Now that the NFL season is over, more people will be watching, or at least paying attention.
Nationally Televised Schedule: All times EST
Monday
San Antonio at New Orleans NBATV 8PM
Watching the Pelicans play the Spurs has been rewarding. Anthony Davis has shown that he's the heir to the "best power forward alive" throne. Davis has put up amazing statlines over the last few weeks. Last week gave us these (PTS/REBS/BLKS) lines: 24/8/6, 30/7/8, and a monstrous 22/19/7. He's the biggest All-Star snub. (20-10 and 3 doesn't get you in? I guess defense isn't appreciated here (looking at Kevin Love, Blake Griffin and Dirk Nowitzki)
He's playing against the former owner of the best power forward alive title, Tim Duncan, who is having a good season in his own right. (Averaging 15/10/2). Timmy is one of the most consistent players in the league. (His nicknames on basketball reference include “The Big Fundamental”, “Groundhog Day”, and “Death & Taxes”). He's not fun to watch in the typical sense, as he isn't likely to have any highlight plays but if you are an up and coming PF/C then you ought to watch Duncan.
No Nationally Televised Games on Tuesday
Wednesday
Portland at New York ESPN 8PM
The most recent New York controversy concerns whether or not Carmelo Anthony will stay in the Big Apple or escape in free agency. It's a major problem for the Knicks. People seem to be split as to whether or not Anthony will stick around, and for good reason. Anthony forced his way out of Denver to New York, and the idea is that since the New York Knicks haven't won and the organization remains dysfunctional that he will leave. So far he has said all the right things, but unlike Kyrie Irving (who is facing a similar controversy), Anthony has the power to put all of the discussion to rest. Anthony could commit to opting into the last year of his deal or sign an extension. This leads me to believe that he's not sticking around, or at the very least he's holding the Knicks hostage.
The problem is that the Knicks don't suffer from cheap ownership (See Bulls, Chicago). New York City is a solid place to live and play basketball (See Cavaliers, Cleveland). The only problem that they have is that their owner has historically made bad decisions. You can't hold the team hostage if the owner is inept.
Miami at LA Clippers ESPN 1030PM
The Los Angeles CP3's haven't lost a step since their leader has been injured. They've won 5 out of their last 6 games keeping them in strong contention in the West. Meanwhile the other side of the ball features a Miami team that’s not quite reeling, but could always use a good win…. somewhat. It's a truism that the regular season doesn't matter in basketball (16 teams out of 30 make the playoffs after all). Right now, there isn't really a good reason for the Heat to win a ton of games like they did last year. The Heat are currently 8 games ahead of their nearest division competitor. This locks them into the top 4 of the playoffs at absolute worst. However they are 8.5 games ahead of their nearest division leader (Toronto, currently) This means that barring a serious collapse, they will have the #2 seed in the East. Certainly, that presents the problem of a potential Game 7 in Indiana, but given that the Heat are one of the oldest (probably the oldest, but I don't have good stats in front of me) teams in the league, the rest is more important.
Thursday
San Antonio at Brooklyn TNT 8PM
Joe Johnson's all-star appearances have historically been a product of him playing in the Eastern Conference. This is one is no different. There might be 10 guards better than him in the west, but because he plays in the east, he gets in.
Chicago at Golden State TNT 1030PM
Remember when Chicago traded away their best healthy player and it seemed obvious that the Bulls were going to TANK (caps intended for sarcastic effect). Well, not so much. Since the trade, they've played against the Bucks, Bobcats (twice), Wizards, Magic, 76ers, Lakers, Timberwolves, Pelicans and Cavaliers. None of these teams are above .500 and they've only lost to the Pelicans and Wolves, amongst those teams. In the limited action they've had against above .500 teams (Washington twice, San Antonio and Los Angeles ), They've only beaten Los Angeles. That puts them at 3 games over .500 since they've unloaded Deng. Now this isn't a great winning percentage, but in the East, only 4 teams are 3 games over .500 or more for the season (as opposed to 9 in the West). The Bulls are still good enough to be a playoff team in the conference, and could very well make the second round. They aren't "dangerous", “sneaky good” or any of the other sports codewords for "better than their record indicates" but they are the 6th seed in a conference that doesn't have a lot of talent. For the entire season, they have the easiest strength of schedule so far.
Friday
Portland at Indiana ESPN 700PM
Should I talk about the Suns non-story or the Bynum non-story. So recently, the Pacers lost 2 games to the suns and media members have questioned if their record is smoke and mirrors. 1) The Suns are really good (really, which when used here means “actually”, and not “very”). 2) The Pacers will not see the Suns in the playoffs this year and if they do I’ll tattoo the box scores on my face. (Note: Not really).
Minnesota at New Orleans ESPN 930PM
One day, the Timberwolves will be over the .500 mark. Looking at the team it’s hard to tell what the problem is. Right now, I’d put the blame on their center, Nikola Pekovic who currently averages half a block per game. There are 8 guards that average that or more. Do you know how hard it is to do that? Damn near impossible. It’s not like they have an elite shot blocker standing near him. The PF for the Wolves is Kevin Love. Then I thought well maybe he was a better defender then I thought, and his problem was merely that he was unlucky with blocks, but that makes him look even worse. Among comparable players (28 minutes or more and 6 FGA at the rim or more) he is the second worst player in the entire NBA, with only his teammate Kevin Love protecting at a worse percentage. (BTW if the 28/6 seems arbitrary, it basically encompasses starting centers and power forwards). The Timberwolves would do just as well if they had a vending machine in the paint, rather than Pek and Love.
Saturday
Denver at Detroit NBATV 730PM
So I just watched my 4th live game this year. Being in a market where the team isn’t that good has a great perk. Namely, ticket prices are relatively cheap. As the Nuggets continue to flirt with the playoffs, I get to see the good teams that they face. My live shows have included a convincing beating of the Bulls, a close loss to the Cavaliers and a loss to Toronto. Now that they’ve lost Nate Robinson (ACL) and Gallo for the season, the plucky, if inconsistent, Nuggets appear headed for a much needed lottery appearance.
Sunday
New York at Oklahoma City ABC 1PM
This matchup features Carmelo Anthony, reigning scoring champion, and Kevin Durant 3 time champ and current leader. Watching the two work has been fun over the last few years.
Chicago at LA Lakers ABC 330PM
The Lakers, to the great dismay of their always optimistic fans, are headed towards the lottery. D’Antoni is once again in the hot seat, despite presenting a strong case for why he deserves a head coaching position. The Lakers are doing a lot with castoff players. Xavier Henry, Wesley Johnson and Kendall Marshall have all been serviceable players at one point or another. The problem is that you can’t win a championship with players like this. In the East, they’d be in the playoffs. In the West, they are another team on the outside of the hunt.
Dallas at Boston NBATV 6PM
Let me be honest here. I have no meaningful opinion of either of these teams. Neither of these teams have affected me in any meaningful way. Dallas is good, but not a team that I’m concerned about for the playoffs. Boston is a team that’s headed toward to the top of the lottery. Dirk is having a good season. Rajon Rondo is healthy again. I’ll be watching this game just to see what’s going on with these teams.
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