A chaotic time, not only in the basketball world, but also in general. New measures, an extended lockdown and closed stores are putting some people in a bit of a mood; luckily, we’re here to lift the mood a little with the news from the last few weeks in the NBA
The standings
The NBA managed to avoid serious COVID-related problems for the first two weeks, but the past few days have been very messy, with players held out because of positive tests and lockdown measures. Sunday’s game between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat was postponed, while teams like the Mavs and the 76ers were also forced to play short-handed during the week.
All of this led to an extremely inconsistent week in terms of performance. It looks like the majority of the league is now somewhere between 4-6 and 6-4, which makes for confusing Power Rankings. Despite a loss, the Los Angeles Lakers take first place from the 76ers, who suffered a heavy defeat against the Brooklyn Nets without Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving before Philly’s roster was depleted. The Celtics have been on fire, and if they had played and won on Sunday, they might have moved up to number 1.
The Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder are making big jumps this week, while the Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings took a steep fall. We don’t know what the future holds for the NBA, but it’s safe to say there will be a lot more movement in the rankings than in previous seasons.
Broken records
The renewed hope of the Charlotte Hornets, LaMelo Ball. You’ve probably heard a lot about him lately, and that’s no surprise, because the youngest of the Ball brothers is clearly showing that he has earned his place in the NBA. The superstar signed by Puma Basketball managed to put up no less than 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in his game against the Atlanta Hawks, breaking the record for the youngest player in the NBA with a triple-double, previously held by Markelle Fultz. This was only his 5th game of the season, so we’re curious to see what else he can do. In any case, it’s clear that the Hornets’ new look is a clear improvement on last year: they now have a record of 4 wins and 1 loss.
Surprising results
Although it is of course still far too early to start making predictions, it’s fun to see that teams that didn’t matter last year now find themselves at the top of the standings. In the Eastern Conference, for example, you have teams like the Hornets, Orlando Magic and the Indiana Pacers, which are now very high in the standings; they are right behind one another, with the Pacers in 4th place with a record of 6 wins and 4 losses. But the Western Conference has its surprises too: there it’s mainly the Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors that are surprising everyone.
