It was a shortened week in the NBA this week due to the Thanksgiving holiday but that doesn’t meant there was any less drama or action in the basketball world.
From teams who just keep on winning to teams that well, just keep on losing and everything in between, here is a review of the week of November the 22nd in the world of the NBA.
KOBE BRYANT TO RETIRE AT SEASON’S END
Warriors, 18-0 – Will the Golden State Warriors ever lose?
That question becomes more valid game by game, as the reigning champions continue to dominate teams nightly. The Sacramento Kings were the latest foe to fall, as the Dubs took easy care of the boys from Sac Town with a 19-point victory. Also this week, Golden State defeated the Denver Nuggets (118-105), Los Angeles Lakers (111-77) and Phoenix Suns (135-116).
It isn’t just the fact that Golden State is 18-0. It was the way they’ve played to get to 18-0, which is the best start a team has ever had in NBA history by the way. They have consistently destroyed teams with their ridiculous offensive output and their ability to also lock teams down on the defensive end of the floor.
Reigning MVP Stephen Curry hasn’t missed a step, looking as dangerous as ever. Klay Thompson is slowly finding his rhythm after a slow start and Draymond Green has secured his spot among the NBA’s best, putting up triple doubles on almost a nightly basis.
Aussie Andrew Bogut has had a solid start to the season and that continued this week. The big man put up 6.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. He continues to be a force for the Warriors’ defence and his importance to the team starting 18-0 can be underrated at times.
The Warriors face a challenge in the coming weeks, though, as they play their next seven games away from the cozy confines of Oracle Arena. The long road trip will kick off in Utah against the Jazz, as Golden State will look to continue their phenomenal start to the season.
Sixers, 0-18 – Will the Philadelphia 76ers ever win?
The closer and closer the Sixers get to a victory, the larger the heartbreak becomes for their fans, players, coaches and the entire organisation. This week was probably the week that the dreaded streak should have ended.
Philly let a 17-point lead slip away in Miami and against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets; the 76ers had leads throughout the fourth quarter of all three games but couldn’t close the door on any of them.
One of the main reasons that Philly are struggling to get a victory is how they execute down the stretch of close games. Jahlil Okafor is the best player on the Sixers roster without a doubt. His already established himself as a brilliant post scorer and is the early favourite for Rookie of the Year.
Philadelphia’s youth and lack of talent show it’s ugly face in the clutch, as they simply don’t get the ball to Okafor. They ignore the big man when they should be force-feeding him the ball, as he is their best source of offense.
This Wednesday’s game against the Lakers is becoming must-watch TV for all the wrong reasons, as two of the NBA’s worst teams go head-to-head.
Durant doesn’t miss A beat
Kevin Durant returned this week from his hamstring injury that kept him out for six games and boy did he return with a vengeance.
In the three games Durant played this week he averaged 30.3 points a game, 8.3 rebounds per game, 3.7 assists per game, 2.3 blocks per game and 1.3 steals per game. In those three Oklahoma City Thunder wins (111-89 versus Utah, 110-99 versus Brooklyn, 103-87 versus Detroit), Durant also shot an incredible percentage, as his 58.5% field goal percentage, 52.2 per cent three-point percentage and 94.4 per cent free throw shooting percentage are scorching numbers.
The Thunder are a different beast when Durant plays. His innate ability to score the basketball is one that only the elite players in the league have and once he gets hot, defence’s can forget it. What makes Durant so hard to guard is his length and how he has added to his array of post moves, as Durant hits the Dirk Nowitzki one legged fade away regularly. Oh, and OKC also have a guy named of Russell Westbrook who is also pretty incredible in his own right.
Durant and the Thunder have a chance to extend their five-game winning streak on Tuesday in Georgia against the reigning Eastern Conference Champions, Atlanta Hawks.
Spurs keep on keeping on
The San Antonio Spurs are 14-3. They are 9-1 in their last ten games. They were 4-0 this past week.
Of course, in typical Spurs fashion, all of this has happened with Gregg Popovich’s crew flying under the radar. This week San Antonio defeated the Memphis Grizzlies (92-82), Phoenix (98-84), Dallas Mavericks (88-83), Denver Nuggets (91-80) and the Hawks (108-88).
The classic Spurs ball movement is once again tearing teams apart, as San Antonio is third in the league in assists, averaging 24.9 a night. LaMarcus Aldridge is slowly finding his footing with his new club although he did miss a couple of games this week due to injury. It didn’t matter as the Spurs depth and remarkable style of ball was enough to will the squad to their 12th straight victory.
Aussie Patty Mills had himself a week, as his sparkplug play off the bench continues to assert himself as one of the best bench players in the entire league.
Mills was especially hot in the Spurs latest outing against the Hawks, as he put up 13 points off the bench including hitting three shots from beyond the arc.
The Spurs rely on their masterful ball movement to win them games and it works pretty much all the time. They never really have a player that dominates the score sheet. Although when they need a quick burst of offense, Mills is always happy to oblige.
Cavs answer the call
LeBron James openly voiced his displeasure with the Cleveland Cavaliers’ lack of toughness in their loss against the Toronto Raptors earlier this week. Coach David Blatt also said his team needs to toughen up, which gave Cavs fans some bad memories of the days when Byron Scott questioned the team’s toughness on a game-by-game basis.
Well, the Cavs answered the call with two tough, grinding victories against the Charlotte Hornets (95-90) and the Nets (90-88). Both games were ugly affairs, with Cleveland committing 16 turnovers against the Hornets and 19 against the Nets. They shot 42per cent against the Hornets and 40.7per cent against the Nets.
Cleveland won both games with; yep you guessed it, toughness. Not every game is going to be pretty and high scoring. Sometimes some grittiness and toughness are needed, and this was the case for the Cavs over the weekend. They were able to hang their hats on the defensive end and were able to win ugly.
Of course, this tough style of play is perfect for Australian Matthew Dellavedova. The man they call ‘Delly’ is one of the toughest players going around the league, as his hustle and boisterous effort on the defensive end gives opposing players fits all night. This was the case once again this week. Delly is also running the Cavs offense a lot better this year compared to last year and his five assists against the Hornets and six assists against the Nets were both key in securing the Cavalier wins.
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