Mark the day: October 29, 2017. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warrior both lost their regular season games – an event that probably won’t reoccur again, ever.
Cleveland and Golden State went down to the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons respectively.
It’s widely accepted that we are careering towards a fourth straight Cavs versus Dubs finals series, and in the offseason, both of the powerhouse NBA franchises made great trades to appear even stronger than they were last year.
Golden State acquired another sharpshooter, Nick ‘Swaggy P’ Young, as well as Omar Casspi and versatile rookie Jordan Bell, while retaining the services of Andre Iguodala and the Georgian giant Zaza Pachulia.
Meanwhile, the Cavs finally dealt with the Kyrie Irving situation and somehow came out on top, getting Isiah Thomas, Jae Crowder and a bunch of other assets courtesy of Boston. Furthermore, they signed Dwayne Wade and Derrick Rose to form an absolutely deadly roster if it was four years ago.
The offseason savviness has yet to transfer to on-court performance however, especially for the Cavs, who have now lost three games in a row and sit tenth in the Eastern Conference.
In their latest effort, they were completely out-enthused by the 12-placed Knicks. The young duo of Tim Hardaway Jr and Kristaps Porzingus combined for 66 points, while LeBron James managed a double-double of 16 points and ten rebounds for the Cavs.
The Warriors, sixth in the Western Conference, lost to the Pistons for their second home defeat this season. They now have a record of four wins and three losses, and are certainly feeling the pressure of having a target on their backs. Klay Thompson had a good scoring night, with 29 points off 12 from 19 shooting.
The new-look Detroit side has won three in a row, with Andre Drummond getting an impressive 18 rebounds, including eight offensive boards against Golden State.
Other games
Milwaukee Bucks 117 – Atlanta Hawks 106
Giannis Antetekounmpo continued his form (33 points, 11 rebounds), while the Hawks are rivalling the Bulls as the tanking champions of the season. Matthew Dellavedova contributed three points and an assist and Thon Maker had another three points with five rebounds.
Indiana Pacers 97 – San Antonio Spurs 94
Victor Oladipo hit the game-winning, step-back three-pointer and while Pacers fans rejoice, Thunder fans try not to tear up too much. Patty Mills had a rough night from deep, hitting just 2 three-pointers from nine attempts to finish with ten points and two assists.
Denver Nuggets 124 – Brooklyn Nets 111
Don’t worry, Jokic got this. While Paul Milsap still adjusts to life away from Atlanta, Nikola Jokic has put the Nuggets on his back. He had 21 points, 14 rebounds and four assists in a fine display against Brooklyn.
Charlotte Hornets 120 – Orlando Magic 113
Good things don’t last forever.
The Magic surprised most with their red-hot start to the season, but the Hornets are enjoying a revitalisation of their new ‘star’ centre Dwight Howard, who finished the game with 22 points and ten rebounds. The return of Superman? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Wahsington Wizards 110 – Sacramento Kings 83
The Wizards (my dark horse for Eastern Conference champions) shook off their loss against Golden State and any bad juju with Draymond Green and registered a solid win.
If Sacramento don’t do anything dumb, they will have an outstanding roster in four year – unlikely based on their trade history.
Side note: Ben Simmons did not play on Monday. I’m sorry.
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