ELEVEN games into the season, all 30 teams have at least one defeat on their records. In the WC, the Golden State Warriors as expected are winning games and are on top of the standings with a 10-1 win-loss slate. Out in the East, the Toronto Raptors are leading the way with a similar win-loss record.
Making his first 14 shots, Serge Ibaka had a career game the other day and together with Kyle Lowry gave the Los Angeles Lakers their worst-ever first quarter trashing and happily continued the carnage until the very end. Hollywood glitterati witnessed a most thorough wipeout.
Milwaukee is surprising many as they run second to the Raptors with an 8-1 record, and in the West the Denver Nuggets follow the Warriors with a 9-1 slate. The Bucks are led by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton’s combined 45.3 points per game. They got stronger in the middle with Brook Lopez, submitting almost two blocks per outing. Their only loss came from Boston when Kyrie Irving burned them with 28 points.
The Nuggets have five players averaging at least 13 points per game. Although he is not the team’s scoring leader, center Nikola Jokic leads them in rebounding, assists and steals. The mobile 7-footer from Serbia recorded a perfect triple-double when he converted all of his field goal attempts for 35 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in their win against Phoenix. Denver’s lone defeat was from the LA Lakers.
Cleveland is still looking for significance but that will be a continuing search now that Kevin Love had surgery for an injured toe and would sideline him for at least two months. Sailing on rough seas, the team had been confused. There seems to be some conflict between the youngsters and the veterans, to the extent the vets saying that rookie Colin Sexton doesn’t know his role on the team. Larry Drew finally settled his contract issues with management and, with the support of the older guys on the team, the Cavs could be seeing some light from the dark pit they’re in. There could finally be function on the dysfunction. So far, they can only show a win after 10 starts.
When a team rotates 10 to 11 players a night, it usually means that the roster is deep with talent. The Lakers definitely are talented with LeBron James and his reportedly selected bunch of misfits mixed with the young core. But what can the talent of 11 players do on the court if they get lost in defense. Their last game was so bad that LeBron had the luxury of sitting out the entire fourth quarter.
With at least four blocks on any given night, JaVale McGee manning the paint makes LAL better in defense. Take him out and they suffer defensively as usually it is LeBron who’s the tallest and biggest Laker on the floor. Why Luke Walton insists on playing small ball is beyond me. Two games prior, Ivica Zubac had ample playing time and his size did help. Tyson Chandler had cleared waivers on a contract buyout from Phoenix and he is now officially a Laker. As chief backup to McGee, probably things could get better in the middle.
Today, the Lakers try to get even with Minnesota at Staples Center. If they hit the dirt again with celebrities populating courtside, Walton’s job could become iffier, no matter the assurance from team president Magic Johnson. They just might try LaVar Ball who had said that he could coach the team with his eyes shut. Yeah, right, because he could not keep his mouth shut.
Seventy-one more games to go until the NBA season ends yet social media had gone alive with amusing comments on the misadventures of favorite players and teams they love to hate. It’s still a long way to go and there’s no rush to push the panic button./PN
