With the all star break quickly approaching, which marks the halfway point in the NBA regular season, there have been many surprises and big storylines thus far. Of course Covid-19 has played its role in the NBA, causing many players to be sidelined for many games. Many teams have been hit hard with the virus and there have been many games postponed. The virus hasn’t stopped the two surprise teams sitting at the top of their respective conferences.
The Utah Jazz currently have the best record in the NBA and they lead a stacked Western Conference. Without making many offseason moves not many people expected this kind of start from the Jazz. In the East, after a disappointing round one sweep in the playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers brought in Doc Rivers as their new head coach and that might be the answer for this team. The 76ers as a team are playing great offensively and defensively and a lot of credit has to be given to one of the top MVP candidates, Joel Embiid.
No shocker, another MVP candidate is Lebron James. James has his Lakers right behind the Jazz in the west and is playing at an incredibly high level. With his fellow star Anthony Davis going down with an injury, James is going to have to carry the load. Another name we’ve heard in the MVP conversation over recent years has been Kevin Durant. After sitting out all of last season due to injury, he finally got to showcase his skills in a Brooklyn Nets uniform. The Nets of course also made a huge trade at the start of the season which brought in James Harden to play with Durant and Kyrie Irving.
While those teams are having success, there have been many disappointing teams thus far. After their incredible run to the NBA finals while in the bubble, the Miami Heat currently don’t hold a playoff spot. Jimmy Butler has been out due to Covid issues, but the other guys have not stepped up. Another team that has not lived up to expectations is the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks gave the Clippers a tough fight in the first round of the playoffs. With Luka Doncic now in his third year it seemed as if he was going to take this team to the next level. The Toronto Raptors have also been very disappointing. The Raptors have been a consistent playoff team in recent years and they won the whole thing a couple years ago. They are being forced to play their home games in Tampa Bay due to Covid restrictions, but with veterans like Kyle Lowry they should be playing better.
Although there are little to no fans in the arenas, many players are having career years so far. Wizards guard Bradley Beal is leading the NBA in scoring and he looks to get back to the all star game after being snubbed a year ago. Zach Lavine is leading a very young Chicago Bulls team and looks to make his first all star team. The New York Knicks have had very little success in recent years, but right now Julius Randle is leading a team that is right in the playoff conversation.
There will certainly be more big storylines to come throughout the rest of the season and the playoffs. We will have to wait and see if anyone can take out Lebron and the Lakers in this weird Covid season.
