Give And Go
By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Action in the 2017-2018 National Basketball Association (NBA) season is nearing the halfway point and so far I have to say there are hardly any surprises as far as which teams are figuring in the playoff picture.
A quick look at the standing as of Jan. 1, 2018, the teams expected to make the playoffs are pretty much on track, with the final placing left to be determined.
Out in the Eastern Conference the Boston Celtics (30-10), Toronto Raptors (25-10) and the defending conference champions Cleveland Cavaliers (24-10) are the top three teams to date.
Definitely this is no left field for the three have been the best teams in the East for the last couple of years.
Boston, if at all, should get some second look not necessarily because it does not have in it to lead the pack but considering how it started the season, losing marquee signing Gordon Hayward to a freak, season-ending leg injury on opening day, one would expect it perhaps to lose some ground.
But thanks to young guns Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum and the leadership and slick play of new leader Kyrie Irving and veteran Al Horford as well as the great coaching of Brad Stevens the Celtics are making things happen.
Toronto is up there with DeMar DeRozan leading (How about the 52-point performance yesterday, huh?) while Cleveland has been a solid third with still much upside despite the myriad of issues and injuries it has had to deal with so far.
The Detroit Pistons (20-15) at fourth are deserving albeit I still feel consistency issues still need to be addressed lest they see their placing fall.
The Washington Wizards (21-16) and Milwaukee Bucks (19-15) at fifth and sixth place, respectively, could be better on the back of stronger lineups.
The Miami Heat (19-17) and Indiana Pacers (19-18) round out the top eight and credit should be given to them to how they are handling transition.
Outside looking in are the New York Knicks (18-18) at ninth and Philadelphia 76ers (17-19) at 10th, which is representative of where they are at this stage of their development as a team led by up-and-coming stars.
The Charlotte Hornets at 13th place with a 13-23 record has been disappointing for me considering they already have a big man like Dwight Howard that should help them compete for at least at the tailend of the top eight spots.
In the Western Conference, the top three teams seen going at it for number one are living up to the billing.
The defending world champions Golden State Warriors (29-8) are leading followed by the Houston Rockets (26-9) and San Antonio Spurs (25-12).
At the current rate things are going it is highly probable that such sequence will stand till the end of the regular season albeit the recent hamstring injury to leading most valuable player candidate James Harden could be telling for Houston.
For all the changes they made in the offseason the Minnesota Timberwolves (23-14) and Oklahoma City Thunder (20-17) are starting to show some competitive form and could be dangerous at number four and five.
The Denver Nuggets (19-17), Portland Trail Blazers (18-17) and New Orleans Pelicans (18-18) could easily change positions but they no doubt have the materials to advance to the playoffs.
Blake Griffin’s recent injury had pushed the Los Angeles Clippers (16-19) back but now that he is playing anew they may make a serious push for the postseason.
The Utah Jazz (16-21) have shown glimpses of promise but it remains to be seen if they have enough motor to propel their playoff push.
Half way into the NBA season, we can see patterns developing, But it is still a long way to go and changes could still happen especially at the lower half of the standings heading into the postseason, leaving us fans with still something to look forward to.
Michael Angelo S. Murillo has been a columnist since 2003. He is a BusinessWorld reporter covering the Sports beat.
