By Colin Lawless, Staff Writer
The NBA is enjoying their most “normal” season since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic two years ago, and it has been worth the wait. Heading into the All-Star break, both the East and West are home to familiar faces and surprises as every team vyes for eternal glory come June.
In the East, the Chicago Bulls are easily the most pleasant surprise as they sit half a game back of the top. Summer moves that brought in the likes of Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, and, most notably, Demar DeRozan have put a spark in Chicago that hasn’t been there since the days of Derrick Rose’s dominance. The Heat are currently at the top of the East, as they have found some of what led them to the Finals 18 months ago, and the addition of Kyle Lowry has certainly helped there. The reigning champions in Milwaukee also sit half a game back from the top, and will certainly have a real shot at repeating. Add Philadelphia, Toronto, and the most surprising after Chicago in the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the playoff picture in the East is as interesting as it has been in years. Now, for the disappointments.
Brooklyn, who was certainly seen as a favorite in the East even without Kyrie Irving when the season began, has lost eight straight games and would be in the play-in tournament if the season ended today. With talks of James Harden looking to find a new home, it may be time for the Nets to hit the panic button. Surprises from last year like the Knicks and Hawks find themselves 9.5 and eight games back respectively, and will have to dig deep in the second half of the season if they want a shot at recreating some of last season’s magic. With all of that said, the gap between Miami in 1st and New York in 12th is only 9.5 games, so there is plenty of time and potential for a rollercoaster second half of the season in the East.
The West looks a little more similar to how it has looked in recent years. Phoenix looks to make their way back to the Finals and currently sit atop the West with a league best 42-10 record. Not far behind is the surprisingly resurgent Warriors, who’s 40-13 record is especially impressive considering they only just recently regained Klay Thompson, and he will surely need some more time to find his feet again. With that said, Stephen Curry has been stellar yet again thus far, and is mounting a very strong case for MVP.
Beneath these two teams are the young and exciting Grizzlies led by Ja Morant, the Jazz, Mavericks, and Nuggets. Most surprising in the West is the Clippers’ and Lakers’ struggles, as the stepbrother franchises sit 16.5 and 17 games back respectively. LeBron James is playing as well as ever at the age of 37, but an argument that he may not have the right guys around him can certainly be made. This was many people’s concern as the Lakers crafted a team of largely vets who’ve had trouble winning throughout their careers over the summer. The gap between 1st and 10th in the West is 21.5 games, noticeably larger than in the East. Even still, it’d be foolish to rule out the likes of Lebron James and the Lakers along with a very talented Clippers roster from making a second half push after the All–Star break.
This is shaping up to be another great NBA season, and hopefully the first of a new era of normalcy.
