Those of you who have been following Persources on social media know me well enough by now. I have strong beliefs and don’t overreact much. That being said, I decided to start this new segment to enable me to overreact to the incidents of the previous night in the NBA. This is something new, so I hope you like it. As of the 12th of November, right around the time NBA players collect their biweekly paychecks, the Los Angeles Lakers have the same record as the Boston Celtics.
The Los Angeles Lakers (7-6):
I try to keep it real with you guys. I never bought into the notion that they would be a top 4 team in their conference, never mind the rest of the NBA. I always thought they’d fall anywhere between the 7th and 10th seed. That being said, there was one calculation I forgot to take into effect. The mental aspect of facing LeBron James can be just as taxing as actually playing him. Teams make mistakes that they normally don’t make just by being around him. The Lakers have caught a lucky break while several Western Conference power houses have yet to figure it out. For now, Lakers fans are ecstatic that things are looking better than they did a couple of weeks ago. I don’t think that will last.
The Boston Celtics (7-6):
This team reminds me a lot of the Jae Crowder and Isaiah Thomas team which underperformed in year 2 of playing under Brad Stevens, in the regular season. Even though they were winning games, their nightly commitment to both ends of the court was sub part. It’s almost like these guys have gotten a taste of the playoffs and walk around like the regular season doesn’t matter. In addition to that, finding ways to integrate returning faces to the offense has been somewhat of a struggle for Boston. The Celtics need to continue to allow Hayward and company to develop, despite their struggles. Why? Because you don’t win an NBA championship without your all-stars being healthy. Hayward is a part of that plan.
The Milwaukee Bucks continue to impress (10-3):
The Milwaukee Bucks made two great acquisitions over the summer. First, they landed head coach Mike Budenholzer. Second, they added shooters. Among those shooters, is Brook Lopez, surprisingly. Lopez’s career-high eight 3’s helped lead the Bucks to a victory over the hot start Denver Nuggets. The Bucks, under Budenholzer, look like a team with an offensive identity. Dare I say, they remind me a lot of the first year Steve Kerr took over the Warriors from Mark Jackson?
Other big stories:
The Trail Blazers are not a push over. With a 10-3 record, they’ve already proven that they not only want to be a playoff team, but an even better team than the one they were last year. The Rockets are getting healthy and back on track. More importantly, James Harden is looking like himself. Trae Young is a walking bucket. Knick suck. Magic look better than last year. Oladipo is no James Harden, Detroit should trade for Terry Rozier, and Charlotte’s ceiling is the roof.
If you think we should keep this segment, let me know on IG… Or join the debate via my twitter: @TPRx11
Per Sources Misses Nothing