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NBA Week 8: Eastern Conference Random Thoughts
- A week ago I had given up the Miami Heat for dead. They were playing a listless brand of basketball that looked like they weren’t even trying. Suddenly they have won four in a row and look like a different team. They are also becoming Tyler Herro‘s team. He is shooting 43% from three and averaging 23.4 points per game. This is the first time he has averaged over twenty points a game in a season in his career. Of course it wouldn’t be the Heat unless they had a new find they have developed and this year it’s Dru Smith a rapidly improving Guard in his fourth NBA season.
- Jalen Suggs of the Orlando Magic is a player every basketball fan should love. Defensively he is really good and a good disrupter of the other team’s offense, his game a mixture of heart and talent. He’s willing to take the tough shot and not fear the consequences. With all this and the injuries to Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner he has become the leader of the Magic.
- Luguentz Dort has to be a first team All Defensive teamer this year. On what he did against Luka Doncic on Tuesday alone he qualifies for that honor. Luka shot two for eight from three and five for fifteen from the floor Tuesday night against Dort. He made Luka look human.
- The Atlanta Hawks are for real. They took apart the Knicks in the second half Wednesday night and coming off their previous wins against Boston, Cleveland twice and the Bucks they are serving notice they are to be taken seriously. They have a shot at finishing third in the East.
- The New York Knicks are having a difficult time being the team we thought they would be. Their loss against Atlanta the other night showed their weaknesses. They aren’t a good rebounding team and they miss Isaiah Hartenstein. They need a center that’s a rim protector. Karl-Anthony Towns is a four. Towns isn’t a good rim protector and commits stupid fouls. Mitchell Robinson could be that big but he’s been out. This isn’t to take anything away from Towns as he’s a real good offensive player. There is an old NBA adage that if you have two weak defenders your team will struggle defensively. You don’t win championships by amassing the most talent. You build a team around management and coaches’ philosophy and get players that fit that philosophy. The more I look at the Knicks I wonder if this team matches Thibodeau’s philosophy.
NBA Week 8: Western Conference Random Thoughts
- Speaking of Dallas I believe they need one more good offensive player to be a true title contender. I know they went to the finals but that series was never close. Jimmy Butler could be that player but due to cap constraints it would be difficult to pull that trade off.
- The Golden State Warriors Houston Rockets game was fun. It was the classic old champion trying to beat the upstart. For Golden State they are like Dallas needing one more good player to have a shot at the title, again did somebody say Jimmy Butler. The Rockets will continue to improve and need a little bit more time, a year or so to be a true title contender. FWIW, I know some people are saying you don’t call a foul at the end of a close game, let the players decide. My take a foul is a foul no matter when it is committed and that was a foul.
