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We take a scenic ride across the Wild West for this scoop. Several headlines make up the Western Conference; including the NBA In-Season Tournament dub by the LakeShow. We got a wild headbanded Luka preying down; a shivering timbers roller-coaster ride in Denver; and the Timberwolves forming dominance on the outskirts up north & atop the conference.
Lakers are takin' in the "we did it first' Soulja Boy vibes becoming the first to win the NBA Cup. Lakers finished the In-Season Tournament with a perfect 7-0 record with notable wins over the Suns and the finals dub over the Pacers. LA took big advantage of the "practice" reps as they look for another ring to help payoff the expense of acquiring Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
It's shallow and close-minded thinking to say the knockout games didn't hold weight and importance in terms of practice reps for the big dance. The tournament win plays huge in the Lakers' growth as they search for the playoffs. Lakers, who are 4-7 on the road this season; won two neutral site games in Las Vegas; two road games in the pool play; and got a taste of playoff atmosphere with the quarterfinals win over the Suns. If that isn't a jumpstarter; I don't know what is. Now the Lakers ride a three game winning streak to sit 4th in the West & have a shiny new gold cup in the locker room to look at & build even more confidence from.
Real quick, lets talk about the final tournament games. It's safe to say mission accomplished in regards to the tournament games creating a new level of excitement in November & December of the NBA season. That left no doubt; especially the Quarterfinals. Kudos to Adam Silver and co. I will say, moving the Semis to neutral site Vegas was the only bad decision. The atmosphere for the quarterfinal was off the charts electric, considering it's the regular season. Those crowds brought the noise; making the tourney what it was as the teams fed off the noise to play like it was the playoffs. Indianapolis; Sacramento; and Milwaukee... shoutout to you. Those electric atmosphere vibes didn't carry over to the neutral site games. Vegas didn't get the memo... it's neutral how could they compare well to an inner-market? They could have channeled in NFL Germany's vibes, but whatever. Should have kept the games in-market to have the best quality and make the pool play have the proper importance. Nontheless, the tournament was a success. The courts and jerseys definitely made things more appealing.
Now back to the Lakers... they used the tournament to elevate their play and their season going into the new year. Fans and coaches couldn't have asked for anything more out of it. Both LeBron and AD stepped up and showed they still have that bark. Anthony Davis was SUPERB in the championship game over the Pacers. AD loves himself some neutral site games (the Bubble). The cat posted 41/20 on 66.7% shootin' and sent 4 shots packin' being a maestro in the defensive paint as well as on the offensive. AD is the only Laker to post 40/20 in the past 20 years, doing so twice: in October of 2019 and against the Pacers Saturday night. If you compare the In-Season tourney's Winner-Take-All finale with the NBA Playoffs- AD joins hoop Gods Charles Barkley; Elgin Baylor; and Wilt Chamberlain (x2) as the only players to post 40/20 or better in a Winner-Take-All game. Davis was all over the floor; this quick snippet allows you to visualize his effort to full justice:
video via Los Angeles Lakers//x
AD was LOCKED in and took the shine in the final, but the King got them there as he was respectfully awarded the tournament MVP. Bron had big games versus the Suns and Pels that followed superb play across the group-play (pool). Lakers now lead the Pacific division and sit tight at the 4 spot atop the Western Conference. LA exploited the tourney and used it to elevate their play... now that's how you do it. They ride a solid heatwave going into a light slate of comp before runnin' into a dog fight towards the latter part of December with games against the C's; T-Wolves (x2); and the Thunder. Good for them, lets see where the Lakers go from here. Despite the fun that came from the tourney & our desire to force importance: AD had to keep it real:
In the age of Twitter (X), we have proclaimed many different "personas" as mythical figures that define a fictional meme of godly power and greatness. The hardwood has seen a handful of these figures: Hoodie Melo; Linsanity; Angry Bron; Bubble Jimmy Butler; and Masked Embiid have taken the cake. Now we add another... Headband Luka is HERE.
Headband Luka Doncic DESTROYED the basement Jazz on the 6th. Luka recorded a first half triple-double and ended the game with a final line of 40 points; 11 assists; 10 rebounds; and a +34 to help the Mavericks to a 50-point massacre. Wasn't just the box scores that Luka was haunting. Doncic was FULL of smoke; and let it loose. He also got to spittin' after each basket drop... which is demoralizing to a defender. Gettin' pieced up while being chirped on... yeah that makes 'em want to hit the tunnel, cha heard. Luka was ALL in the Jazz head, especially Mr. Kris Dunn:
video via Bally Sports Southwest//X
Headband Luka was Dunn's grim reaper that night; had that man FULL of anger. Finger in the face and all... I guess that's one way of trying to get someone to stop embarrassing you on the hardwood. As you may have predicted; that was a bad move on Dunn's part. Luka had that man in hell and gave us one of the most stone cold and disrespectful hot mic moments in some time:
Definition of getting "cooked"; Luka is a baaaaad man & I suggest you C-grade hoopers to stop testing him. I don't recommend it to A-grade hoopers, but Kris Dunn!? My man, learn your role and.... you know the rest. Luka brought out the white headband (white on white) on the Rockets to elevate the Mavs to back-to-back dubs- it may not have held the same level of power the black band did, but Headband Luka gets the job done regardless. Will he bring it out the headband for the rematch tonight versus the Grizzlies? If he does then Dallas might have some bear meat ready for the cooking.
Did the Avalanche meet up and drop some roller coaster knowledge on the Nuggets at a charity event in Colorado or something? I ask because it seems the Nuggs got some bad advice or decided to take a page outta the Avs' book.
After winning four games in a row, the Nuggs have now lost three straight to move to 5-5 in their last 10 games. They are missing guys like Jeff Green and Bruce Brown Jr. badly, as their lack of depth and poor bench is a major reason for their recent slope ride. The inconsistent play of Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon account for the rest of the pie. Both guys have been up and down with far more downs. Nuggets need both those guys to get back to their positive ways. Jokic continues to thrill the hardwood, but he still needs aid from his teammates. Denver has a slate of Eastern Conference foes on the slate next with two notable matchups with the Thunder and Mavericks in the middle of it. Lets see if they can get their ball back moving and climb themselves back up the ladder in the West.
Record since last drop: 3-1
Notable wins: N/A
Timberwolves' wins since the last drop may be against basement teams, but they now soar among all with the top record in the NBA. Minnesota continues to be stellar at home this season as they see Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert elevate their games on both ends of the court to help aid Anthony Edwards. They now strap up to play the best of the best across the league in the coming weeks with a slew of mega-matchups on the road. Minny is ready to prove themselves as a consistent top dog.
Next up: @ DAL, vs IND, @ MIA, @ PHI, vs LAL
Record since last drop: 2-1
Notable wins: vs PHI, vs NYK
Celtics lost a tough one in a banger versus the Pacers in the In-Season tourney, but they still run the East right now and have won 7 of their last 10. They have 4 games left on their 5 game homestand: back-to-back vs the Cavs and then back-to-back with the Magic. Odd schedule making, but the C's have a chance to make a statement within the East.
Next up: vs CLE, vs CLE, vs ORL, vs ORL
Record since last drop: 2-2
Notable wins: vs CLE
Magic sit tight at the three spot despite droppin' two tough Ls in the East against the Cavs and Nets. Orlando has won 11 of their last 13 and continue to be one of the hottest teams from top to bottom. Paolo Banchero is turnin' into a superstar and has elevated the Magic to another level. They have two huge games up next against the Celtics and then run things up with the Heat and Bucks. Giddy up time in Orlando.
Next up: @ BOS, @ BOS, vs MIA, @ MIL
Record since last drop: 2-1
Notable wins: vs NYK
Bucks lost a banger in the Semis of the tourney versus Indiana and have a loss by the hands of the Celtics... they still sit at 4 in my PRs. The deer don't sit comfortably, they have some anxiety clawin' up their bones. Milwaukee has struggled against the top teams in the East with a 1-4 record against the 4 other seeds that make up the current top 5 of the standings (ORL; IND; BOS; PHI). Their slate has the Pacers next with the Magic and Knicks (back-to-back) waiting in the distance; lets see if the Bucks can change that narrative to remain atop the PRs.
Next up: vs IND, vs DET, vs HOU, vs SAS
Record since last drop: 3-1
Notable wins: @ DAL
OKC is back on track winnin' 4 of their last 5 after droppin' two huge games back-to-back to the T-Wolves and Sixers. Thunder sit in the two spot atop the Western Conference as they continue their fist fight with the T-Wolves atop the Northwest. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander refuses to be tamed on the hardwood as he continues to elevate his game. Thunder have an important two game road-trip versus the Kings and Nuggets next as they see the LAs and T-Wolves waiting in the distance. If SGA keeps showin' up with some Gretzky drip; the Thunder will be just fine:
video via NBA Canada//X
Next up: @ SAC, @ DEN, vs MEM, vs LAC, vs LAL
Record since last drop: 4-0
Notable wins: vs IND (Tournament Championship), vs PHX
Lakers are the first NBA Cup champions, going 7-0 in the tournament to help them win 4 straight since the last PR drop. The climb is justified, if people complain on this one: then you can go kick rocks. AD and 'Bron have stepped up as of late; to prove they are owed recognition atop the West. Now they have a chance to put that in stone with some SERIOUS games on the road coming up that include battles with the Thunder; Mavs; and Timberwolves.
Next up: @ DAL, @ SAS, @ SAS, vs NYK
Record since last drop: 3-0
Notable wins: vs ATL
Philly stays put at 7 as they take advantage of an easy slate on the schedj against the basement of the East. Embiid has woken up in the box scores as he is on a tear with two massacres of the Wizards that included a 50-burger. Sixers have back-to-back games next with the Pistons; they have a chance to be the team to hand Detroit their worst losing streak in franchise history. I expect Embiid to continue his tear.
Next up: @ DET, vs DET, @ CHA, vs CHI
Record since last drop: 3-0
Notable wins: N/A
Southwest leadin' Mavericks are back on a winning streak (3), thanks to Headband Luka. Those games might have been against light comp, but seeing Luka in the mood he is in, gives the Mavs major confidence. Which is needed as the comp' bar gets filled as they run things up with the Lakers; T-Wolves; and Nuggets in the next four games. Can the Mavs climb back up to the top 5? The schedj gives them a golden opportunity to do so.
Next up: vs LAL, vs MIN, @ POR, @ DEN
Record since last drop: 1-3
Notable wins: N/A
As I touched on, the Nuggs keep ridin' the slopes. They drop more in the rankings as they have gone 1-3 since the last drop. The rotation needs to step up and aid Jokic or they will just keep ridin' the slopes. With the Mavs and Thunder on the near future slate- Nuggets look to gather some winning consistency to remain in the top 10 of the PRs.
Next up: @ CHI, vs BKN, vs OKC, vs DAL
Record since last drop: 3-1
Notable wins: vs BOS, @ MIA, @ MIL
Pacers may have lost the tourney championship game to the Lakers, but they still slayed the Heat, Celtics, and Bucks since the last drop. Haliburton continues to be electric on the hardwood, elevating the Pacers into the top 10 of the rankings. They look to keep climbing with a golden three game road trip next that includes battles with the Bucks & Timberwolves.
Next up: @ MIL, @ WAS, @ MIN, vs LAL
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