NBA at the Break

The NBA at the Break

Signs like this one have been appearing everywhere Jeremy Lin has played.

Note: There was no posting in the past few weeks because I had surgery. I will now be back to posting weekly.

After an extremely long, unnecessary lockout, the 30 NBA teams began the 66 game season on Christmas Day. The season began with Carmelo Anthony leading the Knicks to a 106-104 victory over the Boston Celtics. Anthony and his compatriot Amare Stoudemire had been carrying the Knicks, until about two weeks ago. With Anthony injured, and Amare grieving the death of his brother; an unknown, twice cut, Harvard educated point guard stepped up to the challenge. You know his name.Jeremy Lin. Lin has dominated this season as a starter for the Knicks. He has been the Tebow of the NBA. 

So, what else is going on? Well the defending champion Mavericks got off to a very slow start. Led by Dirk, a new look Mavs team bounced back, and is now in fourth place in the Western Conference. How’s the Big Three doing? Well, in their last game before the All-Star Break, they figured out a way to stop Linsanity. But besides that, the Miami Heat has dominated. They finished with the best record at the break, a half a game ahead of the Bulls. 

Okay, now, what about the teams who didn’t make the championship? Well, the Lakers, coached by new coach Mike Brown cannot seem to win on the road. A 6-12 road record, harms the almost perfect home record. Kobe has been his old solid self, leading the league in scoring with 28 points per game, as well as third in minutes per game. Kobe has tried to convince Lakers’ management to trade or to keep Pau Gasol. 

He's playing well, but Kobe has to be upset with the Lakers' play.

Despite constant speculation, Dwight Howard has stayed with the Orlando Magic. Lakers fans want him, Nets fans want him, but the Magic fans have him. Who knows if he will stay there for the rest of the season? Lamar Odom struggled at first, but has played better recently in his first year for the Mavs. Odom left the Lakers in a bittersweet trade for some cash and a draft pick.

And of course who could be forgetting the Clippers? Led by new acquisitions Chris Paul, and the now injured Chauncey Billups, as well as Blake Griffin,  the Clippers have cruised this season. They even beat their rival, the Lakeshow at one point. Coach Del Negro has coached the Clippers to third place in the conference. 

Oh yeah, there’s Durant too. Durant and his Thunder crew have been ballin’ it up this season, winning 27, and losing only seven. Good for first in the conference. The Thunder could be able to reach the Finals this season, and Durant can finally erase all the doubters, not that he has many. 

How Chris Paul Affects Both the Clippers and Lakers

Chris Paul has come to one of the most famous cities in the world. He gets a chance to play in one of the most prestigious arenas in the NBA. However, he’s not suiting up for the purple and gold. Instead, he’s suiting up for the Red and Blue. Instead of going to the famous LA Lakers, CP3 is coming to ball with Blake the Snake. 

Chris Paul should have been on the Lakers. Paul and Kobe should have been in the same backcourt. The NBA disallowed the trade. Blame David Stern, blame the Hornets, doesn’t matter. What matters is that Paul will join a backcourt with the aging Chauncey Billups at the two guard, and Mo Williams to back him up.  Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, and Al-Farouq Aminu were packaged to N’awlins to complete the trade. The signing of Paul excites a Clippers fan base that has endured countless terrible seasons and players. 

Is Chris Paul the missing piece that the Clippers needed? Will he lead them to the play-offs? Will he start a Clipshow dynasty? Will he make the Clippers the talk of the town? He just might. He just might. If B-Griff is ever having an off night, CP3 can score at will. If CP3 isn’t scoring, then Blake can dunk on the opposition. If they are both missing shots, another new acquisition, Caron Butler, can score as well. 

The main question about Paul is, can his new team dethrone the Lakeshow? Sadly Laker fans, it could be  possible. The Clippers have a solid playmaker now, who is going to play alongside a guy who can jump over a car. If Blake Griffin can continue his stellar scoring and rebounding, to go along with the veteran leadership of Caron Butler, the Lakers could be in trouble. That being said, the Lakers still have the necessary  experience in the postseason. 

The Clippers traded away the one remaining player from the team’s last playoff appearance, Chris Kaman. Chauncey Billups, Mo Williams, as well as Chris Paul, were all brought in to playoff experience to the team. Those three players will attempt to lead the Clippers back into the postseason for the first time since the ’05-06 season. The only player on the roster who has won a championship, is the aging Billups. The Lakers have Kobe, Fish, Pau, Metta World Peace, and even Luke Walton, who all have won championships. 

Everything is against Paul. The “Clippers Curse” is destined for him. Will he get injured before he plays in a game, like Blake Griffin? Or will his stats take a steep decline? Fortunately for the loyal Clippers fans, Paul is healthy and as far as we know, excited to play in LA. 

No. The Clippers will not dethrone the Lakers for the top team in Los Angeles. The Clippers will however, make a giant improvement with in the win column, and will contend for a play-off spot. Will Chris Paul be hit with the Lakers curse? Unlikely. Will CP3 and Blake the Snake lead the other Los Angeles team to a championship? Unlikelier. Will Donald Sterling lead the Clippers out of the Doldrums? Keep on Dreamin’.