Everyone has been saying that the NBA has become too predictable. But this season has had some pretty unpredictable developments. Fultz being unable to shoot, the Griffin trade, Oladipo turning into an all star, IT being horrible etc What is the one that you least expected? For me is the Kawhi saga. Never would I have expected that the quiet Kawhi would end up being involved in such a situation and the Spurs who always seem to be praised for the perfect team and always peaceful and under control to face such a problem with their young franchise player.
Maybe the emergence of the Sixers. I didnt expect them to be on the third seed. They have a legit shot at the ECF. And yeah definitely kawhi.
1. Rockets getting the 1st seed 2. Harden winning MVP 3. Westbrook averaging triple double 4. Kawhi drama
I think Spurs might want a little more media attention to swap stars........with that mediocre market of theirs. I dun think they'd do it though.
Lebron’s performance as a person, Rockets as a team. Surprise literally is Ben Simmons, had seen zero games, forgot about him being drafted at all with all the Sixers injuries last year so it was a total surprise. Donovan Mitchell close second. Given the narrative, the Leonard drama is definitely odd, but not totally out of the blue given Leonard’s personality, the injury issues and the Aldridge ‘drama’.
Jazz ahead of the Wolves in the standings. Wolves fighting to keep the eighth seed. Donovan Mitchell a legit ROY contender. Pretty solid predictions from what!
Well, he had to blow his Achilles to provide that positive impact: With Cousins: 27-21 (.563) Without Cousins: 20-13 (.606)
That's definitely true, but for once I couldn't blame him specifically for the poor record. He was in shape, his head was in the right place.
Jazz are on the 70 wins pace since January 22. I've just found out this this morning. On Jan. 22, Utah was struggling along at 19-28 and 10th in the Western Conference. After losing star forward Gordon Hayward to free agency over the summer and getting off to that slow first half. From January 22 to April 10, they have only lost 5 games. Jazz are the most dangerous team in the playoffs.
The Leonard situation was a big surprise for sure. The expectation with Popovich is that everyone will always be on the same page and that obviously isn't the case. The Sixers are not a surprise at all, they had a lot of talent on that roster and will be the favorites in the East next season. I am somewhat surprised that the Timberwolves have not been better. I expected them to be a lower scoring team, but I thought Thibs would have them a top 5 defense in the NBA. That simply hasn't happened. Oladipo is a surprise. I knew he could get 20 a night but I didn't think he would be this dynamic. Donovan Mitchell is one as well. Jayson Tatum has been better, earlier than I expected. Also the Rockets running away with the West is a surprise. I expected 56-58 wins but they are pushing 65-66 wins. The Blazers defensive improvement has surprised me too. The Rockets plan to pass LESS and putting an emphasis on causing turnovers was brilliant. With Paul and Harden in an MDA offense, everyone expected MORE passing. The Rockets decided to cut turnovers by passing less and forcing their own turnovers. Doing this has allowed the Rockets to win even when they are not hitting 36-37% of their 3's. Those extra 3-4 posessions a game are huge, coupled with the Rockets improved defense. People underestimate the improvement from Beverly to Paul on the defensive side of the ball. I noticed it last year, but I am also surprised that the Warriors have failed to adjust to the adjustments made by the rest of the league. It doesn't sound like much, but the offense and defense ran by the Warriors isn't quite as novel or special because they haven't adjusted at all this season. We will see if they are able to squeak out another title or if teams like Houston and Toronto have made enough adjustments to beat them.
If this season ends with us losing to Seattle in the semis or Utah in the conference finals like the last time we had a real shot of winning it all, I am done with basketball. Especially if John Stockton shows up out of no where and suits up. I can't believe I still have PTSD from that night in 97.
Spurs system with Pop can always overachieve. Utah to me is the biggest surprise of the season. Losing Hayward and starting out like they would be fighting for a top 3 lottery pick and could end up with the 3rd seed in the West. That's incredible man. PS: **** the j*zz
