Utah is one of the forgotten basketball cities. Deep in the middle of America, full of let’s, say a lack of diversity, is a team that most people don’t describe as “fun.” Even in the days of Karl Malone and Stockton, the Jazz were a dominant team that no one but their own fans enjoyed. Slow, methodical, grind out games that went far but never could get over the hump. Now, that hump happened to be the greatest player of all-time in Michael Jordan; however, there is still something about this seemingly dull team clashing with one of the most effortlessly cool sports teams to ever grace a court. 

The Jazz’s identity has always been sequestered in Utah. Rarely do you meet a Jazz fan in the wild. The Jazz is almost like a less traditional religion. You’re born in it, no one else really understands and people get pissed when you try to force it on them. 

The 2020 Jazz aren’t doing anything to change this reputation. Albeit, Donovan Mitchell’s exuberant 2000’s era one-on-one playstyle has brought attention to the team and is the reason why the Jazz are on the brink of championship contention. The Jazz haven’t had a gunslinger like Mitchell, maybe ever. A combination of explosiveness and bravado that’s not seen often in Utah. Mike Conley, is a Utah Jazz guard, that makes sense. 

For the team they’ve built, and how fast they ascended into playoff success, Utah should be celebrated more. They lost their star player but never had to tank. They fell right into another generational talent that no one else saw. The problem is the youthful bump fades fast, especially when you’re not an entertaining team. The second you go to the playoffs once and have a couple of all-stars, your expectations in the public perception multiply. This year has the makings to be another let down for the Salt Lake City crew. How they’re constructed right now is not in a way that’ll lead them to the bubble chip. Frankly, they can’t score. 

In a decade of an offensive explosion, it’s probably better to be really good at putting up points. If that can’t be done, then it’s going to take a historic defensive effort to stick out. The Jazz do neither. They average 112 points a night, which is tied to the second-worst mark among western conference playoff teams. Now, they are a top-10 defense in both ratings and points allowed. That’s nowhere near enough defense though to stop some of the best teams in the league, something the Rockets exploited the last two years in the playoffs. 

Good defense only gets you so far, if your offense is average, it’s a moot point. This is where Rudy Gobert comes into mind. The reigning defensive player of the year and a consensus top-5 defensive player. On paper, looks great, on the court he seems vastly overrated. It’s proven that he can’t guard one through five. Teams expose him in pick and rolls by continually trying to get him to switch on a smaller and quicker guard. Against someone like Russell Westbrook, this works because Gobert doesn’t have to chase him. On Damian Lillard or James Harden, he becomes unplayable. To be honest, though, people an appropriate size have trouble guarding those guys, so maybe you have to respect the great defense Gobert plays in the post. 

**Nikola Jokic enters the chat. **

The star big man for the team that’s a direct comparison for the Jazz routinely tears up Gobert. In three games this season, he’s averaged 29.3 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. The Nuggets are also 3-0 in those games. Yesterday, Jokic got Gobert to foul out, ultimately hampering Utah’s frontcourt depth. 

Again, this would be fine if he wasn’t so limited on offense. Gobert shoots 60 percent from the line and averages 15 points a game, which takes a laborious effort. He’s not a player you want with his back to the basket. He’s Deandre Jordan, a rim-runner. But for a team that doesn’t get assists, that’s not helpful. 

The Jazz are 26th in the league in assists. The only teams in the last 20 years that have won a championship outside of the top-15 are coincidentally two Miami Heat teams, 2006 and 2012. One of those teams had prime D-wade, and the other had prime Lebron. The Jazz do not have either of those guys. This means they’re relying heavily on one-on-one play, a poor match for their personell. When they need a bucket, everyone on the court knows Donovan Mitchell will try to force one up. This leads to prolonged droughts during the game, where it seems impossible for them to get a basket. When they played the Lakers, they scored 15 points in the first quarter, the lowest of any team in any quarter all season. Not having Bogdanivc hurts a lot for sure, but the biggest problem is a reliance on Jordan Clarkson.

Clarkson should never be in the running for the second option on your team. He can provide a spark off the bench, but he’s too volatile from game to game. As of right now, he’s one of three Jazz players to average 15 points since the day he was traded. That means most games, Utah is relying on one in the trio of Clarkson, Conley and Gobert to reach 20 points and help Mitchell. Once Donovan goes out of the game, all of the scoring gets thrown to Clarkson. The Jazz have one of the lowest scoring beaches in the league. In total, the bench averages 33 points a game, Clarkson averages 15 of them. 

Much like depending on Clarkson, the Jazz have an over-reliance on the three-point shot. Thirty-nine percent of their points come from three.  The Jazz excel at screen assists, in which they lead the league, and it shows here. They’re able to get their shooters open from three and hit a reasonably high rate. Things go awry when they get cold. That’s the concern for every jump-shooting team, especially when you only have one rotiation player who shoots 40 percent. That’s what can diminish an 18-point lead. Next thing you know, you miss 11 out of 12 shots down the stretch, and you come out on the short side of the scoreboard like they did yesterday versus the Nuggets. 

As it stands right now, the Jazz will probably be bounced in the first round. The west is a gauntlet and next season will only be more stringent. In Utah getting free agents is a tough proposition, so even though paying Rudy Gobert $60 million is baffling, it’s necessary. Quin Snyder has to help take the ball out of Mitchell’s hands and surround him with other playmakers. Finding balanced scorers on the bench will help too. 

Bubbles are no longer just a part of Seinfeld references or a plotline in the Simpson movie. The NBA is back amidst a pandemic and for the next three months, 22 teams will be competing completely isolated in Disney World. 

It still doesn’t feel real. Since the Coronavirus shut down not only the league, but the country, on March 11th, it seems like there have been setbacks at every turn. Up until last month, having sports at all was near unobtainable. Even now, we’ve seen the MLS have a rocky start having to exclude two teams from their own tournament bubble. The MLB, only a week in, has had a massive team outbreak after they refused the bubble lifestyle. For this, the NBA deserves credit. Through 20 straight rounds of testing they’ve had no positive tests and have consistently enforced their own requirements. Will it work indefinitely? No one knows, but right now, NBA basketball is back and on the verge of one of the most wide-open playoffs in a decade. 

So the question is, how does this quite work? There is no precedence for where the league is at right now. Players had an off-season like layoff only to return to a season put on pause. There are 22 teams in this bubble vying for 16 playoff spots. There are eight “seeding games,” which act as the defacto last two weeks of the regular season. Organizations are jostling for playoff positions and, in the West especially, looking to eek their way into the postseason at all. 

This is where the slightly confusing idea of play-in games comes in. Currently, four teams are four games behind the Memphis Grizzlies, the 8th seed in the West as it stands right now. For a team to qualify for the play-in, they must be within that four-game mark. The team with the best record or that owns the tiebreaker will be the ninth seed going into this grudge match. Once the seeding games conclude, whoever the eighth seed ends up being will enter a single-elimination series with the ninth seed. As an advantage, the eighth seed will have double immunity, meaning the ninth has to knock them off twice to jump them in the standings and earn a playoff spot. Now, were there better ideas? Of course, this was the time for the league to experiment with entertaining postseason products. They definitely didn’t need to invite the Wizards, who are also looking for a shot at a play-in game, but no one really wants to watch. It’s not perfect, but it’s the criteria.

 Now that the stakes are lined out, here is what to watch for as the regular season comes to a close. 

Blazers are an Overqualified Nine Seed

One year after the Blazers experienced their most successful season since the new millennium, they find themselves just outside the playoffs. Damian Lillard is still an MVP caliber player. Through 58 games, he’s averaged 28.9 points and 7.8 assists a night, all career bests. Not to mention he’s more effective than ever shooting 29 percent from three and 45 percent from the field. He’s relatively been unguardable, especially when you consider that every other three he takes is from damn near over 30 feet. The Blazers’ record doesn’t reflect Lillard’s output, what it does represent is how decimated their frontcourt was throughout the pre-bubble season. 

From last year’s Western Conference finals team, three rotational bigs departed in free agency, Meyers Leonard, Enes Kanter and Al-Farouq Aminu. Going into this year, the plan was for the former Gonzaga product, Zach Collins, to flourish and fill in the missing gaps. That thought was short-lived as he injured his shoulder during the third game of the season, knocking him out for the remainder of the year. 

Injuries are no stranger to the Blazer’s frontcourt. Before the playoffs last year, Jusuf Nurkic went down. Nurkic was the team leader in rebounds and third in points. According to Basketball Reference, the Blazers number one duo wasn’t Lillard and Mccollum but actually Lillard and Nurkic. When those two were on the floor together, they outscored their opponents by 436 points. This was the 18th most effective two-man lineup in the league and only one of three duos who weren’t on the Bucks, the Warriors or the Raptors. Those are elite numbers, especially in a season highlighted by the shift away from big threes to big twos. 

Without Nurkic, Portland had to plug and play to recreate his productivity. This led to the additions of Hassan Whiteside and Carmelo Anthony. Whiteside being one of the top empty stats guys to ever play in the league, hasn’t helped the Blazers add to the win column. Melo added a much-needed boost in points not reliant on Lillard or Mccollum, but he’s no longer the x-factor he once was. 

All that is a thing of the past though, as Nurkic and Collins rejoin their squad in Orlando. Three games behind the eighth spot, Portland is primed for an eight-game run that could catapult them into the playoffs. Many fans want to see the Pelicans slide into the postseason, but trying to jump this veteran Blazer team seems unlikely, especially since they own the tiebreaker. The Grizzlies should also be looking over the shoulders at what’s coming. Last year, Portland not only made the conference finals without Nurkic but had a double-digit lead in three out of the four games. Now, Nurkic doesn’t win them that series; however, it’s proven that they’re much better with him on the floor. A young Memphis lineup who hasn’t played many meaningful games in the NBA will have their hands full with a healthy veteran Blazers team. It also helps to have arguably the most clutch player in the league in Damian Lillard, who always shines in pressure situations.

The only thing standing in the way of the Blazers getting into the eighth seed is their strength of schedule over the final eight games. They have the third hardest slate of games. Every single game is against a team currently in the playoffs and three against top-five teams. Their first game is against Memphis though, meaning if they’re able to win, that’s one game more of play-in security. 

Look for the Blazers to put themselves in an excellent position for a chance at a play-in game. 

Ben Simmons Moves to Power Forward

It’s undeniable to say that the Sixers are a good team. They have two all-star players, a top-10 defensive rating, and are nearly unbeatable at home. On paper, it looks like it should all make sense. They just haven’t been able to be a great team. 

Since last year, they’ve regressed on offense tremendously, going from 114 points per game with a 111.6 offensive rating to 109 points a night and a 109.6 rating. Twenty teams outscore them on a nightly basis, two of those being Phoenix and Washington, who didn’t have an all-star this year and didn’t have half the overall talent. Philadelphia lost Jimmy Butler in free agency but managed to recoup both Al Horford and Josh Richardson. Butler did not solely account for the five-point drop in production, but what he provided the team wasn’t replaced. 

Where the Sixers struggle is spacing. It’s become overused and cliche to say Simmons needs to develop a jump shot in order to remedy these problems. That’s not entirely true. Yes, the team runs into problems because of Simmons’ lack of jump shots causing clogging in the high post where Joel Embiid likes to operate. At times, it can seem useless to have Simmons on the floor on offense standing idly at the top of the arc or on the free-throw line. He has thrived in the dunker’s spot off the ball, though. This is what Brett Brown is betting on. 

It’s been reported that the Sixers are practicing exclusively with Simmons playing the four and Shake Milton at the one. Shake Milton is a damn sniper. After not starting any games in his two-year career, he was thrust into the lineup when Simmons got hurt in February. Over his last seven starts, he averaged 17.9 points on 58 percent shooting from three. For a team that shoots 36 percent from three, about an average mark in the league, that’s a welcome sight. Most importantly, Milton can handle the ball much like Butler did at times last year, giving Embiid more room to operate. 

Simmons will likely handle the ball as well, seeing as though positions no longer truly matter, but he will also be setting more on-ball screens rather than receiving them. With him as a skilled playmaking rim runner, it’ll be easier for Harris and Richardson to get open looks. 

The Sixers still haven’t proven that they can be consistent, but with Simmons at the four, it’s more than possible for them to return to their offensive highs of last season. 

Social Justice

Sports are no longer an escape. They really never were, but some people tried to block it out. After George Floyd, there is no running from coming to grips with the fact that America is still a racist nation. NBA players are standing up alongside millions of black Americans who are tired of being hunted down by the people who are sworn to protect them. Before the bubble, players attended marches, putting aside risks of the pandemic, speaking up and giving attention to what’s been perceived as taboo. 

In starting back up the league, the NBPA voiced concerns about taking prominent voices away from the fight to sequester in Orlando. The NBA did a good job of trying to compromise and provide ways for them to amplify their messages. This included PSAs, having causes written on the back of jerseys and scheduling speakers to further educate. Still, there are empty gestures. Writing “Black Lives Matter” on the court doesn’t absolve racism or force people to care. How is “Equality” more acceptable than writing “George Floyd?” Censorship should be avoided. The NBA waiving the rule of having to stand for the anthem is a start, but if you say you want to give your players a voice, give them an unfiltered one. Whether that’s Michael porter Jr. spouting off nonsense about Coronavirus or Ja Morant saying “fuck 12.”

Individual teams are still searching for their own unified messages. The Raptors made their intentions clear as they arrived in bus with “Black Lives Matter” written all over them. Anyone can check into Matisse Thybulle’s vlog and see Tobias Harris trying to bring together his teammates on a singular message. We’ve crossed the point where athletes are seen as brainless jocks. You have a predominantly black league that’s never had more power or been as approachable as it is right now. It doesn’t matter if people don’t want to hear it. These players can express themselves in ways that a sports league has never catered to before. Above any game or winner, this is what matters. 

Kobe was Inglewood

The place where he started his career. Playing in the Forum as a 17-year-old kid drafted by the Lakers in 1996. This wasn’t Kobe, the star. This was the Kobe that worked himself to the bone. The legend of his work ethic transcends any highlight he’s ever had. The “Mamba Mentality.” Tales of him working out at 4 a.m. when some players are coming back from a night out. Just like the community that surrounded his first professional home. 

This isn’t the LA you read about or see on TV. This is the hard work, no glitz, Los Angeles; that’s the reality for millions of people. Everything that the Clippers are trying to market themselves as right now, Kobe was. Black or Hispanic, you were watching Kobe. At any given moment, you could see someone walking around in a shirt with the x-ray of his hand, showing all the places it had jammed or fractured, but he always continued to play. 

Pain was a momentary nuisance to him. It didn’t matter if his Achilles ripped clean off the bone, best believe he’d go out there and shoot free throws. We all watched. Hit after hit, break after break, he was there. “You will not outwork me.” No one was more dedicated than Kobe. He had the aura around him that told everyone he wasn’t the one to mess with. That’s Inglewood. That’s where the LA ego comes from. The trash talk. No flinch. The I’ll go shut down your best player and give him 45 points on the other end kind of attitude. The I can do anything. 

Kobe was Hollywood

He was everywhere. Billboards, Nike commercials, rap videos and magazines. No celebrity shined brighter. His smile was the polar opposite of his trademark scowl. Kobe was a master storyteller. This is a guy that won an Academy Award only a year after playing. You could see him on a late-night show joking it up or talking about the love his life, his daughters. 

He’d let you know how Gigi would carry on his legacy and torch every court she’d ever play on. Just like her dad. 

He always thought about his legacy. 

From when he first entered the league, he said he’d be the best ever to do it and ended up the symbol for a generation. He embraced the spotlight as only one other Laker had, but there was only one Kobe. He found a way to put the perfect ending on everything he did. We saw this over and over again. At a point, it seemed Kobe was synonymous with game-winners. When the game was on the line and the clock under five, the ball would be in his hands. Even at the end of his career, he found a way to make it feel like a storybook. Sixty points, the most ever in a curtain call. 

Only Kobe. 

He’d always end right on time but leave you wanting more. 

Kobe was Chinatown.

24 is global. His reach goes far beyond the Staples Center. Some people have never spoken a word of English but screamed Kobe at the top of their lungs when he’d rise for a fadeaway. There is not one American born player that’s more popular than him in China. 

During his 20 years in the league, you could go to Chinatown and see him. Whether it was a knock off jersey or a framed picture, he connected to the community like no one else. The NBA has only been a global game for a short amount of time, and a lot of that had to do with him. The feeling that you get watching him contort his body through the air to get to the basket was universal. 

Everyone wanted to defy the odds like Kobe. 

Kobe was Downtown

Staples Center, the place he ended his career. The house that Kobe built. 

Until 2000, it had been almost a decade since Los Angeles had won a sports title. Anywhere else in the country that’s celebrated. Not in LA. This is a town that doesn’t celebrate winners, it requires them. Kobe was the ultimate winner. Five championships. Tied for the most out of anyone that ever wore the royal purple and gold. 

He wore it as a badge of honor. 

Celebrities, icons and moguls all looked up to him. The city showed love for him unlike anyone else because every night in the confines of Staples he’d put on a show. 

81 points. 

There have been countless great scorers in the NBA but no one turned putting the ball in the hoop into an artistic expression. At times, it seems like he’d create challenges for himself to increase the entertainment. He’d go out of his way to shoot over a double team or to find a new player to dunk over. 

The images of him celebrating will live on forever. Hands outstretched, confetti raining around him as he stood over an entire city in attendance. He was a star, unlike any other. 

Kobe was LA.

One of my first memories was going to the 2000 championship parade. As a kid growing up in Los Angeles, nothing came before the Lakers. My parents had been fans all their lives, and they passed it on to my siblings and me as if it was hereditary. My mother dressed us up in matching eight jerseys, each with a pair of Kobe signature shoes to match. A laker flag proudly clung to the window of our car just like every other one that passed by. Millions of people coming to pay their respect to a team that brought success back to the city. Me, hanging on to my dad’s shoulders above the sea of gold and purple, hoping to catch a glimpse of the float pass by. 

Those same millions mourned on Sunday.

“This is how 9/11 felt.”

That’s what my mother told me on the phone that day. Tragedy. A life that was supposed to be here for decades to come was ripped away from us on a freak accident. It can’t be described what he meant to my home town. He was the guy that held everyone together. An invisible fabric that you didn’t acknowledge but knew at all times was there. 

It made us all rethink our relationships and mourn together. Saying an extra “I love you” because we were reminded how fragile life is. Knowing that everyone you pass is going through the same amount of grief. Crying next to a stranger for someone you loved equally. It’s more than just about sports.

Kobe Bryant was a Religion. 

Stats were meaningless arguing about Kobe. Something I frequently did after my love for the Lakers faded because my favorite player Shaq left. 

There was no use.

Kobe wasn’t great because of his stats. It was his essence. How do you boil down emotion into a qualitative stat? The feeling you got when he was on the court was unlike any other. He made you respect him. You could feel a lot of things about Kobe Bryant, but you could never be indifferent. It was love or it was hate. Viewers had the same passion for watching him as he did playing. It didn’t even matter if you watched basketball. 

He touched everyone. 

I remember Sunday afternoons during the playoffs, the extended family that I’m not close with would come over. All I had to say was, “how about the Lakers?” They’d reply with, “how about Kobe?” 

He brought people together. 

Kobe was Everything to Me

It still doesn’t feel right. He shouldn’t be gone. For us, he was a superhero in real life. He’s embedded into everything we do. All over, kids would spend hours in the driveway mimicking every move he ever made. He was the cultural figure that was on the tip of our tongue when a crumpled up piece of paper was in hand. A universal signal that could light up a conversation at any time. 

He can’t be gone. 

Not like this. 

As a player, Kobe didn’t pass. He’s not allowed to pass away. Every night, between 94- feet of hardwood, he always found a way to do the impossible. Why not live forever? If anyone was to figure out immortality, it was him. 

This man made me fall in love with what I do now. I’m the person I am because of him. And now a piece of me is gone. 

I shouldn’t be crying this much over a person I never met, but I know there’s a city full of people who feel the same way I do. The town he inspired and loved with all his heart. He gave us 20 years. We watched him grow up as we grew with him. A representative that brought the world’s attention. 

A man who could never be duplicated or thanked. Only adored. 

 

With the dust finally starting to settle following one of the most hectic days in NBA history, leaving the league so shaken up that it now resembles a 2K fantasy draft, it is apparent that New Orleans Pelicans general manager David Griffin is a man with a plan.

While the fireworks started early with the news of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant teaming up in a Brooklyn, followed by continuous Woj bombs of Jimmy Butler headed to Miamiand Al Horford to the Sixers, there were some mid-tier moves that easily could have gone unnoticed. Once the clock struck midnight on the east coast, the young rebuilding Pelicans had acquired J.J. Redick and Derrick Favors, to go with their new prodigal son Zion Williamson.

These are not the moves of a team who plans on tanking. These are calculated deals that add not only a veteran presence in the locker room, but playoff-level talent that can win you games immediately. David Griffin didn’t come here to lose. Griffin hasn’t even been on the jobs three months and he’s already building around Zion better than the organization ever had with Anthony Davis.

After flipping the aforementioned star to the Lakers for the number four pick in the draft, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and three future first-rounders, Griffin played three-dimensional chess on draft night. Now, it’s not hard to win the draft when you have the number one pick, which happens to be a consensus generational talent, but it was the moves that followed that put his front office prowess on display. He traded the fourth pick, in a widely-considered three-person draft, and Solomon Hill’s albatross of a contract for the number 8, 17 and 35 picks, which he turned into Jaxson Hayes and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

Hayes, a rim runner and paint protector, can play next to Zion, allowing him to not always be the last line of defense, as the opposition drives to the basket.

Alexander-Walker was one of the most skilled perimeter defenders in the draft and is joining perhaps the best defensive backcourt in the league, in Jrue Holiday and Lonzo Ball.

Stockpiling young talent is one thing, but making a playoff push is different. That’s where yesterday’s signings come into play. Redick has been somewhat of a sharpshooting mercenary the last couple years. He left the Clippers to join the upstart Sixers for a massive payday and a chance to mentor a team, tasting its first bit of success. He brings a much-needed outside presence to the Pelicans, who’s been limited on shooters in previous seasons. Besides the $26 million that they offered him, Redick had to have seen something enticing building in New Orleans. This is a guy who has never missed the playoffs in his 13-year career.

By adding Favors, it doesn’t look as if that streak will end. Favors, who played increasing minutes at center the last two seasons, gives head coach Alvin Gentry the flexibility to play small and fast, just as he likes.

The west has been the powerhouse conference for the better part of a decade and this year is no different. Teams who missed the playoffs last year, like the Lakers and the Kings, have amped up their rosters, on top of the teams at the top staying mostly in tack. There’s still uncertainty just how good Zion will be out the gate, but he has the all the tools he needs around him.

Even if the Pelicans fall short of the playoffs this year, Griffin has made moves that will win him Executive of the Year in the future. Redick is signed up for two years and Favors only has one year left on his contract. This gives the team plenty of room to maneuver deals down the road once they know what they have with Zion and the young former Laker players.

If there was ever a time for people in New Orleans to start actually being a fan of basketball, the time is now with Griffin at the helm.

   The great Biggie Smalls once said, “Beef is when I see you it’s guaranteed to be an ICU.” When he wrote that I don’t think he had Jared Dudley in mind, but he probably didn’t expect a basketball team to wear jerseys that honor him. Welcome to gentrified Brooklyn, where the most entertaining series of the first round is taking place.

   On paper, this matchup shouldn’t even be worth discussing. Philadelphia has three all-stars on what many pundits call “the second best starting lineup in the league.” After trading for Jimmy Butler, then alternate universe J Cole, Tobias Harris, the Sixers were finally ready to shed “The Process” moniker and earnestly contend for a title. Joel Embiid had become the best center in the conference while Ben Simmons was still trying to put the glimpses he’s shown together.

   As could be said for Simmons could be said for the whole team. It was always glimpses. One night they could be finally getting over the hump against the rival Boston Celtics, or they could lose to the tank show in Atlanta off a buzzer beater from a guy who’s balding at 20. They’re never able to put all the pieces together. Sparking questions like, “Do they like each other?” or “Can they play together?” With high expectations comes pressure that can eat at a locker room.

   The Nets are far from that pressure. After getting fleeced for all their draft picks by Danny Ainge, for Paul Pierce of all people, the Nets have been in a constant rebuild. GM Sean Marks, obviously couldn’t do it process style so, through free agency and smart trades he made a team that frankly didn’t suck, they were fun. Brooklyn is far from an NBA title, but they’ve cultivated a group of guys that enjoy playing with each other and can get buckets. The guard trio of most improved candidate D’Angelo Russell, Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris Levert have proven that they can score on anybody.

   In every way, these teams are in stark contrast with each other, making this playoff matchup so compelling. In my best Bill Hader Stefon voice, this series has everything: a 7-foot movie villain, Kendall Jenner’s boyfriend fighting a senior citizen and… Joe Harris.

   We have to start with Ben Simmons. Chances are you came here to read more jokes about him rather than how Brett Brown counters Kenny Atkinson’s lineups. That is totally fine, it’s a lot of the reason why I wrote this.

For context, after game 2, human Franklin the turtle, Jared Dudley, was asked about Ben Simmons and said that he was outstanding on the fast break and average in the halfcourt.

   He wasn’t wrong. In space, Simmons looks like the Lebron/ Magic Johnson type we all hoped he’d be in the draft. He plays with a purpose, keeps his head on a swivel for open teammates and uses his large frame to bulldoze into defenders guarding the rim.

In the halfcourt though, more often than not you have him looking like Andre Roberson with a Nike deal. Defenders gap him so drastically that they clog the lane for Embiid and when it’s not the defenders he’s doing it. There are more clips of him bumping into his own teammates than times Jenner has cheated on him. A concern that scouts have had since his LSU days was whether or not he had the mythical killer instinct because on some nights he’d disappear from games.

   In game three this was not a concern. Simmons came to make a point, dropping 31 points, nine assists and one killer smirk. It was the best thing that could happen to the Sixers in round one. Jared Dudley brought out motivated Ben Simmons.

   Talking about this rivalry is like the galaxy brain meme. Tired: Liking Russel Westbrook vs. Damian Lillard. Wried: Jared Dudley vs. Ben Simmons. This series was made for Twitter. Game Four having Dudley bang a three, tell Ben Simmons “what’s up” and then somehow drag known internet troll Joel Embiid into it might be the greatest online achievement of 2019. Something about balding guys really gives the Sixers trouble. That “nobody” is having his moment in the sun. Ride on Jared Dudley.

   As far as the basketball, the games themselves live up to the meme ability of the extracurricular activities. Nothing is worse than having a series of blowouts with pettiness built in. That’s just sad. The Nets are an actual good basketball team. They’re never truly out of the game because they can shoot the lights out and play their hardest every single night. While Philly has one of the worst benches in this playoffs, Brooklyn has depth for days. The Nets exploit this deficiency and build up leads for themselves. Also, the “Bench Mob” as they call themselves have the best reactions in the league. Theo Pinson is still staring into my soul.

   Kenny Atkinson knows he doesn’t have the personnel to compete with the Sixers physically, so he opts for a small lineup of four guards and Jarret Allen to run them off the floor. Brown responds by sending out his biggest guys, Jimmy Butler plays the point, and that’s when we get to see the internet sensation himself Boban Marjanovic.

   Marjanovic has been a revelation this series, especially since Joel Embiid is battling knee tendinitis. He looks like the most dominant player on the court, towering over any Nets player that stands in his way, draining jumpers and dunking from his tiptoes. I can’t stress enough how much this series is an NBA twitter wet dream.

   Even if this series gets wrapped in five games, it’s a needed test for the Sixers going into their next matchup against the Raptors. Toronto is a much better version of this a Nets team as in they like to shoot threes and turn to small lineups frequently. The adjustments Brown’s squad makes here will be crucial in the next round as well. Also, hopefully for Sixer fans, Simmons realizes just how dominant he can be and will be on the attack going forward. They’ve already started to screen on his sagging defenders which opens up opportunities for him to get clear looks off of drives.

   Apologies to every other series but this s the only one that matters.

 

Portland isn’t quite the city everyone wants to talk about. A little hipster town, hidden away in the pacific northwest shrouded in rain and Fred Armisen references. It doesn’t scream “basketball town.” But in this town is a short, mid-major rapping basketball player that is the second best at the most loaded position in the game. Damian Lillard is that dude.

Off the bat, this is a conversation that will not include Steph Curry. Curry is in his own god level tier that every other point guard is desperately chasing. He was the first unanimous MVP for christ sake. That means unequivocally the media got together and was like “Yup that’s the best guy, not even close.” Do you realize how hard it is for the media to all agree on one thing? We still haven’t figured out whether we like LeBron or not. I digress, this is about Dame.

Now you may already be writing this off as stupid because no way is this awkward wrist tapping dude better than Russell Westbrook or Kyrie Irving (James Harden is a two guard, this is not an article defining the point guard position). I’ve heard it all, from, “Three straight seasons with a triple-double” to “Untucked Kyrie is the best player in the league.” All of these can be true but doesn’t take away from the fact that Damian Lillard is at the top of the mountain.

Let’s start with Russell. Believe me this a hard pill for me to swallow. Russell Westbrook is currently my favorite player in the league, and it’s been that way since he was a swagless bald kid from UCLA. Even I can put my bias aside for what Lillard is accomplishing right now. As much as Westbrook wants you to believe he’s been “busting that ass for years,” the stats say otherwise.

Starting with team record, the Trail Blazers have finished with a higher seed than the Thunder the last two years. Last year, the Blazers did get swept in the playoffs behind an awful stretch of games by Lillard, but the Pelicans had Anthony Davis while the Thunder lost to seventh-grade science teacher, Joe Ingles, so I count that as null and void. Lillard has done this without an all-star running mate. CJ McCollum is closer to an all-star podcasting vote than one as a basketball player. Paul George, on the other hand, is a top-10 player in the league and is most likely a top-five MVP candidate this year. So it’s not the roster.

Personally, I think the triple-double has become underrated, it’s an incredible feat whether or not 10 is an arbitrary number. Westbrook is a factor in all facets of the game. That said, it doesn’t mean he’s a better basketball player. For the last three years, his usage rate has reached astronomical Kobe levels. No one player should have the ball in their hands that much unless they’re equally as efficient.

Efficiency and Westbrook have a complicated relationship. When your play style is based on charging at top speed toward the hoop and using basketball to conquer all your personal vendettas, efficiency is going to be an afterthought on some nights. This season is his lowest efficiency rating since his sophomore year in the NBA, mostly because his field goal percentage resembles an Adam Sandler rotten tomatoes score.

Damian Lillard though is as efficient as they come. He doesn’t need to have the ball in his hands as much as Westbrook but still makes the most of his possessions. Lillard has a lower turnover rate and, to put it simply, he’s just better at putting the ball in the hoop. That’s the name of the game, isn’t it? Obviously, it isn’t all about who scores the most points, but when scoring is at an all-time high in the league, there’s an emphasis on it.  

Look at the series these two are playing in right now. Oklahoma City is a much better defensive team than Portland, but it can’t put points on the board. Meanwhile, you have Dame scoring 25 points in a quarter by himself keeping his team in the game under any circumstance. Westbrook can rock the baby all he wants, but Lillard is a grown man who’s not to be messed with. This is why the rivalry is heated between them, Lillard is trying to announce that he has taken the second place position, but Westbrook refuses to concede.

Since his MVP season, this is the case. Lillard was on a higher All-NBA team than him last year and probably this year. Westbrook is playing for a crown that’s already gone.

Across the country is another point guard that has something to say. Kyrie Irving aka the smoothest man in the league. No one in the NBA has command over the ball quite like Irving. He’s a wizard that was built to play in this “House of Highlights” era of the NBA. Watching him dribble is as pleasing as an ASMR video. No layup is impossible for him. If there’s an angle, he will find a way. Stats wise though, he’s not close to Lillard.

Over the last two years, Lillard has outscored, outrebounded and out-assisted Irving. Box scores aren’t the end all be all, but it’s hard to make a case when you can’t even win one category. You can make the argument that Irving is on a better team, so he has to distribute the ball more, it would just be a false claim. Irving has had a higher usage rate over that period.

The only thing that Irving has going for him is he’s one of the most clutch players in the league. Now is that enough to make him the second best point guard in the league? That’s up to you.

It’s time to stop underrating Damian Lillard what he’s doing is extraordinary. More than likely your favorite player is chasing his shadow.