Monday, November 23, 2015

When Will the Warriors Lose or the 76ers Win?

The Warriors Continue to Dominate
After beating the Denver Nuggets 118-105, the Golden State Warriors are now 15-0 and have tied the record for the best winning streak to start the season. They will likely set the record against the Lakers tomorrow. The Warriors are still the best team in the NBA, and Stephen Curry is still the MVP.

The Warriors have earned their place in history. They played a few close games, but each time, they managed to stay ahead and seal the victory. They beat the Memphis Grizzlies, a solid team, by 50. They came back from 20 down to beat the Clippers, and they beat the Rockets at home by 20. Seeing as their upcoming schedule isn't very strong, it wouldn't be a surprise if the Warriors stretched their win streak to 20.

What makes the Warriors so dangerous is that their roster is full of so many good players. Curry is one of the most dangerous offensive players in the league, and Klay Thompson was an all-star last year. Draymond Green is one of the most versatile players in the NBA. Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala are both good NBA forwards. And the Warriors are even deeper than that. Head Coach Steve Kerr still hasn't returned. The Warriors will obviously lose at some point in the season, but it could take a while.

The 76ers are Still Winless
The Philadelphia 76ers are the opposite of the Warriors. Having just lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 100-95, the 76ers are 0-15. The Timberwolves held off the Sixers at the end to come away with the win. The Timberwolves hadn't won at home until they hosted the Sixers.

It is unbelievable how utterly pathetic the 76ers are. They have stripped away almost all of their talent and the results have not been surprising. From making the playoffs in 2012 to losing more than 60 games in 2014, their demise has been very rapid. So what could have caused them to fall so quickly?

The terrible Dwight Howard trade in 2012 set the 76ers back immensely. Two of the players they gave away were Andre Iguodala and Nikola Vucevic, and the main piece they got was Andrew Bynum. That didn't work out so well. Bynum left after one season in which he played no games due to injuries. Vucevic has become a solid player for the Orlando Magic, and Iguodala is still playing well in Golden State. But after one bad season, they decided to look towards the future, so they traded nearly everyone good on their roster.

Why are they not trying harder to win sooner? They could end up winning in a few years, but they are destroying a fanbase. They didn't need to trade all of their good players. A couple of smart moves could have made them a good team again.

Sunday, November 1, 2015

First Impressions of the 2015-16 NBA Season

The NBA is back! Every team has played so far, and this season looks to be exciting. Some teams and players have especially stood out, in both good and bad ways.

As one of only six undefeated teams remaining, the Pistons have impressed. They could be a surprise playoff team this year, but they also could end up being this year's version of last year's Kings. They have been winning with defense, holding their opponents to under 95 points in each game. It'll be interesting to see if they can keep things up. Their win against the Bulls was an encouraging sign.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have also yet to lose a game, and Karl-Anthony Towns has been a monster, scoring efficiently, rebounding well, and blocking shots. He and Andrew Wiggins might one of the best duos in the league someday.

There are also a lot of teams that still haven't won a game yet. The Rockets and Bucks have stood out in particular. The Bucks have been blown out twice, including a 25 point loss to the Knicks. The Rockets have played terribly, losing all of their games by exactly 20 points. Ouch. Both teams had big offseason acquisitions in Ty Lawson and Greg Monroe. However, they are likely still adjusting to having a new star on the team. The Pelicans are another team that is 0-3, but they had to face the Warriors twice, and Steph Curry scored 93 points in those games.

Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins are great players on offense and defense. Both players are working on adding to their offensive skill sets. They have started shooting threes. I personally hope both of them continue to shoot threes and succeed at it so all basketball fans can enjoy the NBA even more.

I am really excited to see how the rest of the NBA season unfolds. We'll find out soon enough how things will shape up.