NBA week 5 recap: Struggling favorites, Magic ball movement and more
With a month gone by in the 2018-19 NBA season, intrigue has been constant and each conference looks slightly open after the favorites have shown some weaknesses.
There’s been a lot of talk around the NBA in recent seasons that the Finals outcome is a foregone conclusion, especially since Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Golden State Warriors would inevitably come out of the Western Conference and handle the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers. For four seasons, we saw this matchup with Golden State claiming three of four titles, including the last two in dominating fashion.
Even with LeBron heading to the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State was the heavy favorite to win its third straight title against whoever came out of the Eastern Conference, most likely the Boston Celtics. But a month into the season, both conferences look as wide open as they’ve been this decade.
The Dubs are undergoing their worst stretch on and off the court since 2015 as Draymond Green and Kevin Durant try to fix their problems. Stephen Curry is already injured and this is the thinnest roster they’ve had in years with a weird mix of undersized guards and too many limited big men. Yes, it’s likely they get it together when Curry returns and run through the NBA to another title. But there is some tension building there, especially as the contenders out West right the ship.
The Eastern Conference is currently the better conference at the top. The Celtics are 9-8 and have offensive and rotation problems, but have too much talent to not figure it out. The Toronto Raptors are awesome and have the most chemistry of the top contenders. The Milwaukee Bucks are an offensive juggernaut with Giannis Antetokounmpo operating in endless space, and the Philadelphia 76ers added Jimmy Butler to partner with their MVP candidate big man.
Point being, the NBA has never been a more attractive product. The players are as skilled as ever, there is talent everywhere and budding stars are shining on the bottom-feeding teams. There has been a midseason trade for a star, an on-court fight, an on-court blow up between two members of the defending champs and crazy scoring numbers in the first month of the season. Having wide open conferences is just the icing on the cake for this NBA season.