The Top 10 Players in the NBA

December 17, 2021

Giannis Antetokounmpo

NBC Sports Top 10

1. Kevin Durant – Brooklyn Nets #7
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks #34
3. LeBron James – LA Lakers #6
4. Stephen Curry – Golden State Warriors #30
5. James Harden – Brooklyn Nets #13
6. Kawhi Leonard – LA Clippers #2
7. Nikola Jokić – Denver Nuggets #15
8. Joel Embiid – Philadelphia 76ers #21
9. Luka Doncic – Dallas Mavericks #77
10. Anthony Davis – LA Lakers #3

My Opinion of These Players

This list has been created by NBC Sports and I will be giving my opinion on the list. First things first I would like to say that this list is very accurate. It shows who the best players are currently in the NBA. Most people who don’t watch basketball would probably say LeBron James should be number one. However, he has shown to be inconsistent with his effort lately, and he is getting old. Age might not seem like a big factor in the NBA but it can determine roughly when a player is going to retire. At the number one spot we have Kevin Durant, who to many people is considered the greatest scorer of all time. He definitely deserves the number one spot with no questions asked.

At the number two spot is Giannis Antetokounmpo who is the raining Finals MVP, and led his team to win the 2021 NBA Championship. I think he rightfully deserves this spot after showing fans that he can win titles. Although the Bucks still have work to do if they wanna make another championship run, I think Giannis Antetokounmpo and his team will find a way to make a deep playoff run.

At the number three spot is LeBron James, and there is nothing to be said about this placement. At 36 years old he is still a top five player in the NBA.

At the number four spot is Stephen Curry. I personally think that LeBron James and Stephen Curry are interchangeable with their placements. Stephen Curry has proven a lot this season, and we are starting to see flashbacks of the Warriors dynasty half a decade ago. I think that Stephen Curry could go for another title run within the next few years.

At the number five spot is James Harden, who is one of the most offensively gifted players in the league other that KD. He has altered the rules of the game to swing in his favor. He is also one of, if not the best playmaker in the league today.

At the number six spot is Kawhi Leonard. He has proven himself to be one of the best two-way players in the NBA, and has won titles on two different teams. Nothing to be said here, he deserves to be top ten.

At the other four spots is Nikola Jokić at number 7, Joel Embiid at number 8, Luka Doncic at number 9, and Anthony Davis at number 10. All of these players have shown that they deserve to be on this top ten list.

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NBA Power Rankings & Championship Win Odds

December 13, 2021

Phoenix Suns starting five

Power Rankings

1. Phoenix Suns / 21-4
2. Golden State Warriors / 21-5
3. Utah Jazz / 19-7
4. Milwaukee Bucks / 18-10
5. Brooklyn Nets / 19-8
6. Cleveland Cavaliers / 16-12
7. Miami Heat / 16-11
8. Chicago Bulls / 17-10
9. Philadelphia 76ers / 15-12
10. Memphis Grizzlies / 16-11
11. LA Clippers / 15-12
12. Charlotte Hornets / 15-13
13. Atlanta Hawks / 13-13
14. Washington Wizards / 15-12
15. Los Angeles Lakers / 15-13
16. Boston Celtics / 13-14
17. Denver Nuggets / 13-13
18. Dallas Mavericks / 13-13
19. Toronto Raptors / 12-14
20. Indiana Pacers / 12-16
21. Minnesota Timberwolves / 12-15
22. New York Knicks / 12-15
23. San Antonio Spurs / 10-16
24. Portland Trail Blazers / 11-16
25. Houston Rockets / 8-18
26. Sacramento Kings / 11-16
27. Oklahoma City Thunder / 8-18
28. New Orleans Pelicans / 8-21
29. Orlando Magic / 5-23
30. Detroit Pistons / 4-22

My Opinion on the Rankings

The 2021 week 9 power rankings were just released and I have some things to say about it. I think that the Suns have improved tremendously within the past couple years. With all the hard work they have put in so far this season, they deserve the number one rank. I think the Warriors have proven a lot this season with their deep roster, and the ability to play guys other than their starting five. I think that With Klay Thompson coming back they might actually make a deep playoff run this year. If they keep playing as a team then then they will win a lot of games. I agree with these ranks except for a couple. The Brooklyn Nets should be number 3 even though they have a worse record than the Utah Jazz. They are a playoff team so judging them so early in the season is unfair. They are obviously one of the best teams in the league. Although Utah has a really well-rounded team, I don’t think they are built for playoff basketball. They definitely have a really solid team with Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert running the show. After that the Bucks should be at the fifth rank instead of the fourth. Being the raining NBA champions they are obviously gonna be one of the top 5 teams in the NBA. I just don’t think they are gonna be as dominant this season. Last years NBA playoffs was filled with a lot of injuries and upsets because of these injuries. This has allowed lower ranked teams to get a shot at an NBA championship. So that being said, when the top teams in the league are healthy, the Bucks will have a lot more competition than last years playoffs. As for the rest of the teams on this list, they will have to make some serious roster changes if they plan on making a championship run. We can all agree that the bottom 10 teams have an extremely low chance of making it to the finals this year. I’m excited to see how the 2021-2022 season unfolds the rest of the season, and I almost guaranty that the Golden State Warriors are winning the finals this year.

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If you also want to check out the power rankings list on NBA.com, then click the power rankings list at the top of the page!

Do Not Sleep on the Denver Nuggets

December 8, 2021

Nikola Jokić talking to a reporter

Nikola’s Crazy Stats

Before I get started, I would like to say that Nikola Jokić is the most valuable player to his team and it’s not even close. The Nuggets only have the eighth best record in the NBA, with a record of 11 wins and 12 losses, but have shown the rest of the NBA that they can battle with any team on any given night. With Jamal Murray out for an injury, Jokić has had to step up and lead his team to success. Jokić is having the best individual season out of anyone in the NBA right now, but the numbers show that this might be the best individual season of all time. Nikola Jokić has the highest PER (player efficiency rating) of anyone in the NBA with a PER of 35.3. This is insane considering that the next highest single season PER of all time is 31.9, set by Giannis Antetokounmpo last season. Nikola Jokić also has the second highest offensive box plus minus in NBA history. The stats show that he is destroying the NBA on both ends of the floor. His stats are pretty insane as well, with a 26.3-13.8-6.4 split. This is 26.3 points per game, 13.8 rebounds, and 6.4 assists every time he steps on the court. Nikola Jokić is having the best individual season in the NBA, and its not even close.

In-game picture of Jamal Murray

Jamal Murray’s Gravity on the Court

Jamal Murray in the starting point guard for the Denver Nuggets. Although he is not the leading scorer, or the Nuggets’ star player, he is still what hold this Nuggets team together. He is a very solid point guard and can do a lot of good things. He can use his quickness to attack the basket, he can hit the midrange jumper, and he can see the floor like a veteran guard. His three-point shot is average but his touch at the basket makes up for it.

Jamal Murray’s Injury

On April 12, Jamal Murray laced up to play against the Golden State Warriors after previously being out a couple games due to knee soreness. Running on a fast break, he came down with a non-contact injury and was later deemed a torn left ACL. He has missed the rest of the 2020-2021 season and will miss all of the 2021-2022 season as well. I think this is really bad for the Denver Nuggets´ organization, and they will definitely struggle to win games this season.

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The Golden State Warriors and their Dominance

December 7, 2021

Gary Payton II dunking over Kelly Oubre Jr.

The Golden State Warriors’ Success

The Golden State Warriors are looking like serious title contenders this year with an insanely deep roster, and the number-one defense in the NBA. You have young talent with players such as Jordan Poole, Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga, and James Wiseman. They have NBA veterans with Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, and Klay Thompson. They have well-rounded players in Andrew Wiggins, Damion Lee, and Nemanja Bjelica. At the center of this insane team is the Warriors superstar, Stephen Curry. The Warriors dominance is undeniable, but one player that has got the whole NBA talking is Gary Payton II. While only giving the Warriors 6.4 points per game, he has become one of the deciding factors in the Warriors success this season. He has given the Warriors a top tier lock-down defender that can shut down some of the league’s top guards. He is gonna be one of the leagues top defenders in a couple years.

Draymond Green, Jordan Poole, and Stephen Curry celebrate after a basket

Klay Thompson’s Return

About 907 days ago, Klay Thompson stepped foot in Toronto, Canada, for game 6 of the 2018-2019 NBA finals. This game was no ordinary game, however. Klay ended up tearing his ACL in his left knee on this day, and everyone who saw it knew that he was gonna be out for a while. He got surgery right after the tear and ended up missing the entire 2019-2020 season. Unfortunately his unluckiness kept on going. In the 2020 off-season he tore his right Achilles at a workout in Southern California. He went through a successful surgery in November, 2020, and was expected to make a full recovery. Klay Thompson has recently came out and said that he will try to return to the league within the next month. Although it is not for certain that he will come back that soon, fans hope for his return.

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The New Shooting Foul Rule

November 17, 2021

The league has gone off to a rough start with the new rule change about shooting fouls on shot attempts. The rules implemented into the NBA this year states that if a player initiates contact on a shot attempt, this is not a foul on the defense. Many players are still having to adjust to the new rule change, and some have exploited this rule to get a lot of their foul calls every season. One of the league’s top offensive threats, James Harden, had an average of 11.5 free throws attempted in the 2020 season. This season he has averaged only 7.3 free throw attempts a game. That is more than 4 free throws less than before the shooting foul rule was implemented. Although James Harden has been hit the hardest with this rule change, he isn’t the only one being affected. Players like Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, and Trae Young have all been struggling to get to the free throw line. Personally I think that this rule change will improve the NBA and make the game more fun to watch as a fan. Before the rule change players could get anything they wanted on defense. Now this gives the defense more of a chance to guard offensive treats, such as James Harden, Stephen Curry, Trae Young, and other offensive treats.