With
less than two months before the postseason begins, two teams have risen from
the ashes at the beginning of this season to be real serious players to not
only make the playoffs, but make some noise when they get there and one team
has played at a very high level despite missing their starting center. A couple
of early favorites in the Eastern Conference have been leaking oil of late and
injuries to key people has put another team’s championship hopes into question.
Two other NBA teams began the journey for next season by making changes in the
coaching ranks. Here is the good, the bad and the ugly in “The Association” for
the month of February.
The
Good
Thunder
Striking Thanks to Westbrook
After
a tough beginning to the season which saw them losing 12 of their first 17
games, due in large part to the absence of All-Star tandem of Russell Westbrook
and Kevin Durant, the Oklahoma City Thunder (36-29) have won 31 of their last
48 games, which includes a 8-3 February, that has them in a dead heat with the
New Orleans Pelicans (36-29) for the No. 8 and final playoff spot in the West.
A
big reason for the uptick in wins, particularly in February is the play of
Westbrook, who averaged 31.2 points, 10.3 assists, 9.1 rebounds and 2.6 steals
per contest, joining Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA
history to averaged 30-10-9 for a month.
He
had a real strong finish to the month which 21 points, a career-high 17 assists
and eight boards in leading the Thunder to a 119-94 win versus the Denver
Nuggets (25-41) on Feb 22.
The
stellar play of Westbrook continued two nights later as he began an amazing
streak of four straight games with a triple-double and six triple-doubles in
the last eight games for the Thunder with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists
as the Thunder defeated the surging Indiana Pacers (30-34) 105-92 back on Feb.
24, earning their seventh win in a row. Forward Serge Ibaka, who has really
come on since the All-Star break lead the team with a game-high 23 points along
with 10 boards and three blocks. Center Enes Kanter, who was acquired at the
trade deadline along with guard D.J. Augustin, forwards Kyle Singler and Steve
Novak had 15 points. Dion Waiters had 14 points off the bench and sharp shooter
Anthony Marrow had 12 points and five boards.
While
Westbrook garnered two more triple-doubles in back-to-back games at the Phoenix
Suns (34-33), with 39 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists and three steals and at
the Portland Trail Blazers (43-20) garnering 40 points, 13 rebounds and 11
assists, the Thunder lost those back-to-back games 117-113 in overtime and
115-112 respectably.
While
the team has recovered to begin the month of March winning four of their first
six contests, the Thunder is in a dog fight with the Pelicans for the No. 8
spot as they are in a virtual tie with the same record, but the Pelicans have
won two of the first three meetings giving them current hold on the last
playoff spot in the Western Conference.
This
makes it all that more important for last season’s MVP in Durant to get back on
the court from another surgery on his right foot that he injured back in Oct.
2014 that has forced him to miss the last 11 games. The Thunder have gone 8-3
in his latest absence though. If they have any hope of making the playoffs
though, he must get back on the court and play to the level that he has shown.
As
far as what adjustment Westbrook is going to have to make when Durant does get
back into the lineup, things should be better for him and the team. If there is
one thing that Westbrook has gotten better at in Durant’s absence is the fact
that he has gotten the rest of the team involved in the game by getting the
likes of Ibaka, Kanter, Morrow, Mitch McGary shots in the areas of the court
that they are effective. He just has to be able to do that for Durant. If that
happens, the Thunder will make the playoffs and can give their likely opponent
the top seeded Golden State Warriors (51-13) a run for their money.
Rising
Pacers
When
the 2014-15 NBA campaign began, the Indiana Pacers, the East runner-up the last
two postseasons had all the excuses in the world to fall to the bottom. They
lost swingman Lance Stephenson in free agency when he decided to sign with the
Charlotte Hornets. The team’s best player Paul George suffered a broken leg
during the summer in a game for Team USA. On top of that, two key starters in
forward David West and lead guard George Hill began this season on the shelf
because of injury as well as Hills understudy C.J. Watson.
At
one point this season, the Pacers playoffs were very slim after a 104-91 loss
versus the Toronto Raptors back on Jan. 27, their eighth loss in their last
nine games that brought their record to 16-31.
Since
that point, the Pacers picked themselves off the pavement and have won 14 of
their last 17 games, which includes a 7-2 mark in the month of February, which
earned head coach Frank Vogel Eastern Conference Coach of the Month.
They
concluded the month by defeating the red hot Cleveland Cavaliers (42-25) 93-86
back on Feb. 27, which ignited a seven-game winning streak. It was the Pacers
10th consecutive victory at Bankers Life Fieldhouse versus their
Central Division rivals, who were without four-time MVP LeBron James and guard
Kyrie Irving. The Cavs last victory at the Pacers was on Jan. 29, 2010.
The
aforementioned Hill had his first career triple-double with 15 points, 10
rebounds and 12 assists. Rodney Stuckey led the way with 19 points off the
bench. C.J. Miles had 13 points. West had 12 points and six rebounds.
While
he has played in just 25 games this season, Hill has been a serious factor in
whether the Pacers win or lose when he has been on the court. In the wins, the
hometown product who played his collegiate ball at IUPUI is averaging 14.7
points, 4.9 assists on 44.0 percent shooting in 18 wins and just 12 points, 3.6
assists on 40.7 percent from the floor in the seven losses.
What
has helped the Pacers rise from the ashes has been their ability to stick with
their team identity that has gotten to the cusp of the NBA Finals the past two
seasons and that is playing defense.
The
team is ranked third in the league in points allowed at 96.1 and in field goal
percentage allowed at 43.2 percent. They are seventh in the league in
opponent’s three-point percentage at 33.8 percent. They are sixth in rebound
differential at +2.6 per game and are ranked fifth in total boards per contest
at 45.1.
With
all of the injuries that the Pacers have had this season, it has given
opportunity to others to step up. Miles (12.5 ppg) and Stuckey (13.1 ppg, 45.5
FG%, 39.8 3-Pt.%) have been big time additions to the team this season. Luis
Scola (9.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg), Solomon Hill (9.3 ppg), Donald Sloan (8.6 ppg, 4.0
apg), Ian Mahimi and Chris Copeland (6.7 ppg) have had their moments. The
Pacers also have gotten solid play from rookie forward Damjan Rudez from Yugoslavia.
The
Pacers current winning-streak has them in the No. 7 position in the East and if
the playoffs started today, they would take on the struggling Raptors, who have
beaten the Pacers in their first two meetings with one more contest against them
on Mar. 16 at home.
There
is speculation that George might come back this season. Conventional wisdom
says that would not be a good idea because it would mess with the chemistry of
the team and that he had a very serious injury that he would need weeks of time
to just get his confidence back in terms of being on the court and playing at
the high level on both ends of the court that made him an All-Star.
Considering
where the Pacers began to start this season and where they find themselves now,
the organization looks a lot better in giving Vogel a contract extension before
this season began. More than anything his unflappable confidence in his team
and holding it together in the rough times early on has made them a stronger
team.
Soaring
Rockets
When
a team loses to key pieces like its starting center and starting power forward
for lengthy periods because of injury, it will cause a major reduction in the
number of wins it can obtain. That has not been the case for the Houston
Rockets (43-22) this season.
They
have continued to win despite the starting front court tandem of All-Star
center Dwight Howard (16.3 ppg, 11.0 rpg) and forward Terrence Jones (12.6 ppg,
7.5 rpg, 51.6 FG%) have missed a combined 76 games because of injury. Howard is
still on the mend following a procedure he had on his right knee back in early
February.
Without
Howard, the Rockets have been led by All-Star guard James Harden (26.8 ppg-2nd
NBA, 5.8 rpg, 7.1 apg, 2.0 spg) whose spectacular season has him at the top of
the 2015 Most Valuable Player race in the league.
Along
with the Harden, new additions Trevor Ariza (12.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.9 spg), Corey
Brewer (12.7 ppg) and Josh Smith (11.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg) have had a serious impact.
The
emergence of forward Donatas Motiejunas (11.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 50.4 FG%, 36.7
3-pt.%) and guard Patrick Beverly (10.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 35.5 3-Pt.%) has helped
the Rockets maintain a high seed in the West.
While
the team has been a solid offense this season, particularly from three-point
range, leading the league in made three-pointers at 11.6 and attempts at 33.6
and ranking seventh in scoring per game (103.0) and 10th in assists
per contest (22.0), the Rockets have won over 40 games this season because of their
improved defense.
They
are tied with the Chicago Bulls for 10th in opponent’s field goal
percentage at 44.0 percent. The Rockets are No. 1 in the NBA in opponent’s
three-point percentage at 31.1 percent; No. 4 in steals per game at 9.6 and in
forced turnovers at 15.7.
While
the team has played well without Howard, the Rockets and head coach Kevin
McHale knows that their chances of succeeding in the postseason with him still
on the shelf are very minimal. The sooner he can get back and round into form
for the playoffs, the Rockets chances of competing in the West increase
greatly.
The
Bad
The
Unraveling Raptors
Coming
into this season, the Toronto Raptors (39-26) were looking to build on their
record setting season a year ago that saw them win a franchise-tying 48 games
and their second Atlantic Division title in team history.
Through
the first three months of this season they looked every bit like a serious
contender in the East. They even survived the loss of leading scorer DeMar
DeRozen (18.9 ppg) for 21 games because of injury earlier in the season going
13-8.
A
4-7 mark in the month of February, which included four straight defeats to
close the months has the Raptors sitting in the No. 3 spot in the East, which
is not a bad place to be. With that being said, they are in a virtual tie with
the up and down Chicago Bulls (40-27) for the No. 4 spot in the East and are
just two games in front of the slumping Washington Wizards (37-28), who are the
No. 5 Seed currently.
One
big reason the Raptors have slipped record wise lately has been their inability
to keep their opponent from lighting up the scoreboard.
The
Atlantic Division leaders have given up 100 points or more in eight of their
last 11 games, garnering just three wins in that span.
This
has been a serious problem all season long for the Raptors, who last season
were a top ten offense and a top 10 defense.
This
season, the Raptors rank 23rd in points allowed at 101.2 per game;
27th in opponent’s field goal percentage at 46.0 percent; 14th
in opponent’s three-point percentage at 34.7 percent and 21st in
rebound differential at -1.5.
The
Raptors got back on track with a solid 102-92 win versus the Miami Heat (29-36)
last night, ending a 16-game skid against the four-time defending East champs,
holding them to 44.3 percent shooting and just 21.7 percent (5-17) from
three-point range. The Raptors scored 21 points off 20 Heat turnovers and had
26 assists on 34 made field goals.
First-time
All-Star Kyle Lowry led the Raptors with 19 points, eight boards, eight assists
and seven steals on 7 for 12 from the field, including 5 for 8 from three-point
range. DeRozan had 18 points, six boards and six assists. Lou Williams had 14
points off the bench. Amir Johnson had 13 points and Greivis Vasquez had 12 off
the bench.
Teams
that go far in the postseason have the ability to shut people down at their
offensive end for long stretches. If the Raptors and head coach Dwane Casey
have any plans on making a serious playoff run this year, they have to correct
their problems at the defensive end. If they don’t, their season will end just
like last year’s did, in the opening round.
Injury
Ravage Bulls
Over
the past two seasons, the Chicago Bulls (40-27) have been injury hit at the end
of the season and it has killed their championships dreams both times. This
season has been no different.
All-Stars
Derrick Rose (18.4 ppg, 5.0 apg), Jimmy Butler (20.2 ppg-leads team, 5.9 rpg),
Joakim Noah (7.5 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 4.4 apg), forward Taj Gibson (10.6 ppg, 6.6
rpg), swingman Mike Duleavy, Jr. (9.1 ppg, 41.5 3-Pt.%), guard Kirk Hinrich and
rookie forward Doug McDermott have missed a total of 130 games because of
injury.
Currently,
the starting backcourt of Butler and Rose are on the mend because of a knee
surgery and an elbow injury respectably.
The
saving grace for the Bulls this season has been the play of Gasol (18.4 ppg,
12.1 rpg-4th NBA, 2.0 bpg-leads team) who in his first year with the
team leads the league with 44 double-doubles.
The
absence of so many key members of the Bulls has not deterred them in the win
column as they went 7-3 in the month of February, but it has been a different
story to start March as the team is 3-5 so far and currently has lost four of
their last five games, giving up 100-puls points in three of their last four
contest.
This
latest slump has raised the question is this the end for head coach Tom
Thibodeau, who ever since he has been in Chicago has delivered many victories
and playoff appearances in all four of his seasons, soon to be five.
With
that being said, the Bulls, who have been one of the most hard noise teams in
the league under Thibodeau, the bottom line is they have flamed out in the
playoffs the last two years. The team’s best player in Rose has not been
himself since that terrible knee injury in the playoffs three years ago.
Talent
wise this is the best team Thibodeau has had since his first season in the
“Windy City.” If Rose can come back and be close to his MV level for 2011 and
the team can build some chemistry as this regular season winds down and be what
many people expect of them, the can make all the way to The Finals and possibly
win it. The team’s health is going to be the key.
Bad
Magic in Nation’s Capital
Coming
into this season, the Wizards new that they were not going to be sneaking up on
people. They were going to get their best from whoever they played. The dynamic
young backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal needed to bring their games even
higher for the Wizards to make some more noise this season. The addition of
former champ Paul Pierce and his plethora of playoff experience said that the
Wizards are serious about winning a title.
They
got off to a strong start and at the end of January were 31-17 and were playing
really well.
All
of those great feelings were put to the ground in February as the absence of
Beal for eight games because of a stress reaction in his right leg and the
inability for the Wizards to hold onto big leads are two big reasons why they
went 4-9.
With
Beal out, the Wizards lost their best perimeter shooter that spaced the floor
and had the ability to create shots for others. Without his back court mate,
Wall was the only duel threat on the floor at times and he turned the ball over
a lot in taking on too much of the responsibility of creating shots for others.
In
their second meeting last month in Charlotte, the Wizards blew an 11-point lead
late in the third at the Hornets and fell 94-87 for their fifth straight loss.
After
two straight wins versus the Brooklyn Nets (25-38) 114-77 and the Orlando Magic
(21-46) 96-80 on Feb. 7th and 9th respectably, the
Wizards lost six games in a row, with the last two coming at the Minnesota
Timberwolves (14-50) 97-77 on Feb. 25 and at Philadelphia 76ers (15-50) 89-91
two days later.
The
team got back on track to close the month with a 99-95 win versus the Detroit
Pistons (23-42). With that being said, they had to hold on for dear life after
blowing a 21-point lead in the second half. They did avoid dropping their
seventh consecutive contest.
Wall
led the way with a game-high 22 points to go along with six assists. Forward
Nene had 21 points, seven boards and two steals. Center Marcin Gortat had 16
points, 17 boards and three steals and Pierce had 14 points, five rebounds and
five assists.
The
Wizards started the month of March with a 97-92 loss at the Bulls 11 days ago,
but have won three of the next four games.
Their
inability to hold big leads continued back on Mar. 6 versus the Heat when the
Wizards nearly gave up a 35-point lead, but held on to win 99-97. Following a
close loss to the surprising Milwaukee Bucks (34-31), 91-85 on the back end of
a back-to-back, the Wizards garnered their first win against the Hornets
blowing them out on their home court 95-69 this past Monday night.
They
followed that up with a 107-87 victory this past Thursday versus the Memphis
Grizzlies (45-20), who rested starters Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Mike
Conley and reserve Tony Allen.
Wall,
who had 21 points, seven boards and six assists and two blocks in the contest
was not pleased with the fact that Memphis held out three of their starters.
“They
sit’em, and I don’t know the reason why,” the All-Star guard said after the
game. “I think we’re a team that’s on the rise, and teams respect us now. And I
guess they don’t respect us.”
Gortat
lead the way with a game-high 22 points along with nine boards, three steals
and three blocks. Pierce had 17 points and Drew Gooden had 13 points and five
boards.
Coming
into this season, the Wizards had the talent to be a contender in the East.
Many thought they also had the maturity to become a title contender. They have
shown in the past few weeks that they have a long way to go to be a part of
that top tier of teams that can win a title. They have some time to get things
right before the playoffs. If they do not, they will be taking a serious step
back in their maturation as a title contender.
The
Ugly
Coaching
Change in Orlando
When
a head coach takes the job being the leader of a young team that is trying to
build something from scratch, there is a very good chance he may not be there
to see the finished product when they become a team that wins consistently.
That
was the case in early February for Orlando Magic head coach Jacque Vaughn who
was relieved of his duties on February 5. The team named lead assistant and a
product of the San Antonio Spurs organization James Borrego.
Borrego
born in Albuquerque, NM began his basketball journey at Albuquerque Academy,
where he led the school to two state title.
After
earning his bachelor’s degree in English and then a master’s degree in
leadership studies from University of San Diego in 2001, Borrego started his
coaching career as an assistant from 2001-2003 at his alma mater, where they
won a West Coast Conference title and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament 12
years ago.
Borrego’s
coaching career in the NBA began in 2003 with the Spurs, where he worked for
seven seasons. He worked his way up from video coordinator in the summer of
2003 to becoming an assistant head coach. He was a part of the 2005 and 2007
title teams before joining another former Spurs assistant Monty Williams when
he became the head coach back in 2010.
Borrego
was a part of Williams’ staff for two seasons before joining Vaughn’s staff in
Orlando in 2012.
Just
24 hours after being named interim head coach, Borrego made his head coaching
debut versus the Los Angeles Lakers (17-47), earning his first victory 103-97
in overtime, which ended a 10-game losing streak.
Tobias
Harris led the way with a game-high 34 points, going 14 for 18 from the field
and seven rebounds. Nikola Vucevic, who is currently third in the NBA in
double-doubles with 37, had 25 points and 13 rebounds and second-year guard
Victory Oladipo had 12 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
The
Magic shot 51.8 percent from the field, out-rebounded the Lakers 48-43 and
outscored them in the paint 58-34.
“It’s
exhausting,” Borrego said after his first win back on Feb. 6. “I have a much
deeper appreciation for what head coaches do, the amount of mental stress as
well as physical stress, the amount of decisions you have to make, the
management of the game. The emotion was the moment, the fight, sticking with
the guys. They really pulled us through tonight.”
The
Magic have played much better under Borrego, going 6-9 so far. Whether he is
the long term answer for getting this team back to title contention where they
were not too long ago when they had perennial All-Star and Defensive Player of
the Year Dwight Howard, now with the Houston Rockets remains to be seen.
One
thing he has in his favor is a talent group of players led by Harris, an
unrestricted free agent at season’s end, Vucevic, Oladipo, rookie Elfrid
Payton, Evan Fournier, Channing Frye, rookie Aaron Gordon to work with for the
rest of this season.
Information,
statistics and quotations are courtesy of www.espn.go.com/nba/teams/standings/schedule/statistics; 3/3/15 12:30 a.m. NBATV’s “The
Beat” with Vince Cellini, Sekou Smith and David Aldridge; and en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Borrego.
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