NBA Musings: December 18th

**(note: I've been meaning to post this for a few days now, but kept forgetting. So keep in mind that all of the information on this post is current as of December 18th.)**

With Christmas on the horizon, that means we’re about one-third of the way through the NBA season. It’s happened quickly, hasn’t it? This means that we’re beginning to know what we’re getting out of every team this year. Sure, there have been some injuries and trades that will affect how a team plays from here on out, but for the most part, we can tell who’s going to be productive this season and who isn’t. With that in mind, I’d like to make a few observations about the season up to this point:

-- The Boston Celtics are on an 11-game winning streak, and have won 12 out of their last 13. How ridiculous is that? Well, not so ridiculous when you consider that only two wins in that stretch have come against a team with a winning record (San Antonio and Miami). That’s not to diminish their accomplishment, because Lord knows that winning all of the games you’re “supposed to win” is part of being an elite team, but I need to see more from Boston before I consider them a threat to take down Orlando in the East. Their only loss in that same stretch of games? Orlando. Just sayin’.

-- OKC’s record since I gave them a shoutout in the last edition of Musings? 1-3. My bad, guys. They are currently 12-12 overall. Certainly not bad, but not good enough to make the playoffs out west, either.

-- Nobody gives Dirk Nowitzki more hate than me, but the guy has been terrific this year. Scoring a 27 ppg clip, Dirk has carried the Mavericks in more game than one, and his clutch scoring this year has been off the charts. Sitting at 19-7 now, Dallas would certainly be, at best, 15-11 with Dirk’s end-of-game heroics. Sometimes it’s buzzer-beating scoring (see: Milwaukee and Charlotte games), other times it’s scoring a lot in the second half to ensure victory for his team (see: San Antonio, Oklahoma City, and Philadelphia games). With so many different parts this season, and different rotations being tried by coach Rick Carlisle, Nowitzki has been the steadying force for the second-best team in the West.

-- Yes, New Jersey is historically bad, but don’t let that keep you from watching their second-year center, Brook Lopez. The former Stanford Cardinal was great last year, averaging 13 and 8 in his rookie season, but he’s taken it to another level this year for the Nets. The big fella is averaging 20 and 10, giving New Jersey someone to build around as their franchise undergoes an extensive rebuilding project (both figuratively and literally, with the new arena being built in Brooklyn). Between him and Devin Harris, New Jersey is a lot closer to contention than it appears on the surface. I don’t suggest they trade their Top 5 draft pick in April to get another scorer, but they are a move or two away from being back among the second-tier of the Eastern Conference.

-- What is wrong with the Washington Wizards? After getting everyone healthy in the offseason, I expected them to easily make the playoffs in the East. Despite having Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, and Caron Butler healthy for the bulk of the season, they have looked out of sync all year and their record (7-16) proves it. They set an NBA record against Sacramento Wednesday night by losing their 6th straight game by less than 5 points. The optimist would say that splitting those games would have their record at 10-13, which would have them in the thick of the East’s playoff race. The cynic would say that even at 10-13, the Wizards would be disappointing. Flip Saunders is a highly-regarded coach in NBA circles, so look for things to improve; but they improvement needs to happen soon or else it’ll be another spring spent at home for Washington.

-- It was great to see Arco Arena in Sacramento sold out for Wednesday night’s game against the Wizards. Back in their heyday, the Kings were one of the most entertaining teams in the league and featured one of the greatest home court advantages. The fans were passionate, knowledgeable, and raucous: the perfect trifecta for an NBA arena. As the Kings have fallen from grace, so too has their groundswell of support from the locals. With an exciting young team and a better-than-we-all-though record (11-13; 10-3 at home), the Kings have re-energized the city and it showed on Wednesday night. The crowd was electric, and the players seemed to feed off that energy, especially late in the game when the outcome was still in doubt. Keep coming out to Arco, Kings fans; the NBA needs people like you.

-- Ten teams in the Western Conference are averaging at least 101 points. Only four teams in the Eastern Conference can say the same. For some reason, I felt like you needed to know this. (FYI: Phoenix leads the league at 108.5 points per game; New Jersey is last at 89.3.)

-- The Boston Celtics have more road victories this season (12) than the Nets, Bobcats, Kings, Timberwolves, Sixers, Bulls, and Hornets combined (11).

~~ Lank