The NBA mid-season has arrived, and much has changed since sports analysts and fans made their pre-season predictions back in November.
The Portland Trailblazers emerged from cellar-dwelling to owning one of the best records in the league at 25-16. Perhaps it was evident that this wasn’t the Portland of old when they nearly beat defending champs San Antonio during the first game of the season. Portland’s†season-best 13-game winning streak got them off to a fast start, and†it will be interesting to see if Brandon Roy and company can continue their great play for the remaining 41 games.
Another surprise in the Western Conference was the Los Angeles Lakers’ great start. As Andrew Bynum blossomed as a young center, the Lakers have earned a 27-12 record, even holding first place in the West at one point last week.
Kobe Bryant’s prowess, combined with the Bynum’s play, has led the Lakers to 107.8 points per game.
The West has always been tough, but it seems to be especially tough this year. The Eastern Conference has been the weaker conference since 2000, but this year is just ridiculous. The Golden State Warriors sit at 25-18 – a game ahead of the†Utah Jazz.
The Orlando Magic, another great story this year, holds a 26-17 record, two games ahead of the Washington Wizards, and is in third place in the East.
†The East benefited with the move of Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics from Minnesota. The Celtics†have gotten off to a NBA-best 33-6 record, but have lost all of their games to East opponents.
The teamwork of the Celtics has been amazing, as evidenced by K.G.’s seven assists against the Knicks on Monday. The fact that the ball is being shared evenly between Garnett, Ray Allen and†Paul Pierce was not expected when superstars became teammates.†
Look for Boston to continue to shine in the East, while San Antonio tries to return to its postseason form and climb to the top of the West during the second half.
