NBA Report Card: Clippers and Celtics clicking, Raptors and Nets stumbling
Monday 2 March 2020 15:08, UK
Three-quarters of the way through the NBA season, teams are now establishing playoff rotations or considering tanking for the NBA Draft. Here are four playoff-bound teams, each preparing for the final stretch in their own ways.
Los Angeles Clippers (41-19, WK 19 record 4-0) - Grade A
Just two months ago the Clippers seemed to be an overhyped team loaded with chemistry issues.
Veteran holdover Montrezl Harrell suggested so after a home blowout to the Memphis Grizzlies on Jan 4, leading to speculation that preferential treatment to superstar newcomers Kawhi Leonard and Paul George was to blame.
Oddly, the Clippers dealing for two more strangers at the trade deadline may have cured their ills. Enter respected veterans Marcus Morris and Reggie Jackson, who will be cogs in the Clippers eight-man rotation entering the playoffs.
Morris in particular will be key. The nine-year veteran was averaging a career-high 19.6 points on blistering 44 per cent three-point shooting before he was acquired from the Knicks. Now, as the Clippers' fourth or fifth option on offense, Morris will be asked to play the stifling defense he is known for while providing clutch threes.
Morris went 4-8 from beyond the arc, scoring 18 in a win against the Phoenix Suns last week, though he followed that up with a 0-5 effort on threes against Denver two days later.
In the meantime, Leonard and George are finally playing big minutes together. Each of them started and remained on the floor in both halves during the Clippers current four-game winning streak that included home wins against the Grizzlies, Nuggets and 76ers.
After blowing out the Nuggets by 30 points on Friday, the Clippers evened them for second place in the Western Conference - setting up a salivating conference finals showdown against their arena-mates, the Lakers.
Look for Doc Rivers to employ the two-way line-up of Leonard, Harrell, Morris, George and super-sub Lou Williams in crucial minutes of the games going forward. For my money, that tandem will rival any other in the league for the rest of this season.
The Clippers will show what they are made of this week. They face tough road games against Oklahoma City and Houston - who are riding a 10-2 streak with their own new lineup - before a "home" matchup with the Lakers in front of a Staple Center crowd that is usually decked in purple and gold.
Boston Celtics (41-18, WK 19 record 2-1) - Grade A-
The Celtics would have had a perfect week, save for a heart-breaking overtime loss against the Rockets away on Saturday. The team was impressive in its recent four-game West Coast stretch, winning on the road in Minnesota, Portland and Utah.
After a 10-1 start to the season, Brad Stephens endured sporadic injuries to point guard Kemba Walker which sputtered the team. Now the Celtics have learned to play without their star off-season acquisition, who has missed their past five games with soreness in his left knee.
Walker's absence has been a boon for the development of Jayson Tatum, who has assumed much of the ball-handling and decision-making on the floor. Coming off his first All-Star selection in his third season, Tatum is blossoming into one of the greatest talents in the league.
He is often tasked with guarding the opponent's best player, shutting down Leonard in the clutch while draining 39 in the Celtics' double-OT win against the Clippers on Feb 13. Two games later, Tatum scored 41 in a losing effort away to the Lakers.
The 6-foot-8 small forward resembles Leonard and LeBron James with his ball-handling skills, distribution and attention to defense.
Combined with the versatility of a rejuvenated Gordon Hayward, the grit and scoring of Marcus Smart, and the surprising effectiveness of German import Daniel Theis (8 points, 15 rebounds against Houston) and the Celtics have a formidable rotation of their own going into the playoffs.
Boston faces Brooklyn and Utah at home this week, with an away trip to the lowly Cavaliers, which should put even greater pressure on Toronto, who they are closing in on for the second seed in the East.
Toronto Raptors (42-18, WK 19 record 0-3) - Grade C-
It's been an incredible regular season so far for Toronto, but last week was a low point. The Raptors lost three in a row for the first time in nearly three months, and they couldn't have picked a worse time.
With the surging Celtics nipping at their heels, Raptors' captain Kyle Lowry admitted the team were tired going into the All-Star break. The trouble is, it wasn't much of a break for Lowry, Pascal Siakam and coach Nick Nurse -- all of whom were thrust into league duty rather than taking mental and physical breaks away from the game.
The Raptors have lost four of their last six, including poor showings away at Brooklyn, at home to Charlotte, and -- worst of all -- a home drubbing at the hands of potential playoff opponents Milwaukee last week.
Maybe after winning 17 of 18 they were due for a lapse, but the continued absence of center Marc Gasol appears to be impacting the Raptors. Starters Serge Ibaka and Fred Van Vleet - both of whom have been stellar this season -- were also out with injuries the previous two games.
The good news is the excellent play of London-born OG Anunoby, who had a career-high 32 points and seven rebounds in a loss to the Nuggets on Sunday.
Siakam has been a marvel in his fourth season, but has endured some cold shooting nights of late, going 2-12 on three-pointers the past two games. At 6-foot-9 with excellent footwork, Siakam would be wise to turn his focus back to the low post moves that made him such a threat en route to the NBA title last season.
The return of Ibaka - averaging a career-high 15.9 points in his 11th season -- Van Vleet, and eventually Gasol, should boost the Raptors. They could use some more bodies in their upcoming West Coast swing, facing Phoenix, Golden State and Sacramento on the road next week.
Brooklyn Nets (26-33, WK 19 record 0-4) - Grade D
The Nets are hanging on to the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, but do they even want to be in the playoffs?
After disruptively entering and exiting the Nets' line-up for the first half of the season, Kyrie Irving was finally ruled out for good on February 20. Irving will have shoulder surgery and go through another rehabilitation before returning to the floor with Kevin Durant next season.
In his nine NBA seasons, Irving has suited up for more than 70 games just three times. He played 75 games going into the 2015 playoffs with Cleveland, then broke down in the finals with a fractured left kneecap.
Nets management must be wondering how to plan for next season, but it would be wise for them to retain Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert and Joe Harris as a reliable backcourt trio in Irving's absence.
Coinciding with the Nets recent slump -- they have dropped five of six -- are reduced minutes for center Jarett Allen, who started the year strongly but is finishing on a whimper. Backup DeAndre Jordan is a shell of himself at this stage of his career, but he has been preferred of late by coach Kenny Atkinson.
Combining a healthy Kevin Durant with a team that can sneak in for the eighth spot, and the Nets could be a threat to topple Milwaukee next season in the East.
The Nets have lost five of six games, and face a tough road trip to Boston next week before home games against Memphis and San Antonio. They sit just four games ahead of the Wizards in the eighth spot, and it is not inconceivable that they wind up in the lottery draft after this season.
Their core would miss out on a likely sweep against Milwaukee, but would that be such a bad thing? No one in Brooklyn is really thinking about this season.
