NBA Recap: The Actual Recap

Wassup y’all! Ya boy (it me, ya boy) is back with the recap at the end of the regular season. Before we start into postseason play, I believe it is important to look back on our journey. Nowadays, we want the regular season to mean more. I believe the onus is on is to give the regular season it’s proper value and celebration. So, let’s get into it.

In-Season Tournament. For the first time, the NBA held an In-Season Tournament. Channeling an idea popularized by European futbol leagues, all 30 teams participated in pool play, with the top 4 in each conference moving to the knockout round. In the end, it was the Los Angeles Lakers winning the championship over the Indiana Pacers. While All-Star Tyrese Haliburton was probably the biggest individual winner, the NBA as a whole earned major points with fans. Sure, the courts were a little loud in places and the uniforms were bet with mixed reviews. But the NBA did its best to let us know this was different than just a simple regular season set of games And it worked I believe the In-Season Tournament is here to stay for a while.

Draymond, Draymond, Draymond. Speaking of the NBA benefitting from the In-Season Tournament, Warriors forward/center Draymond Green had a few—let’s call them incidents—during the season. The marquee event being him putting Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a chokehold the late “Rowdy” Roddy Piper would appreciate. The reason why I say the NBA benefitted from Draymond’s actions is because it further convinced a lot of fans that players were playing harder because of the In-Season Tournament. While that isn’t generally true—players generally play hard most nights with a few exceptions—that idea increased fan attendance during pool play of the Tournament. One of the things I say, especially when it comes to sports, is that, “Everything is pro wrasslin.” Sports and entertainment are forever joined, and one form of entertainment is drama and conflict. If we believe there is some genuine dislike between two parties, we will sign up to watch. The NBA knew that and played to that. Thus, while Draymond Green absolutely needed to be suspended for his multiple instances of recklessness, the NBA also owes him something for boosting the ratings during Tournament time.

An alien has landed. This season’s number one overall pick was Victor Wembanyama. The 7’5” extremely skilled forward/center has had an impressive rookie campaign. Of course, not every game has been good, as every first-year player will have their struggles. But even bigger than some of his ridiculous stat lines are just some of the individual plays that only he seemingly can make. Even somewhat simple moves look way more fluid for Wembanyama in a way they shouldn’t because he’s so tall. The best part is that this will be the worst version of Wembanyama as a player. We are witnessing a generational talent. Nike was right to give him an alien-inspired logo, because what Victor Wembanyama will do to alter the game of basketball will be otherworldly.

The Springtime of Youth! The Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves have performed so well this season, with both exceeding unique versions of expectations. OKC overcame their lack of experience across the board (youngest starting five in the NBA) to finish atop a very competitive Western Conference. Led by MVP candidate–and elder statement at 26 years old–Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder outlasted Denver and Minnesota to finish first. Minnesota had to overcome what felt like an improper roster fit with Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns both starting. What happened was the Wolves having the Association’s best team defense and a 56-win season. This year was Anthony Edwards’ announcement into the fast track to take the leap to superstardom. Both teams have sped up their timelines to contention, and both their players and coaches will have to learn how to win later into the playoffs on the fly.

Milestone after milestone. LeBron James continues to extend the longevity of his greatness. He surpassed 40,000 career points, and averaged 25 points per game for the 20th consecutive season. He also became the first player to shoot over 70 percent at the rim as well as 40 percent from three. There is both so much and so little left to say about a true living legend.

The Big Joker. The Denver Nuggets managed to finish tied with the best record in the West with OKC, but are the 2nd seed due to tiebreakers. Nikola Jokic had yet another stellar season, and could win his third MVP in four years. Denver and the Boston Celtics appear to be headed on a collision course in the NBA Finals, but there are still a few weeks of playoff basketball in between that possible scenario that can shift the timeline. Either way, this is still Jokic’s league and he will have a say in who hoists the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June. The play-in games are at the beginning of the week and the playoffs start this coming weekend. Here’s to the next part of the 2023-24 journey.

Some end-of-season Till Takes!

• This is the dunk of the year.
• This is the shot of the year.
• This is the best play of the year.
• Payton Pritchard of the Celtics ended the regular season with a 34 point, 9 rebound, 12 assist stat line.
• Jalen Brunson has proven he can lead a team as the number one option. However it remains to be seen if his size will be a hindrance as the Knicks try to contend for a championship. In the playoffs, teams just have someone who can consistently get easy jumpers and draw fouls. Brunson is really good at the former, but the latter remains to be seen in the postseason. No matter how it goes, the NBA is better when the Knicks are good, and New York should embrace this iteration of the team.

That’s it for the regular season recap. I’ll catch you once the playoffs start!