NBA Recap: Narrators and Narratives

As we have arrived close to the mathematical halfway point of the NBA season, we gain more clarity about players, teams and potential outcomes. Of course, we know nothing is set in stone, especially with the trade deadline still a few weeks away. But after the turn of the New Year, and the freshness of that begins to wear off, the season’s story has more to it. The narratives have more substantial data than projected data.

So what happens now?

[Before we get into the latest NBA stories, it is a must we take time to honor the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Renee Montgomery did an amazing job on a short piece regarding his impact and legacy and how athletes are looked at as role models. King is one of the most impactful and necessary people in this history of this country, and it is his kindness and principled ideologies that allowed him to unequivocally believe in the goodness of people to hold them accountable to be better for the sake of a better nation. King is a giant in history. And while he certainly isn’t the only Civil Rights monument we have, he is who embodied the Ideal conscience this country and this world should have if our is to be at its best. Back to the basketball.]

I mentioned the looming trade deadline. In order to further enhance their personal stories this season, teams will look towards attempting to brighten their individual futures. Some teams wants their futures brighter sooner than immediately. And some will delay the product of a bright future for much later on the whims of the sarcastically the most stable creature on this planet—a teenager. An incredibly gifted teenager, for sure; but a current teenager, nonetheless. It is a case of descriptive and inferred statistics in which the value of x and y currently reside in some high schoolers’ commitment to working hard. The data is unclear, and the researchers are flawed. For so much power of choice, there is so much that is powerless to chance.

There is risk to be sure. But without risk, there is no reward. Something of ours must be on the line to be lost in order for the thing to be gained be worth the gamble. As I said in Episode 5 of The Till Show—presented but Montgomery and Co.: A sacrifice is giving up something valuable to receive something of higher value. Because value is subjective, determining value isn’t always simple, and every choice has its sureties and doubts. We have reached the point of the story where the characters are approaching an impasse. This is an impasse that was always present and made aware, but that does not make the upcoming decisions any easier. Here is where the narrative begins its character development, and we get closer to revealing the entire tale.

The Golden State Warriors face a complex conundrum: how to handle the collapse of a dynasty. The complexity of this collapse lies in the fact the core isn’t eroding in equal parts. Steph Curry is still closest to his most nuclear version, while Klay Thompson and Draymond Green appear to be more distant from their All-Star selves. Head coach Steve Kerr recently admitted that Steph’s burden is unfair, and the reason is that uneven distribution of output. Curry turning up his voltage does two things: expedites his burnout date and gives the dynasty hope. It’s difficult to put the light of championship pride aside when the wattage is still bright. This is first flicker of power going out. How long Steph keeps the light on will determine whether the Warriors dynasty will go out sturdy at the end of its time or in an imploded pile of an empire long corroded from the inside.

On the other end, teams will be looking to make moves to increase their propulsion to and through the top of the Association. For some teams, the formula is there but a couple minor elements are off. They’ll look to quickly improve on the chemistry by shaking things up, with the main ingredients bonding with the new to create a championship elixir. There will be some success and some failure, and we won’t know in full for another five months. Whoa…we’re halfway there.

Here are a couple Till Takes:
– The reason why there are more massive blowouts this year is because of how eruptive shooting and making—and conversely, not shooting and not making—a lot of threes turns the game of basketball. If a team gets hot from long range, a typical 28-point quarter can become a 39-point quarter. On the flip side, missing a bunch of threes can make that 28-point quarter a 14-point quarter. Combine the two enough times, and the final score can get ridiculously lopsided. The near-removal of the halfcourt two-point jump shot with increased pace of play makes for more seesaw in scoring. This is one of the results of more basketball philosophy exploiting the fact three is more than two.
– Dame Time happened in Milwaukee for the first time. The ease with which Damian Lillard can shoot from 30+ feet never gets old.
– I gave you GG Jackson as a G-League player to look out for. Here is another one: it’s time for the Cavaliers to bring up Emoni Bates. It’s time.

That’s it for this recap. See you next time as we move closer to the All-Star break.