Without having managed to complete hours of sleep and already the NBA season closes a quarter of the way in a season full of thrills, enthusiasm and a variety of fascinating plot lines, but also abounds in disappointing trends that cause quite a few moments of rage and wonder.
Just for that we decided to stop, put a little mirror on the way, and talk about the five things we loved so far and five things we really did not.
We loved: The
return of the empire
in the last two years has been a major concern that all the merchandise stacks we acquired in the Warriors championship seasons are no longer wearable and that the strongest brand in the world's best league in the past decade unraveled along with Clay Thompson's lower limbs, so it's not.
The current season started with high expectations, and as of a quarter of the way it has surpassed all.
Not only the best balance in the league so far, but complete control of the game reminiscent of the big seasons, ie a historic season as the king of baskets and better than ever, a refreshing revival of Drymond Wiggins and plenty of surprises popping up out of nowhere in the style of Jordan Paul and Gary Peyton III.
All of these together create for Steve Carr a scary unity given the fact that Clay is a Santa Claus distance from the pole on the way back to Weissman Parquet is also expected to return.
A fourth championship ring suddenly looks more practical than ever.
Kerry and Jordan Paul.
The Warriors commemorate the days of the championships, Photo: AP,
Physics back
right, this is not something reminiscent of the street fights of the 90s and let's face it no one also misses the 78-82 review and the intensity of wrestling on the pitches, but it is impossible not to notice that the minor change in laws did contribute to the return of physicality We have been so lacking in the league in recent years.
The results are still high, the flow is not damaged for a moment, and it's still a league of threes but not for nothing did we get a copious dose of clashes from the Yukic and Morris incident to LeBron's amusing chase scene with Isaiah Stewart - they all signify that the toughness and bad blood we lost are back in the league.
The world in the ridiculous solar flares
claimed that reaching the final last season is a function of injuries of key players of the opponents throughout the playoffs and a lot of luck that will not be restored this season, but Chris Paul and the team from Phoenix made it clear why they are here to stay.
After a faltering season opener and a particularly embarrassing investigation into the owner failing to divert the synergy of the team to an impressive streak of 16 consecutive wins (the second in the club's history) and giving the Suns a safe run to return for another visit in the final Lou in the glorious resume.
Devin Booker.
Phoenix continues from where it stopped last season, Photo: AP,
Young blood
forget Maluka, Trey and this bunch who have already managed to become proven stars, because it seems that the league has never been teeming with so many potential stars who will make sure the league does not lose its appeal even if the track of LeBron, Durant and the old team comes to an end in a few years.
The list is long and exciting, from Mega Morant to the exciting Anthony Edwards of Minnesota, to Amalo Ball and Miles Bridges in Charlotte to gems like Owen Mobley and the rest of his rookie classmates are particularly attractive.
All of these are here to upholster the league and reduce our sleeping hours to a minimum in the coming years.
Damar Drusen and Jimmy Butler
two former stars who were supposed to be beyond the peak and in decline stages and suddenly found a revival on the way to amazing seasons each in his own team.
Drusen's story is a surprise that one cannot hide the smile when one sees his blossoming in the ghost town where he came from after the image of a mediocre loser in the seasons in Toronto and a few more unnecessary years at the Spurs.
The huge contract he received in the summer, plus the problematic shooting outside the arc and the puzzling connection with Zack Lavine, were enough for the critics to kill the move.
But the Mid-Range King proved he is still a superstar for everything with averages of 25.8 points per game on nearly 50 percent from the field, and a mention of honor on the MVP title list.
For Butler the business may be less surprising, but he too comes after a disappointing season after dominating the bubble, and he too shows numbers of 23.6 in 51 percent and it seems his hit can easily find themselves in the Eastern Conference finals.
Damar Druzen.
Blooming again, Photo: USA TODAY Sports,
Less we liked:
Missing in a great place
We have already managed to get used to it and it seems that the narrative of the season is that we have to live without some of our favorite names in the league, but we are here to whine that it is very disappointing.
And yes, it refers to Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons and whoever wants to downsize can also add Zion's name to the list even though recent reports say he's on his way back to training, but until we hear he downloaded Heli Maman's app and see him in a narrower version running on the floor then Remains skeptical.
The reality of the Hunts as a historic team with three superstars is fading as long as Irving continues to be vaccinated and new Delta strains continue to hurt.
In the case of Simmons it does not seem that this tangle is on the way to some solution that will manage to remind us that until about a year ago the guy was considered a superstar in the making.
Kyrie Irving.
Has not yet returned to the floor, Photo: AFP,
The end of Kamba?
We had hoped that the move home to New York would bring life to this talented center and bring him back to greatness from Charlotte a few years ago, but apparently what Boston has discovered in the last two years now reveals Tom Thibodeau, because Walker is not even close to being the star someone thought he was.
The numbers do not lie: 11 points in a miserable 24 minutes in addition to the defensive ability that has always been in question and certainly does not fit the tough coach's thesis are other signs why Shalev's glory days have finally disappeared.
Life in the movie
We tried to warn before the season opener why the weird mix called the Los Angeles Lakers roster is full of problems and incompatibilities no less than perforated cheese, but also skeptics like us did not anticipate the situation would be so bleak.
It's true that there have been injuries to LeBron, some suspensions and in-and-out squad members, but that does not seem to be what makes the team turn from championship contenders in the hope that they will make it to the play-in tournament.
The connection with Westbrook that raised question marks became a horror film and another injury distance for LeBron from being a Lottery team.
LeBron James.
What's going on with the Lakers?
Photo: AP,
The steeply declining dollar
is indeed improving recently but something not good at all has been going on about Damien Lillard since he is his show at the Olympics.
After announcing he wanted to stay in Portland the hope was that a new coach in the form of a legendary coordinator like Chonasi Billups would shed new blood for Dame’s motivation but the opposite seemed to be true.
The numbers are all downhill, the team continues its steady mediocrity and does not look like Lillard will ever be able to bring a ring to the team from Oregon.
You may want to reconsider your trade.
Michael Porter Jr. is
another player who was supposed to advance this season and make the move to the superstar and on the way to justifying the monstrous contract he received in the summer.
Instead we got a start of a particularly failing season and now we also understand why.
Porter's back is making trouble again, and this injured player from the start who has already been compared to Kevin Durant in terms of a future skill set is actually on the way to pursuing another legacy style like Sam Bowie, Greg Auden or maybe some who have partially realized like Penny and Grant Hill.
It all happens to the heartbeat of the Joker who hoped there was a superstar here with whom one could walk hand in hand towards a long-standing shared dominance.
Were we wrong?
Fixed!
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