#232.This Week in Ball| D-Loading makes history, resting players, rivalries
D’Angelo Russell made history after being moved to the shooting guard position. The NBA’s problem with players resting nationally-televised game grows bigger. The Celtics-Wizards rivalry is getting juicier and juicier.
D-Loading’s history
D’Angelo Russell just became the youngest Laker to score 4o points in a game, younger than the all-timer he played with last year, Kobe Bryant. Lakers coach Luke Walton switched Russell’s position to shooting guard(which I think is his natural position). He immediately dropped 40 on the Cavs, although he was outshined by Kyrie Irving’s 46(the Lakers lost the game).
It looks like the Lakers are going to keep him at the shooting guard position. That’s great, especially if they intend on drafting one of the point guards in this year’s draft. D-Lo has always seemed to me as an awkward point guard, someone that had the vision to make great plays, but would rather score. Putting him at the 2 would help him play to his natural strengths.
Star players getting rest
The NBA is starting to have a real problem with teams resting their best players in key games. It all started with the basketball genius known as Gregg Popovich, and it is now becoming a more universal practice(with championship contenders). The problem isn’t with the average games that don’t make or break the NBA’s profit. The problem is with the NBA’s nationally-televised games becoming yawn-fests without the All-Stars the teams rely upon.
Nobody wants to see LeBron James and Kyrie Irving on the bench while people like Deron Williams and Richard Jefferson grace the hardwood. But, the NBA’s problem isn’t going to continue if they don’t fix the schedule. The more teams learn about the effect that back-to-backs and other physically-demanding games have on the players, the more they will sit. Unless the NBA does their best to eliminate back-to-backs and 4-games-in-5-nights, they will continue to have their problem
Regular Season Rivalry
There’s nothing better than a couple of good ol’ regular season rivalries to make the long regular season a little more interesting. The Celtics and Wizards seemingly became a rivalry out of nowhere this year. And, now that the Wizards are actually one of the top seeds in the East, the matchup is actually close. With the Celtics’ win today, they tied the series at 2–2.
The Celtics and the Wizards HATE EACH OTHER. During their 4 matchups this season, there have been fights, technical fouls, trash talk, and everything in between. Earlier this year, the Wizards players wore all black to a Celtics-Wizards game to indicate the C’s impending funeral! Defensive stopper Jae Crowder and All-Star point guard John Wall have real problems with each other, so much so that John Wall slapped Crowder in a skirmish.
The Celtics and the Wizards have two of the best point guards in the East, making the rivalry even better. The King of the Fourth Isaiah Thomas has been putting up points in bunches, while the 4-time “Wall-Star” himself John has been leading his team on both ends. Too bad they aren’t going to meet in the Eastern Conference Finals. Because, that would be a treat.
