NBA Weekly Recap 9: ‘So Long, 2023’
Recapping the biggest stories from the last week of NBA action
As this year comes to a close and we look forward to 2024, let’s recap some of the biggest stories to come out of the last week of NBA regular season.
Deck The Halls With Green and Gold
Around the world, Christmas day is a time for togetherness and merryment. A day where all but a few businesses shut their doors and people spend time with family and loved ones. For the NBA, Christmas day is the stage for some of the most blockbuster matchups the league can conjure up for its legions of fans to enjoy while chestnuts roast over a fire. And what matchup could be more blockbuster than one of the most stories rivalries in sports history?
On Christmas day, the Boston Celtics faced off against the Los Angeles Lakers in ‘Tinsel Town.’ And in this game, the stars did not disappoint. The game ebbed and flowed, at times looking one sided only for it to become neck-and-neck. The Lakers’ own Anthony Davis would arguably shine the brightest on this night, ending the game with 40 points paired with 13 rebounds, while LeBron James himself would have an uncharacteristically but perhaps appropriately cold game, making just over a third of his shots and finishing with 16 points. The winter chills would not be as effective against Boston however, especially Kristaps Porziņģis who would score 28 points, pull down 11 rebounds, and send a pair of shots back. It was the kind of performance we thought would be common for Porziņģis since Kevin Durant dubbed him ‘the unicorn,’ and while that hasn’t been the case, it was wonderful to see what the Latvian giant is capable of when he’s firing on all cylinders.
Luka Magic not enough to beat Spida-less Cavaliers
Everyone loves a good crossover episode. Especially in the realm of fiction. Seeing big name superheroes coming together will always peak the audience’s attention. And when I saw the Cavaliers-Mavericks game coming up, I was salivating at the thought of Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving facing off against Donovan ‘Spida’ Mitchell.
Sadly this game would not get to see two of those three big names, as both Kyrie Irving and Donovan Mitchell would not play due to injury and illness respectively. The hardwood would also miss several other key names on December 27, including Darius Garland. That being said, the players who did suit up certainly didn’t disappoint. Though I can only imagine how disappointing this loss was for Dallas, especially with Dončić’s performance. The Slovenian Superstar continued to earn his nickname and litany of Hall-of-Famer comparisons as he put up 39 points, making just under half of his shots. Luka wouldn’t just be an offensive maestro though, as he would display his steadily improving defense, coming away with a pair of steals and blocking two shots.
The story of this game though was the late game heroics from Cleveland’s Caris LeVert, who would score a crucial three pointer with around two minutes left in the game that would complete the Cavalier’s comeback. At one point the Cavs had been down 20 points. LeVert has been solid but nothing spectacular thus far in the season, but performances like this just serve to remind us that sometimes the most unlikely hero can emerge late when a game seems decided.
No Jimmy, no problem as Heat dismantle Warriors
While he may not have been on the floor for this game against the Warriors, the spirit of Jimmy Butler was clearly carried by his Heat teammates as they beat Goldenstate and made it look easy too.
If I told you that in a game that would see both Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson play, that the top three scorers would all be playing for the Miami Heat, you probably wouldn’t have believed me. But that was exactly the case. In the aftermath of the game on December 28, Tyler Herro would be the top scorer of the night with 26, followed by fellow Heat players Bam Adebayo and rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. who both dropped 17. On the other side, Stephen Curry would shoot an abysmal 3–15 and ending the game with merely 13 points, while his fellow Splash Brother Klay Thomspon would make just 4 of 11 shots and end the night with the same number of points.
This game was emblematic of a team being smote by the same sword that is often their salvation. The Goldenstate Warriors are a team that so often relies on its offense to win games. So often their firepower has been too much for an opponent to overcome, covering the team’s defensive shortcomings and lack of other reliable modes of victory. This game however proves that a ‘one strategy team’ can only get so far. Because what happens when that strategy doesn’t work? What happens when your hot hands go cold? What happens when you have to look to other avenues but don’t have one you can rely upon? The answer is simple.
You lose.
As far as the Miami Heat are concerned, this sort of win can be a confidence booster. Being able to win by a comfortable margin without your star player is a huge boost, and shows that Miami is not a team that can only win under optimal conditions. That being said, I hope that they don’t fall prey to the same mindset that Goldenstate may have succumbed to. Looking at the percentages, Miami wasn’t that much better from the field than the Warriors were. They did handle the ball better though, committing around half as many turnovers as their opponent did in this one. Neither of these teams are known for defense, but even offensive dynamos should heed the age old nugget of wisdom:
Defense wins championships.
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And that concludes this weekly recap of NBA action. What stories did I miss? Do you have different viewpoints on the ones I did? Share all your thoughts in the comments. If you enjoyed this piece, follow me on Medium and subscribe to my email list so you get notified every time I post. Also if you would like to support the independent work I do here and get some extra reading material, consider becoming a patron at https://www.patreon.com/HMShaikh . Thank you, and may the new year be full of success, health, and happiness for all of us!
