The Cavs and Bucks surge, the Warriors tread water in this week’s NBA Pulse
Davis Rich | Co-News Editor
The marathon that is the NBA season reaches somewhat of a water break this weekend as the brightest stars head to the Big Apple for the All-Star weekend while the rest of the league catches its breath. Now is as good a time as ever to assess the trajectory of several playoff teams through 50 games.
The Warriors plod through the dregs of the season:
Klay Thompson’s 52 point outburst against Sacramento on January 23 could be considered a high-water mark for the Warriors’ season thus far. The win pushed them to 35-6, with 12 wins in their last 13 games (including blowouts of Cleveland, Toronto, Houston, and Oklahoma City). Golden State is 7-3 since then, which is by no means bad. But the Warriors have looked exceptionally sluggish in several of their wins over the past two weeks. The symptoms started showing in a Sunday matinee victory over the Celtics, after which Steve Kerr admitted the Warriors lacked energy. Then came back to back losses to Chicago and Utah (ew). Most shocking to me, however, is how poorly Golden State has played on their East Coast swing so far. The Dubs have won three consecutive games against New York, Philadelphia, and Minnesota, but only by eight points a game. Those three teams have 33 wins combined. Part of the problem has been poor shooting; over the past ten games, the Warriors’ shooting percentage has dropped from 48.1% to 45.7%, and their three-point shooting has dropped from 38.4% to 35.9%. Personally, I think this stretch of the season is akin to August for the MLB season: players are tired and need a break. The All-Star break couldn’t come at a better time for the Warriors.
On the other hand, the Cavs are scorching hot:
Since losing to Phoenix and dropping below .500 to 19-20, Cleveland has won 14 of 15 entering tonight’s contest with the Bulls and has moved comfortably into the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference. The Cavs are putting up 108.6 points over their last 15 games and only surrendering 96.3, giving them a point differential that would be the best in the league if it were sustained over an entire season. The individual performances we are seeing from Cleveland’s Big Three this past month is nothing short of incredible. Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving, and Lebron James are combining for 65 points per game, to go along with 20 rebounds and 15 assists. The three superstars seem to pass each other the torch game to game. Kyrie drops 55. Kevin Love scores 32 with 10 rebounds. Lebron goes for 36. Against the Lakers on Sunday, the trio seemed to cede the spotlight quarter by quarter. Irving scored 13 in the first, Love scored 17 in the second, then Lebron scored 14 in the third. Incredible teamwork like this will be the key for Cleveland to advance in the playoffs.
How about them Bucks?
After a horrific 2013-14 season in which Milwaukee suffered through the worst record in the NBA and the ignominy of losing the lottery to the Cavaliers, Jason Kidd’s squad has surged to a 30-23 record, good for sixth in the East. As Brett Koremenos of Grantland pointed out, Kidd is deftly using his athletic and lengthy defensive stoppers to frustrate opponents and force turnovers. The Bucks are second in the NBA in defensive rating, only behind the unstoppable force and immovable object that is the Golden State Warriors. Opponents are shooting just 43.5% from the field and 32.9% from deep against Milwaukee. Offensively, the Bucks are nothing special, but they are doing enough to get by. A matchup will Chicago would be favorable for the Bucks, as Chicago’s offense can be inconsistent at times. Look to the Bucks as a sleeper to advance to the second round of the playoffs in the East.
