Dylan Gilmore’s : NBA Edition

Basketball is the 2nd most watched sport in America, being second best to American Football. NBA teams nowadays have really shocked NBA lovers. Some teams made trades and some didn’t make any. Teams are still in trade talks with other teams, even in the NBA season. However, no person would ever expect the Denver Nuggets to lead the whole Western Conference, yet alone the Toronto Raptors leading the whole Eastern Conference. Both teams have been very impressive all year, despite big trades, such as Lebron James going to the Lakers or the Warriors still having their NBA Championship roster, so let’s see what makes them top dogs. Let’s start with the Toronto Raptors.

With the newest edition of former Small Forward, Kawhi Leonard, they have obtained the best record in the NBA so far with a record of 21-5. He is currently the top scorer for them, averaging 26.1 points per game. The Raptors have gone 13-3 in Conference, 4-1 in Division, 11-3 at Home games, 10-2 at Away games, 9-1 in the last 10 games, and are currently on a 1 game winning streak. Who knew that one player can make a difference among all of the other talent they have to offer. On 12/7/18, they will be playing the Brooklyn Nets at 4:30 PM, looking to extend their winning streak to 2, but anything can happen. Next, the Denver Nuggets.

With only making minor transactions, they have clawed their way to the top of the Western Conference with a record of 17-7. Their top current scorer is young point guard, Jamal Murray, averaging 17.9 points per game. The Nuggets have gone 10-4 in Conference, 4-0 in Division, 9-3 at Home games, 8-4 at Away Games, 8-2 in the last 10 games, and are currently on a 7 game winning streak, which is the longest winning streak thus far. On 12/7/18, they will be facing the Charlotte Hornets at 4:00 PM, looking to extend their winning streak to 8 in a row, but as previously stated, anything can happen.

On less important matters, other powerhouse teams in the NBA have disappointed some of the NBA lovers. Powerhouse teams, such as the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, and the Boston Celtics, have been drastically decreasing down the standings board. Why is that you may ask? Maybe it is due to the chemistry that had been lost or not every player is on the same page. However, the big questions are could they recover from such an average record? Could they be as good as they were in previous years? Would change be the key to making it back on top? Well, we will just have to wait and see for ourselves throughout the NBA season.

Finally, there are teams that have achieved “no dice,” as in, they are considered to currently be the worst teams in NBA. The Cleveland Cavaliers, the Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, and the Phoenix Suns all fall into that category. Each team is around 4 wins and around 20 losses. The only way for these teams to actually show up in the playoff picture would be a huge miracle. Other than that, the most that each team can do now is wait until next year, where the rebuilding will take place.