Are the Cavaliers the biggest threat to the Celtics?
Over the past few weeks, the Cavaliers have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA. Cleveland has won 17 of its last 18 games overall, with just two losses in 2024. A big reason for their success has been their commitment on the defensive end as they currently rank #2 in defense giving up 109.2 points per game. Offensively, they have been led by their superstar in Donovan Mitchell who has been playing MVP level basketball yet not quite getting the attention he deserves. Mitchell is averaging career-highs in points and steals with 28.4 points and 1.9 steals per game.
The Cavaliers success over the last few weeks has pushed them into the second seed in the East. Though they are six games behind the Celtics for the #1 seed, the recent struggles of teams like the Knicks and Sixers due to injuries and the Bucks defensive issues the Cavaliers are arguably the Celtics biggest threat right now. If they can continue to play with the same level of defensive intensity and other teams in the East can't overcome their issues the Cavs could make a run to the conference finals.
Have the Lakers finally hit their stride?
The Lakers have been a perplexing team all season as like Lebron said about this team they can win against anyone but also get blown out by anyone. Despite their lack of consistent play all season long they managed to enter All-Star break on a 3 game win streak and winners of 7 of their last 10 games. After their last win before All-Star break Anthony Davis spoke about the Lakers identity stating, "We got to have an identity and we are starting to establish that.” Basing their newly established identity on their play in their win over the Jazz the Lakers identity has to start with their dominance in the paint and their efficient shooting. The Lakers scored nearly half their points in the paint scoring 66 of their 138 points in the paint while shooting an impressive 57.1% from the field.
Another big part of their identity has to be a dominant focused Anthony Davis leading the way who took over the game with Lebron sitting out and dropped a game high 37 points and 15 rebounds. Even with Lebron playing great basketball at 39 years of age it is clear that the Lakers will only go as far as Davis lead them. Davis is playing great basketball averaging 24.9 points per game and 12.2 rebounds per game while having an overall healthy season playing 52 of the Lakers 56 games so far.
Klay Thompson shines off the bench: Can his new role allow the Warriors to thrive?
It's no secret that Klay Thompson has struggled for most of this season as he is shooting a career worst three point percentage of 37.3% and overall field goal percentage of 42.1%. His struggles also play a huge role as to why the Warriors have struggled to win with consistency this season. His role has begun to diminish as young players like Kuminga are playing larger roles and Kerr has notoriously kept him out of closing lineups in the 4th numerous times this year. However, head coach Steve Kerr's decision to bring Klay off the bench for the first time since his rookie season may be exactly what Klay Thompson and the Warriors needed.
In the Warriors final game before All-Star break they went on the road to take on the Jazz and had Klay Thompson came off the bench putting up a season high 35 points. Looking like the Splash Brother he has been known to be, Klay knocked down 7 threes and helped the Warriors earn a hard fought road win. After the game, Klay spoke on his mindset going into game stating, “You can do two things: You can pout or you can go out there and respond" Klay's performance off the bench not only appeared to bring back his confidence but also showed how dangerous this Warriors team can still be. This is a major reason why it is hard to count out the Warriors come playoff time as with Steph still playing at an elite level if Klay Thompson plays like he did against the Jazz they are a tough team to beat. The Warriors also closed their schedule out well going into All-Star break winning eight of their last ten games which could make things interesting if Kerr continues Klay's bench role post All-Star break.
Game of the week- Klay Thompson took over off the bench dropping a season-high 35 points and knocked down seven three pointers to lead the Warriors to a 140-137 victory over Jazz.
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