Since the New England Patriots beat the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 Sunday, the NFL season has ended. Fantasy football drafts do not start again until August so sports fans need something else to fill their time. For sports fans, there is no better place to look than the National Basketball Association.
NBA All-Star Weekend is coming up from February 13-15 in New York City. The 3-point contest will be memorable with the “Splash Bros” Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Kyle Korver, who is on pace to shoot fifty percent from the court, fifty percent from the 3-point line, and ninety percent from the free throw line, is also in the contest. If shooting were an art, the contest this year would be the Mona Lisa.
Besides NBA All-Star Weekend, the NBA is filled with interesting story lines. One story line is the terrible Eastern Conference. The Charlotte Hornets are in the eighth spot with a 20-27 record. A high chance exists of the Hornets finishing with more losses than wins. This is in stark contrast to the Western Conference. The Oklahoma City Thunder are tenth in the conference with a 23-24 record. The ninth through twelfth ranked teams in the West have a good chance at the playoffs in the East. The lack of parity between the conferences has never been greater.
The next story line is the Atlanta Hawks. This team is the definition of team basketball. The Hawks have all five starters averaging over 10 points per game. They have the best record in the Association, and best up-and-coming coach in Mike Budenholzer. This team ranks sixth in points per game, second in assists per game, and third in opponents points per game. This team is special and different than rooting for the Lakers, Celtics, or Knicks.
Another story line is the Most Valuable Player race. Last year’s winner, Kevin Durant, has been hurt this season and is a non factor. LeBron James won it the two years before Durant, but he has also been hurt this year. He is slowly gathering MVP consideration with the Cavaliers recent 11 game winning streak.
With Golden State’s explosion, Steph Curry has a chance to snag the MVP. He is averaging twenty three points per game and almost five rebounds and eight assists. He is also leading the Warriors to the best record in the rugged Western Conference. James Harden is another candidate through leading the league with twenty seven points per game. He also averages over five and a half points per game with almost seven assists per game.
With the All Star Weekend and storylines in the NBA, it is a season to watch for sport fans. From this point on, the NBA season will only become more interesting. It lasts until June, right around the time when people starting looking at their fantasy football mock drafts.
