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NBA 2024-2025 Season

Ed H in Pasadena

Well-known member
Haven't done this in awhile. The NBA season kicked off a couple of nights ago. The Celtics raised their 18th banner, then proceeded to thrash the newly-reconstructed contenders New York Knicks. The Lakers became the first team to have a father and son play together in the same game (LeBron James and his son, LeBron Jr., aka Bronny). And my Cavs debuted last night by thrashing an overmatched Toronto Raptors team.

The Celtics are favorites to win it all again.

 
So, we're into mid-November, about a month in, and the league is looking a little topsy-turvy. My Cavs started 15-0, lost without several regulars to Boston in Boston, then went to 16-1 while another starter missed the game due to injury (Darius Garland). While the defending champion Celtics are second, expected contenders Milwaukee and Philly have struggled mightily.
In the West, the Warriors are the big surprise (given their aging core and off-season turmoil), though (to me at least) the Lakers aren't far behind. Dalton Knecht is going to make so many teams wish they'd taken him in this past draft. Then there's "mediocre" Houston, which has been anything but, as they currently sit third in the conference.
The disappointing teams in the West, so far, are Sacramento and Minnesota. Though they aren't far "off the pace", the start of teams like GS, LA and Houston in the super-tough West have those two teams lower, currently, then I thought they'd be.

Here's a story on the biggest surprises so far this season. No surprise many of them mention my Cavs.

 
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The NBA Cup is nonsense.

As for the rest of the NBA, Oklahoma City is steamrolling teams in the West, the Celtics are again showing (despite these rankings) they're the best team in the East and my Cavaliers are 7-4 since that incredible 15-0 start. Best record in the NBA but beginning to worry about the injuries they keep dealing with (rotating squad of regulars who've missed 1-4 games recently, and still no Max Strus). And don't look now but the Mavericks and Grizzlies are warming up and somehow Houston has become a strong team.

On the flip side, the Knicks and Bucks are underperforming, the Lakers are mediocre at best, and the 76ers can't get any luck at all with Joel Embiid injured again, Jared McCain out for a while with a knee injury, and Paul George and Tyrese Maxey trying to get back to good health.

Latest power rankings from NBA.com

 
NBA season heating up as the ASG approaches in a couple of weeks, the trade deadline in about a week.
My Cavs and Oklahoma City have been the class of the NBA this season (though both have endured some recent bumps). Boston, though, is still most likely the class of the East, and don't look now but Houston is surging. Back-to-back wins over the Cavs have really stood to serve notice to those not paying any attention that they are an excellent, excellent team.
The Knicks and Bucks are no longer underperforming, and the Clippers and Indiana have weathered storms to climb back up their respective conference standings. And the Jimmy Butler saga in Miami still isn't over, though I imagine it will be before long. Oh and how about Detroit, over .500 after all those years of great disappointment for their fans? Cade Cunningham, when he isn't turning the ball over, is a really, really good player.
To me, now it's Dallas, Miami, Orlando (even with Paolo Banchero and Fritz Wagner back) and Phoenix that have been the biggest disappointments. The Sixers, if they were healthy, would be in there, too, but they've had zero luck this season in that category.

NBA Power Rankings per NBA.com
 
There was another mega deal this weekend, as San Antonio, Sacramento and the Bulls engineered a deal. The big piece for the Spurs was De'Aaron Fox from the Kings. Immediate upgrade for the Spurs as Fox instantly becomes their second best player and a coveted ballhandler for them. Wemby playing the two man game with a guy like Fox? Look out, NBA!
For Sac-town, their big piece is Zach Lavine from Chi-town. He's a good player but he's not De'Aaron, and now Sacramento has no true ballhandler, though they do improve from the three (they've been near the bottom of the league in these).
For the Bulls, they get back their own 2025 first round pick (which was a protected pick anyway, given their current league standing) and three scrub players. They are an organization in free fall and this deal makes them look even more incompetent.

De'Aaron Fox, Zach Lavine Three Team Deal
 
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