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  • Writer's pictureChad Marriott

NBA Season Recap (Since the Season is Probably Over)

Updated: Jan 21, 2021

The new arrangement of talent in the NBA makes for far better entertainment. The “super” team model was boring. I had grown tired of watching multiple good players gravitating to two or three teams and running roughshod over the whole league. The Warriors were automatically going to the Finals. When Lebron was in Cleveland, he was automatically going to the Finals too.


Now, that’s all over. Parity has returned. Kawhi Leonard walked into Toronto and busted up the NBA hierarchy with a great one-two-punch. First, he took the Raptors to the mountain top and beat the Golden State Warriors. Then, he chose to team up with Paul George and the Clippers instead of Lebron James, Anthony Davis, and the Lakers. By defeating the Warriors and “snubbing” Lebron in free agency, Kawhi set up a new league outlook. Teams have begun using a duo instead of a “super” team.


Having all of these duos across the league means that each team has a better shot of winning the title. AD and Lebron have led the Lakers to a great season. Harden and Westbrook have kept the Rockets in it even if they don’t really seem to have the right chemistry. Giannis and Middleton are wreaking havoc in the East. Next year, we get to see if Kyrie and KD work together.


I could go on with listing duos, but what I have enjoyed most about the shakeups in the league is that we can look at the underdogs seriously again. There are so many good teams now. It is more fun to watch multiple good teams duke it out than it is to watch two great teams stomp all over everyone else. Toronto was, and still is for that matter, a good team that upset the Warriors. Last year reminded us that if you can put together a good team that has an efficient offense and puts in the effort on defense, you really only need one or two top-tier players to win it all.


Quick Hits


This year, I have noted more teams that are fun to watch than I have in a long time.

  • The Mavericks are fun to watch with their duo of Doncic and Porzingas. Luka Doncic may end up being the face of the NBA. His game is perfect for the current style of play and he has a lot of fun playing the game.

  • Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Joe Ingles, Bojan Bogdanovic, and the Jazz were my dark horse pick at the start of the season. Before the NBA’s hiatus, the Jazz had a better record than the Rockets (who have two former MVPs).

  • Jimmy Butler and the young Miami heat have been a stellar story this year as well. Butler, another player who “snubbed” Lebron, has seen a lot of success with Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro stepping up big this season.

  • Boston joins Miami as an Eastern Conference team to watch in the years to come with Kemba Walker leading his own young core featuring Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

  • It should not go unnoted that Erik Spoelstra and Brad Stevens are two of the best coaches in the league. Year in and year out their teams seem to outperform expectations.

  • I should also mention what a great story is developing in Oklahoma City where the Thunder, who traded away Paul George and Russel Westbrook this summer, have the same record as the Rockets. Chris Paul is a great leader and, I think, is proving that the Lob City success had a lot more to do with him than with Blake Griffin.

  • The league has a plethora of young talent including rookies Zion Williamson and Ja Morant. Those guys are going to change their franchises.

  • Next year, Steph and Klay come back and we can see the Warriors have to really fight for a title.

  • Finally, I can’t ignore Nikola Jokic and his Nuggets having another great season. Jokic provides one of the best examples of a player that fits the new style of basketball. He’s a big that can do it all. I believe Jokic is doing for the Center position what Dirk Nowitzki did for the Power Forward position. In ten years, the NBA will be littered with 7 footers emulating Jokic.

  • I’m sure I could spend more time discussing Lebron, but that’s all anyone talks about. Taco Tuesday or something.

Overall, I believe the league is headed in the right direction. Ratings may be down, but not for a lack of new talent. For whatever reason, parity doesn’t draw in the same number of fans as having a Goliath repeatedly smash a David. That says something about our culture that perhaps I’ll discuss some other time. I suppose it must be easier to sell a simpler narrative. Why not give this new look a chance? There are so many possible intertwining storylines in the NBA now. The NBA should turn its focus towards embracing this uncertainty and leaving the super teams behind.


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