So far, the NBA season has been like a Natty World final – unpredictable and hard to figure out.
However, one thing is certain. The Golden State Warriors are good. Historically, scary good. Even coming off a championship campaign in the 2014-15 season, the Warriors have managed to exceed expectations and at press time, remain undefeated with a perfect 23-0 record. Led by ball-handling wizard Stephen Curry, the Warriors have dazzled opponents and spectators alike with a fast-paced offense that emphasizes ball movement and confuses defenses.
Teamwork fuels Golden State, that plays like a much older team. The Warriors know where each teammate will be on the floor at a specific time, and the pass arrives just as the player does. At times, their offense looks like it belongs in a well-choreographed dance routine, not a basketball game.
When Head Coach Steve Kerr announced an indefinite leave from the team to address lingering back problems, critics questioned how the Warriors would respond. It seems that Kerr’s absence hasn’t affected the team too much, as interim coach Luke Walton was named NBA Coach of the Month last week despite all his team’s wins being credited to Kerr. Let that thought sink in. The Warriors are so good their coach gets awards for having zero career wins.
Outside of western California, the NBA is far more puzzling.
In the Eastern Conference, LeBron James and his Cavaliers sit in second place in the conference behind James’ former team, the Miami Heat. The Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers all sit within a game of the lead as well.
Cleveland has played the entire season without its starting backcourt as Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert continue to recover from injuries, but more concerning is the team’s lack of toughness. James, who sat out a game last weekend due to fatigue, has been stellar, but center Timofey Mozgov and guard Mo Williams have provided little in the way of offense and nothing but holes on offense. Williams will see reduced minutes when Shumpert and Irving return, but without Mozgov playing well, the Cavaliers lack an inside presence. Tristan Thompson needs to start playing up to his $82 million contract to bolster the Cavs’ inside presence.
The only certainty in the East is the Philadelphia 76ers, who continue their journey of futility. After starting the season 0-20, Philadelphia managed to pick up a win against the equally pathetic Los Angeles Lakers. After that, is it any wonder why Kobe wants to move on from basketball?
Speaking of moving on, as my term as sports editor of The Bona Venture comes to a close, I would like to thank all the people who make our paper, and especially the sports section, so much fun. Nick Konotopskyj and Jonathan Sawyer were, without question, the best section staff at the paper. While we may have had titles bestowing rank, the sports section has been a team effort from week one. These men are talented writers and editors with skills that far exceed mine. Along with newly appointed assistant editor, Dominic LoVallo, sports remains in capable hands.
More than anything else, I’d like to thank the Editor-in-Chief, my sister, Amelia. While she always remained in charge, she did it in a way that made working for The BV fun. She secured a monetary gift from an alumnus to give us financial security, and under her supervision, the sports section, with help from everyone on staff, created the first basketball season preview in years.
In some small way, I’d like to take credit for her success as a leader; her years of bossing me around finally paid off. As Hannah Gordon, Julia Mericle and Diana McElfresh take control of the paper, I have no doubt they will lead as well as Amelia did. They certainly have big shoes to fill.
