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Good morning to everyone but especially to...
THE BROOKLYN NETS
The Eastern Conference standings may show the Chicago Bulls on top, but make no mistake: The Brooklyn Nets are undoubtedly the class of the conference. On Wednesday night, they reminded us of that, coming into the Windy City and blowing out the Bulls 138-112.
Here's how it happened:
Things were tied, 71-71, early in the third quarter before Brooklyn went on a 43-8 run to put the game to bed early in the fourth quarter.Kevin Durant poured in 27 points, including 17 in that decisive third period. It marked his 12th straight game with at least 25 points, tying his own franchise record.James Harden had 25 points and a season-high 16 assists.Rookie Day'Ron Sharpe added a career-high 20 points and Patty Mills scored 21 off the bench.Yes, the Bulls were without defensive standout Alex Caruso, and, yes, the Bulls won the first two meetings this season. But those first two games came without Kyrie Irving in the mix, and his presence, even if Caruso had played, leads to the question every team is trying to answer: How do you defend the Nets?
Irving is a magician with the ball in his hands, constantly putting pressure on the defense with an array of dazzling dribbles and mind-boggling finishes. On Monday, Trail Blazers head coach (and former star point guard) Chauncey Billups called Irving "the most skilled player" ever at the position. Our NBA guru Brad Botkin eagerly agreed:
Botkin: "In the end, we're dead smack in the middle of the most skilled point guard era in history, and Irving and Curry reside atop all the others. But then Irving even goes up a notch from there. Curry is the greatest shooter ever. Irving is the most skilled point guard. Billups is right, in my opinion."That's what makes the Nets so scary. Irving had just nine points Wednesday. Instead, Durant showed that he is just about unguardable when he gets going, no matter the opponent (but especially against a Chicago team without a top-tier wing defender). Harden showed that even though his shooting has gone M.I.A., his abilities as a distributor are second-to-none when he's at his best. Here's what our NBA expert Sam Quinn had to say about it all:
Quinn: "The fully realized version of this team is only going to be more terrifying. Most defenses lack the personnel to adequately contain one superstar. No one has enough for all three."Wednesday night's contest did much more than tighten the gap between these two teams to 1.5 games atop the Eastern Conference. It sent a reminder to the Bulls — and the rest of the league — of who's boss.
Honorable mention:
Congratulations to Jon Lester on a heck of a career. The lefty retired Wednesday, and it begs the question: Is he a Hall of Famer?And not such a good morning for...
DAMIAN LILLARD AND THE PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
Nearly halfway through the season, the Portland Trail Blazers — a team that has made the playoffs eight straight seasons — is barely clinging onto the final play-in spot in the Western Conference. The quest to stay there — much less improve their standing — just got a lot harder.
Damian Lillard will undergo abdominal surgery and miss six to eight weeks. The six-time All-Star hasn't played since New Year's Eve and has missed 11 games this season overall. Since Lillard joined the league in 2012, he has been as durable as they come, with only P.J. Tucker playing in more games.
It's the latest blow to a team that has also been without CJ McCollum for its last 16 games and has struggled to adapt to first-year coach Chauncey Billups. Portland has the league's second-worst defensive rating. All that leaves Portland at 16-24, tied for its worst start through 40 games since Lillard arrived. So now it's again time for this ever-present question: Is it time to trade Lillard?
Let's send it back to our NBA expert Sam Quinn again to break down the tricky situation:
Quinn: "Lillard has been adamant that he does not want to be traded from Portland to a more immediate contender, but (Anfernee) Simons' breakout combined with the presumably higher draft pick the Blazers will receive without Lillard could make a rebuild tempting. The Blazers fired general manager Neil Olshey earlier in the season and are still seeking a permanent replacement. Reports have suggested that possible candidates for the position are interested in trading Lillard and starting a rebuild, but without the position filled on a full-time basis, it's impossible to know what direction the Blazers will go in."The Trail Blazers have never reached the NBA Finals with Lillard and have made the conference finals just once: in 2019, when they got swept by the Warriors. Being good enough to make the playoffs but not good enough to contend for a title is a tough spot to be stuck in, and no team knows that better than Portland.
