It’s been another exciting week in the NBA with more intense battles, insane plays and a whole lot of history being made. We’re getting to the business end of the season where locking in favourable playoff seeding is the top priority. For some teams it’s home court advantage, for others it’s the match up and it’s only just begun. The bigger story for this week however were the moments which made history. New records set, milestones hit and shifts in the all time pecking order, let’s see what happened around the association this week.
LeBron James becomes 1st player in NBA history to record 30k points, 10k rebounds and 10k assists
There’s not a name for what LeBron has accomplished, but that’s because no one has ever done it! It’s somewhat of a career triple double but in the 10 thousands! There are only 3 other players who come close who have over 10k points, 10k rebounds and 5k assists and those are Kareem Abdul Jabar, Karl Malone and Kevin Garnett.
Gregg Popovich passes Don Nelson as coach with the most wins in NBA history at 1336 games
In his 26th season with the San Antonio Spurs, he is the longest standing coach in all four U.S major sports leagues. By far the most deserved coach to claim this record as he adds this to his 5 NBA championships and 13 division titles, well done Coach Pop!
Boston Celtics retire Kevin Garnett’s Jersey
Hall of Fame NBA Champion and member of the Boston Celtics last Big 3 era Kevin Garnett was honoured for his contribution to the franchise. In a touching ceremony before the Celtics took on the Mavs, KG was given his jersey retirement ceremony where he raised his number up into the rafters. He then put to rest a public feud with Ray Allen that started when he moved to the Miami Heat in 2012 by saying ‘Ray’s going up next!’ and having a long embrace with him, of which Paul Pierce joined to complete reconciliation of the Boston Big 3. A moment which brings things full circle for Ticket to finally be at peace with closing the book on his Celtics chapter.
James Harden passes Reggie Miller for 3rd in all time 3 pointers made
Who would have thought the top 3 on this list would change twice in the same season? The Beard now trails only Ray Allen and Steph Curry on this list and where Steph’s growing record is unattainable, is Ray Allen’s possible? Harden has 2,563 to Allen’s 2,973 with a few more years left in the tank. Never say never!
Steph Curry reaches 20k points
At time of writing he has 20,014 points and is 49th all time. Currently Antawn Jameson (20,042) and Tom Chambers (20,049) are ahead of him but he’ll pass them soon enough. But the bigger question is how far can he go? With the way he racks up consistent points shooting 3’s and being only half way through his playing career, he he’s expected to make it into the top 10, but can he make top 5?
LeBron scores another 50!
It’s coming to the end of the season and LeBron has another 50 point game. His Lakers are 9th in the West and 7 games behind 8th seed stadium roommate LA Clippers. They’ll likely meet in the play-in but is this a sign of The King getting play-in ready or just him trying to climb up the all time points ladder?
KD and Kyrie just said “we are those guys”
In their first meeting since the big trade that swapped James Harden and Ben Simmons around, the Nets have convincingly beat the Sixers twice! And that’s without Ben Simmons on the floor! The Nets dynamic duo showed they can handle their own when they’re on the floor together and can step right up to the plate. Don’t count the Nets out too early because they just showed against a 2nd seed Sixers they are serious business.
Who’s not getting home court for the Playoffs?
The playoff seedings are close as ever but who’s not getting home court? That 4th spot is anyones call in both conferences. In the East, there’s potential for 7 teams to switch places as the regular season closes. In the West, 4 teams. Being this late into the season means it’s a test of form and consistency now.
MVP Race just changed up
Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic both had losing streaks against nemesis teams. Sixers lost twice to the Nets and the Nuggets twice to the Warriors. It’s never great to lose but the difference here is the Joker is still in the game, whereas Embiid is holding a rough hand. Jokic is playing strong without Jamal Murray, whereas Embiid added a former MVP winner in James Harden. However, in the background Ja Morant and DeMar DeRozen are focused on the task at hand to get home court advantage and a top 2 finish.
Just how far can a play-in team go?
The gap between 8th and 9th is only 2 wins in the East but 7 in the West! That’s quite a sizeable difference! But is that reflective of the skill level of the teams? Is it even worth them playing those extra games to enter the playoff arena to face a well rested, top seed team with a significantly better record? LeBron once said it’s a stupid idea, but now the shoe is on the other foot as this little loophole is the only reason he still has a slither of a chance of winning a Championship this season. Time will tell whether this plays out to be a lifeline or a spanner in the works.
