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Miami Heat – LeBron James Not Planning on Losing Anytime Soon
Beyond the individual and team streaks and records, the Miami Heat just look more confident than anyone else in their ability, thanks mostly to LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, to keep their winning form going, and more importantly defend their NBA title.
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Los Angeles Lakers – Kobe Bryant Impossibly Keeps Getting Better
From the depth of NBA despair, it seems the Los Angeles Lakers, as imperfect and flawed as before, are finding the recipe to make the dysfunctional formula work, with Steve Nash and Dwight Howard patching things up, while Kobe Bryant is playing like his life depends on it.
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Denver Nuggets – The Best Home Team in the NBA
Playing back-to-back nights is always a tough thing, and the Los Angeles Clippers simply fell apart in one of the toughest venues in the NBA, as the Denver Nuggets, led by Ty Lawson on the offensive end and Andre Iguodala on the defensive one, were too much to handle in the second half.
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Oklahoma City Thunder – Kevin Durant Shines Without Duel Rival
The first visit for the Oklahoma City Thunder in New York since 2010 wasn’t about the duel between Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony because of an injury keeping the Knicks’ star out of the game, and possibly giving the visiting team a hard-earned road win.
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San Antonio Spurs – Tim Duncan Bringing Back the Defense
After a great start to the season, we’ve heard a little bit less of Tim Duncan. Part of the reason was Tony Parker taking things to another level possibly the MVP kind, but it was also about Duncan taking a step back, getting injured and resting. Now it’s his turn to dominate for the San Antonio Spurs, bringing it on both ends of the floor.
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Los Angeles Clippers – Blake Griffin Continues to Evolve
It’s been quite a while since the last time Blake Griffin got a triple double; in fact, it’s been since his rookie season, when he got two in less than a month. This time, it wasn’t about his athleticism and showtime dunking ability that made the difference, but being a more complete player than he was last season, making the Los Angeles Clippers very happy.
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Boston Celtics – Jeff Green Steps Up for Paul Pierce
It’s usually Paul Pierce who is in charge of the big shots in crucial moments for the Boston Celtics, has been for quite a few years now. A bit part of the Boston Celtics doing so well since the injury of Rajon Rondo hasn’t been just the improvement of Kevin Garnett on the offensive side, but Jeff Green starting to give the Celtics what they expect of him.
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Miami Heat – LeBron James Should Stick to Easy Shots
Somehow, the Miami Heat really made things complicated for themselves against a team they should have an easier time beating. So LeBron James stopped trying to make tough contested shots from long range, and settled for a layup he easily made to give the Heat a dramatic win, extending their win-streak to 16 games.
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Los Angeles Lakers – Kobe Bryant Making the Impossible Happen
Disparity seems to be bringing out the best of the Los Angeles Lakers, or at least Kobe Bryant, pulling the team from the mouths of a huge defeat, pulling off every shot he has in his bag of tricks to come out as the winner after an improbable comeback, with hope of a playoff spot greater than ever.
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Los Angeles Lakers – Dwight Howard Still Not Comfortable
As long as Kobe Bryant is playing with the Los Angeles Lakers, Dwight Howard will be viewed as a not-to-serious, underachieving center, who doesn’t care about winning as much as the Lakers biggest star does. Fighting a losing battle against fan and media perception isn’t making this season easier for him.