Lamar Odom, double NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and one of the most controversial players in the league’s history due to his off-sports problems, has surprised the entire basketball world with a message that not even the most optimistic fans of the Los Angeles team could sustain. The one who was the Best Sixth Man of the 2009-2010 season has stood out with a prediction that, right now, seems like a chimera: “The Lakers are going to win the NBA”.
A statement that right now, having passed the halfway point of the season, is a daring considering the classification: ninth in the Western Conference with a balance of 24 wins and 27 losses and five games for the Dallas Mavericks, sixth and that mark the limit of the teams that enter directly to the playoffs.
Odom’s prediction takes on even more madness If you add the game to the balance of the team, chaotic in most of the games, and the sensations that accompany a team that is not knowing how to fit the pieces of a squad that was aiming for the highest (at least by names) but that has not been able to find a suitable course as demonstrated one more night against the Atlanta Hawks (129-121).
The Los Angeles franchise ends its tour of the Eastern Conference having lost eight of eleven meetings and with the feeling of perennial chaos in an offensive game that continues to pull individual quality (against the Hawks they were Monk with 33 points and Davis with 27 who supported the team) to grab on to matches. However, at the moment of truth (38-20 in the fourth quarter) doesn’t have clear ideas and as soon as the defenses push, they don’t really know what to do with the ball.
Above all if you don’t have LeBron James, who had to return to Los Angeles after the inflammation in his left knee had not improved in recent days. An annoyance that has led to miss three games already -three defeats for the Lakers- and that he does not have a recovery date as Vogel acknowledged just before the game against the Hawks: “As long as the swelling remains, I will be out.” For the good of the Los Angeles team and Odom’s bet, let it be as little as possible.
Maybe Lamar Odom should rethink his forecast and start looking at Arizona for gamble a few dollars on the possible NBA champion next June. all the Phoenix Suns they are demonstrating what a team in capital letters should be. Against the Spurs (115-110) closed the month of January with 12 wins and only one loss and certified the position of Monty Williams as coach in the next All Star from Cleveland. A well-deserved award for a team that has seen none of his players was chosen as a starter in the all-star meeting. Not even Chris Paul that destroyed the Texans with 20 points and 19 assists. Crazy.
Precisely before the Arizona franchise Juancho Hernangmez, who played his third game with the San Antonio Spurs. The Spanish player came off the bench and played 15 minutes, his maximum with the Texan jersey, in which he scored two points (one of three shooting from the field), grabbed five rebounds, hit an aceistence and stole a ball.
The other Spanish international who played a leading role in the last day of the NBA was Serge Ibaka. The player of Congolese origin, who did not play the last game with the Clippers due to rest, was the protagonist in the victory of the Los Angeles team in their victory against the Charlotte Hornets (90-115). Ibaka dispute seven minutes in which he scored six points (two of four shooting from the field) and grabbed two rebounds.
What a way to get up and show why he was chosen as number 1 in the last draft! Cade Cunningham the clash began against the Cleveland Cavaliers missing his first 10 shots from the field and everything pointed to a defeat for the Detroit Pistons. However, the heavy favorite for Rookie of the Year rallied and ended up with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, being the first rookie to achieve more than a triple-double in his first season with the Michigan team jersey.
The Milwaukee Bucks entered the game with the Denver Nuggets with a balance of 19 wins and four losses in the games in which they had counted on Jrue Holiday, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. However, against the Colorado team they could not count on the latter. Or at least not with his best version. The team missed the best version of the ‘all star’ forward who finished with only nine points in his locker and with hardly any impact on the game. And his team noticed him reaping one of the heaviest defeats of the season.
RESULTS OF THE NBA DAY
- Hawks 129-121 Lakers
- Hornets 90-115 Clippers
- Bulls 130-116 Trail Blazers
- Pistons 115-105 Cavaliers
- Magic 110-108 Mavericks
- Bucks 100-136 Nuggets
- Timberwolves 126-106 Jazz
- Suns 115-110 Spurs
Sunday’s main course was the game between Denver Nuggets y Milwaukee Bucks; that is, between Nikola Jokic, MVP last regular season, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, MVP of the two previous courses. The Serbian pvot (18 points with 7 of 9 shooting, 9 rebounds and 15 assists), who guided the Nuggets with a teacher, who add 10 wins in the last 13 games thanks to a Jokic who continues to widen his distance as the outstanding leader in the race for MVP.
Nikola Vucevic (24 points and 14 rebounds), DeMar DeRozan (23 points and 10 assists) and Zach LaVine (20 points) formed the heavy artillery of about Chicago Bulls who made 55.6% of their shots, showing all the power of their arsenal and the depth they have this season and that helped them to give a good account of the Portland Trail Blazers (130-116).