Another Valentine’s Day has come and gone, but not everyone was able to go home happy. Some of the teams in the NBA are suffering setbacks while others are surging ahead. Now that teams are heading into the break, it’s time to take stock and see which teams are showing promise and which ones are not having a successful run.
The Oklahoma City Thunder
This team appeared to have it all while they cruised into the All-Star break. They have a winning record and a firm spot above many of their conference rivals. However, that came crashing down as they lost to the pitiful Pelicans. They spotted them nine points on the night, sending them into the break on a very bad note. All is not lost, but they definitely should have picked up that easy win before the break started.
The New York Knicks
Sure, the Knicks managed to pick up a win against the Hawks, but it was a race to the bottom. Between the two teams they haven’t managed to crack 30 wins on the season. The Knicks had a chance against the Sixers a few nights ago but managed to squander the chance late in the game when their comeback failed. There’s no worse position to be in than dead last and while some optimists might think that there is nowhere to go but up, nobody is betting that they will end up heading in that direction. It was a rare victory, but one that probably was bitter for the fans at this point.
The Boston Celtics
While the Celtics aren’t in first place in the Eastern Conference, they are steadily climbing the ranks. They have taken care of business against their rivals, the 76ers, and seem more than capable of going the distance in a playoff series against just about anybody. They ended the week on a winning streak of two and seem prepared to come back and continue to put in hard work and make another run deep into the playoffs. Don’t be surprised to see them climb to third place or beyond in the coming months.
The Philadelphia 76ers
We know all about “the process” and it seems as though it is really starting to bear fruit for this team. They have managed to trade away some dead weight in Markelle Fultz whose injury had left him on the bench for many recent games. In return, they managed to acquire Tobias Harris who has already started to pay dividends by scoring 25 points in his most recent game against the Knicks. The young man is poised to be the final piece that will allow the Sixers to make a deep run into the playoffs. While it’s clear that they lost to the Celtics, it was a close match and one in which the likes of Harris could be a key difference. All in all, the Sixers are sending out a very strong starting five and teams need to watch out for them. Their Valentine’s Day was certainly spent celebrating all they’ve achieved.
All in all, it’s clear that the Thunder didn’t start the break on the solid footing they wanted, but they are still far ahead. However, they aren’t as dismal as the New York Knicks. Surging teams like the Sixers and Celtics are cruising into the break, even though one of them seems bound for heartbreak. Even if you didn’t have the best Valentine’s Day, there are still possibilities for anyone to have a good time by checking out replays of their NBA teams online or by experiencing online dating to hold you over until basketball comes back.
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