Ten Things to Watch

After yet another entertaining and successful All Star Weekend in the NBA, a consistency that plays a huge role in making the NBA the best association, we now enter the much sought after latter third of the season.

There are countless variables that will be solidified over this stretch leading into the postseason, more than enough to keep the level of parody and intrigue extremely high. With that being said, let's dive into the ten most intriguing things I will be following moving forward.

10.) Streaks, streaks, streaks

This season has been one of many streaks. From the Knicks on a 19 game losing streak (that was snapped just before the break), to Harden and Westbrook's historic runs, to even this most recent stretch for Paul George.

The main three I will be keeping tabs on will be those of the latter three.

Harden: Currently amidst a 31 game streak of 30 point game performances, he had been asked to do this astronomic heavy lifting to keep the Rockets afloat while sidekick Chris Paul, Clint Capela, and Eric Gordon all missed time due to injury. Now that the team will be whole for essentially the first time since the season tipped off (and with perfect timing), the workload for Harden should not be nearly as demanding. It is not that he cannot continue this streak with those three back in rotation, it is rather will he need to? On any given night, one of those three could lead the team in scoring, specifically Paul and Gordon. Also, I would imagine that the Rockets will hit their stride entering the playoffs, meaning that Harden should have his minutes per game tapered some as well with preservation of his energy in mind for Mike D'Antoni. Will Harden sustain this level of play even into the playoffs? His track record say yes, undoubtedly. The workload has seeming never been this high though, from a devil's advocate standpoint. There's a legitimate question of level of endurance come playoff time, however, based on his track record (although those years he did not have a Hall of Fame point guard to defer to or share the brut of everything with for stretches when it matters most with).

Paul George: Man! If he was ever questioned or dubbed a "fringe MVP" contender, this most recent 13 game stretch for PG has reminded many OKC fans of Kevin Durant... and rightfully so! The season Kevin Durant won MVP ('13-'14), he was on a torrid scoring pace. One of the historic variety. Although a very small sample size compared to Durant's MVP season, Paul George has essentially become Kevin Durant. Whether this is sustainable or not remains to be seen. However, since a Jan. 19th loss to the LeBron-less Lakers at home on TNT, George has been impeccable. In this aforementioned 13 game stretch, PG is averaging 35.4 PPG with a shooting slash of 48.1/45.8/85.8. This, in combination with an ever-present defensive impact, as well as 7.8 RPG, 4.8 APG, and 2.3 SPG. He has stamped his name in the MVP race for the rest of this season, and been OKC's best player. This is a career stretch for the all NBA wing, and he has OKC operating well above their expected level of play. Should he keep this going throughout the playoffs, they could very well be the best equipped team to meet Golden State in the Conference Finals. It will be a tall task, and the Rockets are held by the same measure as a team that could potentially beat the defending champs, but the Thunder have the leg up in that debate at the moment.

Russell Westbrook: Averaging a triple double for the third consecutive season, Brodie is finding other ways to be impactful while allowing George to be the number one option. He is playing point guard better and more effectively than he ever has (excluding his shooting numbers of course), and his numbers show. He is not just getting the ball to his teammates, he now gets it to them with intent and focus on timing as well as in spots where they are most likely to score from as well. The evolution of his game, albeit still reckless and inefficient at times, is intriguing. It's what makes Russ, Russ. Needless to say, he has paid attention to how to get this team to operate at their highest level, and how could you not respect that? He is amidst an 11 game triple double streak, and we have all seemingly grown numb to what he is doing. He has normalized a statistical accomplishment that would be a career mark for over three-fourths of the NBA's players. For all his flaws, he is getting it done in a way that has his team seeded in 3rd place. If he can find some semblance of shooting consistency, the Thunder can become a little bit more dangerous.

9.) The Buyout Market

Players that typically fit the criteria as a perceived buyout option or target are players that are: A.) On a losing team B.) On an expiring contract C.) Players that aren't getting playing time. In that, this opportunity for the players serves as the final chance for playoff teams in general to add talent to their roster. Names like Austin Rivers, Tyson Chandler, Kenneth Faried, Markieff Morris, Wes Matthews, Jeremy Lin, and Enes Kanter have come available and have been picked up. Names that are being monitored ahead of the March 1st deadline for players to join a team and remain playoff eligible are Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza, Wilson Chandler, Robin Lopez, Marcin Gortat, Dewayne Dedmon, Jeff Green, Jamal Crawford, Avery Bradley, and Chandler Parsons among a few others. They all serve as solid rotation pieces that can viably mesh and contribute to any contender that see's a fit or need for their talents. Just last season, the Sixers added Marco Belinelli, the Rockets added Joe Johnson, and the Warriors have always found a big man to add to their roster and all played relevant minutes. So the buyout market always remains gainful.

8.) The Denver Nuggets

Sitting in second place at 39-18 and two games behind the 1st seeded Warriors, the Nuggets are well-exceeding even the wildest expectations placed upon them. They have yet to be fully intact health-wise this season, yet have enjoyed a historic ride so far. Coach Mike Malone along with his extremely unique and effective big man Nikola Jokic, have something good going. They have made great strides and enjoyed continuity as the driving reason behind their success. Players like Gary Harris (starter), Will Barton (starter), Paul Millsap (starter), Isaiah Thomas (recently returned), and Michael Porter Jr. (yet to play) have all missed significant time this season. MVP calibur play from their best player in Jokic has been the most notable stand out of their season, along with more consistent play from their wings and Jamal Murray. One other ever present entity that is seemingly overlooked by the masses when looking at the Nuggets is the play of back up point guard Monte Morris. Monte has had a few games where he has outplayed Murray this season, and plays such a good style of point guard that Mike Malone will, often times, place Morris in their closing line up and move Murray to the two-guard slot depending on match-ups. Down the home stretch, the Nuggets will on the road slightly more than they have been so far this season. 13 of their final 25 games will be on the road, and they are currently at .500 away from the Pepsi Center. Being .500 on the road in the West is actually one of the best marks of the season as they rank fourth in the conference there. Only 3 teams boast a mark above .500 being Golden State, Oklahoma City, and the Los Angeles Clippers. In all, for Denver, it will be interesting to see what Mike Malone does with their rotations as players reintegrate themselves, as well as what the team can do ahead of the playoffs. Will they continue their strong play of the early portion of the season, or will the predicted teams that are hitting their stride like OKC and Houston catch up with them? Seeding will mean everything for the Nuggets as, although they are solid across the board, they do not have a definitive closer and their second/third/fourth best players do not match up well when compared to the likes of the Warriors, Rockets, and Thunder. I feel the Nuggets can beat any team not named either of those 3 in a 7 game series. However, as with any team in the west, avoiding the Warriors for as long as they can would be the preferred plan of attack. So remaining the two seed or attempting to usurp them and regain the one seed should be their goal.

7.) The Brooklyn Nets

The Nets are back. This is no fluke, they are playing good basketball. Granted, they are only 30-29 (which would have them contending for the 8 seed in the West), this places them 6th in the East). The play of their fantastic guard trio of Caris LeVert, D'Angelo Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie is their driving force. The emergence and impact of Jarrett Allen at the rim as well as the efforts of Ed Davis have also been remarkable. Coach Kenny Atkinson has my vote for Coach of the Year. He has close competition from Nate McMillan (Pacers) and the aforementioned Mike Malone (Nuggets) but I feel that for as putrid as the Nets have been, they are being coached extremely well and that along with the health and development of their guard trio is making them a solid team with a bright future. If the season ended today, they would face the Oladipo-less Pacers in the first round. Not that the Pacers are a pushover by any measure, even without the services of Oladipo, but a healthy Nets team should relish that opportunity and could end up in the second round. Expect for them to continue to play well heading into the playoffs.

6.) The 76ers

The Sixers will be vying for a higher seed while trying to integrate their new pieces into the rotation. Although this is more of a luxury than a task for Coach Brett Brown, it will need to be addressed early so that the team can develop chemistry and a rhythm ahead of the playoffs. They have best starting line up in the conference, and maybe the second best in the league now. However, I feel that Brown will need to make some tactical changes now that his roster has evolved. I would expect for them to take on a style of play more like the other contenders, where they include more pick and roll play now that they have added a versatile and capable player in Tobias Harris to the starting line up. Along with the pin-downs and staggereds for Redick, as well as the many post up's for Embiid, they could have multiple pick and roll/pick and pop combinations. In any given possession, the Sixers could have Embiid and Simmons setting staggered screens for Redick, while Butler and Harris run pick and roll on the strong side, with Embiid turning and posting up as the "cop out" option late in the clock. An embarrassment of riches is the only way to describe the level of talent there. It is a dynamic starting five. I will be watching most for tactical changes being implemented by Brett Brown and the Sixers.

5.) The Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers are currently 10th in the West at 28-29. It will likely take 44-46 wins to make the playoffs in the West this season, not unlike any prior seasons for the 8th seed. ESPN's BPI has the Lakers at a projected 40-42 season, finishing in 10th place. Needless to say, the Lakers have some work to do, and then some. Seemingly everything has been predictable in response to their off-season acquisitions. Sporadic play from their signings, and an over reliant burden of dependence on LeBron. They will have LeBron James back and in rhythm which is the biggest dynamic in play here. He will need to go "playoff LeBron" in a herculean style effort over the remaining 28 games to just give them a chance at the playoffs at this point. Ahead of them, they will be enjoying a heavy home schedule, where they have enjoyed solid success this season. However, they do play 10 of their remaining 14 home games against teams better than them record-wise. They also 5 games against teams with a better record than them at the moment as well. That makes for 15 of their remaining 28 games will have them matched up with teams better than them. Is it possible we may see LeBron miss the playoffs? It is quite possible for sure, and they have the odds undoubtedly stacked against them. That is one of the toughest remaining schedules in the league, only going .500 with this schedule would be a great success in all honesty, but would put them around 42 or 43 wins, which won't get it done. Along with the teams they are facing, they have to shore up the chemistry issues that remain from the trade deadline debacle. They will be under a great microscope as we near the finish line, and LeBron may have his toughest challenge (regular season-wise) ahead of him now. This will be fun.

4.) Anthony Davis and the Pelicans

This is a rather simple one here: Will AD continue to drop subtle hints as to where he would like to go other than the broad "All 29 teams" response he gave at the deadline? Will there be more distraught from the Pelicans front office in response to Davis' decisions? This entire situation has been ugly and will only likely come more and more dysfunctional as the summer approaches, and Davis will likely finally be dealt. The teams "tanking" will have close attention paid to them as the season comes to an end.

3.) The Tank for Zion Cluster

Speaking of the teams in this race, they will play as a great enticing factor in everything involving Davis as the lottery and draft grow closer. Not only because the Pelicans would likely be intrigued by the idea of taking in Zion Williamson, but because if those teams wanted to try at attaining and enticing AD to re-sign, this would give them their best chance. Even as a rental, AD would be great as he would not only fill the seats and bring help to those franchises in need of it most, but those franchises could also flip AD at next seasons deadline and still receive a solid return of players/picks that would leave them better off than if they never made a play for Davis to begin with. It is amazing that this, a non-playoff entity, will be garnering so much interest down the stretch of what will prove to be a greatly entertaining regular season.

2.) MVP Race

In what will be a heated discussion either way, the 2018-2019 NBA MVP race will come down to the wire. A great ways ahead of anyone else in the race (with all due respect to Durant, Curry, Embiid, and Jokic), this years MVP race will come down to reigning MVP James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and newly cemented Paul George. These three are on another level right now, and all three will be playing in meaningful games down the home stretch here. A quick reason as to why each should be the MVP. Harden: Historic records broken, 30 pt game streak, being without one of (Paul-Capela-Gordon) for almost every game this season and sometimes 2 of the 3, as well as being 5th in the west despite it all. Giannis: Narrative! Young and upcoming, doing it from a small market, best player on the best team record-wise, stat sheet stuffing, becoming maybe the most unguardable player in the league. George: current hot streak (if it is sustained for the rest of the season, two-way dominance, Thunder ascension up the ranks.

Each has an outstanding resume that would have them at the front of any race in almost any previous season. However, my vote would go to Harden at the moment. What he has done on a consistent basis combined with the adversities his team has faced, the whole he has dug them out of, and how unguardable he has been in leaving both players and coaches clearly and demonstratively helpless, he embodies an MVP to me. His numbers are even better than they were last season which got him the MVP of '17-'18. Should he keep this pace, and the Rockets can at the very least gain home court advantage (even more so a top 3 seed), he has to be unquestionably the MVP.

The spotlight is set on these three, and this race will be fun to keep tabs on as games come to matter more and more.

1.) The top of the Eastern Conference

At the trade deadline, each of the expected 4 teams out east had notable additions to their team. The Bucks, Raptors, and Sixers all via trade, and the Celtics via the subtle re-emergence of Gordon Hayward.

For the Bucks: They are in first place and should rather easily and quickly integrate newly acquired Nikola Mirotic into their rotation. His worth should prove to be obvious quickly as well. Their schedule is not too tough, and they only have to worry about the Raptors as far as seeding goes. The Bucks have won the season series and won the tie breaker as a result. So if they can keep this pace, the 1 seed is theirs to lose.

For the Raptors: They have an easy schedule with only 4 games vs playoff teams/teams over .500 left, one road game left against a good team, and they have best pedigree of the big 4 heavy hitters. They have compiled plenty veteran presences, and an unparalleled level of veteran experience from high stakes games along with adding battle tested Lin and Gasol. The latter being Gasol, will be interesting to watch because it is unclear as to whether he will be better off the bench, or starting. Head coach Nick Nurse will have a decision to make regarding his front court trio of Ibaka, Siakam, and Gasol. They are more effective when Siakam is in the line up and rim running off of their defensive stops in a more up-tempo system. However, obviously Gasol and Ibaka would benefit more from the slowed down pace. Finding that balance with this rotation will be imperative. Let's not forget that they are still trying to impress Kawhi Leonard (who has given no indication as to where he wants to go this summer of late). They will likely finish in second as the gap below them is a sizeable 4.5 game difference over the Pacers (who are still holding on to 3rd).

For the Celtics: Boston is the hardest to gauge by far. They have struggled with injuries and chemistry far more than the others, and have also been under the biggest spotlight seeing that they were minutes away from the Finals without Kyrie and Hayward. Speaking of Hayward, his sudden uptick in efforts is more than welcome as he could very well be the barometer for the team. If he can sustain some or all of this current pace (21 ppg, 4.7 rebs and ast over the last 3 games) while attacking the cup more frequently/forcefully (6.0 attempts over this stretch), they become that much more of a threat. Their roles become more defined, the roster becomes more dynamic, and they add even more of a scoring punch. Also, they are trying to keep Kyrie at all costs. So their performance down the stretch will play a role in his decision this summer, much like Kawhi in Toronto. They still remain the favorite amongst most media members it seems.

For the Sixers: They were touched on above, with their need to integrate their many new pieces into defined roles in the rotation as well as schematic and tactical changes from Brett Brown. They have the most dynamic starting five outside of Oakland, and how Brown staggers and uses those five will determine how good they can really become. I see no reason they can't be in the conference finals if everything goes right. They have so many capable bodies.

In all, the final 25 or so games will prove to be beyond entertaining as so many things remain in limbo at the moment. This should be a great set up for both another extremely entertaining playoffs and off-season by the same measure. Let's enjoy how everything unfolds. One entity that did not make the top 10 list but I will write about and follow is who of Houston, OKC, and Denver will be the best match-up for Golden State, and how they will end up seeding wise. Portland is in the mix there as well, but their recent track record leaves more to be desired, but they have played well this season so they could be the wildcard that can go either way as well. Let's enjoy some of the best basketball of the season over this last 25 or so remaining games.