DeShawn Stevenson’s neck wants to wish you Happy President’s Day, folks.
Monday: No Games Scheduled
No games scheduled tonight. I should probably get to my dishes.
Tuesday: Golden State Warriors at Utah Jazz (6:00 PM PST on League Pass)
Well, here we go. It’s been a full week since the Warriors played last game, a loss (their fifth in a row) to the Houston Rockets, after which they were ripped by their starting center (who still can’t play back-to-backs) for their slipshod defense and laughably bad offense. Everyone from the coach to the players gushed about how nice it would be to get a break; to just get away for a little bit to collect their thoughts, and get ready for the final 32 games of the season. That all sounds great, just two things to consider. One, how opitimistic should we be about beating the Jazz, who are a 20-6 at home? And two (and this is more troubling): if the Warriors lose, and the team is still struggling after a week of rest, can we finally say that this slump is more than just an aberration and an indication of where the Warriors actually are this season?
Wednesday: Memphis Grizzlies at Toronto Raptors (4:00 PM PST on League Pass)
Trade deadline’s on Thursday, and these two teams (who already took part in some friendly player swapping two weeks ago) will certainly be playing in the shadows of some pretty hefty trade rumors. Of course, this will be the first showdown between Rudy Gay and his former team (who are currently riding a four game winning streak), but my guess is that’ll be a secondary focus in this contest. Grizzlies executive John Hollinger speculated that there might be as many as seven major trades on the deadline. One wonders how many will involve his team, which is giving off lots of fire sale-like smoke these days.
Thursday: Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls (4:00 PM PST on TNT)
Though I’m honestly more interested in the Spurs-Clippers nightcap, I’ve learned to never trust Gregg Popovich on Thursday nights. Luckily I’ll be just as happy to watch the Heat take on the Bulls in a matchup between an elite offense and an elite defense. Neither of these teams have anything to worry about regarding the trade deadline. The Heat are doing everything right in their first post-championship regular season, and the Bulls have exceeded every reasonable (and really, unreasonable) expectation out there. Let’s watch these two teams slug it out, and admire the beauty of systems that empower lesser players to perform beyond their abilities. Even with D-Rose out, the Bulls are ECF contenders.
Friday: Denver Nuggets at Washington Wizards (4:00 PM PST on League Pass)
The second and third most fun teams in the NBA square off in this easy Friday League Pass-travaganza. Of note: the Ty Lawson/John Wall matchup, featuring (anecdotally speaking) the two fastest point guards in the NBA. Also of note: JaVale McGee’s return to the nation’s capital, where some of his greatest hits were recorded. Ah, JaVale in Washington. Good times. There’s lots of ways to get a triple double.
Saturday: Atlanta Hawks at Milwaukee Bucks (5:30 PM PST on NBA TV)
Oh believe you me: I won’t be watching this game for what these teams are now. Rather, I’ll be watching this game for what these teams will be after Thursday. There are players on both squads just sitting there, plump, ripe, juicy; just waiting to be picked.
Sunday: Cleveland Cavaliers at Miami Heat (3:00 PM PST on League Pass)
All-Star Weekend served as something of a coming-out party for Kyrie Irving. Or, so I’ve heard, since I didn’t watch a minute of All-Star Weekend. But rumor has it he won the three point contest and shined in Sunday’s big game. I’m sort of interested to see if the Cavs can make a push for the playoffs in the final part of the season. The New King of Cleveland has been linked to the Old King of Cleveland for most of the last (slow) sports week. I expect the Cavs to come out strong and beat the Heat, even though LeBron will go 12-13 from the field, grab eight rebounds and hand out seven assists. You know, like he does — or can do — every night.