Happy New Year, Diss denizens. Games for the new Year. But don’t mention December 30th and 31st. They’re just going to have to be written-off as lost days in the larger canon of Games of the Week.
Wednesday: New Orleans Pelicans at Minnesota Timberwolves (5:00 PM PST on League Pass)
Sorry Wolves and Pelicans fans, but it looks like I’m going to be rooting pretty hard against your teams for the rest of the season. With the first third of the season in the books, and the top eight starting to create some separation between themselves and the rest of the conference, I am warily eyeing the Wolves (9th) and the Pelicans (10th) as teams who could benefit from a softer schedule down the road. They’re not playing poorly, per se, but they’re having a rougher go at it than their peers in the conference due to injury and a road-heavy schedule. When things get a bit easier for these teams in the coming months, it’ll be nice to have as many wins as possible to make a play for a low playoff seed. That’s why coin-tosses like Tyreke Evans’ game winner in Portland, or the non-foul at the end of the Wolves-Mavs game, mean so much in a dogfight. I just hope the Warriors are 10 games up in the standings by then, and don’t have to worry about anything that the Wolves, Pelicans, or any sort of animal are doing. And speaking of the Warriors…
Thursday: Golden State Warriors at Miami Heat (4:30 PM PST on League Pass)
The Homer Game of the Week features my beloved Golden State Warriors taking on the defending NBA champions, the Miami Heat. Most Warriors fans have had this game circled on the calendar for a few months because of some crazy symmetry. In case you forgot, the 2012-13 Warriors weren’t thought of as a quality team until they hit the road for an early-season seven game road trip, and ended up winning six of them. The most memorable win of that trip, of course, was the Miami game, when Jarrett Jack found Draymond Green for the game winner with just under a second remaining on the clock. Fast forward to 2013-14: the Warriors are currently marching through another seven game trip, and right now are sitting 3-0 (and have won six straight overall to bring their record to 20-13). And just like last time, the Heat await as a mid-trip test. Can’t wait for this game.
Friday: Toronto Raptors at Washington Wizards (4:00 PM PST on League Pass)
A soft Friday schedule leaves us searching for appealing options, so Wizards versus Raptors it is. I’m starting to get used to the “new normal” that comes along with Eastern conference games, and honestly learning to embrace it. No, the basketball never seems as crisp and clean as its Western conference counterparts, and the players don’t really seem to even try as hard. But there’s typically some pride involved in these playoff matchups. Of course, if the playoffs started today, the Wiz and Raptors would be playing each other in the 4-5 matchup, so learn to embrace the solid B-minus basketball that is the Eastern Conference this season. It’s like leftovers for dinner.
Saturday: LA Clippers at San Antonio Spurs (5:00 PM PST on League Pass)
With Lob City now entering its third year, I’m only watching the Clippers when I absolutely must. I mean, aren’t you? Are you getting anything out of the Clippers these days? The team under Doc Rivers doesn’t look markedly different than it did when Vinny of the Black was coaching; still a lot of high pick-and-rolls with Blake and DeAndre as the primary screeners, and Chris Paul hero-ball when he doesn’t feel like running a play. Yes, Blake is much improved (despite what people say); he has a wider array of post moves, and can create scoring opportunities passing out of double teams. But the only new face in the rotation is Jared Dudley, and I’m not going out of my way to watch Jared Dudley. Hard to tell what’s going to happen in this game given Pop’s proclivity towards treating the regular season like the appendix in a J.R.R. Tolkien novel, but even if the Clippers win this showdown between division leaders, this won’t really be a statement about anything or anyone.
Sunday: Memphis Grizzlies at Detroit Pistons (10:00 AM PST on League Pass)
Most of my energy will be directed towards the Niners-Packers playoff game, but I’m vaguely interested in this Hangover Game between semi-struggling outfits who have quickly fallen off my own personal watchability radar. I’m used to getting Knicks or Raptors games on Sunday mornings, not Pistons games. Perhaps this game will be the smelling-salt that gets me re-interested in the team that many projected to be the most-watchable in the NBA. I doubt it. Mark my words: Greg Monroe is a massive contract away from being the Rudy Gay of big men. Deep down you know this to be true.