“Trading Baskets” is a weekly NBA column written by Reagan Griffin Jr. and Eddie Sun. The writers “hand off” each week’s installment, continuing an ongoing dialogue to challenge the way fans think about basketball. Click here to read last week’s edition.
Perhaps we can all throw our projections to the wind. In the first installment of this column, Reagan argued that the extenuating circumstances facilitating bubble basketball would lead to unpredictable outcomes and wild results. And, to a certain extent, it has.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks, both No. 1 seeds in their respective conferences, lost their first game to No. 8 seeded opponents — the first time that’s happened since 2003. In addition, the LA Clippers dropped Game 2 against the Dallas Mavericks after narrowly eking out a victory in their first matchup.
These notable games spawned unnecessary overreactions and wild takes: Is Portland primed to upset the Lakers? Are the Bucks falling short again? When will Giannis leave Milwaukee? This kind of “First Take” material makes for good entertainment, but it’s likely the championship favorites will not only defeat their first-round opponents, but dispose of them with relative ease.
There’s a larger pattern coming out of almost every playoff game that we should focus on: blowouts and lopsided scores. Outside of Game 1 between the Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets, where Jamal Murray and Donovan Mitchell matched shot-for-shot in the fourth quarter and overtime, there have been no intense close finishes or big moments. More games have been decided by double-digits than not. Teams are mailing it in for one game, then blowing opponents out of the water for the next.
So, it’s not the organized chaos that many expected when playoff intensity mixes with the unique NBA conditions. What’s happening now is entirely the opposite of chaotic excitement: apathy.
It’s easy to forget that the players who remain in Orlando have been there for more than a month, essentially unable to leave the bubble’s perimeter and the hotel rooms, golf courses and failed pool parties within it. For a while, simply hooping motivated players after being deprived for months, but the novelty has since worn off. There’s nothing to disrupt the players from seeing the same views and going to the same courts day after day –– a bleak, monotonous lifestyle that must feel less exciting as time goes on.
Also remember that there are no live fans in attendance, just artificial crowd noise and dystopian displays. The typical roars after a big play or boos against an opposing player that provide a source of energy for the home team are no longer there.
The inconsistency and scoring discrepancies are a sign that teams and players are slightly emotionally disconnected. Without a consistent source of energy, they’re at times proverbially swaying in the breeze, playing aimlessly until something grabs their attention. We’ve already seen some poor performances by LeBron James, Khris Middleton and Paul George, who have at times looked wholly disinterested on the court.
So what’s the antidote for this monotony? Some way or another, teams must figure out ways to manufacture excitement and energy before their seasons are on the line. Certain elements of basketball that are typically overemphasized –– coaching and team chemistry –– will be more important than ever.
Superb coaching and a great team culture are the two main tenets of the Toronto Raptors’ success this season as they raced to the second-best record in the Eastern Conference despite lacking top-end talent. Cohesion isn’t sexy or glamorous, but it is going to give the Raptors a large advantage against other teams fighting for a championship.
It starts at the top with Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri, regarded as one of the league’s best, assembling a deep roster of savvy veterans, raw young players and talent in between. Head coach Nick Nurse carries himself like he’s been around a while despite having only two years in the position. It’s been impressive and understated how great Toronto has been, despite each member of its starting lineup missing time due to injuries.
Last year, the Raptors won in part because of injury luck and Kawhi Leonard, and also a cohesive team that played greater than the sum of its parts. Of course, Kawhi has departed, but the team looks even closer and more determined this time around. And with these bubble conditions, look for Toronto to shock the basketball world … yet again.
“Trading Baskets” runs every Friday.