With the NBA set to resume the 2019-20 season in 21 days, we are getting ready to witness the most unorthodox season in NBA History. On March 11th, 2020 the NBA suspended play due to the COVID-19 Virus. The league and NBA Players Association took months deciding the next steps to try and salvage the season and decided upon a 22 team format which will include 8 regular season games to determine the seeding for the playoffs, followed by the traditional playoff format. The players will be put in a “bubble” as the NBA is calling it, moving all teams to Orlando Florida, isolated with their teams and staff in designated hotels with aggressive COVID-19 testing. This format creates an intriguing opportunity for an underdog team to get hot at the right time and shake things up given the extended period off the court, time away from teammates, and the limited number of games to knock the rust off. These are the underdogs to look out for going into the revived 2019-20 season.
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets have been an inconsistent team at best throughout the 2019-20 campaign. The Rockets changed things up moving All-Star Chris Paul for James Harden’s former teammate All-Star Russell Westbrook. On paper the duo looked like an instant contender, on the floor, it looked like two players who need the ball to succeed with a roster that does not fit their style of play. James Harden has not had a loss for his touches however, Harden is leading the league in scoring with 34.4 points per game and Westbrook has a solid 27.5 points per game. The problem is the depth, the supporting cast for the Rockets is lackluster. The team decided at the trade deadline to make a major change to the outlook of the starting 5 trading their 6’10 starting center Clint Capela, switching 6’5 forward P.J. Tucker into the center position. This change seemed to provide new life to the team. After the last game Capela played on January 29th the team went on a 10-2 run with a 4-game win streak and a 6-game win streak. The Rockets are an interesting team in the Western Conference because the conferenced is filled with skilled big men such as Anthony Davis, Nikola Jokić, Rudy Gobert, Steven Adams, and Montrezl Harrell. The undersized lineup could work in the Rockets favor, due to their speed up and down the court, this could cause issues for the opposition having their big men playing at a significantly higher pace. The biggest factor for the Rockets success is the post season history of James Harden and Russell Westbrook. In 2012, the Oklahoma City Thunder went to the NBA Finals, this roster included Harden and Westbrook early in their careers. The Thunder lost to the heavily favored Miami HEAT, and then were broken up as Harden was traded that summer to Houston. After that, both Harden and Westbrook failed to return to the NBA Finals. Harden had a streak of being knocked out in the first and second rounds in every playoffs in Houston outside of the 2015 playoffs where they were eliminated in 4-1 by the Golden State Warriors, and in the 2018 finals when the Rockets took the heavy favored Warriors to 7 games and looked like they could have won the series until All-Star Point Guard Chris Paul got injured in Game 5. Westbrook had a very similar history, also being eliminated in the first and second rounds in every playoff series except for 2. In the 2014 playoffs, Westbrook and the Thunder were eliminated in 6 games by the San Antonio Spurs and in 2016 the Thunder also went to a Game 7 against the Warriors after leading the series 3-1 and being eliminated after losing 3 straight games. Both Harden and Westbrook have plenty of motivation to break through the barrier that is the Conference Finals to make their long-awaited return to the NBA Finals. This driving factor is what makes this Rockets team one to watch in a season unlike anything we have ever seen before. Keep your eye on the Rockets, they have two heavily motivated All-NBA players with a chance to change their legacies.
Miami HEAT
The Miami HEAT is a team that had low expectations outside of South Florida. Miami has been a team that has been on the edge of the playoff picture every season since the 2014 Finals. Last summer, the roster had some major changes moving center Hassan Whiteside to Portland for Meyers Leonard, as well as moving the team’s leading scorer Josh Richardson to Philadelphia for the All-Star Jimmy Butler. The team was much different than the previous year with rookies Kendrick Nunn and Tyler Herro being relied on for heavy minutes as well as second year players Bam Adebayo and G-League player Duncan Robinson. The team looked like a bunch of misfits surrounding Jimmy Butler, but that was not the case. The rookies stood up to the challenge giving positive minutes and playing like they have been at the NBA level for 2-3 years. Duncan Robinson went from G-League starter to top 4 NBA player in 3-point shots made and percentage. Bam Adebayo went from a good role player off the bench to the odds-on favorite to win Most Improved Player, and Jimmy Butler went from what some considered as a locker room problem, to an all-around leader and facilitator. Miami has been known this year as two different teams, the unbeatable team at home (27-5) and the sub .500 team on the road (14-19). If Miami can find their groove that they had at American Airlines arena in Orlando, they can be a big problem in the playoffs. On the other hand, if they play how they did on the road, they could be a first round exit. When the HEAT is playing well, they are driven by their success on the defensive end of the court. HEAT head coach Erik Spoelstra is known for his defensive excellence. With Jimmy Butler and Derrick Jones Jr. on the wings and Bam Adebayo down low, the 3-2 zone works incredibly well for them. Bam is quick enough to get outside and protect the perimeter and strong enough to bang in the post with larger post players. The defensive schemes for Miami drive the team and can take any opponent out of their game plan. The roster also has a good amount of depth with former starting point guard Goran Dragić coming off the bench as well as new acquisition Jae Crowder who has grown to be the best player to come from the trade for Andre Iguadala from Memphis. The Heat are coming into the restart as the 4th seed in the eastern conference. The Heat’s outcome will be determined by which version of their team arrives to Orlando.
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are one of the best sleeper teams going into the restart. With the dynamic duo of All-Star Nikola Jokić and star point guard Jamal Murray this roster has the foundation to make a deep playoff run. Denver currently resumes play as the number 3 team in the Western Conference with a 43-22 record. Jokić and Murray are an offensive wrecking ball holding a top 10 offensive rating. Nikola Jokić currently averages the most points per game among centers and Jamal Murray is just outside the top 10 among point guards with a top 15 shooting percentage at his position. Denver is no slouch on defense either, the team is top 15 in defensive rating as well as top 10 in points allowed per game in the NBA. Denver is another one of those teams that can go deep into their roster for solid minutes with veterans Paul Millsap and Will Barton. The Nuggets have a good balance of shooting talent as well as post presence and are a tough team to game plan against due to the various scoring options on the roster. A player to look out for is the number two High School Recruit in the 2017 class, Michael Porter Jr. Porter injured his back in the first game of his NCAA career, which led him to drop in the NBA Draft and miss his rookie season for Denver. Porter has since comeback and has played in 48 games this season. With the long break due to the NBA suspension, Porter could be a player to take advantage of this and pave a new chapter in his basketball career. One of the biggest factors that could lead the dark horse Nuggets is the physical shape of Nikola Jokić. If you do not know what I am talking about, open a new tab and google ‘Nikola Jokić transformation’, and you will see what I am talking about. He has not taken his time off to stream video games or eat potato chips, it is clear that Jokić has been locked in during his time away and could be a much different player than the film teams have on him shows. Watch out for the Nuggets, they are only getting better.
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a team that has gone under the radar throughout the regular season. The defending NBA Champions lost Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard in Free Agency last summer to the Los Angeles Clippers and were not looked at as a true contender going into the season. Despite losing their superstar, the Raptors have exceeded all expectations thus far. The Raptors currently sit at the number 2 seed in the Eastern Conference going into the restart. This years Toronto squad is one that can string together wins at any time. Toronto has had 4 streaks this season in which they won 4 or more games in a row, most notably their 14-game win streak from January 15th through February 10th. Hot streaks are a major factor when considering playoff basketball, and this team can turn up the heat when it matters. The Raptors are also one of the best defensive teams in the league holding the least amount of points scored per game in the NBA. They are a tough team to match up against with All-Stars Pascal Siakam (F) and Kyle Lowry (PG). This duo can match up against any team in the Eastern Conference and succeed due to the differences in skill set they have. Another positive factor for the Raptors is there depth. There are 11 players who have played solid minutes on the roster this season, and with such a long layoff, depth will be a huge factor considering the physical shape the players are in. Two other key players to the Raptors success have been Fred VanVleet and Norman Powel, both players are just creeping into the primes of their careers. VanVleet was never given enough credit for what he did in the NBA Finals. Fred hit several shots late in games throughout the series as well as guarded MVP Steph Curry majority of the series. This year Norman Powell took a huge step in his career. He has doubled his points per game as well as a career high in field goal percentage. Veterans Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol also provide solid minutes for the team as well as the leadership that is needed in playoff runs. Ibaka and Gasol both have plenty of history in the playoffs and can provide key guidance to players going into this short stretch of meaningful basketball. Look out for the team in the north, they are looking to retain their crown.
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