The 2014-15 NBA season is underway, and while you may think it’s too early to get excited about basketball, we’re here to say you’re stupid for thinking that way. Just because the Knicks aren’t trying doesn’t mean there hasn’t been some great storylines the first few weeks of the season. Luckily, we’ve got you covered.
01. Derrick Rose
He won’t play every game, and you basically sit with baited breath when he does, but he still manages to prove how great he is on the floor. And this year he finally has a team that can exist for the nights he takes off, so the Bulls are charging towards the Eastern Conference Finals with a great vengeance.
02. Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving
These knuckleheads. An elaborate handshake celebration ending in some kind of joint-toking pantomime took over the sporting news this week. Cavaliers PR brushed it off as a mustache twirling move, because you know, all the kids with their mustache moves. It doesn’t matter what they’re smoking, they both need to learn how to pass the ball to LeBron James once in a while.
03. Steph Curry
The shooting specialist of the Golden State Warriors has been at the top of the points-per-game category since the year started. And the Dubs have been playing out of their mind in a tough Western conference. He’s the lowest-paid starter on his team, but he’s playing at an MVP level.
04. Kobe Bryant’s Misses
On Tuesday night Bryant set the NBA record for missed shots. He now hovers above John Havlicek with 13,418 clunkers and that number will continue to grow. With an aging skill set and a stone-cold bummer of a team behind him, Kobe will run up the score on missed shots like he was Alabama football against Southern Methodist.
05. Sacramento Kings
The Kings were all over the place last season, but seemed to have moments where they could pull themselves together. They dumped “promising” point guard Isaiah Thomas, brought in the “iffy” Darren Collison, and so far the move is working. Boogie Cousins has matured into a force in the paint without taking the crazy technicals, Ben McLemore is overcoming his awful freshman season and role players like Omri Casspi and Carl Landry are solidifying a shaky bench.
06. KJ McDaniels
The 76ers rookie is not just a bright spot on a bad team, he’s the bursting sun at the opening third of a sci-fi movie. With ridiculous moves on the offensive and defensive side, McDaniels is making a case for Rookie of the Year on a team that has the reigning ROY and one of the Next Big Things in Nerlens Noel.
07. Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies have the best record in the West. Let that sink in. At 7-1 and without a player who averages 20 points or more a game, the Grit n’ Grind Grizzlies are building on the last couple of playoff runs to become a perennial contender. Beno Udrih is helping out a ton on the bench with 7.1 points and 2.8 assists per. They had the best record in the NBA after Marc Gasol returned from an injury last season, so this might not be an aberation, but their core is very old, so we suggest you ride the wave of fun while you have it.
