3 Early NBA Storylines and Trends

Three Early NBA Trends and Storylines

We are about 20 games into the 2015-16 NBA season, and despite the Golden State Warriors dominating the court and the headlines, this year's edition of the Association has many underrated plot twists and turns to keep even casual fans interested. With the usual stars out in full force (LeBron, Curry, Durant, Davis, Szczerbiak...) and some young blood added to the mix (Wiggins, Towns, Skinny Kyle Lowry) the NBA looks to be in good hands going forward. Today we'll take a look at some of the story lines dominating the league and delve deep into reasons, longevity and hype factor that drive each story. 

1) Golden State EVERYTHING

MVP already? Crown his ass.

I don't care if this is the most talked about story in the NBA and possibly sports right now. What the hell are you supposed to do when one team has effectively broken a sport?! As of right now the Warriors are 21-0 and Steph Curry is running away with the MVP vote (while also jumping about 3 spots per day in GOAT conversation).  Let's start with league MVP Curry. He is averaging 32 ppg, 6 apg and 5 rpg while shooting 53% from the field, 46% from three and 93% from FT. The only thing we DO know about stopping Steph Curry is, you can't stop Steph Curry! So how the hell does this work, and who has a shot at beating this team? Well the best thing I can tell you is, it's the regular season. The Warriors are going to have to play a good team from the Western Conference from the second round on in the playoffs. A team with depth like the Los Angeles Clippers might have the chance to hang with the Warriors for 7 games. Much like the Spurs last few years, Golden State relies on the pick and roll to create matchup problems, leading to wide open threes. The one team that caused the Spurs problems during their latest run was the OKC Thunder. The Thunder were able to matchup with their small ball lineup and with their insane athelticism (Russell at the one, Durant at the four and Ibaka at the 5) the Thunder were able to switch on every screen and slow down San Antonio. These two teams could eventually foil the GS run this season, but it's all about winning a seven game series in the playoffs. Golden State has dominated the regular season thus far, but could one of these teams catch them in the playoffs? Probably not, but let's slow this train down before we eliminate every team out West.

Can it be sustained?
Going undefeated? No! But Golden State will certainly finish with the one seed barring some massive injury or suspension.

Draymond has been causing matchup issues all year...he knows

The Big Question:
"What is the rest of the league going to do to slow this team down?"
Well a few things have been tested, and failed. The Clippers and Cavs both tried sending double teams at curry, but he's too good of a passer (as is the rest of the team) to be bothered by that. The Clippers recently tried getting physical with Curry as Chris Paul hounded him for an entire half. Turns out that didn't work! Not only is Curry stronger now, but this is not a one dimensional team! If Curry is getting "roughed up" he's going to become a creator and find other ways to dominate the game. So what's next? Foul him while he's inside the three point line? I don't think so. The only way a team will have a chance is if they go equally as small and are able to switch every screen. Let Draymond take 10 footers and drive to the hoop one on one maybe? Just don't let him get the ball off a pick and pass out a wide open corner three. Free layups, no threes? It's radical, but it might just work!

2) Paul George and the Indiana Pacers

The video of George's leg breaking should never be viewed

The fact that Paul George is playing basketball is great. He was the hot young superstar that was going to be the next guy to dethrone LeBron James. Hell, he had passed up Kevin Durant as the number two guy in the league. Well all that went out the window during a Team USA exhibition game in which PG's leg snapped in half in one of the most gruesome injuries since Shaun Livingston did the same. Well, not only is YG Trece back, he's better than ever!!! George is averaging 27 ppg, 8 rpg and 4 assists as well as playing All NBA First Team defense. Oh and he just dropped a career high 48 on the Utah Jazz. Having George back and dominant is great for the league and fans of silky smooth scorers around the world. With George's suprising play comes another suprise: The Indiana Pacers.

The Pacers have opened the season as a top four team in the East while picking up wins against the Bulls, Clippers and Heat. Head coach Frank Vogel has moved his squad from the slow, plodding defense first vanilla fest to a run and gun, three shooting, deep benched machine! With PG at the helm, a slew of scorers to help take the load off (Monta Ellis, Rodney Stuckey) a resurgent CJ Miles and a solid defensive big man rotation, the Pacers could be one move away from once again being a thorn in LeBron's side.

Can it be sustained?

Not sure. Will PG be playing at the same level at the 60 game mark? Can guys like CJ Miles and Monta Ellis be depended on for a whole season? Something tells me this team is going to hit a rough patch around the All Star break, but maybe they could pull together a trade to add another name to this squad.

The Big Question:

"Can you trust Paul George after his last dance with superstardom?"

2013-14 was a rough year for George, the Pacers and everyone else involved. The collapse was spurred on by Roy Hibbert turning into the worst player in NBA history, Lance Stephenson doing all the Lance Stephenson things you don't want Lance Stephenson doing (you know what I mean) and Paul George just kind of fading into the background. After being anointed the second best player in the NBA, PG let a lot of people down with his very average play during the second half of that season. He seemed to return to form during the playoffs, but just couldn't reach that next level when his team needed it during the conference finals against LeBron and the Heat. That series culminated with PG scoring 7 points in a 23 point blowout to end the season. The basketball world might need to see George go off in the playoffs before accepting him as their basketball savior again. 

3) The Eastern Conference Sludge Pool of Mediocrity

Derek Rose is a big part of the Bulls identity crisis

Early on this season, it seems like the East has finally gained some ground on the West. Well...maybe. If anything, things have just gotten muddled and confusing. The Raptors may have taken a step back, the Wizards DEFINITELY took a step back, the Bucks haven't made a leap, the Celtics, Magic and Pistons are fun, young upstarts that pose no threat as a 7 or 8 seed and the Hornets are owned by Michael Jordan. Hell, if you look at the top of the Conference, the Cavs aren't a "sexy" team by any means (especially with the injuries). The Bulls are going through an identity crisis at the moment and the Heat have some glaring weaknesses despite a strong roster. So what the hell are supposed to make of all this?

Can it/will it be sustained?
History tells us yes. The Cavs are going to be at the top and barring some crazy meltdown/locker room cancer issue, the Bulls will be too. The Heat should be in the top 3 as well, but you can't count them in because of health issues. It looks like another top heavy year in the East.

The Big Question:
"Will the East correct itself?"
Teams like the Raptors and Wizards have too much star power to be middle of the pack in the East. Those two teams should be competing for a three seed at least, but it appears that coaching is getting in the way of that. Whether it be via trade or coaching change, one of these teams will compete for the three seed and have people talking by the All Star break.