Question: Of the 10 NBA teams we watched on Christmas Day, how likely was it that the two teams that will eventually meet in the NBA Finals were among them?
It’s a fair question, one which I was asked in this Christmas post-mortem (OK, maybe that’s being too tough on the Knicks, Nets, Bulls and Thunder) Wednesday with CineSport’s Noah Coslov.
My answer was a resounding ‘no’ because the San Antonio Spurs were not among the teams we got to see, and they are never to be left out of any championship discussion — whether or not they end up trading for one of the centers from weaker teams who are (or will be) on the trading block (e.g. DeMarcus Cousins).
We also discussed the relative merits (and values) of Russell Westbrook and Jeremy Lin, two players whose performances were crucial to one win (Houston’s) and one loss (Oklahoma City’s).
By the way, Lin is well ahead of Westbrook in All-Star balloting, with the latest balloting totals expected within a week or so. At last count, Lin was only 55,000 votes shy of Chris Paul for the second guard spot in the West, alongside shoo-in Kobe Bryant.