Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson doesn't understand human boundaries as he scored a whopping 60 points against the Indiana Pacers, LeBron James defies the "Jordan-is-the-greatest" conversation.
And the Memphis Grizzlies clearly do not understand how injuries work, as they beat the mighty Warriors at home.
The Quint takes a look at last week’s highlights from the NBA.
Wade Turns Back The Clock
That Dwyane Wade’s enjoying his time being back in his hometown of Chicago is no surprise. Despite being a 3-time NBA Champion, Wade has clearly stated that the Chicago Bulls are Jimmy Butler’s team.
But that hasn’t stopped the 34-year old All Star from pulling out a vintage game like the one against Portland, where he single handedly attempted to deliver a win for Chicago, before falling by 2 points (112-110) to the Trail Blazers.
Kawhi Leonard Is The Spurs’ Future
Kawhi Leonard’s 31 points against Minnesota Timberwolves came in the San Antonio Spurs’ 13th away win, one short of the Warriors record last season.
Just one season after going 40-1 and tying the record for most home court wins in a season, the Spurs are struggling at home.
Leonard, though, has shown no signs of slowing down on his path to becoming the franchise cornerstone that the organisation wants him to become, averaging a career high 24.7 points, shooting nearly 40 per cent from 3-point land.
John Wall Drops Career High 52 Points Against The Orlando Magic
Washington Wizards’ John Wall’s career high of 52 points came in a loss is a pity, but no shame. The Orlando Magic had an uncharacteristically near perfect scoring night, scoring 124 points over Washington Wizards.
Every time the Wizards made a run, they were met by a surge of offense (and defense) from the the Magic. That shouldn’t take anything away from Wall’s career night which he wrapped up by shooting a blistering 58 per cent from the field including going 5 of 8 from 3-point land and dishing out 8 assists.
Lou Williams Sets NBA Record By Scoring 137 Points Off The Bench In Four Straight Games
As assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors, Luke Walton had to come “off the bench” to become head coach as Steve Kerr recovered from back surgery last season.
This season, as Los Angeles Lakers head coach, Walton has inspired his bench to come ready to play every single night. They have responded, leading the league in second unit (bench) scoring, led in no small part by Lou Williams who scored 137 points off the bench in four games last week.
Scoring 40, 24, 38 and 35 points respectively, Williams is proving to be the catalyst for the Lakers P.B. (Post Bryant.)
Chris Paul Has 20-20 Vision, Figuratively And Literally
Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul reminds us of how good he is. Despite not having a championship to his name, the 31-year old, continues to cement his legacy as one of the greatest ever to play point guard in the NBA.
Paul is scoring 17.8 points and 9.4 assists per game. But what stands out the most is that in his 12th season in the league, Paul is playing at a career high +/- efficiency of 10.2.
His outburst against the New Orleans Pelicans, was the first time he finished with at least 20 points and 20 assists, but more importantly, he became the first player since 1977-78 to tally a 20-20 without a single turnover.
Russell Westbrook Ties Jordan’s Record With A Triple Double In Seven Consecutive Games
It is ironic that players’ pass, pace and space era in the NBA are closing in on records set by arguably the greatest one-on-one player to have played basketball, Michael Jordan.
Westbrook gave us a another chance to remember MJ, when he tallied a seventh triple-double, tying Jordan’s record set in 1989 when he averaged 30.6 points / 11.6 rebounds / 11.0 assists in that run. Westbrook averaged 28.9 points / 13.6 rebounds / 13.0 assists in his run.
Injury-Ridden Grizzlies Take Care Of Business Against The Warriors
The Grizzlies do not understand injuries. Nor do they buy into the troubles injuries usually bring upon a team.
No Conley? No problem, they still dished out 23 assists against the “passing” Warriors who had only 15.
No Parsons and Carter? No problem, they still got to the line and 29 times and shot 89.7%.
The Grizzlies are on a 6 game winning streak (7-1 since Conley went down) and are showing no signs of slowing down.
Lebron James Becomes The First To Tally 27000 Points, 7000 Rebounds and 7000 Assists
Michael Jordan is the greatest ever to play the game. To even suggest another name is blasphemous. Not anymore.
With his 7000th assist this week Cleveland Cavaliers’ Lebron James became the first player in NBA history to tally at least 27000 points, 7000 rebounds and 7000 assists.
He has three championships, and the greatness of his first 13 seasons cannot be disputed. If he can manage another two championships (highly likely), he will forever change the conversation of the greatest ever to play the game.
Klay Thompson’s 60 points
When Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson scored 60 points, he shot a scorching 64 per cent from the field and 57 per cent from 3-point land.
Here’s what makes that feat more fascinating, Klay touched the ball just 52 times, took just 11 dribbles and he only had the ball for 90 seconds in his hands in the 29 minutes he was on the floor.
That’s a feat that I put money on will probably never be touched ever again in the history of basketballStephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
This Week That Year: Kobe Bryant vs Antawn Jamison
Antawn Jamison’s Golden State Warriors team hosted (reigning NBA Champions) Los Angeles Lakers and their rising superstar Kobe Bryant in December, 2000.
What followed went down as one of the most prolific offensive displays in NBA history.
Both Bryant and Jamison tallied 51 points each in a battle for the ages. The game was everything one imagine it to be, going into overtime before the Warriors narrowly edged the Lakers (NBA Champions that season as well) 125-122.
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