Written by Joseph Arthur (joe_arthur2010)
Will they or won’t they?
With the NBA season only weeks away and training camp in full swing, it’s time to take a look at some of the leagues burning questions in a piece aptly named ‘will they or won’t they’.
Harden and Westbrook – Will they or won’t they win in the playoffs?
In my eyes there’s no doubt Houston will win games, the roster just has too much talent to lose. Putting its new powerhouse duo aside, between Capela, Tucker and Gordon, Houston has plenty of useful pieces. With D’Antoni still at the helm, it’s hard to see Houston dipping below a top 5 seed out West. However the playoffs are different and when it’s all said and done, they will be the barometer of the pair’s success.
So what’s it going to boil down to in the postseason?
Everyone will talk about chemistry, cohesion and whether or not Westbrook will be hitting spot up three’s, and these are all important factors but ultimately what it will come down to is trust. Both players need to be able to defer to the other, trust the other and beyond that, trust their team-mates. Playoffs are about making that extra pass, giving up a shot for someone in a better position and doing all the little things for the team.
You need to willingly make smart plays and not take the hero’s step-back three or try to dunk on four defenders. These things are what Houston’s postseason success will depend on. Harden and Westbrook can’t just have faith in themselves, they need faith in each-other and in their team.
Will it be done?
This is the hardest question to answer and is exactly why this duo is so polarising. My answer is this –it can be done and it will be done, but it won’t matter. Between both players there’s no lack of faith in themselves and the two friends appear to already genuinely trust one another. Add this with a healthy amount of regular season success, double doubles from Capela and threes from Gordon and the pair may even trust their team too. It just isn’t going to matter.
Success for Houston in the playoffs is nothing less than a Conference Finals berth, which will mean defeating the Lakers or the Clippers and personally I don’t think it will. The other two teams are just better and honestly, I think Utah and Denver are too. So try as they might, I predict the Harden & Westbrook pairing to work and yet just fall short.
The Los Angeles Clippers – Will they or won’t they be unstoppable on both ends?
Last year the Clippers took the Warriors with Durant (for the most part) to six games, both wins coming at the Oracle. Some key components of that squad were Lou Williams, Pat Beverley, Montrez Harrell and Landry Shamet – all of whom remained with LA during the off-season. Now add to that squad two-time Finals MVP & two-time DPOY Kawhi Leonard and six-time All-Star Paul George. Woah.
There is very little doubt this team won’t be amazing, all the pieces are there and seemingly all the players have the right attitude – they just want to win, forget about numbers. The pairing of Leonard and George in it of itself is an incredibly talented offensive and defensive duo that can score in any way and guard almost anyone. When mixed with the Clippers concoction of tough defenders, hard rebounders and clutch shot makers, it’s easy to see why this team will win games.
So will they be stopped?
For me the answer is probably not. In a best of seven series it will take more than talent, great offense and great defence to beat them. In-fact, the way I see it there are two ways a fully healthy Clippers team can lose.
The first way is through expectation. Will it get the better of them and result in the Clips simply beating themselves? Panicking on offense, turning it over or taking bad shots and then over-correcting on D putting themselves in consistent foul trouble. It's possible but unlikely nonetheless, Doc is too smart of a coach.
The second way, which is probably the more likely of the two; is there actually a better team than the Clippers out there? Are they even the best team in LA? Which begs the question below...
The Los Angeles Lakers – Will they or won’t they be extraordinary?
Now this one is interesting. The Lakers, despite having one of the greatest players in the history of the game, paired with perhaps the most dangerous big man since Shaq, have a lot of questions being asked of them. There isn’t the same feeling of certainty in their ability to succeed as a team than there is with the Clippers.
Yes, Lebron is Lebron and yes, AD is a monster at both ends, but people (outside of LA) still aren’t quite sure this team will win it all. What about depth? Cohesion? Chemistry? Is Anthony Davis a winner? Can Alex Caruso be a genuinely good back-up PG in games that matter?
For this team to succeed, Lebron and AD can’t just put up empty numbers, that won’t work against good teams. No, the team will need to excel in every possible way, exceed expectations (or match those of Laker fans) and night-in, night-out, give 110% on both ends.
They can’t try to be the show-time Lakers, or the sequel to Kobe and Shaq. The 2019-20 Lakers need an identity of their own. If they can achieve that, anything is possible.
Will the purple and gold pull it off?
I don’t think so, I have no doubt in the squad’s confidence or belief, but I can’t see it gelling enough to be as extraordinary as required. For a team built around two superstars, there just isn’t enough talent or shooting surrounding them. Danny Green is terrific and I love what Avery Bradley brings to the table, but Quinn Cook and Troy Daniels? I don’t know. I’m also beyond believing in Dwight Howard. Overall, it will be the Davis and LeBron show for the Lakers, but I’m just not sure it will be enough.
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