TERRY MOSHER
TOP OF THE TOWN – Boy, has the NBA been given a huge jolt, especially in the West. All of a sudden, the shift in power has the West looking like King Kong. The Lakers have gotten better, the Mavericks have added some extra juice and the Suns definitely shine a lot brighter. And don’t forget the Denver Nuggets. Wow, this post-season could now be one of the best and wildest of all-time. It’s all because of several recent sensational trades, trades that could happen only in the NBA, First, the Lakers got rid of Russell Westbrook, a guy that never worked out as planned for the Lakers, sending him to the Utah Jazz. The Lakers got a point guard, D’Angelo Russell, from the Timberwolves. Also joining LA is Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt while the Timberwolves get guards Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Mike Conley. Besides Westbrook, who averages 17.9 points and 6.2 assists a game, the Jazz get Juan Toscano-Anderson and Damian Jones. If all the Lakers had done was send Westbrook packing, that would have been a big plus for them. But the Lakers get a point guard that will work with LeBron. In one of two blockbusters trades, the Nets sent Kyrie Irving, who averages 27 points a game, to the Mavericks, which now will have two superstars in Irving and Luka Doncic, the top scorer in the league at 33.4 points a game, along with 8.9 rebounds and 8.2 assists a game. Double wow. If Irving and Doncic can work together, that would be a triple wow. All of a sudden the Mavericks look like a genuine contender. But, wait, not to be outdone, the Suns three days after the Irving deal, got into the super basketball atmosphere and quickly became the darlings of the NBA West by acquiring Kevin Durant, a former Sonic, from the Brooklyn Nets along with TJ Warren for Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder and Cam Johnson. So now the Suns have Durant, 29.7 points a game, with Devin Booker, 23.7 points a game, and maybe the league’s best point guard in Chris Paul, 13.6 points and 8.7 assists a game. The Suns are more than prepared to set on top of the league, and many experts now pick them to win the West and meet either the Celtics or Milwaukee Bucks, the power in the East, for the NBA championship. I don’t watch the regular NBA season. I wait until the playoffs. Now I can’t wait for them to start because of the power shift that in the last few days has shook the league to its foundation. Yes, it may take some time for these new power shifters — Irving and Durant in particular – to settle into their new teams, but fans should now be excited to see how this all works out. In the meantime, there is a Super Bowl to be played Sunday and I’m slowly moving over to the Kansas City side. Like always in football, the final results will be dictated by how much pressure is put on the quarterbacks. Mahomes and Hurts are the keys. The Eagles also have a proficient running attack which is also a key. So we’ll see. I think it will be one hellevua game because the best two teams are colliding. I’ll take KC 30-27. That’s it for today. Stay safe.
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