The NBA is just starting to get in the swing of things and now media pundits are starting to overreact to some of the stats and numbers produced by the athletes of the NBA. Here are the top-three overreactions to the early NBA season:
1. James Harden will win MVP
This is not going to happen. The Houston Rockets are 8-5, which is a solid record. Even though he is not one of my favorite players, I have to admit that James Harden is one of the best players in basketball and a top-three offensive player in this league. His huge numbers for both points and assists give you the ability to make a case for the superstar. However, there is one player who will win the MVP award over James Harden, and that player is Russell Westbrook. Westbrook has the numbers and his team will win more games to make him the Most Valuable Player this season.
2. The Los Angeles Lakers will make the playoffs
I will be the first one to admit, the Lakers have been surprisingly competitive. Everyone from Gregg Popovich to Jimmy Butler having high praise for the young team. As a Laker fan this has been a breath of fresh air from the last two seasons, and so at the tiniest bit of success, we now hear fans and media members talking about how this team can make the playoffs.
Stop it! They are not making the playoffs this year. The team still has to learn how to win against good teams. There are only wins of significance were against the Warriors and Hawks–both really flukey games. If they continue to trend upward, it's possible that they could. However, from what I have seen, it's unlikely.
3. The Clippers will win the NBA Finals
This is the most adorable one yet. The Clippers winning the NBA Finals, please! They need to make it to the conference finals first. They are a flawed team without a bench or a starting small forward who can actually guard LeBron, Kevin Durant, and Kawhi Leonard. That is not to say that they aren't extremely talented, but they have to be able to beat the Warriors, Spurs, and the Thunder in order to get to the finals. Even if they do get past those three, do you really think that they will beat LeBron James and the Cavaliers? The Clippers again are an extremely talented team, but them winning a champion anytime in the next four years is never going to happen.