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There is a beauty in the basketball we see after the All-Star break. The fun is in the sprint toward the playoffs when we can see and feel the urgency from teams, identity against identity, working to sprinkle in more game plans. There is a separation from how good you are as a team and a pivot into how much can you sustain that good. Teams are working to put each other in a box and they have to problem-solve their way out of it.

How much do you believe in what you do? How many different ways can you get back to it? 

With that in mind, I’ve been sitting and thinking about the Western Conference, where the Oklahoma City Thunder have fallen off their early historic pace and now have company at the top of the conference.

OKC and San Antonio: Battle for West’s top seed

Injuries have defined this stretch for OKC, but the team has found a way to stay on the right course. We all have someone in our lives who looks out their window on the weekend, takes a deep breath and admires their work. That’s the feel I’ve gotten from Mark Daigneault during this stretch.

OKC’s focus on next man up, executing on offense and harassing teams defensively has held steady no matter who has been on the court. Casually adding Jared McCain’s playmaking and shooting has helped, but the Thunder have been able to play through Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein to balance things on both ends of the floor with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams sidelined. Meanwhile, the lights may be brighter on Cason Wallace, Isaiah Joe and a host of others, but they have kept the ball (and effort) moving. 

The tricky part for the Thunder is that team in San Antonio refuses to go away. It’s one thing for the Spurs to have beaten the Thunder four out of five times this season, it’s another for the Spurs to have not lost a game in the month of February (nine straight wins), meaning they are now only three games behind the Thunder for the top spot in the West.

It’s easy to point to the play of Victor Wembanyama on both ends of the floor, but when you see the Spurs you see a team that is playing with more poise, more composure and more belief in what they are doing on both ends of the floor. Stephon Castle is willing to defend anyone on the planet, De’Aaron Fox has brought a consistent presence, and when you watch them you see a team that understands the assignment.

The Spurs may not have everything they need, but they have positioned themselves as a real threat that can make a run with how they defend and how they attack offensively. 

That brings me to the rest of the playoff teams.

Big questions for rest of West contenders

The Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves have had me in a headlock for the last few days. If you look at the Western Conference standings you can see just how tight things are between them. With every night, a win or loss could send them to a different position in the standings.

At a time of year when you’re supposed to be sharpening who you are as a team, the discomfort of the Western Conference delivers an alternate reality: two of these teams will advance and knock on the door of a conference finals run, two will go home early and disappointed, and there is a high likelihood they face each other to determine their fates. 

It does not help that this is also the time of year where the feeling of a fatal flaw begins to stick to you as a team. It could be an inability to perform in the clutch, an inability to defend consistently, an inability to put enough lineups out there to navigate difficult moments.

Houston Rockets: They are currently the 3-seed in the Western Conference and, at times, it doesn’t feel that way. This is one of the top defensive units in the NBA, and they have used that as a base to put themselves in this position. But will that be enough to make up for the question marks they have offensively?

This is a team that is comfortable playing methodically in the half-court, but is that what hampers them in clutch time? Kevin Durant has accelerated their path and has the ability to take and make all of the shots that can throw a defense’s scheme over the top rope, but what can boost that? How much does this team need Alperen Şengün to not only make plays, but be the type of offensive player that draws help from defenses? How will Amen Thompson adjust to alternating between spacing in the dunker spot and being an on-ball attacker when defenses are willing to switch and go under? Will Reed Sheppard, who has continued to grow, be able to find a consistency on offense to stay on the court when teams look to attack him defensively? 

Denver Nuggets: They would seem like the team to elevate from this group on paper. Years of talking about the “non-Jokić minutes” have turned into a balanced roster that could thrive in those moments and went 10-6 when he was out due to an injury. That would be an unbelievable boost in most years, until you realize their recent 3-6 stretch has come with him back on the court.

This feels like a team that needs to get healthy more than anything (Denver is 8-2 with the starting lineup of Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokić), but what do the Nuggets do in the interim? How do they push themselves to prepare for the playoffs?

This stretch could be a reminder that, while they have worked to add more things defensively to adjust, they do not have the wiggle room on that end of the floor. An inability to contain dribble penetration, rough transition defense and breakdowns against cutters are things their defense simply can’t afford. As good as Murray and Jokić are, the absence of Gordon has taken a bite out of their ability to punish teams in clutch moments. And as high as the highs have been for the Nuggets, how many little things are chipping at their ceiling as we approach the playoffs? 

Minnesota Timberwolves: They have made back-to-back conference finals which should have them out of this group, but questions remain. This is a team led by Anthony Edwards — who should have the Clutch Player of the Year sent to him by now — that features improved play from Julius Randle and Jalen McDaniels and the defensive presence of Rudy Gobert. The formula is there. The Wolves can beat anyone in the NBA. But it also feels like they can lose to anyone in the NBA.

Effort and focus should be raised come playoff time, but can they put themselves in a position to capitalize on it? Are they secretly a team built for the playoffs that understands the assignment, or do they have a fatal flaw as a team destined to knock on a door they are not meant to open? 

Los Angeles Lakers: They boast Luka Dončić, LeBron James and Austin Reaves, a trio that I maintain you don’t want to have to deal with come playoff time. Availability has been the toughest part as they have waited for most of the season to have all of their big three healthy to find a level of consistency to match the potential. While most will point to the defensive end of the floor with this group, my eyes remain on the offense.

This is a group whose top players not only have to score, but have to score at a high enough level that defenses feel the need to help, which opens up plays for everyone else. When teams feel they can pressure and stay at home, will the Lakers be able to keep pressure on teams? When the offense slips, is that when you truly feel how little the defense can make things up in the moment?

This team has a high ceiling and a lot of firepower, but little margin for error. The Lakers have mixed in zone, switching, help and activity to disguise their defensive woes, but if the offense is not firing at 100%, they have a tough time masking those issues. The talent will always give them a shot, and a playoff game plan should open things up, but they have to make defenses blink consistently. 

All of these teams have strengths, most have weaknesses. The question becomes: How can they poke at each other on their journey toward a championship? To navigate this conference you will have to do it on both ends, with the versatility to get back to who you are and an identity you can lean on. Only time will tell which teams are sharp enough to find a way come spring.

The Cleveland Cavaliers made one of the more impactful moves at the NBA trade deadline, acquiring 11-time All-Star James Harden from the Los Angeles Clippers. Harden’s time in Cleveland, however, has already hit a snag, as the guard suffered a fractured right thumb during the team’s win over the New York Knicks on Tuesday.

The injury was discovered after Tuesday’s 109-94 win over the Knicks. The team’s medical staff did an initial examination on Harden before sending him for X-rays Monday, which revealed the extent of the injury. 

Harden, who shoots left-handed, is undergoing further evaluation and is listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, the team announced. 

The news comes a day after Harden scored 20 points and played 32 minutes during the contest. It’s unclear when he sustained the injury. 

Harden has seen a slight decline in his numbers since joining the Cavaliers, and is averaging 18.9 points with his new team. While he hasn’t been the same scoring threat in Cleveland just yet, the team has played well since bringing him on board. The Cavaliers have gone 6-1 since the trade, and are tied for third place in the Eastern Conference. 

The 36-year-old Harden reportedly intends to play through the injury, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. Harden will not undergo surgery on the thumb, and will try and gut it out, potentially wearing a wrap on his injured thumb.

It’s unclear whether Harden will miss time due to the issue. It’s possible he could sit out Wednesday’s game against the Bucks, but it sounds like he has the chance to return to the court soon, per Charania.

Tony Bennett shocked many in 2024 when he abruptly retired as the University of Virginia’s men’s basketball coach just days before the season started, but it turns out he wasn’t done with basketball. Bennett will serve as a “draft advisor” for the Los Angeles Lakers and general manager Rob Pelinka, the team announced Wednesday. 

The team confirmed the move in a release, with Pelinka saying the team was “thrilled and honored” to bring Bennett on board.

In a statement, Bennett said he was excited about “the chance to help out such a storied organization.” The Lakers did not announce Bennett’s exact responsibilities as part of the team’s release. 

Prior to his surprising 2024 retirement, Bennett spent 15 seasons coaching Virginia. He put up a 364-136 record with the team, winning the 2019 NCAA championship and two AP Coach of the Year awards.

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Before that, Bennett spent three years at Washington State, where he compiled a .676 winning percentage.

Over his college career, Bennett helped develop 11 different players — including Malcolm Brogdon, De’Andre Hunter and Klay Thompson — who went on to be selected in the NBA Draft. 

At the time of his 2024 retirement, Bennett cited the rise of NIL and the changing college basketball landscape as some of the reasons he chose to walk away from the game. Neither issue will be prevalent in the NBA, which may have played a role in Bennett’s decision to return to basketball.

While Bennett has never held a coaching or front-office job in the NBA, he did spend three seasons in the league as a player. Bennett was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in the second round of the 1922 NBA Draft. He appeared in 152 games over his playing career, averaging 3.5 points per game. 

Bennett’s hiring comes a day after new Lakers business president Lon Rosen said the team will retain Pelinka as its general manager. In early February, Pelinka hinted that the team was looking to expand its front office. It made good on that promise on Wednesday with the addition of Bennett.

Pete Alonso broke a lot of New York Mets fans’ hearts when he signed with the Baltimore Orioles in the offseason. One of those fans is the 8-year old son of comedian John Oliver, who really got into baseball during the 2025 season and was excited about the team’s 8-3 start.

Of course, the rest of the regular season didn’t go as expected, as the Mets finished 83-79 and failed to make the postseason.

During an appearance on NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers” this week, Oliver, the host of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” told the story of how he had to explain to his son that he can’t change his favorite baseball team even when things go bad.

Things got worse when Alonso, Oliver’s son’s favorite player, left the Mets after seven seasons to sign a five-year, $155 million deal with the Orioles — a move that Oliver said he anticipated was going to happen.

“Watching [my son] fall in love with this guy — he has a signed ball [from Alonso] — and having to go into his room and say, ‘Pete Alonso’s going to Baltimore,’ and he said, ‘Are you sure I can’t be an Orioles fan?’” Oliver said. 

“‘We’ve had this discussion.’”

In an attempt to make up for breaking the heart of a young Mets fan, Alonso took to social media on Wednesday to try to smooth things over — and get Oliver’s son to ignore his dad and convert his fandom.

“I saw what your son had to say about being upset of me signing with the Orioles, but, hey, he could always become an O’s fan,” Alonso said. “[I] would love to extend an invitation to you and your family to come down to Camden [Yards] for a game this year, and you guys can get out on the field for batting practice. Hopefully you guys come down and have some fun. Hope to see you soon. Go O’s.”

Alonso will be back at CitiField when the Orioles visit for a three-game series in September. 

The first game back is sure to be an emotional evening, with Mets fans paying tribute to the slugger and Oliver’s son revealing whether Alonso’s influence has him wearing Orioles gear instead of Mets paraphernalia.

There is no doubt, for now, the Cleveland Cavaliers are better with James Harden.

“Bringing James on has given us a renewed confidence, if that makes sense,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters Tuesday, when his charges whooped the New York Knicks 109-94. “We understand that we’re a better team, and that spirit — that confidence, it for some strange reason makes you play harder and compete harder. And compete harder defensively. 

“And I felt like we were kind of missing that edge, that belief, so I feel like we’re regaining that.”

We probably should have anticipated this, if we weren’t on the record with it already. This is what happens when Harden joins a new team. He makes his new team better. For a period.

The question is whether the Cavs can capitalize in the meantime. How long that meantime lasts, as Harden turns 37 years old in August, was the risk Cleveland’s front office ran when it dealt 26-year-old two-time All-Star Darius Garland for a member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team. (In related news: On Wednesday, it was reported that Harden suffered a fractured right thumb during the Knicks game and is undergoing further evaluation.)

When Harden left the Houston Rockets for the Brooklyn Nets a few weeks into the 2021-22 season, the Nets won 32 of 41 games upon landing him, at one point winning 14 of 15, with a historic offense for its time. And then he strained his hamstring, an injury he blamed, in part, on poor conditioning, which ultimately aided in their downfall during his one playoff run in Brooklyn.

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When Harden essentially demanded a trade from the Nets to the Philadelphia 76ers the following season, they won their first five games with him in uniform, finishing 14-7 down the stretch, before he flamed out in the second round of the playoffs against the Miami Heat.

They fared no better the following season, when Harden once again failed to meet his highest standard as a series’ stakes increased, as his Sixers lost a seven-game set to the Boston Celtics. 

When the long-term contract offer he desired never came, Harden called Philly executive Daryl Morey “a liar” and sought a trade to the Los Angeles Clippers. He helped deliver a pair of 50-win seasons, only to lose consecutive first-round series to the Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets.

Harden has played in nine Game 6s or 7s since leaving the Rockets, and his scoring averages in those contests — 16 points on 38.1% shooting — are of serious concern, if you believe in track records. After all, Harden’s playoff performances in big games were no different for the Rockets.

Then again, Harden helped get his teams to those big games, and in Cleveland they are hoping Donovan Mitchell can carry them home once they get there. And early returns suggest they can get there. They are 6-1 since scoring Harden, including wins over the Knicks, Nuggets and red-hot Charlotte Hornets. Their lone loss came against the mighty Oklahoma City Thunder.

Harden has helped transform Cleveland’s offense from a solid outfit (117.6 points per 100 possessions) to an elite one (121.7) in a small sample size. This is no different from his efforts for the Nets, 76ers and Clippers. He is one of the great offensive talents in the game’s history.

There is no doubt the Cavs belong among the Eastern Conference’s elite once again. They are now tied with New York for the East’s third-best record, trailing only the Celtics and Detroit Pistons. It would be a shock if those teams were not the conference’s final four standing.

But are any of those teams really scared of Cleveland in the second round? That is precisely where the Celtics and Indiana Pacers have stopped the Cavaliers in each of the past two years.

The Cavs are exhibiting some of the same traits that past Harden-led teams have shown. While the offense is elite in the regular season, they are playing slower and passing less often, so any slippage in efficiency, which often occurs in the playoffs, is only magnified in fewer possessions.

In that same small sample size, Harden’s defensive on/off numbers are the worst in the NBA, according to Cleaning the Glass, as opponents have been 21.6 points per 100 possessions better on offense when Harden is on the floor. He was not much better for the Clips in a larger sample size, as opponents’ scoring increased by 7.9 points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor. He is, essentially, a defensive liability, and we have known this for some time, too. 

The Cavaliers traded for Harden with the belief that they can mask that, as well, as both Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are rim-protecting forces. With Mobley, Allen and Dean Wade on the court, Cleveland is allowing 101.5 points per 100 possessions, almost five points better than the league’s best defense, regardless of who is on the court with them, per Cleaning the Glass.

But did the Cavaliers really trade a young star for Harden, only to hope that Mitchell can mask his inefficiencies on offense in the highest-leverage situations and Allen and Mobley can make up for his deficiencies on defense? Absolutely not. They traded for Harden not only to get back to the second round of the playoffs, but to advance further — and compete for a championship.

They traded for Harden to come through when it matters most, and the next time he does may be the first. There is beauty in this honeymoon stage, as every team enters its partnership with Harden believing this time will be different, only to be disappointed in the end. Will this time be different? We will not know until the playoffs. Enjoy the love for him in Cleveland while it lasts.