As the NBA 2018 – 19 season rolls down towards conference Semi-Finals there were a lot of events in the regular season that were the ones to remember for years to come. Records were broken and created as well. From the infamous Kawhi Leonard trade to the rise of D’Angelo Russell and the Brooklyn Nets to the Playoffs.
Here in this Blog, we would be listing down the Top 10 Moments from NBA 2018 – 19 Regular Season
1. Derrick Rose 50 Point Game
• A complete turnaround for this Former MVP. Notably, the youngest MVP in the History of NBA, who battled injuries through his career, came to a point where none of the teams wanted him in the squad due to injury concerns looming over him.
• Cleveland Cavaliers traded him to the Utah Jazz who waived him off within 2 days.
• Tom Thibodeau who coached Rose at the Chicago Bulls during his tenure there, gave him an opportunity to revive his carrier at the Minnesota Timberwolves. He quickly became a pivotal 6th man in the squad. Also adding salt to the fire, Rose scored an emotional 50 point game against the team who waived him within 2 days i.e. the Jazz.
• It was an emotional moment for Rose wherein an Interview he said, ‘I worked my ass off man’.
• Now we need to see how the offseason works for the former MVP and will he stay back at the Wolves of will go back to where it all started i.e. at the Chicago Bulls
2. Wade/ Dirk Last Game
• Dwayne Wade and Dirk Nowitzki, players with different stature, changed the scenario of how the modern game of Basketball is played announced their retirements in an emotional way.
• Post start of 2018 – 19 season, Wade had already announced that it would be his last season, but Dirk announced his retirement in a most subtle way which showcased his humbleness towards the city of Texas and the Game of Basketball.
• Wade Retired with 3 rings under his belt and Dirky got his unforgettable Ring in a memorable 2010 Finals against Wade’s Miami Heat
• To honor both the players for their contribution to the game, NBA added special addition for Wade and Dirk in the All-Star Game and Presented with Framed All-Star Jersey’s.
3. LeBron Passes Michal Jordan on All-Time Scoring List.
• Imagine a situation where you Idolize a player of a person, for whom you started your carrier or a profession and then you surpass his achievement.. amazing isn’t it?. Such was a night for LeBron James on March 7th, 2019 against the Denver Nuggets.
• Just requiring 13 points before entering the game against Nuggets, it was evitable that he would be easily surpassing this feat on this day.
• James who grew up in Akron, idolized Jordan from right from his Style of Play, Tongue Wagging Dunks, Imitating the Fadeaway jumper and wearing the Sneakers of his as well.
• Despite Lakers failing to qualify again this season, LeBron’s feat is the one to be remembered forever. Now he just trails Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Karl Malone and Kobe Bryant on the All-Time Scoring Lists.f
4. Anthony Davis Trade Request
• This is one of the biggest Trade Saga in the history of NBA and major event that occurred in the 2018 – 19 regular season.
• Anthony Davis is one of the best players in the NBA currently and would be a great fit in any of the team if traded.
• Nearing a prime phase of his career, a player would like to have the ultimate price i.e. an NBA Ring for which he realized New Orleans Pelicans would not be a great fit for him as he did not have the required pieces to fill in for a championship caliber team.
• Davis gave 4 teams where he wanted to land up which were Lakers, Clippers, Bucks and the Knicks.
• To which during the All-Star Weekend Lakers offered almost the entire roster which included Star Sophomores Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart in the trade. The GM of Pelicans was asking for more pieces from the Lakers and because of that, the trade fell flat which ultimately lead to the firing of the Pelicans GM Dell Demps.
• Anthony Davis’s agent, Rich Paul publicly announced Davis’s request for trade for which he was fined $50,000 for violation of league collective bargaining agreement.
5. Westbrook’s 20 – 20 – 20 Game
Super athlete, Freak of a Player, Former MVP, Triple Double Machine, Beast on the Court whatever you call him had a monster 20 – 20 – 20 game against Detroit Pistons where he scored 22 Points, 21 Assists and 25 Rebounds.
He became just 2nd player after Wilt Chamberlain to achieve this feat.
He dedicated his achievement to Nipsy who is an American Singer – Rapper who was shot dead 2 days before this achievement and who happens to be his closest buddy.
6. Harden’s Game Winner v/s Golden State Warriors
Down by 17, it was Harden’s heroics during the game that set the tone for the 2nd half of the game.
Warriors had a 17 point lead at the Halftime, where harden had 44 point Triple – Double, outscored the Warriors and also scored a last second 3 pointer to seal out the game
7. Jimmy Butler Trade
• One of the most complicated player to get along the team, the coaching staff and the organization on a whole are this All-Star guard's, Jimmy Butler.
• There comes a situation where a team could be better with a player or a team could be better off without a player, but with Butler, there is always a situation where it can swing both the ways.
• The Wolves Traded Butler and Justin Patton to the Philadelphia 76’ers in exchange for Robert Covington, Jarryd Bayless, and 2022 2nd round pick.
• But since the arrival of Butler, there are constant clashes with newly formed Big 3 on the basis of the role they would be having on the team
• Now let us see how long this Process Will Be Trusted.
8. Klay 14 3 Pointer Game
Breaking record of the other Splash Brother, A record of 13 3 Pointers in a single game was broken by Klay Thompson against Chicago Bulls in just 3 Quarters.
Before going into this game, Klay had shooting struggles for the season who was 5 of 36 from the perimeter.
Only playing 26 minutes in the game, Klay broke the record for the most 3 pointers made in a single game in the History of NBA.
Twitteraratties named the match as the ‘Headband’ game.
9. Kevin Durant and Draymond Green Drama
• It was one hell of a regular season for the Warriors. Addition of DeMarcus Cousins as a free agent and a 5th All-Star in the Starting line – up created a stir amongst the NBA on a whole.
• Also, injuries to Curry and Klay made them miss out on a lot of games of the regular season.
• KD and Green’s constant fights were the talking point in the whole of the regular season.
• It was a game against the Los Angeles Clippers where Green had the ball turned over in the final position of the regular time which forced the game to go overtime. KD is the leading scorer of the game wanted to control the ball where he did not get it as he wanted to create a reft on the bench post the turnover.
• There were reports that Green went out of the Line and called KD the ‘B’ word. He also mentioned KD’s free agency situation during the argument as well.
• Now let us see how the drama unfolds post the NBA season and where and how Kevin Durant lands up the next season.
10. Porzingis Trade
• The Latvian International who was booed by the Knicks fans when he was drafted by the Knicks in 2016 quickly turned out to be a sensation at the New York. He seemed to be an evolved version of Dirk Nowitzki.
• One of the surprising trade of the season where the Knicks traded Trey Burk, Kristaps Porzingis, Courtney Lee and Tim Hardway Jr in exchange for Dennis Smith Jr, DeAndre Jordan and a future 1st round pick (not before 2021).
• Along with potential future star Luka Doncic, Porzingis seems to be a perfect fit if he fully recovers from the injury next season.
• Seeing Dirk Retire this season, he could be a perfect replacement for him.
• One of the major reason for Knicks to trade Porzingis this season was to open up max salary cap for a star free agent for a possible max contract.
