4 Storylines to Watch in NBA’s Second Half, Including LeBron's Playoff Chase

The NBA season has been a wild one so far, complete with monster trades at the deadline. With  football season, the All-Star game and trade talks all complete, the stretch run of the season is set to begin. Here are the four best storylines as the NBA takes top billing until the middle of June (save for March Madness):

1. Who will win the MVP race?

James Harden. Giannis Antetokounmpo. Paul George. Right now, all three of them have a strong case to become the next NBA MVP. The Milwaukee Bucks are currently the best team in the league and have been for much of the season. Giannis’ numbers are off the charts, as he’s averaging 27.2 PPG (58.1% from the field!), 12.7 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.4 SPG and 1.4 BPG in only 33.2 minutes per game.  He easily dominated Kawhi Leonard a couple of weeks ago and has taken the throne from LeBron James as King of the East. He is unreal.

Hate him or love him, Harden aka The Beard is one of the most talented offensive players in the history of the game. Harden drops 36.6 PPG right now and is currently enjoying the longest 30-point streak of anyone in NBA history not named Wilt Chamberlain. With Clint Capela, Eric Gordon, and Chris Paul all missing significant time, the fact that Harden has kept the Houston Rockets in the playoff hunt is pretty remarkable. If you are a top five team in the West and your second best scoring option is Austin Rivers or Gerald Green, you should be in the MVP talks. It’s written in the Rulebook.

PG13 is averaging career-highs in points (28.7), rebounds (8.0) and assists (4.1) while shooting 40.6% from 3-point land. Read that sentence again. George has come up clutch for the Oklahoma City Thunder Cyndi Lauper style, Time after Time. His skillset blends perfectly with Russell Westbrook’s, dare I say, even better than Kevin Durant. And, if that wasn’t enough, he is a favorite for the Defensive Player of the Year award as well.

As an NBA fan, I am loving it, and would not be upset if any one of these three win. This MVP race will be a photo finish. Buckle up.

1. How will the top of the East shake out?

The Bucks, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia Sixers and Toronto Raptors are the four best teams in the East. Yes, I know the Indiana Pacers are currently the No. 3 seed, but those aforementioned teams should meet in the conference semifinals when it is all said and done.

With LeBron now out of the East, these teams have legitimate chances of reaching the Finals, and their front offices have gone all-in as well, from the Raptors acquiring Leonard, to the recent trade by the Sixers to get Tobias Harris.

The other big reason this matters is that these teams know the time is now or never, considering their potential team defections. If the Celtics have an early exit, will Kyrie Irving re-sign with Boston? Will Jimmy Butler and/or Harris leave Philly if the same happens to them? If Toronto chokes, as they have in years past, does Leonard decide to cut it all off with a new pair of “Clippers”? (Bad pun, I know, insert Kawhi laugh). Each of these four teams can beat anyone on any given night, so home-court advantage will be huge.

1. The Zion Williamson sweepstakes

Hopefully Zion is ok after last night’s scare. That being said, Williamson is a generational talent, so the tankers are going to go all-out in these final games. The New Orleans Pelicans are also keeping an eye on how teams finish the season, as potential trading partners for Anthony Davis. A fun Twitter handle to follow covering the trek to Mt. Zion is @Tankathon. Here is their latest simulation…come on Chicago Bulls!

1. Will the Los Angeles Lakers make the playoffs?

LeBron James hasn’t missed an NBA postseason in 13 straight years, but at 28–29, three games out of the playoff picture, and the fourth-hardest schedule remaining, it is not going to be easy to keep that streak alive. They are now also underdogs to make the playoffs altogether. For James, that means he’ll have to take it up a notch if the Lakers are going to make the postseason.

"“It’s been activated,” James said of his playoff intensity after practice on Wednesday. “My level of intensity has to be [high], unfortunately for me, because I don’t like to do it at such an early time.”"

The biggest factor the Lakers have working in their favor is the Los Angeles Clippers (currently the 8-seed) have to miss the playoffs to keep their 2019 first round selection (Celtics claim it if they make the playoffs), so their incentive could be to drop out of the race. With only 25 games remaining, the Lakers have to at least go 19-6 (47 wins) to get into the postseason.

Marquee free agents, Anthony Davis trade, and some of the storylines mentioned above will all be fun to follow during the second half of the season, but let’s face it, LeBron and the Lakers will be the biggest spectacle to follow going forward. From fans, to the NBA and their ratings, LA’s postseason run will affect many different parties. And, let’s be honest, it’s difficult to fathom a LeBron-less postseason.