5 best games of the 2016-17 NBA season
By David Rouben
Despite a lack of parity, there have been some outstanding NBA regular season games. Here’s a look back at the five best ones.
After Kevin Durant signed with the Warriors, a lot of fans were down on this year’s NBA season, and understandably so. A team that set the record for most wins in a season weakened their closest competitor and grabbed one of the five best players in the league.
Many people thought why bother with the regular season when we already know who’s going to the Finals? And while that may be true, that doesn’t mean people can’t enjoy the ride. There have been plenty of entertaining games this season, many of which don’t involve the Warriors and Cavaliers.
As a rule of thumb, I made sure not to include a team more than once on this list. While that made it harder on myself, it’s also an excuse to not go after my mentions. That being said, feel free to disagree if you think a great game was left out.
5. New York Knicks vs. Atlanta Hawks (Jan. 29)
A.K.A. the quadruple-overtime thriller, a.k.a. the Paul Millsap turns 40 game. At a time when Millsap was the subject of rampant trade speculation, this might’ve been the game where the Hawks decided to keep him and let other teams try to pry him away from their cold, dead fingers.
Millsap paced everybody in minutes, logging a full hour of playing time. His stat line was epic, as he finished with 37 points and 19 rebounds, falling three assists shy of a triple-double, while also adding a steal and a block. Carmelo Anthony had an outstanding game too, scoring 45 points and extending the game twice in a losing effort.
The Hawks and Knicks couldn’t match the Indianapolis Olympians and Rochester Royals’ record of six overtimes played, but after four hours, they were spent. They nearly went to a fifth overtime, but Courtney Lee came up short on a 3-point attempt.
This game just showed how much mental fortitude the Hawks have. Whoever faces them in the first round won’t find them easy to deal with at all. Now if only they had kept Kyle Korver.