Team of the Week
What else is there to say about the Cleveland Cavaliers that hasn't already been said this season?
Sitting atop the Eastern Conference with the best record in the NBA (40-9), there looks to be no stopping them.
The Cavs claimed very comfortable victories over the Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks and a clearly depleted and deflated Dallas Mavericks, showcasing just how relentless they have been.
Against the Mavs on Sunday evening, they scored 50 points in the first quarter, the most by the Cavs in the play-by-play era. By half time, they had 91 points - a franchise record.
Another record fell by the end of the game, as Cleveland sunk a franchise-high 26 three-pointers.
After a three-match losing run, it was the perfect return to form for the high-flying side in the NBA.
Underperformers of the Week
Unfortunately, the Atlanta Hawks are the underperformers for a second straight week.
The Hawks suffered four losses in a five-day span to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets, Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers, extending their losing streak to eight games.
Jalen Johnson remains out injured for Atlanta, but Zaccharie Risacher made his return. A side which looked nailed on to secure a spot in the playoffs has tumbled down to ninth in the Eastern Conference and are looking likely to have to take part in the play-in tournament.
Trae Young continues to be a star playmaker, however, averaging an NBA-leading 11.5 assists per game. They will need him to do his best to drag them back on course.
Player of the Week
While the Philadelphia 76ers are enduring a really ugly season, 24-year-old Tyrese Maxey continues to be their shining light.
The exciting guard had a stellar week, scoring 43 points in a win against the Lakers, 30 points in a victory against the Sacramento Kings, 42 points in a tight defeat to the Denver Nuggets and 34 points in a loss to the Boston Celtics.
Unfortunately for Maxey, he hasn't been able to have superstars Joel Embiid and Paul George featuring alongside him on a regular basis due to injuries, meaning he has had to carry the load almost singlehandedly.
The 76ers are a spot outside the play-in tournament, with a 19-29 record. Can Maxey help them squeeze into a top ten spot, or will it be too much for the young American?
Play of the Week
The Miami Heat were involved in a thrilling battle with the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, with the game on a knife edge throughout. With three seconds left of the contest, the score was locked at 103-103, before Bam Adebayo drained a pull-up buzzer-beater to seal the win.
Story of the Week
In the very early hours of Sunday morning, one of the most incredible and stunning trade deals in sports history occurred, as the Dallas Mavericks sent superstar and franchise player Luka Doncic, as well as Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers, in return for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick.
It is not an over-exaggeration to say that in doing this trade, the Mavericks committed franchise suicide. Orchestrated by General Manager, Nico Harrison, who seemingly did the deal in the shadows by himself without letting head coach Jason Kidd know, the Mavs will be going down in history as committing one of the worst deals in sports history.
No one could believe it when the announcement was made. NBA players thought it was a prank. It was a shock of seismic proportions.
Luka Doncic is a 25-year-old generational talent. Probably the best offensive player in the NBA behind Nikola Jokic. He has the third-highest career points per game in the history of the league (28.6). He is a five-time All-NBA First Team player.
He was the figurehead of the franchise, with fans truly adoring him. He has his whole career ahead of him and was coming off the back of guiding his side to the NBA Finals.
You don't find these types of players very often. They rarely come about. But clearly, Nico Harrison didn't like him, for whatever reason. Whether it was because of his lack of defensive effort, or his physical conditioning, it's evident that Harrison didn't like this style of player in the team. He hinted during a press conference yesterday that they made the trade to fit their 'culture'.
As a result, he swapped him for Davis - who is a great player by the way. He will certainly add something to the Mavericks, and make them a scary force defensively. Harrison has reportedly wanted him for a number of years at the Mavs. But he is 31 years old and has suffered a number of injuries in his career. Long-term, it doesn't make much sense at all.
And short-term, does it even make them better? Harrison emphasised that defence wins championships, and this move makes them a 'win now' team. I'm not sure that is the case at all, as Doncic was a master at winning playoff games, and even though he can be sloppy defensively, his freakish offensive talents surely outweigh everything else. Can Kyrie Irving now step up in his absence and be the main man?
Additionally, as previously mentioned, they had just reached the NBA Finals, so clearly they were already a 'win now' team and were on the verge of glory. Radical changes weren't needed - especially not this radical.
And another point: if Dallas truly wanted to get rid of Doncic for some mad reason, why didn't they auction him off? Everyone in the league would have wanted him, they could have got anything they desired for him. They could have basically rebuilt their whole team. They could have got 99% of players in the league. They could have even got a huge number of first-round picks. But instead, they got a single first-round pick, Davis and Christie. It makes zero sense.
Dallas (Nico Harrison) have now alienated their fan base, with supporters fuming at their decision, heartbroken to see their franchise player - who wanted to stay at the team for his whole career - depart to LA. It is a move that truly beggars belief, and will go down in the history books.
For the Lakers, they surely won't be believing their luck. With LeBron James perhaps a season away from retiring, they have been handed their new superstar and franchise player on a golden platter for the next decade. He will step up and take the mantle, and will probably be the new face of the NBA now he is at a team of the magnitude of the Lakers.
But even with Doncic, the Lakers are still some time away from competing. With Davis gone, they have lost their main defensive man, and have no rim protectors. Their frontcourt and defence look pretty torrid, and it isn't certain that LeBron and Doncic will click immediately. They will need some time to build around the Slovenian.
But they won't care one bit at the moment. They have one of the best three players in the NBA on their hands, and the Mavericks have committed a sporting crime. The Mavs may still be competitive and go deep into the NBA season as they have a very strong roster, but they have just thrown away a generational talent and broken the hearts of all their fans.