No Westbrook? No Problem.

Kevin Durant is on an absolute tear right now, as he has been putting up insane numbers over the past several games. He is on pace to be the man to finally take the MVP from LeBron James, and the OKC Thunder are rolling. What makes it more special is that Russell Westbrook has not played in many weeks. Last season's playoffs saw the Thunder run out of gas without their star point guard. This season, Durant has more than plenty of fuel in the tank to carry his team to a title.

All-star Weekend Needs to go

There used to be something special about NBA All-Star Weekend. The Slam Dunk Contest was unpredictable, and put players on the map. The All-Star game was a hard-fought battle between the best players in each conference. Sadly, those days are long gone.

The Dunk Contest has become a complete joke. Vince Carter, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan have all won the dunk contest. The caliber of player that used to compete in the event was incredible. Now guys like Jeremy Evans, who almost never play in an actual game, are the caliber of player competing in the event. People can try and sway Lebron James to join the contest all they want, but even he knows it's not worth his time.

If there is anything that needs to go, it is the actual All-Star game itself. The fans have realized they are not going to see any competitive play anymore. The players just use the game to throw down a few fancy dunks and silly shots, but who can blame them? Would you try hard in a meaningless game on a meaningless weekend and risk injury? I didn't think so.

Struggles of the Black Mamba

I am a lifelong Los Angeles Lakers fan, and my favourite player of all time is Kobe Bryant. Since I've been a fan, the team has won a total of five NBA titles, and Kobe has set countless all-time records. Of all the seasons I've watched, this one has been the most painful for two big reasons.

The first is the success of the other LA team, the Clippers. While the Lakers have spent the last 40 years cementing themselves as one of the best franchises in sports, the Clippers have been cementing themselves as one of the worst. Ever since the Clippers traded for superstar guard Chris Paul (after the NBA denied a trade that would've sent Paul to my beloved Lakers), the teams have gone in complete opposite directions. They flipped from a miserable franchise to a championship contender, while we have stooped into entering the "Tank for Wiggins" race.

The second reason is poor Kobe. While his peers Tim Duncan, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant are battling for the NBA title, Kobe is recuperating from another injury after already missing six months with a torn achilles. Kobe wants to do nothing but win games and titles, but a depleted roster filled with hobbled veterans and career underachievers isn't helping his cause.

So the Lakers will continue to lose, the Clippers will continue to win, and Kobe Bryant will still be on the sideline...giving his under-performing teammates his trademark death stare. The way this season has been going, there'll be no shortage of Kobe death stare gifs in the near future.

How in the World did the Raptors Become a Winner?

Everyone believed the Toronto Raptors were primed to be a lead horse in the “Tank for Wiggins” race, a battle of how bad teams were willing to be for the chance of getting Canadian phenom Andrew Wiggins in the 2014 draft. It all seemed like the perfect storm: a Canadian superstar coming home to a struggling franchise with a lot of disposable parts. The Raptors sure seemed like they were jockeying for the #1 ranked prospect, until they traded Rudy Gay to the Sacramento Kings. The day the disgruntled star left Toronto, the Raptors were a whole new team.

A dominating win over the Lakers on the night Kobe Bryant made his return from injury has sparked a phenomenal run for the team. This has included wins over the Pacers and Thunder, the teams with the best records in each conference. A return to a much more team-oriented play style has allowed stars like Demar DeRozan and Amir Johnson to reach their true potential and help the squad become a top team in the Eastern conference. While trigger-happy Rudy gay is gone, so are the prospects of drafting Andrew Wiggins. Fortunately, a long-awaited return to the playoffs will have Raptors fans feeling more than happy they fell out of contention in the “Tank for Wiggins” sweepstakes.