The Week That Was covers the previous Monday-Sunday in the NBA.

Team of the Week: Boston Celtics

Boston extended their run to 15 straight wins, following a 3-0 week. The highlight victory was a come from behind win over the Golden State Warriors. In their signature win to date, the Celtics held the Warriors to 88 points on 40.2 percent shooting. In addition, Boston contested 29 of 32 three-point attempts by Golden State, which is an extremely high numbers for a team that relies on their outside shooting. Rookie Jaylen Brown stepped up big for the Celtics with 22 points against the Warriors and followed that up with 27 in a win over the Atlanta Hawks, as he overcame the tragic death of his best friend earlier in the week.

Others receiving consideration: Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors

The Cavaliers started off very shaky, but are showing signs of life lately. A 3-0 week helped extend their winning streak to four games. The defense is still shaky, as Cleveland has allowed 100 points or more in every game since the second game of the year. But when you have LeBron James playing in mid-season form that covers for a lot of ills and helps you get the year back on track.

Toronto closed out a perfect 4-0 week that also matches their current run of wins. The Raptors outscored the Rockets and Pelicans in road wins, before locking in defensively in home wins over the Knicks and Wizards. DeMar DeRozan played at a high level last week, scoring 26.8 points per game on over 57 percent shooting. 

Player of the Week: LeBron James

Every once and a while LeBron James has to remind the basketball world who the King is. This week was one of those times. James averaged 31 points, 9.7 rebounds and 8.7 assists during the Cavaliers 3-0 week. The only downside? He had to play nearly 40 minutes per game to get there. With the rest of the Cavs proving to be shaky, James may not be able to get as much downtime as he has in recent years. We’ll see if that impacts him in the playoffs, when it matters most.

Others receiving consideration: Joel Embiid, James Harden

Embiid played in all three games for Philadelphia during the week, which is a win in and of itself. What he did in those three games was even more impressive. In over 34 minutes per game, the young big man averaged 33 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and three blocks. He also took 14.3 free throw attempts per game, proving he can take over games even when his shot isn’t falling.

Harden’s offensive exploits are almost comical at this point. He averaged 38.3 points per game and hit five three-pointers a night. He was also perfect at the line, averaging 14 free throw attempts for the week. Harden playing under Mike D’Antoni is the perfect match of player and system, as he gets up and down the floor and creates whatever looks he wants from behind the arc or at the rim, with nary a shot in between.

Line of the Week: Joel Embiid vs Los Angeles Lakers.

Because of varied skillset on both ends of the floor, Embiid is capable of doing something each game that we’ve never seen before. Against the Lakers he scored 46 points on 14-of-20 from the floor and 16-of-19 at the charity stripe. He also grabbed 15 rebounds and handed out seven assists. On defense he blocked seven shots and had several other good contests. It was the type of performance that only really Embiid is capable of right now and he delivered.

Others receiving consideration: James Harden vs Phoenix Suns, Marcus Smart vs Golden State Warriors

Continuing the Harden theme, he scored 48 points in 35 minutes, as the Rockets demolished the Suns. Harden had 33 at halftime and only the fact that the game was a laugher kept him from scoring 50 plus points. Overall, he hit 12-of-22 from the floor and a perfect 18-of-18 at the line.

Smart scored just 1 point and missed all seven of his shots, so his inclusion here may seem odd. But he was +15 as Boston came from behind top the Warriors. Having that kind of impact without doing much of anything on offense is incredible. Smart was a big part of holding Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to a combined 8-of-32 from the floor and 5-of-20 from behind the arc.

Win of the Week: Boston Celtics home win over Golden State Warriors

The Celtics just keep finding a way, but this was easily their best win of the season. Throughout the streak it kept being brought up that “Boston hasn’t played anyone”, so taking down the champs goes a long way towards quieting those critics. Golden State led by as many as 17 points in both halves, but the Celtics tightened up the defense and got just enough offense to come back.

Others receiving consideration: Houston Rockets win at Phoenix Suns

The Rockets rolled the Suns, by tallying 90 first half points. Only the blowout nature of the game kept the Rockets from running it up even more. In the first half alone, Houston hit 28-of-45 overall, 12-of-20 from downtown and 22-of-25 at the free throw line. Chris Paul tallied eight of the Rockets 17 halftime assists. It was as complete a dismantling of an opponent as we’ve seen in quite some time.

News of the Week: Orlando Summer Pro League is coming to an end. Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel broke the news that the Orlando Magic intend to end their Summer League and will move to Las Vegas for the summer. The NBA has been steering teams in the direction of all 30 teams playing in the Las Vegas Summer League and it seems like that will become a reality. Having all 30 clubs in one place creates a fun dynamic for fans in a setting that can accommodate large crowds. Summer League has gone from a little-watched event to a grand, must-see production. Last year’s crowds rivaled some NBA regular season games and excitement was high to see a great group of rookies. With another banner crop expected to join the NBA in the 2018 NBA Draft, it makes sense to have all 30 teams in once place. Las Vegas Summer League has rapidly become one of the NBA’s marquee events, as the league continues to become relevant year-round.

Transactions of Note: Robert Covington was signed to a four-year, $62 million extension by the Philadelphia 76ers. When the Sixers finished the summer free agency period with over $15 million in cap space, it was assumed they were holding that money to renegotiate and extend Covington and that is exactly what they did. Using the space they had left, they brought Covington’s salary for 17-18 up to nearly $16.7 million from $1.5 million. A renegotiation and extension deal is one of the only times an NBA contract can be truly front-loaded, and Philadelphia took advantage to a T. After pushing Covington up to almost $16.7 million for the rest of this year, his salary will drop to $10.5 million for 18-19, before steadily rising over the next few years to cap out at just under $13 million in 21-22.

Covington was a Sam Hinkie find and a product of what has come to be called the “Hinkie Special”. In the “Hinkie Special”, the player is signed to a four-year, league minimum deal, with the final years being team options, as well as being partial/non-guaranteed. The idea was to catch lightning in a bottle and then have a good player on the cheap. The Sixers certainly did so with Covington, and now that he’s outperformed that deal, he’s being taken care of accordingly. The 76ers now have Covington and Joel Embiid locked up, as well as all their younger players still on their rookie scale contracts. The core is in place for years to come in Philadelphia and they still retain some solid cap flexibility to add other rotation pieces in the future.