Moments that changed the course of this NBA season

(Point Spreads) - Whether you’re a player, fan, coach or bettor, this NBA season has been wild, featuring moments that have shocked and delighted many across the country.

Caught on Camera - The season started with a bang… rather more of a hook, as the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors would witness their inner-turmoil shown to the world following a fight between veteran Draymond Green and rising star Jordan Poole.

Green, known to instigate confrontation with opponents, teammates, or anyone really, would step to Poole during a practice and land a massive right hand on to the side of the fourth year player out of Michigan.

This is not the first, nor the last time teammates would fight at practice, but with the rise of social media and cameras being everywhere, the footage would be leaked to the press and instigate a messy situation into a messier one with record-breaking speed.

Green would be suspended and Poole would deal with having to relive an embarrassing moment now confined to the annals of history.

The multiple time NBA Champion, Green, would be contrite in his apology to Poole, claiming in the days after the suspension that he would give his teammate space and only attempt reconciliation or communication if the younger player was ready or interested in doing so.

As of this writing the Warriors are in contention for the playoffs, standing at the #7th seed, but the impact that this fight had on the chemistry, comfort, and potential for the Warriors to run it back in 2023 has certainly been mitigated.

Despite all of this, the Warriors are currently the fifth best bet to win the NBA Championship this season as per experts at Point Spreads, trailing the Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, and the current favorite, the Boston Celtics.

The Brooklyn Shuffle - One team that went from an odds favorite to a team in a drastic rebuild are the Brooklyn Nets. 

Following multiple seasons of injuries, coaching disputes, protests and more distractions than anyone else could bear, the next “Big 3”, consisting of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden, which then turned into Durant, Kyrie, and Ben Simmons, is now reduced to Ben Simmons.

Harden would be traded for Simmons in 2022, following numerous alleged issues between the three stars, which would bring out the player in Simmons, who despite his many gifts has had a very public battle with anxiety and numerous injuries that would leave him on the sidelines during the 2022 playoffs.

The next casualty would be Steve Nash, who amidst his first NBA coaching job would be put into a political chess match with Durant, who allegedly demanded that either Nash goes or he goes. Joe Tsai, the Nets owner, would side with Nash and GM Sean Marks - until seven games into the season, when he’d fire Nash amidst a 2-5 start and Irving landed in hot water over promoting a documentary that was alleged to be antisemitic. 

Three months later, Irving would be the next to go, as he would be shipped to Dallas to help Luka Doncic and company in their quest for an NBA Title.

It would seem that the Mavericks are the winner of the trade as they are the sixth seed in the west (half game up on the Warriors), and the Nets are a +25,000 underdog to win the NBA Championship this season and are out of playoff contention, according to PointSpreads.com. 

With Simmons’ injury issues following him to Brooklyn and sidelining him for the foreseeable future. Durant would read the tea leaves himself and force a trade to the Phoenix Suns.

The most shocking was the sudden personality change in Ja Morant.

Morant, who has become one of the best players in the NBA and a leader of the tenacious Memphis Grizzlies, was cause for concern in 2022, when he allegedly threatened a fan on Twitter.

From there, Morant would allegedly threaten a security guard in a Memphis Shopping Mall, due to a supposed confrontation between Morant’s mother and a store employee, which could have been exacerbated by the nine or so people in Morant’s entourage.

Less than a week later, Morant was accused of beating up a teenager due to a basketball accidentally thrown at his head.

These incidents coupled with a confrontation between Morant’s father and Fox Sports 1 Analyst Shannon Sharpe, two confrontations between his friends and members of the Indiana Pacers, and the recent controversy involving Morant brandishing a handgun and leaked photos of him in a strip club with nearly $250,000 spread across the room, Morant was suspended for eight games by the NBA and has entered counseling. He's now back on the court and the fans are loving him.

These are just a few of the biggest surprises that have shaken up fans – and the betting odds – this NBA season, according to PointSpreads.com analysts. 

With the NBA Play-in tournament and the NBA Playoffs just a few games away, what else will have an effect on the NBA season?  

Image credit: Loren Elliott / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP for PointSpreads.com