NBA Finals: Celtics @ Warriors

The NBA Finals start today so I'll show of some Steph Curry and Jayson Tatum cards I've recently pulled and give you my thoughts on the series.  Golden State is so good this year.  They got Klay back, Jordan Poole became a great third option, Andrew Wiggins has come up good in the playoffs and they are for the most part healthy.  Their offense is so fun to watch and will be hard to beat.

Love these Slam inserts.  Tatum and the Celts found their groove later in the season.  This team is built on defense and defense travels.  Will it be enough to stop the Warriors?  Miami isn't an offensive juggernaut so it's hard to compare the matchups.  Boston does have a really good offense and Golden State isn't exactly the best defensive team in the league.  Picking up Derrick White in season was a great move as well giving them depth.  This team won't roll over.

That second Tatum is a holiday parallel from a blaster.  Wish Panini had gone a bit heavier with the snowflakes.  This really should be a great matchup.  An excellent defensive team versus a great offense.  Seems like a fun series.

Still, someone has to win and I have to think Golden State has the edge.  The Warriors aren't unbeatable but I'm not sold that a defense, even as good and the Celtics', can stop them.

I'm going with Golden State in six.  Maybe we'll get a seven game series but that seems like a lot to ask for.

Steph Curry and Al Horford are two of my favorite players in the league so it'll be tough to watch but consistently this playoff run I've found myself rooting for the Warriors.  No matter who wins they'll deserve it.  Both are great teams and this should be a good series.
 

Toronto Wins NBA Championship!

The Toronto Raptors are the NBA Champions after defeating the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals 4-2.  I watched a ton of NBA this year and it was so much fun and Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors were a big part of it.  They rolled the dice in the offseason to pick up Leonard and Danny Green for what may be a one year rental.  It worked and was worth it no matter what happens this offseason.  Brilliant move and it's hard not to be happy for this team.  Glad to see long time Raptor Kyle Lowry get to hoist the trophy.  If Toronto hadn't won the series who knows what this team would look like going forward.  Now, no matter what happens, he's a champion and his story is a happy one. It was also fun watching Pascal Siakam, Serge Ibaka, Danny Green and Marc Gasol play big parts in the series or in parts of the series.  

The Warriors were great in defeat.  If they aren't devastated by injuries this series is absolutely different but do they win?  I don't know.  What they showed in defeat is amazing.  It shows how great they are and the heart they have.  At times it was Stephen Curry and Draymond Green against all odds.  Props to the Warriors for another great season and showing what they are made of in these finals.  Quick side note - I listened to Draymond Green's interview after game 6 and he came across so different from what I think of him.  Great interview.  Smart dude.  Changed the way I look at him.

Now the offseason starts which will be wild.  Injuries to two of the top 5 free agents may or may not change the free agent landscape.  Me?  I give Durant and Thompson max contracts, injuries or not.  They are stars of this league and game changers.  I don't hesitate.  I'll be curious to see what teams do.  This year's free agent class is historically great and it should be wildy fun to watch.  The season may be over but the fun is just beginning.

NBA Finals Look - Golden State Warriors @ Toronto Raptors

Golden State Warriors vs Toronto Raptors in the NBA Finals is a good match up to me.  I thought Milwaukee may be a little deeper but Toronto is an excellent defensive team and is as well on offense.  That said they'll play the juggernaut that is the Warriors.  Toronto does have have home court and we aren't sure where Kevin Durant is with his injury.  I love Kawhi Leonard and he's shown he is the beast we thought he was in this year's playoffs.  I'm not putting my money on Toronto yet but I really think they can give Golden State a good series which is all we can ask for.  And if a few breaks go there way maybe Canada sees their first NBA Championship.  I think the key will be the first few games when the Raptor will play at home and the Warriors may or may not have KD.  No matter how seasoned a team is, going down 2-0 in a best of seven is tough.  We just saw the Raptors recover winning four straight over Milwaukee but that isn't the norm.  Nor is Golden State.  They are so talented on offense and defense it is tough to see them losing.  They were down against Portland in game after game but just shook it off to come back in each game.  I'll take the Warriors in six games but would love to see Kawhi and Toronto take home the Championship.      

Trail Blazers Swept by Warriors - Offseason Starts Now

As a fan of the Portland TrailBlazers the Western Conference Finals were so hard to watch.  As much as Portland struggled I do know that Golden State is just a elite team.  They showed it over and over on both ends of the court.  But even with that knowledge how Portland lost, losing big leads in three of the four games, is a hard pill to swallow.  Watching Portland and their stars start strong but fade in the second half, or in the case of last night the 4^th quarter, you have to ask why.

No matter how poorly the series went the Trail Blazers did have a great year behind Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.  Getting better will be tough this offseason.  Enes Kanter, Seth Curry, Rodney Hood, Al-Farouq Aminu and Jake Layman (restricted) are all free agents and Portland will only have about $5.7M to spend which means they’ll be largely a non-factor in free agency.  They need scoring at forward but I doubt the money they’ll have available will be able to net them much of an upgrade.

So barring a trade of consequence it seems they’ll just need to get better internally.  This is possible.  When contrasting Golden State’s and Portland’s offense during the series the difference was jarring.  Golden State’s offense is constantly in motion and pushing the ball while Portland ended up with the ball in one guy’s hands trying to create while others did little.  And when the ball did get into the hands of players not named Lillard or McCollum they were tentative and indecisive.  Those things can be taught.  Many Warriors role players look really good – partly due to playing next to great players – but also because of the offense in my opinion.  Defense is also something that can definitely improve. 

We’ll see where the offseason goes but this really was a good year.  Portland was the #3 seed in the tough Western Conference and made the Conference Finals for the first time since 2000.  I’ve watched more of the Trail Blazers this post season than ever before and it has been fun.   I can’t wait to see what next year brings.  Maybe some of the young talent like Zach Collins, Anfernee Simmons or even Gary Trent can make a difference next season.  You just never know.      

Golden State Warriors Win NBA Championship

The Golden State Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavalier 4-0 in the 2018 NBA Finals.  We knew going into the season this was the probable outcome.  This is a great team and they deserved the title.  Watching them play is fun.  They have so many weapons it is hard to ever count them out even when down 10 or 15 points.  Now that they've won three championships in four years there is sure to be some Warriors fatigue.  But don't hate.  This team has great players who play great basketball not only on offense but also on defense.  Look at the Cavs' stats from the Finals and you'll see a team that was completely shut down sans arguably the second greatest player ever.    

  If it weren't for LeBron we'd be talking about Kevin Durant in a different light.  He is a great scorer and so good he even shines on a team of stars.  Stephen Curry is an amazing talent and shooter, the likes of which we really must give his due because we will talk about his shots and shooting for ages to come.  Klay Thompson is another great shooter who has a good all around game that is perfect for this team.  The villain of course is Draymond Green.  Dislike him if you will - I do quite often but he is another perfect fit for this team whose stats will never tell the true value of his play.  In theory coaching a team like this is easy but if you pay attention at all to history and what players and coaches will tell you it can't be further from the truth.  Steve Kerr must also get his due for the team's success.  

  We obviously didn't get a competitive series but we saw great play by a superior team.  We knew the Cavs weren't good enough and they got rolled.  Sure J.R. Smith doomed them from the outset but the good teams find ways to win and when Golden State got a second chance in that overtime the Warriors took no prisoners and ran away with the win.  I'm not sure three of four championships make this team a dynasty but I know by just watching them they are studs and I won't argue if people want to call it that.  Congratulations to the Warriors, a great team with great players.     

Golden State Warrior Win NBA Championship

The Golden State Warriors won their second NBA championship in two yeas winning the NBA Finals four games to one over the Cleveland Cavaliers.  First and foremost this shouldn’t have been a surprise.  The Warriors are stacked.  They have four star players with good depth.  Even in the game they lost I wasn’t concerned.  They had one horrible quarter defensively but they did score 33 in that same quarter.  And this was with Curry, Thompson and especially Draymond Green not shooting at their normal high standards during the series.  It is fun watching them when they are clicking.  This is a team for the ages with Kevin Durant added to the mix.  I’m not sure what team could challenge them in the future aside from a LeBron led team.     

Series MVP Kevin Durant deserves all the accolades he is getting. Cleveland had no answer for him – 35 PPG, 8 RPG, 5 APG, 1 SPG, 1 BPG, 55%/47%/92%.  That is a crazy stat line playing against an excellent Cleveland Cavaliers team and he played good defense.  We knew he was special and probably the number two guy behind LeBron but there is no doubt now.  Amazing how we knew he was great but was still able to put an exclamation point on it with this series. 

Cleveland has to be disappointed even if they believe they weren’t the better team.  Sans a late game meltdown in game three who knows?  Maybe that, coupled with a game four win, would have put more pressure on Golden State and given them an opportunity to steal the series.  As is they aren’t as good.  I personally think they need to move Kevin Love and get more scoring.  Love hasn’t played a good Finals yet and while I like him, they can do better.  Moving him wouldn’t be easy with his big contract but you never know what might happen.  LeBron once again showed the world how great he is and Kyrie shined for most of the series.  They just really have nothing else to offer.  J.R. Smith was absent at times, Tristan Thompson wasn’t a factor, and the bench was lackluster at best.  We’ll see if this offseason they can give themselves a better shot at beating a stacked Warriors team who isn’t going anywhere. 

Warriors Thump Cavs in Game 1 of the NBA Finals

Golden State beat up on Cleveland pretty good in game one of the 2017 NBA Finals.  Two points.  This shouldn't have been unexpected.  Golden State was a great team prior to winning the Kevin Durant sweepstakes so a thumping of the Cavaliers was definitely not out of the question.  That said Cleveland is still a great team with the best player on the planet on their side.  GS didn't turn over the ball at a record setting level and Kevin Durant feasted on the Cleveland defense while Clay Thompson and Draymond Green couldn't score to save their life.  If you're Golden State you have to think those guys will skew closer to their norms which should help even if they do have more turnovers moving forward.  The Cavs can't continue to turn the ball over and must get better contributions from Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson who were both nearly invisible out there (sans rebounding from Love). Love must score and score efficiently and play better defense while Thompson must be a force on the boards and on defense.  I still think this can be a good series.  Most of the games from last year's Finals weren't close yet it went seven games.  I do think Durant is the difference maker here and I just don't know how Cleveland can win the series without playing near perfect ball from here on out.  That is why the play the games, right?  You just never know.  I'm hoping for a seven game series but thinking six with the Warriors getting some revenge on the current champs.

Trail Blazers Swept by Warriors

The Portland Trail Blazers were swept by the Golden State Warrior 4-0 in the first round.  After sprinting to an eighth seed in the Western Conference at the end of the season this was to be expected.  Golden State is loaded with more weapons than is fair.   As a team they shot 40% from three and are good on the defensive end of the court making every opponent work for all 48 minutes.  Portland had no answers shooting only 39% overall and 32% from three.  While both C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard both had a good series (though their shooting was off) they are still a two man team.  Jusuf Nurkic was a good addition to the team but he was hurt and only available for 17 minutes in the series.  Not that he would have made a difference.  The Trail Blazers were an eight seed for a reason. 

Last offseason big contracts were handed out with the expectation of players taking their play to the next level.  That didn’t happen in the case of Allen Crabbe or Evan Turner whom they traded for.  They make $19M and $17M respectively which is way too much for a combined 19.7 points per game.   This team has two stars and some nice pieces but they need more from their front court.  Nurkic should be a solid piece moving forward but they need to get more dynamic elsewhere.  They aren’t good enough to compete with the better teams in the Western Conference.  Their first priority will probably be getting under the luxury tax threshold which doesn’t necessarily align with the team getting better.  They bet some of these young players would be better this year and lost.

Hawks vs Wizards and Trail Blazers vs Warriors NBA First Round Playoffs

Dwight Howard

Atlanta had a decent enough season (43-39) to get the fifth seed in the NBA's Eastern Conference playoffs but I can't say I really know who this team is.  They'll play the Washington Wizards in the first round who are a much better team.  And more than anything they know who they are.  I'd be surprised if Atlanta wins this series but who knows.  The Hawks will need the entire team to play at a high level every game.  That is not something that has happened consistently this year.  They still don't have that go to player to score when they need it.  I'd love to say I know how this game will go but I just can't get a good read on this series.  I am definitely leaning towards Washington though and think they'll probably take the series in six games.  I hope I'm wrong but Atlanta will have to play much better for something like that to happen.

C.J. McCollum

Portland really came on late in the season and grabbed the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs.  The addition of Jusuf Nurkic at the trading deadline was a big part of the reason Portland raced into the playoffs.  It is currently unknown if he'll actually be able to play after breaking a leg near the end of the season.  This is a big blow.  The team still have stud Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum but this team need a miracle to win multiple games and playing short handed isn't going to help that happen.  I think Portland can win a game but Golden State is so, so talented that a sweep is a definite possibility.  I just have to believe their great play at the end of season can continue and they are able to steal a win or two.  I just can't make myself believe they can win this series. 

Kevin Durant Signs with the Golden State Warriors

Kevin Durant signs with the Golden State Warriors.   Wow.  This is a huge move.  While you never

know how chemistry will work with a team this seems like a good fit.  Durant doesn’t come off as a selfish player so I’d think he’ll fit in well with the Warriors.  His numbers will go down but that is to be expected with that many great players in one starting lineup.  Steve Kerr has his work cut out for him.  I don’t think he has to “keep everyone happy” but he does have to ensure he takes advantage of the great things Durant brings to this team.  If you don’t, you might as well had kept Harrison Barnes.  This is a great move by Golden State and by Durant who I’m sure is prioritizing rings over sticking with the only team he has ever played for. 

Free agency is a tough thing in any sport.  I love seeing great players who spend their entire careers with one team but those examples are getting to be fewer and fewer.  I don’t have any issues with Kevin Durant doing what he did.  This is a business and he has that right just as teams do when they make decisions on players.  I would have liked to have seen him stay but I get it.  He doesn’t deserve the hate he is getting for leaving.  He didn’t force his way out or go out on bad terms.  He just left for a situation that he believed to be more beneficial to him long term.  And who can argue with that at the moment.  Nobody but Russel Westbrook knows if he’ll be in Oklahoma City past next season so they may have been in flux whether or Durant had resigned.  I’d also like to see more teams competing for the championship but this seems to have taken one, OKC, out of the equation. It will definitely be interesting to see how things play out once the season starts. 

 

Cleveland Cavaliers Win the NBA Championship!

Huge Kyrie Irving 3-pointer over Stephen Curry with under a minute to play and the score tied.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James have brought the city a championship for the first time in 50+ years.  And it was well deserved.  After going down 3-1 they became the only team ever to come back from that deficit and they won the 2016 NBA Finals.  LeBron garnered the series MVP as he led all players in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals per game.  And for all his shooting woes he ended up shooting 37% from beyond the arc in the series.  Wow.  Truly historic series for him and Cleveland. Kyrie Irving was a huge part of Clevleand's championship scoring 27 points per game on 47% shooting to include shooting 40% from beyond the arc.  He also added over two steals a game.  Only two other Cavs scored in double digits both averaging 10 points a game (J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson).  Thompson also had a great series averaging a double double.  But James and Irving were the stars who carried Cleveland to this win.  They were excellent considering everyone knew they were Cleveland's offense with the rest of the team struggling to hit shots.  This was still a team game and their Cav's defense can't be overlooked.  It would be one thing to play Golden State tough for one or even two games but to see them do it in multiple games during the series was pretty surprising. 

Klay Thompson (43% on 2's/35% on 3's) and Stephen Curry (40% on both 2's and 3's) struggled to find their shooting stroke under the pressure.   While Curry's 40% from the arc is great for almost any other player it just didn't cut it for the league MVP against a good Cleveland team.  He looked lost out there at times and was posterized by James a couple of times in the series.  He also had a key turnover in the last few moments of game 7.  Despite being suspended for one game Draymond Green was the star of this team leading them in points, rebounds, assists and steals per game.  You couldn't ask for much more from him.  The loss of Andrew Bogut was bigger than many might think in my opinion.  For his limited minutes he still averaged 2 blocks per game (one every 6 minutes) and at least gave them a hint of rim protection.  I thought James and Cleveland were able to use that to their advantage once he was out.  Tough way to end a season in which Golden State could have rightfully put themselves in the "greatest team ever" discussion with their second championship after their record run in the regular season.  Just wasn't to be.

 

I definitely found myself rooting for Cleveland.  No fan base should have to wait so long to celebrate a championship.  LeBron also deserved it.  He left Cleveland in what was a business decision and it worked out for him as he scored two rings.  Then he came home and lived up to the hype with back to back Finals trips and now another ring, his third in six trips to the championship series.  There are many great stories with this team and I'm happy for all the players.  While you would like to think this team will be to more Finals you just don't know.  Fate can be fickle.  Ask Golden State.  Congratulations to the Cleveland Cavaliers! 

NBA Finals: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers will meet once again in the NBA Finals.  This year's Finals should be different in that Cleveland enters the series healthy vice last year when Kevin Love was out the entire series and Kyrie Irving was out after one game due to injury.  That left LeBron James as a one man show that didn't have enough steam with Golden State able to key on James who only shot 39% from the field.  That said, he did score 35 a game while adding 13 boards and 8 assists per contest.  Monster numbers but again Cleveland was outmatched as Stephen Curry and the rest of the Warriors shot 36% from beyond the arc.  And that was with Klay Thompson looking pedestrian adding 15 PPG while only shooting 30% on three’s.  Andre Iguodala of course had a great series on defense as well as on offense as he gained series MVP honors.

Again Cleveland is a different team this year just due to health.  They have looked great in the playoffs being able to hit the three with more regularity than in the regular season.  Of course when that isn’t going down (see two losses to Toronto) things can be bad.  Still they aren’t a one trick pony.  While LeBron’s three point shot isn’t falling this year he can get his as is evident by his 26 PPG (on 62% shooting), 8.5 RPG, and 6.7 APG against Toronto.  Irving and love are great compliments.  Love keeps big men honest by ensuring they have to stay out near the three point line.  Irving can drive, drawing the defense, and shoot threes (hitting 45% in the playoffs after a down regular season beyond the arc).   The rest of the Cavs have been good in the playoffs this year but can be streaky.  They’ll need everyone to play well to get Cleveland their first NBA Championship.  I think the roadblock will be their defense.  Love has never been known for his defense and Irving is also suspect at times.  The guards for Cleveland will have to be on top of their defensive game every minute.  Any chance Cleveland has hinges on trying to get Curry and Thompson off their game.

Golden State looks like world beaters.  Even after going down 3-1 to Oklahoma City they came back with authority.  Curry averaged 27 PPG (41% 3’s) and Thompson added 24 PPG (41% 3’s).  That is a tough combination.   Even with Draymond Green off his game Golden State can score and it makes it tough for any team to keep up.  It seemed the Thunder started to press when they would get down to the Warriors and take bad shots.  So Golden State just needs to keep to their game and play catch me if you can on offense.  On defense I don’t think they have to take any one player out.  I think they have good enough defenders to play Cleveland straight up while assuming that LeBron will probably get his.  If they can disrupt Love and Irving things could fall apart quickly for the Cavaliers.  That isn’t an easy task.  Cleveland has shown they are here to compete these Finals.  Green has not played well in the playoffs.  If he can get it going it will make life miserable for the Cavs.  He really is a huge x-factor that can play havoc on both defense and offense.  Conventional wisdom probably has the Warriors winning this series but I definitely would get down 3-1 to Cleveland.  At some point the Warriors could lose their mojo and a comeback like the one last series might not be possible. 

Golden State should win the series.  With Curry and Thompson at the top of their respective games they are near impossible to beat.  Cleveland has to do whatever it takes to get them off their game and hope the rest of the Warriors can’t pick up the slack.  Good luck doing that but what other choice do they have?  As with last year I don’t have a real rooting interest.  Golden State is a great team that could finish off a historic season with a Finals win.  With Cleveland you just want to see the city win a championship and be able to celebrate, something it has not been able to do for a lifetime.  I’d also like to see LeBron get a championship for his home crowd and not in a city named Miami.  This isn’t a Finals where I think the role players win it.  They might be important but I think the big guns win or lose this series.  And they don’t get any bigger than Curry and Thompson.  Warriors 4-2  

FINALS SCHEDULE

Game 1 Thu, Jun 2 @ Warriors, 9pm (ABC)
Game 2 Sun, Jun 5 @ Warriors, 8pm (ABC)
Game 3 Wed, Jun 8 @ Cavs, 9pm (ABC)
Game 4 Fri, Jun 10 @ Cavs, 9pm (ABC)
Game 5 Mon, Jun 13 @ Warriors, 9pm (ABC)
Game 6 Thu, June 16 @ Cavs, 9 p.m. (ABC)
Game 7 Sun, June 19 @ Warriors, 8pm. (ABC)

NBA Conference Finals

Oklahoma City vs Golden State – After their surprising dispatching of the Spurs, the Oklahoma City Thunder look to be a worthy opponent for the Golden State Warriors.  They were before that but their ability to defend and befuddle San Antonio makes you wonder how far they can go.  But how does that equate to a series against the Warriors?  OKC advanced to the Western Conference Finals with the help of a more traditional looking lineup including bigs Steven Adams and Enes Kanter playing a huge part.  Much discussion goes to how those bigs translate to what we expect to be a small Golden State lineup.  This works both ways.  While those bigs should have a difficult time playing defense against a shooting heavy offense of smaller players it would seem Golden State would struggle when those same big men were on offense.  Personally I’d rather play up on all the Warriors’ shooters and make them take mid-range jumpers which are only worth two points each or drive to the hoop in the hopes that the bigs can get to the basket in time to make a defensive play.  

Golden State will probably just play their game no matter who is on the floor against them.  Their shooters and offensive play stretches defenses to the breaking point making the bigs tough to leave out on the floor.  Doesn’t mean they can’t be beaten with bigs though.  Still the Warriors have shown they are the team to beat and pretty good at finding their shot, and making it, while playing excellent defense on the other end to compliment the effort.  I don’t see them losing this series but Oklahoma City should give them a nice run and challenge in most games though there will be a blowout somewhere in the series.  Golden State:  4-2

Toronto vs Cleveland – Toronto has not had a good first two rounds.  Kyle Lowry and Demarr Derozan have struggled finding little to no consistency hence two seven game series so far for them.  Still they won against Miami after losing Jonas Valaciunas for the series.  If they can get him back healthy I do think he can be a difference maker. Toronto still needs to get more from basically everyone to have any chance of making this a real series.  This team has been so frustrating to watch.  They’ve given up huge leads, played horribly in the last minutes of games and been lacking on defense.  Unless they can play like their regular season selves I am at a loss as to how they could even make this series interesting. 

Cleveland looks like world beaters right now and some would pick them against Golden State right now.  And why not?   They are shooting like they are Golden State East and with all three of their stars healthy they are tough to shut down.  You might be able to double one of them but you still have two guys on the floor who can win games.  LeBron is still playing big minutes in the playoffs (38 per game) but Kyrie Irving is shooting almost as many shots and Kevin Love is right behind them.  While Love can’t seem to make a two point shot he is hitting 44% of his threes (almost eight a game) but he is still bested by Irving who is hitting 53% of his three point shots (over 6 a game).  LeBron’s outside shot isn’t falling anywhere close to that but Irving, Love and the rest of the team is shooting so well he in’t needed at the three point line and should be able to take advantage of open lanes to the basket.  Cleveland:  4-0