Denver Nuggets Win the 2022-2023 NBA Championship

 Your 2022-2023 NBA Champion, Denver Nuggets!  Denver wins their first championship, winning the NBA Finals 4-1 and it was appropriate.  The Nuggets are a great team and have one of the best players on the planet in The Joker.  Loved seeing the celebration afterwards and I don't think anyone left the arena until way after the post-game presentations were over.  Looking over stats it's easy to say they were close and that Denver may not have "dominated" but in the end they were the better team and it showed on the court.  Miami played tough but in the end even Jimmy Butler couldn't will them to a series victory.  Denver played good defense overall and they had Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.  Jokic was amazing putting up stats in this playoff run and Finals that haven't been seen before.  30/14/7 in the NBA Finals as a center while shooting 58/42/83%.  Amazing.  Murray played great averaging 10 assists a game next to the 21 per game he poured in.  Congratulations to Denver and their fans.  Getting that first championship must be the best feeling a sports fan can have.  The Heat should be congratulated as well for a great run.  Too bad it's over.  It's been fun.

Nuggets go up 3-1 on the Heat

 2023 Finals: Again Denver shows us who they are and got nice contributions from the supporting cast down the stretch.  Combined with Aaron Gordon's big game they take a 3-1 lead.  Denver played good defense as well.  Looks tough for Miami but again don't count them out.  That said how cool would it be for Denver to win the Championshiop on their home court?  Can't wait for Monday night.

Heat-Nuggets Tied 1-1

In Game 2 Jimmy Butler and the Heat reminded us why we don't count them out.  Great game with Miami coming back after the Denver Nuggets took the lead throughout the game.  This time the supporting players for the Heat came to play while Nuggets not named Jokic didn't rise to the occasion.  I have no idea which way this series goes but I'm enjoying it.  Can't wait to see what we get in game three.

 

Denver up 1-0 in the NBA Finals

 The NBA Finals have started and game two is tonight.  As the playoffs played out this is the matchup I wanted.  Denver hasn't won a championship and have one of the greatest players in the sport today.  Miami has Jimmy Butler who has willed his team to the Finals.  I love it.  Denver is the better team on paper and I think that is pretty much agreed upon.  Miami though has proven us doubters wrong series after series. I love watching Jokic and Butler play.  They are amazing in their own ways.  I've been able to see The Joker more over the last two seasons and am firmly in the camp that says he's the best player after Kevin Durant (when healthy) in the league today.  And I just love Butler and have since he was with the Bulls.  To the series.  The Nuggets showed us who we thought they were in game one but like Mike Malone stated, they haven't done anything yet.  I always thought Denver wins this series but it's hard to count out Miami.  Still the Nuggets have so much talent in that starting lineup to throw at them.  Would be happy with either team winning though I lean towards the Nuggets whose fans and players deserve that first championship.

NBA Conference Finals

 

Conference Finals are here and I'm excited.  Been some fun basketball so far in the playoffs.  Not the matchups we would have put money on but these are fun no matter how we got them.  Personally, I want to see a Denver-Miami Finals.  A Lakers-Heat Finals rematch or even a Lakers-Celtics Finals would be fun too.  But for me I want Jokic and the Nuggets to get there and see Jimmy Butler get another shot at a title.

Wow this one should be fun.  I already gush about Jokic and anyone who watches him play should as well.  This should be a great matchup against Anthony Davis.  Jokic and the Nuggets may have had some second half regular season issues but both have put all that behind them in the playoffs.  This dude is amazing.  I think the Nuggets take this in six games.  Can LA win?  Of course.  I don't discount LeBron and AD but the Nuggets as a whole are a better team.

I love Jimmy Butler and he has carried the Heat in the playoffs especially after Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo went down. Who didn't think the Heat were done for at that point?  Boston is a great team and led by two superstars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylon Brown.  Maybe they haven't been on every game but they are by far much better than the Heat.  Boston should win this one in five.  Knowing Jimmy Buckets this could go seven for sure and it should be a hard fought series no matter how it ends up.

Los Angeles Lakers Defeat Miami Heat for 2019-2020 Championship

LA Lakers-Miami Heat 4-2: The Lakers were the best team in the league and deserved this championship.  Yes the Bucks had a better record but this was the team we thought would be fighting for the crown come end of the playoffs.  LeBron was amazing during the regular season (led the league in assists) and in the Finals (29/11/8) where he shot 59% overall and 41% from deep.  AD was just as great (25/10/3) on 57% shooting and 42% from deep.  Those two were crazy good.  The Lakers did lose two games thanks to the will of Jimmy Butler but LeBron and AD were too much.  Yes all the roll players are key but when one of those two rested you still had one of the league's best players on the court.  I rooted for Miami but was in awe of how good the Lakers were.  Congratulations to Los Angeles on a well deserved championship.

In the East recent history has shown there are multiple teams who could be there at the end.  Miami made a surprise run to the Finals and gave us the legend of Jimmy Butler who gave his all but it wasn't enough. Still he will always be remembered for his effort against the Lakers.  

 

Great win for the Lakers, LeBron and AD.  Now of course we will naturally look towards the future.  Will AD resign with LA?  Why wouldn't he?  How many more championships can these guys win?  All fun to think about in what will be a short offseason.

Dwyane Wade Signs With the Chicago Bulls

This was a game of chicken and the Miami Heat lost.  Dwyane Wade has signed with the Chicago Bulls for two years and a total of $47M.  Miami only offered $40M over two years.  Still this wasn’t as easy as dollars and cents.  Wade has been the heart and soul of this team since his rookie year in 2003-04.  He’s a 12 time all-star who helped bring three championships to Miami.  I would have liked to have seen Wade stay his entire career with Miami but that is becoming more and more of a rarity.  Just doesn’t seem right for him to be a Bull.  Again it is more complicated than that. 

Wade took less money to get Chris Bosh and LeBron James to Miami.  It paid off in the form of two titles amongst four Finals appearances.  Then LeBron hit the market as a free agent and Wade opted out of his deal to allow James to be re-signed which never happened.  That same offseason Bosh got a big deal after being wooed in free agency and the team signed Luol Deng while Wade again took less money.  Was Miami supposed to give Wade the big deals at the end of his career to make up for his financial shortcomings throughout his career?  There is a lot of chatter to that affect though it doesn’t seem like Miami is on board with that thought process.   The entire situation was detailed by ESPN.com here before he even signed.    

So Wade is now in Chicago with a new look roster that includes Rajon Rondo, Robin Lopez, Nikola Mirotic, and the star of the team, Jimmy Butler.  This should be interesting to see how this team works.  It could be really really good or really really bad.  If nothing else they are poised to be a top four, maybe even top three team in the East.  Again that assumes they can make this work.

Miami isn’t exactly in a great spot.  Chris Bosh’s status is still up in the air.  They did resign Hassan Whiteside but he has to be wondering if he made the right decision.  Deng and Joe Johnson are gone.  Goran Dragic and Justin Winslow are still there but I’m not exactly sure where the Heat’s offense will come from.   It will be interesting to see how good this team will be.    

LeBron James: The Decision Part II

Now that the NBA Finals are over LeBron James has a huge decision to make.  Does he stay with the Heat and hope they can add the needed players around him or does he bolt for another team in the hope than he can add more championship rings elsewhere?   This will be tough decision as many different things play into this.  While I'm sure he new this when he joined the Heat it won't make this any easier. 

First I don't think you could ask much more of LeBron in his current run with Miami.  James has been nothing short of a beast as he led the Heat to two championships and four straight Finals appearances.  Only the loss to Dallas in 2011 was an upset.  I still can't figure that one.  Doesn't matter as LeBron is the reason Miami made it to four straight Finals and it was in no way his fault they lost this year to the San Antonio Spurs.  Miami just ran into the best team in the league and it showed.  I think LeBron is probably the second best player all-time and there are good arguments about him being number one. 

Should LeBron return to Miami?  He doesn't owe the team anything.  He has held up his end of the bargain.  Some may think he should stay because Miami held up their end but the NBA is a business and there is no shame in James taking his talent elsewhere.  What can Miami do to better itself?  First, Lebron, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh will have to make a decision together to opt out of their player options and get new contracts that allows the team to better itself.  While that is what Miami needs it seems to put the Heat in a tough position.  Wade will be 33 in January and is showing his age.  Whether it be the time off he requires, the declining defense or lack of offensive explosiveness he just isn't the same guy he once was.  Is a player worth big money?  He has helped Miami win three championships and deservers some respect but that should only go so far.  Can Miami afford to pay him a big dollars?  And how many years should they give him?  Tough questions.  Bosh, while still good and younger, isn't a player I'd give max money too either.   He doesn't play big, in size or in the terms of stats, anymore.  I think he'd get his points with a team who isn't as good but I wouldn't trust him to carry a team.  So how does it play out? 

It all starts with the big three.  They must opt out.  They opt in on their contracts and Miami won't have enough money to go get a new ball boy.  Opt out and the ball is in Miami's court.  Doesn't mean it will be easy.  This team needs plenty.  Will Ray Allen return?  Is Mario Chalmers a good enough point guard?  Power forward is a need and they need depth at every position.  And there are no easy answers.  Miami will once again hope aging quality veterans and roll players will take a pay cut to play with the big three.  It has worked in the past but will players think this incarnation of the big three is good enough to carry a team to a championship?  While there seems to be only one strong contender in the Eastern Conference it won't always be that way.  Miami has to get better to ensure more trips to The Finals. 

Would LeBron go somewhere else?  Teams like Chicago, the Lakers, Houston, Cleveland, New York and anyone with a dream will make a push to get the best free agent ever.  Some are in a better position than others.  I personally think Houston would be the best destination followed by Chicago.  Houston gives him a true big man and an excellent scorer.  Chicago has the great shooting guard and a good big man as well as shooters around them.  Would any of them be instant contenders with James?  Hard to tell but James carried the Cavaliers to a Finals appearance with a lineup that wouldn't scare anyone.  So putting him on a team with real stars and talent has to make you think they could do it.  Houston of course would have to fight through a stacked Western Conference so Chicago seems like a better fit assuming you believe Derrick Rose can stay healthy.  If I had my druthers I would like to see him go to San Antonio.  I know it would never happen but you have to love the thought.  He is perfect for their style of game.  Fast breaking style, team offense, and he can play defense.  Would be a great bridge to the post-Duncan era.  I can dream.  Well a real dream would be him landing with Atlanta or Portland but I haven't been drinking that much tonight. 

No matter what LeBron decides to do it will be the biggest story of the off season and will determine a lot as to how the next season will play out.  If I had to put money on it, LeBron stays in Miami and why not.  They have as good a chance as anyone in the Eastern conference to make it to The Finals.  Miami of course will have to do some tweaking but if I'm the Heat I'd do whatever it takes.  I can't wait to see how it all plays out.  It isn't often the greatest player on the planet has the chance to change teams and change destinies. 

San Antonio Spurs Dominate in Route to 5th Championship

This was not the NBA Finals I was expecting.  It was the one I had hoped for but I did not expect what I saw.  Watching San Antonio lose a heart breaking series last year I dreamed of a rematch in which the Spurs take out the Heat.  While his comments scared me, I wanted Tim Duncan and the Spurs to say "We want the Heat".  I would want nothing less.   They should be pissed they lost last year and should want to take out the "last year of having to live with it" on Miami. 

Other than game two this was a total domination by the Spurs.  And game two was very winnable had it not been for four straight missed free throws in the fourth quarter and iffy defense by Duncan on Chris Bosh in the last 30 seconds of the game.  All the talk has been about the Spurs' dominating play, the coaching, the passing and the play by Spurs players not named Duncan, Tony Parker, or Manu Ginobili.  But none of it was overstated.  San Antonio was all over the place on defense never letting LeBron or other Heat players get comfortable on offense.  The Spurs' offense was either running and gunning or constantly in motion.  Miami could never keep up on defense.  San Antonio seemed to have found the fountain of youth while Miami looked like a team who just couldn't stay with them.  Coach Gregg Popovich seemed to know what to do each game and when to do it.  Whether it was moving Tiago Splitter to the bench for the last three games or lighting a fire under Kawhi Leonard he didn't seem to make a mistake.  And the "non big three" players all did their part.  Even Patty Mills was a starred during game five. 

Miami for it's part looked lost and beaten down.  Wade isn't the star he once was and Bosh wasn't a banger but a spot up three pointer guy.  Heck Chris Anderson had more rebounds than Bosh.  It wasn't pretty.  No matter how bad it got Erik Spoelstra never had an answer.  His tinkering didn't work.  I think it was two things.  The talent around LeBron wasn't there and they didn't adjust when the Spurs' suffocating defense took away what had worked for them all year.  San Antonio was just too good to allow the Heat to win on pure talent like they could against everyone else in the NBA.   

Again San Antonio dominated.  It wasn't even close.  Look at the series box score.  You thought when Miami went up 16 early in game five that the Spurs would have to claw their way back.  It wasn't even close.  They blew Miami away the rest of the game when Miami should have been able to steal a game.  I should have wanted a close series but every now and then you have to love a good ole butt whooping.  Especially when the story behind it is revenge.  And there are many stories besides just the fact they lost to Miami last year.  The Spurs are a team that has many angles to it.  A nice story at Grantland talks about this team.  They dominated in the regular season and sans an unexplainable hiccup against the Mavericks in the first series of the playoffs they were just as dominating in the post season.  They may not be one of the top five teams of all-time but I think they have made the top ten.  Even if they aren't I'd love to see them face off against any of those lineups.  San Antonio was fun to watch.  The Grantland article talks about it.  Commissioner Adam Silver said while presenting the trophy to the winning Spurs how San Antonio showed the world how beautiful basketball is (I'm paraphrasing).  But it was so true.  Their style is exciting and selfless.  The stats from this year's team are mind blowing.  No player average over 29 minutes per game or over 16 points per game while winning 62 games.  That just doesn't seem to add up but that is what makes this team so great.  Ok, I'm done gushing now but I loved watching this series.  It was fun to see the good guys win and see them enjoy a well deserved championship.  I hope I can be back here next year talking about their greatness again.  No matter what they do next year this team is one I won't soon forget. 

Miami Heat Win NBA Title #2 in the LeBron James Era

The Miami Heat win their third NBA title with a game seven win over the San Antonio Spurs.  LeBron had his best game of the series and cemented his title as King James despite a "lackluster" series in which he averaged 25.3 points, 10.9 boards, seven assists, 2.3 steals and almost a block a game and "only" shot 44% (35% on threes).  While his performance could be picked apart for the first five and a half games, the last quarter of game six and game seven he was on and carried this team to a championship.

Game 7:  To me this game came down to depth and LeBron and Wade stepping up.  Combine an effective three point shooter, in this case Battier, with those two having good games and they are tough to beat (i.e. the regular season).  Chalmers didn't have a great game but added a 30 foot three point shot to close out the third quarter.  To me that really hurt after Manu had gotten the Spurs up by two with 5 second left in the quarter.  I thought having Parker on the bench at the end of the game and Ginobili's really quick/forced three point shot with 28 seconds left doomed the Spurs. 

I think this was a great series even though some of the games weren't close.  Spurs fans will always replay the  "what if" scenarios in their mind as will the players.  The fact they didn't win shouldn't be a detractor from what Duncan, Pop and the rest of the Spurs have done for what seems like forever.  Should they have won it?  Probably.  But I think most people believe Miami was the better team going in and San Antonio was the sexy pick.  It just wasn't to be.  It was either LeBron or Spoelstra who said it takes a little luck to win games like game six and it went their way.

What I did enjoy seeing after game seven was the respect the players and coaches all showed each other.  The series was notable for the lack of trash talking, chest thumping,  and players getting into other player's faces.  I liked that.  It carried over after the series as you saw Pop taking time to actually say something and embrace the Heat before leaving the floor (and he did it with a smile on his face).  The Heat gushed over the Spurs as a team every time they spoke.  Again it was very refreshing to see two teams who were professional to a player just go out and play very hard with the intent to win and not to show anyone up or play the fool.  Good job.     

Like many I was really rooting for the Spurs.  Luckily I'm not a die hard Spurs fan because this series was so hard to watch and I know those fans are hurting.  "The agony of defeat..." probably puts it most apt...

Random series related links...
Yaj - Game 7 Recap

Interview with LeBron After the Game Seven Win

Spurs Thoughts on Game 7 Loss

48 Minutes of Hell Look at the Spurs Loss of the NBA Finals

Random gripe:  I get why teams will roll the ball up court to preserve time on the clock.  It annoys me when teams do it as much as Miami did in this series.  They did it early in the game when there was no reason to.  They didn't know if they needed extra time on the clock.  In some games they did it when they were winning.  Were they preserving time for Spurs?  Just a little thing that annoyed me.   

One of the great things about this series is I was able to watch the last three games with my sisters and their families to include by brother-in-law Curtis who got me hooked on the NBA in the late 70's with a game called Statis Pro Basketball.  We played a gazillion of those games and watched many a game together which was a blast.  Doing so again this last week was awesome and a great memory I'll always have of this series.   

Next is free agency, the draft, and hope that our teams will be challenging for a championship next year.  Or in the case of Atlanta Hawks and Portland Trail Blazer fans that each at least made the playoffs...

NBA Finals

I'm on the road and haven't been able to put much here and to tell you the truth Yaj does a much better job of analyzing the games and the series.  I'm putting my thoughts there.  I suggest everyone go to his blog to see what he has to say about the series.  The link is below.  You won't be disappointed.

Yaj's Blog

NBA Finals: Spurs vs Heat

First, I think Miami wins this series.  I also think it will go seven games.  I also think it will be a great series.  Considering my history of picking this bodes well for the Spurs.  And I will be rooting for the Spurs every bit of the way.  I'm not what I would consider a fan of the Spurs but I loved the old George Gervin, Artis Gilmore days and was a fan of many of their players over the years (Alvin Robertson, David Robinson, Sean Elliott, and others).  So I've followed them for some time and my pal Yaj is a huge fan so Spurs discussions are not hard to come by.  See Yaj's coverage of the Spurs this postseason here. 

I won't go too in depth here because, one, I'm not that smart and I really just want to throw out how I feel about the match ups.  For me this begins and ends with LeBron James.  Guarding him will fall to Kawhi Leonard.  He is a good defender but James is just short of Superman.  Good luck Kawhi.  Of course he will get help and I know Gregg Poppovich is gearing his defense to maybe not Stop LeBron but to limit the damage he does.  Make him take tougher shots, no easy drives to the basket, etc, etc.  Same think every other team has tried to do with varying success.  You just have to know he will get his 25 points, 7 boards and 6 assists.  What you don't want him to do is take over games where he elevates the Heat on his shoulder and his teammates all look the Robin to his Batman.  I think making his teammates better is his best attribute.  Bottom line:  make things tough on him while not allowing the Heat players to get into any type of rhythm.  On the other side Leonard is having a good playoffs and I hope the stress of guarding James doesn't hurt his overall play. 

Dwyane Wade must play better.  He doesn't have to score 20 a night but he must at least hit layups and those close to the basket shots he hasn't been able to hit consistently in these playoffs.  The good news is Manu Ginobli is also playing poorly so his job on defense may not be so tough.  Danny Green needs to continue his good play if Manu can't find his game.  Chris Bosh just has to show up, rebound and play a little D.  He was so outclassed by Roy Hibbert.  In this series he just can't put up any four point four rebound efforts or the Heat are in trouble and Tiago Splitter is an opponent he should be able to get his stats against.  Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole get to guard Tony Parker.  Parker is probably the hottest player coming into the Finals.  Can they keep up with him and play defense that will make him actually work?  I think they have as good a chance as any but those aren't the best odds.  Tim Duncan has the edge against any power forward (probably Udonis Haslem) Miami can put up against him.  He is running the floor great and I'm hoping he still has some water from the fountain of youth around.  How can you not like Gregg Poppovich over Eric Spolstra?  Poppovich will truly be the master if he can help San Antonio pull out a win in this series. 

I think Miami is the better team.  Much of that is because of LeBron James.  Indiana proved the Heat are flawed and can be beaten.  But they were a different type team.  I can't wait to see how this series plays out.  There will be those players who come out of nowhere and have great games and some of the stars who have bad nights.  That is normal.  It will be all the little stories inside the games that will make this special.  I am excited and can't wait. 

LeBron James and the Miami Heat Win NBA Title

The Miami Heat won their second NBA title four games to one over the Oklahoma City Thunder.  After losing game one they returned to attacking the rim and their outside shooters hit shots and the Oklahoma City Thunder couldn't answer.  While I thought Miami would win I expected a longer series.  Still, with the exception of game 4, all the games were close.  LeBron James had an outstanding series averaging 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists.  As a team the Heat hit 42 of 98 three point shots.  Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh did their part very well but my other hero for Miami is Shane Battier who was the role player who stepped up with a great series.  He only averaged 11 points per game but hit 15 of 26 from beyond the arc.  He was the beneficiary of many passes when the defense collapsed on driving Heat players.  This was something the Thunder had no answer for. 

Oklahoma City played well and most had them winning the series after taking game 1.  Their biggest issue was the disappearance of James Harden.  He averaged 12 points in the Finals but they weren't timely and his diminished contribution couldn't be made up.  Much was also said about Russell Westbrook taking too many shots at times but I think the Thunder's win-loss record during the regular season when he shot more than Durant was excellent.  I think they were 26 and 3.   He may not be a true point guard but he still played well and almost willed his team to victory in game 4 with 43 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.  Kevin Durant hit an outstanding 54% of his field goals while leading the Thunder with 30 points per game.  Still they weren't the better team but this Final's experience could help them in the future.  They have a great core and I think most folks wouldn't be surprised if they made a return trip or two to the Finals. 

No matter what you want to concentrate on this was LeBron's series.  LeBron haters will still hate him but no matter.  He is a great player whom we'll speak of among the all-time greats when he retires.  He now has a championship to add to his resume.  Whether or not it is his last does not matter.  He is a great player and I'm glad he has a championship.  After handling what I feel was undue criticism for "the decision" and, as he admitted himself, handled the Finals loss last year to Dallas poorly, he made all the right changes this year.  He had another great year as he led what is now his team through each challenge and when it mattered most he didn't disappoint.  Good on him and the Heat. 

NBA Finals - Heat vs Thunder

Could you ask for more?  I think not.  Both of these teams are great and together feature some of the, if not the, league's biggest stars.  I love this matchup and like so many other folks think the LeBron vs Durant matchup takes center stage.  There is a good chance they won't "D" up on each other the majority of the time but it is still the star vs star aspect that has me excited.  I think LeBron is the best player in the game and one of those special players that will be talked about forever.  In Durant we have a player whose ceiling seems to be unlimited at the age of 23.  I'm not saying this is a bad series if these two don't take center stage but I would be surprised if that isn't how it turns out.

There are other players to include Wade, Harden, Bosh and Westbrook.  They will keep things interesting when James and Durant are taking a break from hogging the camera.  I give the edge to Miami in this series.  I think that while their role and bench players are weaker than that of the Thunder the big three will help carry Miami to a title.  I'm thinking six games.  I can't see Oklahoma City wilting at this point.  They just kicked San Antonio in the teeth after going down two games to love so who knows we may even see seven games.  No matter who wins it all I only want good games that give us plenty to talk about around the water cooler the next morning.