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

 

Portland Trail Blazers Season Ends

The Portland Trail Blazers' season ended at the hands of the Golden State Warriors last night.  Getting to the second round was huge in and of its own but Portland was greatly aided by season ending injuries by the Clippers' Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.  It was a surprisingly good season for Portland who was expected to struggle after losing four of their five starters in the offseason.  Enter C.J. McCollum, the NBA's Most Improved Player this season, who gave Portland 20 points a night at the shooting guard.  Without him it is doubtful the Trail Blazers win 48 games and get the number five seed in the Western Conference.  Damian Lillard for his part was nothing short of a stud.  Yes, McCollum was the only other firepower on this team but Lillard had a great season putting up 25 PPG, 6.8 APG and 4 RPG.  He shot two's at a 45% clip while hitting 37% of his threes (eight attempts per game).  He was also able to get to the free throw line six times a game in 35+ minutes per contest.   The rest of the team are nice/good role players but I doubt anyone is looking at Portland as a Western Conference contender as currently constructed. 

This offseason the biggest free agent is coach Terry Stotts.  The team has a team option for next season.  That is a no brainer and rumor has it the team is looking to extend him long term.  Top player free agents are SG Allen Crabbe, SF Maurice Harkless, SG Gerald Hendeson, and C Meyers Leonard.  All good role players but not essential to future Portland success.  I like Crabbe and think he would be good for the bench moving forward as would Leonard.  I would like to see Portland go after some talent in free agency that could upgrade the front court.  All three positions can use attention.  A big who can rebound and give Portland some points in the paint.  A nice defender as well in the middle and a three who can spread the court and take some of the scoring load off the guards.  Role players are nice but staying pat won’t get the team any better.

There should be money to spend but every team will have money making it tough for teams to figure out free agency this year.  I think Stotts is a good coach.  If the front court can be upgraded I believe Portland could definitely be a team who can take it to the next level.  Lillard is for real and hopefully McCollum only continues to improve.  They just need some help and they could position themselves in the top four of the conference if they do so.  Hopefully Portland can build on this season and I look forward to seeing what they do this offseason. 

Atlanta Hawks Season Ends

The Atlanta Hawks were abruptly dumped from the playoffs after losing four straight games to the Cleveland Cavaliers in their Eastern Conference semi-final series.  It wasn't a pretty end for a 48 win team but Cleveland was by far the better team in this series.  Atlanta has nice pieces but they don't have the roster to really compete over the long haul with the better teams.  It will be looked at as a disappointing end to the season but I was just happy they made it past Boston, which they nearly did not do.  Paul Millsap had an excellent year and despite me being hesitant about the Hawks signing him to a new deal he did great and is a good fit in this offense.  He is also good on defense which is key to any Hawks' success.  Al Horford's numbers were down across the board as he becomes a free agent but is still considered the leader of this team.  Jeff Teague had a solid year but his shooting and assists were not as good as the last two seasons.  Kyle Korver is what he is.  A very good shooter, not a scorer who put up only nine points per game.  Kent Bazemore had a good season and shows promise for developing into an even better player in the future. 

So this season comes to an end and Atlanta now look towards the offseason and the decisions that must be made.  Al Horford, Kent Bazemore,  Kris Humphries, Kirk Hinrich, and Mike Muscala (team option) are all free agents.  Horford is well regarded around the league and beloved in Atlanta.  I'd love to see him back with the Hawks though it seems like a tough sell if he gets a max contract.  Kris Humphries looked like a great late season pickup in the last few games against Cleveland so I could see him staying in Atlanta.  Bazemore is a good piece but Atlanta may look for a better more experienced scorer.   

There were rumors of a Jeff Teague trade at the trading deadline that never went anywhere.  In the playoffs Dennis Schroder showed he can run this team and I think Atlanta wants him to.  I think Teague and his $8M contract will be traded and the keys to the offense will be handed over to Schroder.  That

combined with what happens to Horford will determine the next move.  Atlanta needs more scoring if you ask me.  They get a combined 20 points from the starting SF and SG which won't cut it.  More to the point there is no one guy you can just give the ball to at the end of the game and say "go win us this game".  With the cap going up they might be able to resign Horford and get that guy.  But there are no guarantees.  Everyone will have money so navigating free agency this year may be dicey.  I do think changes are necessary.  I'd like to see them pick up that scorer or maybe two at the right price.  It would give them some scoring punch and maybe let Kyle Korver come off the bench.  Again free agency could be pretty crazy so who knows what might happen.  This was a good year though I understand if folks

are disappointed.  I just look forward to what will hopefully be a fruitful offseason.