NBA Playoff Basketball At Its Finest

Why Playoff Basketball is the Best

If the recent antics and storylines aren’t enough to persuade you that playoff basketball is where it’s at, then I don’t know what will. From the rough play in the Celtics and Wizards series to the Big 4 doing damage in Golden State there’s no shortage of intriguing gameplay.

The marvelous Russell Westbrook show has come to an end and Paul Pierce has stepped off the court the last time as a player. The battle of MVP trophy aka the Rockets-Thunder series proved to be a showcase of “WOW”. Westbrook went to work, displaying why he’s a finalist in the race for the MVP trophy. But James Harden wasn’t going to allow an old teammate to send him home packing early. Instead, Harden sustained his claim to the MVP trophy.

It’s difficult to think of any team – not named Cleveland – that can thwart the Golden State Warriors. They successfully took away the chances of any other team in the west succeeding by obtaining Kevin Durant. They don’t need him. They’re just as dangerous without him. The Warriors knew his added star power on another team could result in a slightly challenging road to the Finals. So why not lure one of the top 5 players in the league with grandeur of hoisting a championship trophy?

The Celtics began the playoffs on a somber note. Isiah Thomas suffered a heart breaking loss. The Bulls came in and conquered briefly. Rajon Rondo became injured, Dwayne Wade’s age began to show, and Jimmy Butler’s greatness could not withstand the gritty Celtics.

The Wizards have the swagger of their starting point guard, John Wall. A team that plays with a chip on their shoulder. They’re a rough bunch of players. In a league plagued by “soft play”, they epitomize the style of ball played years ago. Their rugged play was too much for the Atlanta Hawks.

Round Two

Now we’re onto round two. The Cavaliers quickly handled the Indiana Pacers, the San Antonio Spurs used their experience and their own MVP candidate, Kawai Leonard to fend off the pesky Grizzlies. And Utah is back to their old ways and winning in the playoffs. Here are a few intriguing storylines to look at during the second round of the NBA Playoffs:

The Varsity – JV Series. The Cleveland Cavaliers are up against the Toronto Raptors. Rematch of last year’s conference finals. This year the Raptors have a few new additions (Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker) along with many familiar faces. One would think that the outcome would be a competitive series. In place of a competitive series, we’ve been subjected to watch as LeBron James and the Cavaliers treat the Raptors like the JV team. If DeRozan can’t lend a supporting hand against the Cavaliers then it’s all up to Kyle Lowry. With all due respect, Lowry can’t do it on his own. Expect to see more of Cleveland pounding Toronto if DeRozan remains M.I.A.

Kelly & Kelly. Old school basketball was a game where the tough ruled. Imagine if the Bad Boys played today. They’d be in the penalty within 2 minutes. The game has been toned down. Softer – for lack of a better word. That’s why the Celtics and Wizards series is intriguing. Kelly Olynyk – the same man who took down Kevin Love – set a hard screen on Kelly Oubre Jr. of the Wizards. Next thing you know, a rattled Oubre is charging towards Olynyk and what ensues is an ejected Oubre and Washington team that fed off the energy of the altercation. If you missed the squabble, you can see it here: Kelly vs. Kelly. Don’t think that Oubre Jr. was only upset with the hard screen. The hard screen was the essentially the
“straw that broke the donkey’s back”. A man can only take so much. Look for more physicality in this series as the Wizards look to tie things up.

Parker-less Spurs. The Spurs are good. They’ve been good for at least the past 18 years. This year they don’t have Big Fundamental in Tim Duncan. No worries. Kawai Leonard picked up the slack. After a challenging Memphis Grizzlies series, the Spurs were up against a run-n-gun team in the Houston Rockets. Things didn’t look good in game one for the Spurs. Game two was a different story. The Spurs played inspired basketball and were able to tie the series. Unfortunately, they lost their starting veteran guard Tony Parker. Question is, can the Spurs survive the loss of Parker or will they run out of steam before reaching the finish line?

Golden Boys. It’s tough trying stop the Golden State Warriors. Once you think you’ve got them solved, they hit you with another surprise. Utah squeaked by the Los Angeles Clippers but the talent the Warriors bring to the court outmatches the talent brought by the Clippers, especially when Blake Griffin went down. Utah simply has to hope for a bad shooting performance. An off day in Golden State could mean victory for Utah but that’s just one game. Draymond will continue with the trash talk and Golden State will continue to light the nets on fire.

Seeing the same team – game after game – will make tensions flare. The emotional carryover from game to game can either make or break a team. But I’ll stand on a limb – a pretty strong limb – and say that we’re in for a familiar final series. Cleveland and Golden State look primed to represent the Eastern and Western conferences. Unless there’s a storyline that we don’t know of yet. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Cleveland Rock City

Yes, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is located in Cleveland but that’s not what I mean when I say rock city. Plagued by a championship drought, Cleveland has been a barren ground for success. Just recently, they were tormented with the Johnny Manziel saga (which has abruptly came to an end). Cleveland persevered, down 3 games to 1, to take home the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

We can all sit here and complain that the NBA is rigged and if Draymond Green wasn’t suspended then Golden State would be hoisting the trophy. Could be true. There’s no denying that LeBron James is the NBA’s golden child, but as my mother used to say “life’s not fair”.

Cleveland will finally get their “rock”, a collection of them in a large ring. A first for this organization and a long awaited celebration for this city.

Questions and comments after Cleveland clinched the NBA Championship

Is Golden State’s Legacy Tarnished?

The Carolina Panthers went on to win 15 games in 2015. They were a tough team to beat. Led by Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly, Carolina was a favorite to win the Super Bowl. That didn’t happen. Denver rained on their parade by defeating them 24-10. What about the perfect New England Patriots who were upset by the Giants in 2008 by the “Helmet Catch”.

Two teams, which achieved so much yet fell short of the ultimate goal. The losses don’t downplay how good these teams were but it does show that they weren’t able to take the next step to greatness (in the Patriots’ defense they have displayed that they are in fact a legendary team).

The difference here is that the 73-9, Golden State Warriors couldn’t upend the Cleveland Cavaliers in 7 games. They had an intimidating 3 to 1 series lead but was unable to pull past the Cavs to become back-to-back champs. The Cavs were the more determined team. They weren’t the best team on the floor, but they possessed the best player and the mindset to get past Golden State.

The real question is that after such a spectacular and record setting season, does the absence of a trophy make it any less amazing? Sure, a trophy would of been the cherry on top to end their remarkable season but obviously the ~~NBA~~ basketball gods didn’t like that idea. So does not winning the championship (and losing three straight games) make the Warriors’ achievements less important?

Who’s here to stay?

After a losing three straight and the NBA Championship, I’d expect to see some changes to the Golden State Warriors. Many times, winning teams aren’t so quick to add a player and alter the team chemistry but when teams lose they are more likely to try to correct those particular holes that they may have. The NBA Draft is two days away and there has been rumors circulating that the Warriors are interested in Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant. It would be interesting to see what changes they make considering they are coming off the best season (record wise) in NBA history. Dirk would stretch the floor but he is an aging player well into his 30’s. Even so he still demands attention on the offensive end. Kevin Durant is a past MVP winner. He’s one of the top players in the NBA. Having a player of his skill set would definitely improve the team but at what cost. Who would they have to let go in order to do so.

Cleveland on the other hand has to answer their Kevin Love dilemma (I’ll dive into this a bit more) and their intentions on retaining talent. Their key players are set to return next year. LeBron James, Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving, Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith are signed until at least next season (James and Smith have player options which they could opt out of in order to see a bigger payday). What will LeBron do? Is he still searching to be apart of a superteam or will he stay put in Cleveland? J.R. Smith is expected to make $5 million next year, but has his worth gone up following the playoffs? The only players guaranteed to come back from the bench are Sasha Kaun, Jordan McRae, Channing Frye and Shumpert. This means that they will have to retain or look elsewhere for extra help from the bench. With already (roughly) 100 million already being guaranteed to current players it will be interesting to see what Cleveland does. Luckily for them the cap has risen this year but unfortunately they are already over that cap mark. Their decisions this offseason will be very pivotal in their run to defend their “NBA Champions” status .

Chef Curry Diet

LeBron wasn’t having Chef Curry’s cooking. LeBron made sure to let him know that he wasn’t either. It wasn’t just the blocks and defensive pressure dished out to the Warriors it was LeBron’s dominance that trumped over all. Curry showed that he was human. Shots that normally would drop, weren’t. The Cavs were simply not having any of his usual Curry antics. The following statement fits so perfectly here: “Live by the three…die by the three,” and after Curry’s last attempt from downtown, I’d say the Warriors chances to repeat died right there.

Does Cleveland Still LOVE Kevin? 😍

It’s funny how things play out. If the Cavs lost this series, this would have been the one of the biggest stories resulting to their loss. Kevin Love is one of the better power forwards in the league, even though he did not display his past all-star form in the finals, he still commands much attention on the court.

He’s not playing like the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kevin Love because he has much more of a supporting cast. A cast which is far better than he had in Minnesota. He’s not required to play on the block as much. He plays like a big guard now instead of the mean rebounding machine who was a double-double guru.

With his role being an uncertainty in Cleveland will he seek an out or will Cleveland plan to let him go? He still is under contract and is technically a Cavalier until 2020 (each year he is getting over $20 million). So the question is, “is there any love for Kevin in Cleveland?”

“The Suspension”

Game 4, the Warriors came out victorious. However, they would also lose one of their most valuable players in Draymond Green. A squabble between Green and James led to the NBA reviewing the play (AFTER THE GAME) and assessing Green a flagrant (which led to a 1-game suspension) and LeBron a technical foul. Hmmm…🤔 It’s quite odd that the NBA would go back to a play in which no call was made on the floor and assess a penalty on either player. For the NBA to go back and give a flagrant foul (which would lead to Green’s suspension in the finals and in a closeout game). Mind you, LeBron and Kyrie went off for 41 a piece in that game 5 win. Highly controversial if you ask me. I’d say that there were many other instances in previous games (especially the Oklahoma City series) that the NBA could have went back and given Green a flagrant. It just seems odd that they would’ve done so at such a crucial time. The NBA’s decision to suspend Green could be argued as a game changer and shifted the momentum to the Cavs. I would hate to think that the league is rigged. Sometimes it’s just how the cookie crumbles.

Beginners Luck

First it was Golden State head coach, Steve Kerr, who triumphed in his first season as head coach. Now Tyronn Lue has that honor. Lue, coached 41 regular season games eventually leading them to the NBA Championship. I would say that this sounds like a case of some beginners luck. Then again, it was David Blatt’s first year as head coach last year when his team fell to the Warriors. I guess it was just Lue’s time to shine.

LeBron’s Legacy

Six years. Three championships. LeBron James led all players in points, rebounds, steals, assist, blocks and heart. Supplanting himself as one of the best players in the league and one of the best players to play the game. Maybe disliked by many, he has showed that he is an elite player over and over and over and over again. Of course, he’ll be compared to the likes of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird all of whom had success in the post season.

Where do we go from here?

Cleveland will have to figure out what the deal is with Kevin Love then address their bench.
GSW will have to figure out if a big man is the way to go. Their inability to defend the rim and collect rebounds ultimately hurt them.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens next and which players will be on these teams next season. Thursday night will be another big night to see which directions these teams (and the 28 others) decide to go.

Game Six: Draymond’s Return and Cleveland’s Stand

Hopefully the furor has died down over the LeBron James and Draymond Green squabble. The squabble and alleged “nut check” led to Green’s one game suspension. During this one game suspension, LeBron who was initially matched up with Green went off for 41 points. Both he and Kyrie Irving went off for 41 points.

People have speculated the truth behind the suspension. The incident happened Friday during game 4. Following the game, Green was assessed a flagrant foul which put him over the limit prompting his suspension. LeBron given a technical foul for his taunting trash talk to Green.

Some will say the NBA was fearful of a short series. Viewership was down and another game would mean millions more for the NBA and these franchises. This series could have ended in five. A five game series is far less lucrative than a six or even SEVEN game series.

Draymond had been guilty of similar swipes at players’ nether region but it never prompted a suspension or flagrant foul call after the fact. We’ll never know the true reason why it was called day(s) later. Was it spearheaded by LeBron James’ postgame comments or maybe the fact that it was James would was intwined in the altercation spurned the league to make a decision? Was Draymond’s actions the straw that broke the donkey’s back or was the league searching for the perfect reason to prolong this series? Who knows?

It will be interesting to see how Golden State bounces back. They surely aren’t familiar with losing back-to-back game. Last series, against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Warriors lost back-to-back and faced elimination. They surged past the Thunder in seven games, winning three in a row after their two consecutive loses. In this series, I can’t see Golden State losing three straight especially with Green coming back into the lineup just like I can’t see James and Irving dropping 82 points again the way they did in game 5.

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NBA Finals: Game 4 Preview

Game 4 is tonight! I’m happy that I don’t have to wait 2+ days to watch another game. As Cleveland prepares themselves to even up the series and Golden State looks to go home with a 3 games to 1 advantage. Before we get ahead of ourselves here, there are many questions to be answered.

Will the Cavs come out like they did in game 3?

They were tough on defense. On offense they appeared to be the on their A-game. This trend started early on in game 3. If the Cavs can come out the gate with the same intensity, Golden State watch out! Cleveland will need to get some more help out of their bench. Then again when you’re playing as good as Cleveland did and do such a great job at shutting down the other team’s key players, who needs a bench?

Will Kevin Love play?

It is said that we will know if Kevin Love will be able to play by the time he arrives at the “Q”. His status is TBD.

Is Cleveland Better Without Love?

They did go 4-0 in the games he didn’t play this season. They also thumped the defending champs in game 3 without him. If Kevin Love plays and Cleveland loses we’ll find out the truth to that question.

Which Stephen Curry will show up?

Maybe he was disappointed about his “Chef Curry Suburban Dad kicks”. Maybe this is Curry’s way of saying that he’s supporting Donald Trump. I’m sure these’ll be a hit at the next rally! (LOL) All jokes aside, Stephen Curry needs to shake off that voodoo and start cooking like Ayesha…but on the court…and not in those “Chef Curry 2s“. In Curry’s defense he did go 24-0 in white shoes this season.

Klay? Where art thou?

Dubs fans are really hoping Klay’s thigh is fine. He disappeared in game 3. Once he left the game and headed to the locker room, it was as if he stayed in there. Hopefully, the trainers were able to get him fixed in time for game 4. The Warriors can’t afford a “Klay Thompson Disappearance Act.”

Will Steve Kerr tweak his game plan?

With Love out the lineup you cannot attack the Cavs the same way. It’s not rocket science and I think the Dubs coaching staff is well aware of it. Tonight we’ll see if Kerr decides to switch things up a bit in time for tip-off.

Will Kyrie deliver?

Kyrie, like Klay Thompson for the Dubs, has to show up like he did in game 3. Kyrie shot a slightly about 30% in games 1 and 2. Game 3, he came out and shot almost 50%. There’s a big difference in 20%. If Kyrie can continue shooting in the mid-to-upper 40s, Cleveland will be in better shape. He just adds another arsenal to their firepower.

What will Jeff Van Gundy say this game?

Van Gundy is like the Bernie Sanders of the analyst squad. Some of the things he says and suggest are head scratchers whereas, some things are quite thought provoking. I find his “Van Gundyisms” pretty amusing. Like, “If Kyle Korver blocks your shot there should be a penalty box you go to,” or saying that Dorris Burke was “on fleek” then went on to attempt to quote DJ Khaled by saying “Like I told the streets, blessed up.” If it isn’t a funny quote it’s his rule suggestions. He hates the Hack-A-“insert terrible free throw shooter here” rule and would like to reform the fouling out rule. One day in my lifetime, I may be lucky enough to see a Van Gundy rule enacted.

Category: Golden State Warriors