Tag Archives: nba sports playoffs

The NBA has had some news swirling around the last few days, so let’s go over each topic and discuss what it means for us fans.

        Last week Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant met with Joe Tsai to have a follow up meeting regarding his trade request from the franchise. Durant gave Joe Tsai an ultimatum to keep me (as in Durant) or keep Nets GM Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash. Many conclude this was Durant’s way of assuring he’ll be traded as Joe Tsai likes the GM and head coach. Durant reportedly will sit out if he’s not traded by training camp. 

        The NBA has also released a bunch of calendar games like the opening night game which is the Golden State Warriors vs the Los Angeles Lakers on October 18 where the warriors will receive their championship rings.

        Also the NBA has released the famous NBA Christmas games which include the following below

Bucks at Celtics

76ers at Knicks

Suns at Nuggets

Lakers at Mavericks 

Grizzlies at Warriors

As we head into the NBA offseason let’s look at the 5 best players at each position in the league right now. Today we’ll start with the centers, everything will be taken into consideration like injuries, team play, age and what the player is like off the court. Each day we’ll do a different position.

1. Nikola Jokic

This isn’t a shock to most but considering Nikola Jokic is the back to back MVP he’s got to be number one on the list of centers, now i’m not a big fan of the joker this list isn’t about who i like, it’s completely objective. Jokic is actually older than people think {27} but is still a rising superstar in this league, considering the durability and the lack of off the court drama with Nikola he’s a easy player to like, he may be lacking in the wins department in the playoffs but none the less the Joker has to be number one.  

2. Joel Embiid

Personally i’d take Joel Embiid over Jokic but the most of the media wouldn’t say that, like every play there are strengths and weaknesses, Embiid’s injuries are obviously his biggest weakness and make you wonder how long his body is going to hold up but when he’s on the court wow is Embiid good. Embiid has finished second to Jokic in the MVP race for the last two seasons and if it wasn’t for injuries it’s likely that Joel would have at least one MVP. 

3. Karl-Anthony Towns

This is where the drop off begins, there’s a decent size gap between Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns but Kat is still a phenomenal player, Towns is more of the center you want to see in today’s NBA game which is a spacing center who can shoot the 3 pretty well and can still dominate down low when he wants too. For some reason Kat can’t get far into the playoffs or at all most years even with pretty good teammates around him, whether that’s a lack of good coaching, the organization upstairs or what Towns can’t put it all together. 

4. Rudy Gobert

Now this one is controversial but I think Rudy Gobert is very underrated in the league after all the Covid-19 stuff happened in 2020 and his lack of relationship with teammate Donovan Mitchell. Gobert is a multi time DPOY and makes a huge impact when he’s on the floor, Rudy is a relatively quite player off the court and has been a good player for the most part of his career, the Jazz have made the playoffs for the last couple years and that’s a testament to how good Gobert’s defense really is. 

5. Bam Adebayo

Many would put Bam ahead of Rudy Gobert but after what i saw in these playoffs Bam isnt very effective on the offensive end as Gobert is, Rudy at least will give you a double double but Bam won’t give you double digit points if guarded by a defensive big. Bam is still a very young 24 years old so he has many years to improve in Miami and Bam’s defense is a huge part of his game and why Miami is as good as they are, Bam has been in the DPOY conversation year in and year out for the most part of his career but its the offense that has to improve especially in today’s NBA.

As we head into the NBA offseason let’s look at the 5 best players at each position in the league right now. Today we’ll start with the power forwards, everything will be taken into consideration like injuries, team play, age and what the player is like off the court. Each day we’ll do a different position. 

1. Giannis Antetokounmpo

There’s no surprise that Giannis is number one on this list, Giannis is considered to be the best player in the league not just his position. Giannis is overall a player you’d want to build around. He doesn’t get hurt often, he is a very trusted player off the court, and on the court it’s been shown if you put shooters around him that’s the key to success. 

2. Anthony Davis

I did struggle trying to rank AD but considering the power forward position in the NBA today is shrinking there’s not many truly great power forwards left, but AD still has to be number two even with how brittle his is and his work ethic has been in question for the last 2 years since winning the bubble championship but non the less Anthony davis is still a phenomenal player when he’s on the court. 

3. Domantas Sabonis

This is where the list drops from superstar forwards to just stars. Sabonis is a pretty quiet player off the court which is nice for an organization, Sabonis has been in the league for a bit now and isn’t a franchise changing player but could be a number 2 on a championship team. 

4. Pascal Siakam

Spicy P is in that Sabonis class of stars but can’t take that next step. Like Sabonis with the right team around Siakam he can take you somewhat deep into the playoffs but you need that number one player like when Kawhi Leonard when he was in Toronto for that one year but non the less Siakam is still a fantastic player and every franchise would love to have a player like him on their roster. 

5. Evan Mobely   

This may have been a shock to some people but Evan Mobely is the real deal, even though the Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t make the playoffs doesn’t mean Mobely isn’t great, Mobely is just a rookie and has already shown he’s at least going to be a star in this league. With his age and play style, Evan is going to be a great piece for this Cavs team to build around in the future and players are already giving him major props.

As we head into the NBA offseason let’s look at the 5 best players at each position in the league right now. Today we’ll start with the small forwards, everything will be taken into consideration like injuries, team play, age and what the player is like off the court. Each day we’ll do a different position. 

1. Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant was a no brainer for the number one small forward in the league, yes he has his off the court issues with social media and stuff but when Kevin is healthy and on the court he’s arguably the best player in the league. Don’t get it twisted that since he got swept in the first round of the playoffs he’s not a good player, he is, KD just doesn’t make the greatest decision going to Brooklyn with Kyrie and having Steve Nash the head coach. KD is unstoppable on the court and paired with a good organization and running mate KD can take you very far into the playoffs even at his age now. 

2. LeBron James

LeBron is only number two on this list because of his age, if Lebron was just 3 years younger i’d easily take him over KD but considering his age and now he’s missing more and more games every season Lebron can’t be the number one player even at small forward. Lebron is everything you’d want in a player on and off the court but some say he has too much power in front offices of his teams. Lebron has shown to have the highest basketball IQ but can make personnel mistakes when he wants a player on his team…. Russell Westbrook. 

3. Jayson Tatum

Even though Jayson Tatum did flame out in the NBA finals it’s not the first time a player flamed out in their first finals appearance, Tatum is a young and ascending two way superstar player and will continue to develop and get better as time goes on. Jayson is what you’d want in the locker room and off the court as his personality is very likable and humble, even for a superstar. 

4. Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi Leonard was very tricky to rank on this list or even at all, when Kawhi is healthy he’s a top 7-8 player in the league but the problem is Leonard gets injured pretty often, Kawhi plays a average of 60 games a year and missed this whole last season due to injury….shocker right, Kawhi is considered to be arguably the best two way player in the league when he’s healthy. The klaw is a very quiet individual so he never creates drama or distractions but the only knock on him is he’s not the greatest or most outspoken leader.  

5. Brandon Ingram

I had to give Brandon Ingram some love, Ingram is still a very young player who’s ascending and can potentially be one of the league’s best scorers, now his defense isn’t great but his offense makes up for that. Ever since getting traded to the New Orleans Pelicans a few years back Ingram has since flourished into a back to back all star player, you never hear news of him off the court making him a great franchise player and can be a great piece on a championship contender.

Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors win their 4th title in eight years. With a 103-90 win over the Boston Celtics the Warriors closed out the C’s in 6 games and took home the title, thanks to another miraculous performance by Steph Curry the Warriors didn’t need a whole lot from the other players. Curry finished with 34 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and also took home his first finals MVP to go along with his 4th ring. Many of the other Warriors players did show up though, finishing with double digits including Curry with 34 Klay Thomspon and Draymond Green with 12, Andrew Wiggins with 18 and Jordan Poole with 15 off the bench, Draymond was huge in this game with not only 12 points but a near triple double and his fiery personality he brings every night. 

Now for Boston there’s not much to be proud about, especially with star player and leader Jayson Tatum who looked awful yesterday finishing with 13 points on 6-18 shooting, much of the media and NBA players were killing Tatum on social media saying “Tatum has no dog in him” and many other points like that. Jaylen Brown has really proven to be the key piece for this team as Brown has had many good games in these finals and throughout the playoffs, Brown had 34 and 7 last night but it all comes down to Tatum and he didn’t deliver once again.

Andrew Wiggins and the Golden State Warriors are now just one game away from winning the NBA title. Wiggins had a career night finishing with a team high 26 points also grabbing 13 boards and also shot 12-23 {52.2% FG} not just Wiggins but the whole Warriors team shot horribly from beyond the arc {9-40, 22.5%} including 0-15 3PT from Wiggins and Curry combined which was Stephen Curry’s first game in over 3 ½ years with no made threes in a game and his first career playoff game without a three made. Curry really struggled this game just finishing with 16 points on 7-22 shooting, Klay Thompson did show up with 21 points with a few three’s made {5-11 3PT}.

You’ve got to be nervous as a Celtics fan as this team tends to become tight as the big moment arrives and that’s what’s happening here, although we’ve seen Boston twice in these playoffs come back from being down 2-3 in a series against the Milwaukee Bucks and the Miami Heat. Jayson Tatum did play well with a game high of 27 points and to go with that 4 assists and 10 boards, but turnovers cost the Celtics in the end as Boston had 18 turnovers to Golden State’s 6. Considering how badly the Warriors shot beyond the arc and still won has to be a sign, but Boston has home court advantage heading into game 6.

Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics 107-97 to knot the finals up two games a piece. Curry had easily his best postseason game of his career finishing with 43 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists on a cool 14-26 shooting {53.8%} overall, Curry has had the public’s perception of he comes up short in the postseason and last night he showed those haters wrong, especially with his 14 points in the third quarter. It wasn’t all just about Curry last night as Warriors wing Andrew Wiggins had a huge night with a double double of 17 points and 16 rebounds which was a career high for Wiggins, in fact the Warriors dominated on the glass last night with 55 rebounds to Bostons 42 rebounds which has been huge in this series. 

    Even though the C’s lost Boston still played well with many of their role players playing good, like Marcus Smart with 18 points, Jayson Tatum with 23, Jaylen Brown with 21, and Derrick White with 16, so Boston had the scoring it was more of the fact that Boston had a hard time stopping Golden State down low which has been the decider in this series thus far. 

As many in the media have said Robert William lll is the key for the Celtcis to win this series and i completely agree, with Williams shutting down the Warriors low post scoring it makes them a jump shooting team and no team can win strictly off jumpshots, as we saw in game 3 Williams had a phenomenal game on defense and made the Warriors hopeless so if Boston can get Williams to do that for the rest of that series it’ll be tough to beat Boston strictly off shooting from range.

The Boston Celtics rout the Golden State Warriors 116-100 to take a 2-1 series edge. Boston’s trio of Jayston Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart combined for 77 points, Tatum finished with a great 26, 6 and 9 on poor shooting {39.1% FG, 33.3% 3PT}, Jaylen Brown finished with 27, 9 and 5 and Smart with 24, 7 and 5, the Warriors just can’t stop Boston on the defensive end and that’s truly been the game changer this series, coming into this series the notion was it was the Warriors top offense versus the Celtics lockdown defense and it’s just not been that, whether that’s the Warriors playing poorly on offense or the C’s defense clamping Golden States role players, besides Stephen Curry no other Warriors player has really come to life in this series, if anything Boston’s role players have been much more consistent on scoring in this series. 

Klay Thompson did play well last night with 25 points but Golden State needs to find a way to slow down the Celtics on defense, it doesn’t matter how much Golden State scores their not going to have enough to both ends of the floor to keep up with the C’s, the Celtics are the much younger team with more energy to give and seems to be hungrier to win this series as of right now. Draymond Green has been awful so far with 15 points and 15 fouls committed so far in 3 games and fouled out last night, Draymond isn’t the same player since we last seen him in the 2019 finals and before with the amount of firepower the Warriors used to have Draymond worked on that old team but this 2022 Warriors team needs Draymond to be better offensively.

The Golden State Warriors route the Boston Celtics 107-88 to tie the NBA finals at one game a piece. With the series heading back to Boston the C’s look to take a 2-1 lead on their home court. Overall both teams played pretty well but the difference was the Warriors field goal percentage was better than Boston’s. Stephen Curry had another good game finishing with 29 points including 14 in the third quarter, Curry came out swinging for that finals MVP, with Golden State’s role players underperforming for the most part Curry has been really pulling this team in the first two games of these finals. Now that’s not to say the Warriors players haven’t played well, but Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole have to step up, Kevon Looney was great in game 2 finishing with a perfect 6-6 shooting and 7 boards to go along with it. 

Jayson Tatum returned back to his normal self finishing with 28 6 and 3 which still wasn’t enough to push himself past the Warriors, much like Golden State the Celtics role players didn’t show up like Al Horford and Marcus Smart having just 2 points each. Jaylen Brown did have a decent game finishing with 17 points but on horrible shooting clips {29.4% FG, 33.3% 3PT}. Derrick White has been a bit of an unsung hero for this team off the bench having good games in game 1 and 2 {last night with 12 points, 4 boards, 2 assists, a steal and 2 blocks}.