And then there were 5…
The Semi-Finals have not finished as yet but I am ready for the Cavs-Warriors rematch in the Finals!
Although you have to take match-ups into consideration, the other teams struggled in their series.
Spurs vs. Rockets
The San Antonio Spurs struggled without Tony Parker who will be out for the rest of the postseason with a leg injury and the Houston Rockets were able to level the series at 2-2. The Spurs came firing back on Tuesday night winning an epic game in OT but they had their star, Kawhi Leonard’s ankle injury to worry about. Leonard sprained his ankle in Game 5.
The Kawhiless Spurs played in Game 6 as if they had no worries though. They closed out the series in 6, sending the Rockets home in a blowout, 114-75! How did they do it? Well, they have won without Kawhi before and truth be told, we should not have doubted them nor Coach Popovich.
It was a total team effort and they played the Spurs way. LaMarcus Aldridge finally came up big with 34 points. Patty Mills filled the spot of Tony Parker remarkably. Rookies, Jonathon Simmons and the future of the Spurs, Dejounte Murray stepped up and played well too. Not to mention Pau Gasol, the other big in the paint and Danny Green who was everywhere last night.
The Spurs completely shut down the Rockets from the 3-point line, which is their strongest area.
Well done Spurs and Congrats to Coach Gregg Popovich for eliminating all teams that exist in the West in the Playoffs. This was his first meeting with the Rockets in the Playoffs.
Where was the Beard? MVP who? Definitely not with that embarrassing performance. At the end of the first half, James Harden only scored 5 points and had 5 turnovers. I think based on the great number of turnovers for the Rockets last night, it was a bad decision to wear grey. It was if they were colour blind passing the balls to the Spurs who were in black.
Check this video out. What was Harden doing?! Watch “Harden’s Struggles | May 11, 2017” on YouTube here:
According to Stephen A. Smith, Harden looked like he was comatosed and Hall of Famers said he quit. I agree. Harden ended with 10 points (2/11 FG; 2/9 3-point line). He said he takes responsibility for their loss and isn’t quite sure what happened. He blamed the rhythm of the game.
Celtics vs. Wizards
In the East, John Wall and the Washington Wizards found a new life to level the series with the Boston Celtics 2-2. But when Boston returned home they took care of business to make the Wizards face elimination in Game 6 tonight.
Suga thinks the Wizards will have the same fate as the Rockets.
Cavs & Warriors
In the mean time, the Cavs and Warriors are sitting pretty with lots of rest. They have created history, where 2 teams have started out the postseason 8-0!
Warriors swept the Utah Jazz and Cavs swept the Toronto Raptors. After being eliminated by the Cavs in the Playoffs for the 2nd consecutive year, it is said that Raptors’ Kyle Lowry is thinking about heading over to the West side to have a better chance of advancing to the NBA Finals.
Key Factors that would make a Cavs-Warriors Final Different from last year
â— LeBron James is looking better than ever for the Finals and has improved his 3-point game.
â— Kevin Love is not out injured and is back in the game making shots, though inconsistent.
â— The Cavs acquired Kyle Korver from the Hawks. He holds the NBA record for the highest 3-point Field Goal % in a season with 53.6%.
â— The Warriors lost Andrew Bogut but they acquired JaVale McGee who is a beast in the paint and strong for their defense.
â— The Warriors also acquired David West from the Spurs who is a good shot-maker as well.
â— The Warriors have K.D! Will he get his first ring?
But first, the Warriors play the Spurs in Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference Finals this Sunday at 3:30pm ET!
Stay tuned!
By: Gabrielle Burgess
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