It’s official! The Houston Rockets have clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference of the NBA. This ends the Golden State Warriors’ 3-year reign.
Suga thinks that the Warriors’ Dynasty will come to an end. Their players are plagued with injuries this year and things just aren’t going their way. The natural thirst to win the title after winning three, is likely to be less than others such as the Rockets and OKC.
Current Standings for the NBA’S Western Conference
I think there will be a new NBA Champion this year and I still don’t think it will be the Rockets.
Stay tuned! Don’t you just love this game?!
By: Gabrielle Burgess
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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
Photo: www.expressnews.com
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.
James Harden taking responsibility for the Rockets’ loss in his Post-game interview
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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San Antonio Spurs Guard, Tony Parker (34 yrs) ruptured his left quadriceps tendon last night in the 4th quarter versus the Houston Rockets. It was a non-contact injury. He could not put any weight on the leg when it occurred after jumping to drive a floater over Rockets’ Patrick Beverley. Teammates, Dewayne Dedmon and Dejounte Murray carried him off the court.
The team has announced that he will miss the remainder of the Playoffs.
The series is now tied at 1-1 and will go to Houston for the next 2 games, starting this Friday.
This was a devastating blow to the Spurs and probably the end of a brilliant Playoff era.
Although Tony averaged 10.1 points-per-game in the regular season, which was his lowest since his rookie 2001-2002 season, when it’s the Playoffs he steps up, regardless of his age.
He averaged the 2nd highest points for the Spurs during the Playoffs so far with 15.9. Don’t forget he helped to send the Grizzlies home with 27 points and Vintage Tony P play.
The Spurs have no money to buy a guard in the off-season and cannot apply for a career-ending injury until 1 year after the injury.
The Spurs will be likely to look to Patty Mills to step up, but besides scoring, he has a lot of maturity to do with regards to facilitating ball movement and plays.
It’s surely sad to see him go out like this. A timeline on his possible return is not yet determined.
By: Gabrielle Burgess
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Isaiah Thomas and the Boston Celtics took care of the Washington Wizards on Sunday, even with IT losing a tooth during the game. They play Game 2 tonight.
Cavs vs. Raptors
The Cavs were pumped from very early in the game versus the Raptors. Check out how they set the tone below.
Watch “Kyrie Irving off the Backboard alley oop to Lebron James – Cavaliers vs Raptors Game 1” on YouTube here:
Another highlight was Shumpert’s disrespectful dunk over the Raptors’ Ibaka.
LeBron and the Cavs were so relaxed that they had time for fun and games in the 3rd Quarter.
Watch “LeBron James Pretends To Drink Fans Beer After A Foul | Cavaliers vs Raptors R2G1 | May 1, 2017” on YouTube here:
The game ended with the Cavs beating the Raptors 116-105.
Spurs vs. Rockets
The Rockets embarrassed the Spurs with a 126-99 bowout victory. They hit 22 3s and it was the Spurs’ worst post-season loss at home.
What happened?! The Spurs did not play their style of basketball. They played too fast pace, which hurt their offense resulting in many missed shots.
The realist in me says the Spurs can get 1 game, maybe 2 in this series. But if the Spurs really want it and they rise up and play like a Playoff team, slow down the pace and run their offense, they have a chance.
Warriors a.k.a Dubs vs Jazz
The Jazz closed out the LA Clippers in Game 7 in LA on Sunday. So the Dubs are stuck with the Jazz whether they like it or not. The Dubs’ concern? They wanted the Clippers because there is no night life in Utah.
Dubs play Jazz tonight.
On another note, where will CP3 go as a free agent this summer?!
Stay tuned!
By: Gabrielle Burgess
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Round 1 of the Playoffs have begun and we have already had 2 upsets. The Bucks beat the Raptors at home and the bigger story is the Bulls beating the Celtics in their house as well. However, even though the Bulls is the number 7 seed going into the Playoffs and the Celtics is number 1, the match ups are competitive. You cannot ignore the talent and experience of Rondo and D. Wade and the freshness and hunger of Jimmy Butler. This should be an interesting series.
The Pacers have kept close to the Cavs but have failed twice to overcome them. They don’t have what it takes to beat the Cavs this year.
In the West, The Trailblazers held their own versus the Warriors but the Warriors are just in a different class. They will keep the Warriors on their toes this series though.
The Jazz upset the Clippers to take Game 1 but I think these teams will go back and forth like the Hawks and Wizards in the East. They are the number 5 and 4 seeds respectively.
The Rockets rolled over OKC in Game 1. Suga believes OKC has what it takes to upset them but they have a lot of work to do.
The Spurs rolled over the Grizzlies in a Game 1 blowout. Game 2 was more competitive though, where the Grizzlies chipped away a 26-point deficit to a 4-point deficit. The Spurs regrouped and stretched the lead again to win and go up in the series 2-0.
During the game there was visible frustration from Zach Randolph for not getting foul calls, but it was their Coach Fizdale who was the most upset of all.
He went on a huge Post-game tirade on the Refs and is likely to get fined.
Watch “Grizzlies Coach David Fizdale was ABSOLUTELY TRIGGERED and GOES OFF on the referees!!” on YouTube here:
Coach Fizdale’s data does raise eyebrows but he should have quit while he was ahead. It’s not like he was playing a team like the Cavs. He was playing a team with class as well. ‘Kuwiet Kawhi’ is definitely not the type to cry for free throws. It just happens he got a lot.
Coach Fizdale has a ring from being on the Coaching staff for Miami so those Refs better recognize.
I assume they will come out hard at home. Hopefully the data is more reasonable for the rest of their series.
We’ll be looking out for the ‘They’re not gonna ROOK US’ T-shirts.
Tonight’s Schedule:
Photo: ESPN Scorecenter
Enjoy!
By: Gabrielle Burgess
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First of all, Suga would like to Congratulate Dirk Nowitzki of the Mavs for joining the 30,000 points club and being the 1st International Player to do so. He joins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain. Who is the closest NBA player in line to try and join the club? LeBron James. He may take about 63 more games to do so based on average points per game. Other players are way off with hundreds of games more to go.
Photo: SLAMonline
Now to the meat of the matter. It’s almost Playoff time and teams on the chopping block are striving for every win they can get.
How are The Finals looking?
Eastern Conference
Suga believes the Cavs are going straight to the Finals again. The teams on the East continue to be weak and King James and the Cavs are just too good right now. Despite their last 3 consecutive losses, they turn it up when they need to. The closest contenders, currently a close 2nd in the East are Isaiah Thomas and the Celtics. They beat the Warriors Wednesday night without KD but they aren’t consistent enough. They should give the Cavs a run for their money though.
Main concern for the Cavs
The main concern for the Cavs has been not enough time to rest their star players. The plan to do so got a dent with them obtaining Warriors’ Andrew Bogut.
How so?
Photo: Black Adam Schefter
He’s so fragile. Bogut fractured his tibia within minutes of his team debut and will be out for the rest of the year. Kevin Love is still out and J.R Smith is just returning after an injury to his finger. However, they added Deron Williams and Kyle Korver. Coach Lue has already started to implement a system to trim minutes for Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson whose defense game has stepped up majorly this year with 70 blocks and he still has more games to go this season.
Suga Finally Anoints LeBron James as King
Oh and yes I said it earlier, King James. The rain is going to pour and the gates are going to open because I have finally put some ‘respek’ on his name and anointed him. Timing is everything though and he anointed himself before his time, that is, before he even got a ring. I still do not think he is better than MJ, so let us not get carried away folks.
If and when LeBron and the Cavs reach The Finals this year, it would be LeBron’s 7th straight Final! I’m sure everyone would agree that is quite commendable.
There may be many times he may not be able to hit the game-winning shot and a lot rests on Kyrie but Kyrie and the team could not keep winning without him.
The best players are usually arrogant but they aren’t usually babies crying, falling to the floor and begging for calls from the Ref after every little hit or shove. So quit being a baby LeBron and you will get some more respect from Suga.
Photo: USA Today
Western Conference
The Warriors have acquired Matt Barnes but at the same time have lost Harrison Barnes, Andrew Bogut, Festus Ezeli, Leandro Barbosa and Marreese Speights. They therefore have no BIGS in the paint. The Splash Brothers are no more because Steph Curry and Klay Thompson no longer play in sync as they used to and they are not unstoppable. Both Klay and Curry have been very inconsistent with scoring and something seems off with the overall chemistry of the team. Even with Kevin Durant (KD), Suga doesn’t see a Super team. I see a weaker team.
Hold up, I should say without KD because right now KD is sitting it out with a Grade 2 MCL Sprain after his teammate, Zaza Pachulia fell on him while his knee was hyperextended in a game on February 28th. Grade 2 MCL Sprains normally take about 6 weeks to heal but the Warriors say he will be re-evaluated in 4 weeks and could return before the end of the season.
Following KD’s injury, the Warriors suffered back to back defeats, which hasn’t happened since 2015. They suffered back to back losses again Wednesday night after they lost to the Celtics. KD was shooting the best in his career and led the team in points and rebounds per game. Sadly he can no longer be in the race for MVP because of his injury.
Suga thinks karma will come around to bite KD for going to the Warriors and all the players they sacrificed just to get him will go in vain.
If not the Warriors then who?Â
The San Antonio Spurs of course. They are currently in 2nd spot close behind the Warriors. They had a tough loss against OKC last night, especially when Kawhi Leonard had to go to the Locker room after getting hit in the head. They weren’t themselves last night but you have to keep in mind they were on a 9-game winning streak. They play the Warriors tomorrow night at 8:30pm!
Once the Spurs play to full potential they are quite hard to beat. This was proven on Wednesday night when they beat the Kings after overcoming a 28-point deficit with both LaMarcus Aldridge and Kawhi out resting. That win showed their Coach, Gregg Popovich all fired up. A sign they are going for that #1 spot in the West.
Also note that with veteran Gasol, Aldridge and Kawhi, they have BIGS in the paint.
The Spurs clinched an NBA record with their 18th straight 50-win season on Wednesday night.
Current Eastern & Western Conference Standings
Photo: ESPN Scorecenter
Race for MVP
Photo: www.foxsports.com
LeBron is in the race for MVP with James Harden of the Rockets, Russell Westbrook of OKC and Kawhi Leonard of the Spurs. It depends on how they define MVP but Suga thinks all roads lead to LeBron James for MVP, the Stats King.
To break it down briefly, let’s look at LeBron vs. Harden.
LeBron has better numbers from the field and 3-point line over Harden. He is actually better than KD and even with Steph Curry at the 3-point line. Let’s not even talk about Harden’s record for turnovers this season. Rockets’ defense improves when Harden is off the court. No MVP for him this year.
LeBron vs. Kawhi
Despite averaging 0.4 points more per game than LeBron, Leonard is a less efficient scorer. He shoots 5.1% worse from the field and 1.3% worse from the 3-point line.
Kawhi is known for his strong defense but surprisingly, the stats show that the Spurs are better defensively without him on the court.
Since the stats show that Rockets and Spurs do better and/or still win with Harden and Leonard off the respective teams, that rules them out for MVP in my books.
That now leaves LeBron vs. Westbrook.
Kudos to Westbrook for not crumbling after a bad break up. He has shown tremendous effort and focus in every game he plays and as a result, has led OKC to a spot they are likely to keep or move up by one to head to the Playoffs without KD. He does not have a good team and regardless of if they miss shots or good opportunities he hasn’t cursed them yet. He has shown he has prepared mentally for each and every game.
Steven Adams, Victor Oladipo and Enes Kanter showed their potential last night in a win vs. the Spurs. When it’s Playoff time, could OKC rise a dark horse? We’ll see because that was just one game and they played versus the Spurs’ bench in the 4th. This puts us back to the MVP race between Russ and LeBron.
Last night Russ tied Wilt Chamberlain’s record of 31 for the 2nd most Triple-Doubles in a season. Congrats to Westbrook but LeBron’s shooting is still better at 53.8% vs. 41.9%. LeBron is first for Field Goal Percentage in the league and Westbrook is way behind.
Also keep in mind that Westbrook is on a team that may not make it to 50 wins this season. MVPs are usually on teams that made 50 or more wins during the regular season
LeBron is universally accepted as the best NBA player in the world and the fact remains that when LeBron takes a breather, especially if Kyrie’s game isn’t on point, the Cavs fall flat. The same occurs with OKC without Westbrook. The difference? The Cavs are an excellent team with LeBron and OKC is a good team with Westbrook.
Excellence wins the race and so may LeBron for MVP.
Let’s see how it all plays out. Don’t you just love this game?!
By: Gabrielle Burgess
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