Perhaps one of THE most anticipated NBA Finals starts Today! There is so much on the line. Here are Suga’s top 7 reasons:
1. LeBron James
LeBron James is chasing 4 rings and GOAT status. The debate continues. With 1 more Championship win, will he be on Kobe’s level, a little higher or will he finally pass MJ?
For Suga, he will level with Kobe with 1 more ring.
2. Kevin Durant (KD)
The legacy of KD is on the line and the question of if one of the most controversial trades in history will prove beneficial? Will KD finally get his 1st ring?
Suga thinks a little karma will follow him the first year in and it will be a gamble if he gets this great chance again.
3.Stephen Curry
Curry and LeBron could have been tied with two Championships. How? If Kyrie Irving missed that final game-winning 3-pointer in Game 7 last year and Curry made his 3-pointer.
‘Coulda Shoulda NEVER’
Curry will never have a debate going for his level being close to MJ but he still has a chance of being a defining player of his era, especially if he wins this Championship and 1 more to level the Championship wins of LeBron.
The Warriors are 22-3 in playoff games when Curry scores 30 or more. Will Curry show up in these Finals unlike last year? Last year he scored fewer than 20 points four times in the Finals. He can forget about the ring if that is the case this year.
4. David West
Was West’s jump from the San Antonio Spurs to the Warriors worth it? Should he have taken more money to be a star on a team that had no chance of being in the Finals?
West has said one of the reasons that makes it worth it is being in the locker room during halftime of a close game with Coach Gregg Popovich.
Suga thinks the overall experience he has gotten with both teams of excellent quality makes the ring chase worth it, even if his post season ends without one.
5. Klay ThompsonÂ
In these playoffs, Klay is 36% on 3s, far off from his career percentage.
Will the real Klay show up in these Finals when it counts? Will he even get a chance to get the ball enough to fall into his rhythm surrounded by so many all-star teammates?
6. Kevin Love
Kevin Love  has been showing up in these Playoffs, averaging a career-best of 17.2 points and 10.4 rebounds.
With him out of the Playoff series with a shoulder injury in 2015, he can say he has never lost one and he may be LeBron’s lucky charm.
7. Mike Brown
If Coach Mike Brown guides the Warriors to another Championship without Steve Kerr, it is likely he will be a top candidate for Coaching jobs that open up next year with another good or great team, or even replace Steve Kerr full time.
The NBA Finals will kick off TONIGHT at 8pm!
Here is the Schedule for the next 3 games. You know there will be more after that, so stay tuned!
By: Gabrielle Burgess
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There was another showdown in the NBA last night with the two top teams in the West, The Golden State Warriors who currently hold the top spot and the San Antonio Spurs who are close behind.
San Antonio had a blazing start scoring 15-0, holding the Warriors scoreless for about 4 straight minutes and eventually stretched to a 22-point lead. But their guns were out too early and eventually they started missing and their defense broke down. Warriors creeped back in the 2nd quarter closing the gap to 3 points. They took over in the 3rd and the Splash Brothers were unstoppable. David West who the Spurs sold to the Warriors this season looked like he had a chip on his shoulder and was on fire. Their bench was deep and everyone was scoring and Klay was exceptional with defense as well. The Spurs just did not have enough answers.
The Warriors erased a 22-point deficit and beat the Spurs 110-98, just one day after the Spurs routed the Cavs 103-74. The Spurs sent a message to the league on Monday night and the Warriors answered last night, even without KD.
With the Splash Brothers getting their groove back, the depth of their bench and the overall talent of that team, they look like the NBA Finals’ Winner. Get back on that court KD because that ring will finally be yours…and your Mom’s.
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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The West beat the East last night in the NBA All-Star Game 192-182. Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans passed Wilt Chamberlain’s record by scoring 52, the most points in an All-Star Game.
Photo: Bleacher Report
The other highlight for Suga was the alley-oop from KD to Russ early in the game after their bad break up. Their ongoing squabbles and avoidance of each other has been the talk for a while now and this was the first sign of them putting their feelings aside as they were forced to be teammates in the All-star game
Watch “KD Lobs to Westbrook, West’s Bench celebrates” on YouTube here:
Westbrook was visibly competitive and serious throughout the game. The commentators had to say it seemed like a Playoff game to him.
That alley-oop dunk did not mend the split with him and KD based on his post-game interview though as he played with the reporters.
Poor Russ. Deeply wounded.
In other news, it was announced last night that DeMarcus Cousins has been traded to the New Orleans Pelicans to join Anthony Davis in exchange for Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Gallaway and a furture 1st and 2nd round pick!
By: Gabrielle Burgess
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Last night the Warriors got revenge after losing to the Cavs on Christmas Day by 1 point. They rout the Cavs 126-91 in quite a thrilling game. Curry stated in his post game interview that winning the game hasn’t won them the trophy so they will keep it going.
There was quite a little drama too and you can easily guess Warriors’ Draymond Green was involved. He got a flagrant foul for colliding into LeBron James mid-court, whose acting was even more hilarious followed by Draymond mocking him.
Watch “Draymond Green FUNNY Flagrant Foul on LeBron James | WARRIORS vs CAVS | Jan 16, 2017 | 16-17 Season” on YouTube here:
KD and Curry then sunk the Cavs further before Halftime. Curry drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer and did the shimmy on the sidelines.
Watch “Stephen Curry Halftime Amazing Buzzer Beater 3 Point Shot NBA 01/16/2017 Golden State Vs Cleveland” on YouTube here:
Don’t you just love this Game!
In other news, the Australian Open has begun. Serena beat Bencic in her first match, 6-4, 6-3 and said it was one of the toughest 1st round matches she has ever played. Young Swiss Bencic is quite a worthy opponent but Serena looked good and erased any thoughts of an upset.
Will Serena’s recent engagement cause her to go home early or can she get that 23rd Grand Slam title?
Stay tuned. It’s Sports season!
By: Gabrielle Burgess If you liked this article, follow Suga Lifestyle or like the Suga Lifestyle Facebook page.
When many started to doubt the determination and winning spirit of the Warriors who faced elimination last Saturday night in Oklahoma, Klay Thompson led the team with 41 points to force a Game 7.
73 wins was not enough for Klay Thompson though. He made an NBA record scoring 11 3-pointers and imagine it could have been more. He said it himself when interviewed after the game. He missed a few good looks in the first half and was visually upset with himself. Then in the second half he just turned on the nasty.
What happened to OKC? They choked. Plain and simple. Durant with 29 points and Westbrook with 11 assists did well but not great. In a Game 6 on your homecourt trying to put a away the Warriors so there is no Game 7 in California, you have to be GREAT. Both teams took a while to warm up in the 1st quarter, missing a lot of shots. Durant played selfish basketball in the first half. They still managed to lead by 13 and more at some points but the Warriors kept coming back within reach and closed in to be within 5 for halftime.
In the second quarter, OKC starters were in foul trouble then eventually both teams went over the limit. OKC failed to get crucial rebounds and for Suga, if your rebounds are not on point, forget about winning the game.
In the 4th, the other Splash Brother, Steph Curry came alive when it counted. No worries folks, there is no sibling rivalry here. Curry sealed the deal when he hit that floater over the energized, Serge Ibaka to take a 5-point lead with 14s remaining in the game. OKC marginally outscored the Warriors for 3 quarters but choked in the 4th with Warriors outscoring them 33-18. Warriors 108 – 101 OKC was the final score.
GAME 7 will be tonight at 8pm in California! The Cavs who destroyed the Raptors in Game 6 await the winner for the Finals.
The Cavs await the Raptors or Heat for the Eastern Conference Finals after sweeping the Hawks. The Raptors-Heat series is drawn 2-2 and they will play in Toronto tonight at 7pm. The Heat players have been plagued with injuries but they still managed to level the series. Can D-Wade win it for them again?
The Warriors should beat the Trail Blazers in California tonight at 9:30pm to advance to the Western Conference Finals. They will await the winner of the Spurs-OKC series.
On Sunday, Durant came alive in the 4th quarter, the Spurs fell apart and KD won the game for his Momma, who is the real MVP. OKC leveled the series at 2-2.
They headed back to San Antonio for a crucial Game 5 last night. OKC led the 1st quarter 22-16. Then it was all about the Spurs for the 2nd and 3rd quarter. But in the 4th, putting bad calls aside with acrobatics from Steven Adams and Westbrook swatting imaginary flies from his eye saying he was hit by Parker, the Spurs failed to make crucial shots. In particular, Aldridge and Parker. They went cold. While on the other side, Westbrook was hot and unstoppable. His athletisism was impressive resulting in steals and speeding through the paint. His last steal, then the and-1 in closing seconds sealed the deal for the Thunder’s Game 5 win over the Spurs. Westbrook ended the night with 35 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists.
81% of the time, whoever wins Game 5 usually advances in the series. With Spurs’ performance during the season, they would have been expected to beat OKC. But it’s always about match ups. OKC has always been a serious threat to the Spurs. They lucked out with Ibaka’s injury the last time they met in the Playoffs. Now Ibaka may not be as much of a threat, but Westbook is unstoppable. When he is guarded by Kawhi, Durant will take care of everything else. If they happen to lock down those two, there are Waiters and Steve Adams who will do the job. Steve Adams’ game has improved tremendously. Someone should cut his hair. Old man river walk, Tim Duncan has to be present for the Spurs’ defense and to get crucial rebounds. Diaw is not playing as well who used to be a key part of the Spurs’ defense and facilitator for plays and magical ball movement. Danny Green works hard but is not where he needs to be yet for defense, then the Defensive Player of the year, Kawhi Leonard can’t do it all on his own. Ginobili is a ticking time bomb. Parker crumbles under pressure. West makes too many unnecessary fouls and Aldridge fails to make clutch shots. Leonard and Aldridge want it but the rest of the team seem comfortable with their previous rings and accomplishments. Let’s hope some desire to move forward is ignited and they can force a game 7.
Either way, the Golden State Warriors will beat whoever emerges as the winner and beat the Cavs as well, who will reach the Finals, to start their dynasty. Steph Curry is back and he came back scoring 40 points, 17 of which were in overtime. Or can OKC just upset everybody? They surely look hungry. Let’s watch and see.
With Tuesday night’s win over the Lakers, the Warriors are 33-2, 1 game ahead of NBA’s previous best, the Chicago Bulls at this point in their 1995-1996 season. Their next game is tonight at Portland. MVP Steph Curry has been playing through the pain with a shin injury that he should rest for 4 weeks but if he doesn’t rest it he is not in any great danger. According to ESPN Scorecenter, he attended full practice yesterday and will be playing tonight.
Even when a key player like Curry or Klay Thompson are out of the game, their line-up is big and they have other key players like Draymond Green who will step up big time and they still win. Green just won player of the week for the Week of December 28th. An average team will have to play GREAT to beat them says former basketball player and ESPN analyst Tim Legler, and the majority of their remaining games are versus average teams. They seem relaxed but hungry at the same time. Only a serious injury to one of their main players can stop them. Will Matthew Dellavedova kick Curry in the shin and just end his season? If the Warriors break the Bulls 72-10 record, it would only be right that they go for and win the NBA Championship title based on pure logic and historical statistics.
So which other teams are in the mix and who actually poses a serious threat?
To date, considering both the Eastern and Western Conference, the League standings for the Top 10 teams are as follows:
Photo: www.espn.go.com
So for the West, if Warriors meet the San Antonio Spurs it will not be easy. At the looks of it now, only the Spurs pose a threat to the Warriors in the West and vice versa. The Spurs probably still have the deepest bench in the league. Their bench alone scored 70 points in the 123-98 blowout win over the Jazz on Wednesday.Â
They also finally have some young, fresh players that Coach Pop is giving time on the Court. There is Past Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Patty Mills and more. Then the Big Old 3 are still present. Old Man River Walk, Tim Duncan is still looking good, not to mention Manu Ginobili who looks like he got his act together. Tony Parker is forever talented but hardly ever consistent. Perhaps he has his young baby on his mind.
Even though Suga gives the Spurs and Warriors the edge in the West, OKC is not to be forgotten. Past MVP Kevin Durant is back! He is on form after a broken bone in his right foot that needed 3 surgeries and after spraining his big toe last week. Hopefully he doesn’t continue to break a leg. No pun intended. He returned Tuesday night to beat the Grizzlies 112-94 and note that OKC went 12-3 in December. Westbrook is great, Ibaka and Adams are good, but without Durant, OKC will lose.
Now where all my LeBron James haters at? Sorry folks, he won’t go away. He has won player of the month 29 times now and his stats keep buzzing, equalling and breaking record after record. He scored 9 points in 1 minute Wednesday night versus the Wizards at Washington. It’s a pity he isn’t pretty to watch though. Suga predicts the Cavs will go straight to the NBA Finals again this year. All eyes are on the Warriors, so no immense pressure on LeBron, which is good because we all see how he buckles under pressure. There is also no serious threat on the East side. The Bulls are doing well but the Cavs will still destroy them. The Cavs are the kind of team that elevate their game based on their opponent. They are confident, arrogant, hungry and some bitter.
I would say LeBron’s partner in crime is back, but LeBron is a lone, selfish soldier on the court. Kyrie Irving is back yall! Now HE is pretty and exciting to watch, just 23 years old and full of energy. He is back on form, scoring well, up to 32 points Wednesday night versus the Wizards compared to LeBron’s 34 points and these are under restrictions in minutes he is allowed to play, which the Cavs will soon remove. The Warriors beat them on Christmas Day 89-83, but with a healthy Kyrie Irving and no minutes restrictions, it will be a whole new ball game. The Cavs also have a good starting line up and bench with dangerous players like Matthew Dellavedova and J.R. Smith. When teams feel excited about catching up with the Cavs or lessening a point deficit, J.R. will just burst their bubble with a 3-pointer. Then they also have Tristan Thompson, Kevin Love, Timofey Mozgov and Sasha Kaun.
Sad to say but Suga believes if the Cavs meet the Warriors in the Finals again with a now healthy Kyrie Irving, they will get the formula right this time and get revenge. But if somehow the Spurs, a team with a totally different dynamic and ball movement make it to the Finals, they may actually make a more exciting match up versus the Cavs and LeBron could have a Finals nightmare all over again. But we just have to wait and see. It is just January and there is still time for players to grow and teams to make adjustments. Don’t you just love this game?!
