Image from www.buzzfeed.com

Golden State Warriors win the NBA finals in Game 6 !!!

by SportsWhat's Hot
Image from www.buzzfeed.com
Image from www.buzzfeed.com

After leading the Pacific Division for the entire NBA 2014-2015 season and then the Western Conference Division in the Playoffs, the Golden State Warriors proved that they are the best team in the league last night in Game 6, winning the NBA Finals, 105-97. Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James had impressive stats as usual with 32 points, 18 rebounds and 9 assists but really fell short last night, missing many key shots with hardly any help from his team that was consistent enough to challenge the Warriors that led for the majority of the game. This will make the 4th NBA Finals that LeBron James has lost. Let us remember that the World’s Fastest Runner, Usain Bolt did not achieve that status by appearing on the track in the Olympic Finals and not winning the race, no matter how many Diamond League, World Championship or season race wins he may have.

Similar to last year, with the San Antonio Spurs’ commanding Championship win in 5 Games over the Miami Heat, the Golden State Warriors have helped to prove once again, that the TEAM wins and players contribute. Yes, the injuries of key starters such as Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love truly hurt the Cavs chances of winning this year, but the ‘Best Player in the World’ is usually able to elevate the level of the game of the players around him and makes them just as hungry for that ring. The Warriors showed in this series that they were the better and hungrier team from even Game 1 when they fought for that win with Irving still playing. Who wants it most wins!

MVP Andre Iguodala also demonstrated the strong desire to win and for everyone to remember his name after this series. He came off the bench to begin the Warriors-Cavs series and only started in the last 3 games. Note that he is the first player to be honoured as such without starting every game. He was able to guard LeBron James impressively. When Iguodala was on the court, James was only able to shoot 38.1% from the field. He tied with 2014-2015 Season MVP and teammate, Stephen Curry to score the highest points on their team last night with 25. He is one to watch next season especially after he learns to shoot some free throws.

Suga congratulates Golden State for winning their first title in 40 years! Congratulations also go out to Coach Steve Kerr for his 1st Playoff finals resulting in winning the Championship and kudos to his coaching team as well.

This season was highly entertaining. Can’t wait for the 2015-2016 NBA season!

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Last night, Klay Thompson of the Warriors suffered a head injury too!

by Sports

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Fun and joke aside, Steph Curry seemed to be alright in last night’s close out Game 5 versus the Rockets and has shown no symptoms of a concussion since his injury in Game 4.

Coincidentally, his ‘Splash Bro’, Klay Thompson collided harshly into Trevor Ariza of the Rockets last night in Game 5. Ariza was involved in both collisions. Thompson was bleeding from the ear. He was taken off the court and assessed just as how Curry was and later returned to the game. However, Warriors released this statement last night, ‘After the gane [Klay] began to not feel well and developed concussion-like symptoms. He will continue to be evaluated by the team’s medical staff tonight’.

Congratulations to Golden State for winning the Western Conference Finals, which hasn’t been achiteved since 1975! Hopefully the Splash Brothers will be alright and healthy for their war versus LeBron James and the Cavs for the NBA Finals starting next Thursday, June 4th!

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NBA Playoff Update! Steph Curry falls on his head and more! Ouch!

by Sports

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The Cavs now lead the Hawks, 3-0 for the series. The last game went into overtime and LeBron hit a 3 for the 114-111 win. Al Horford of the Hawks was ejected from the game before halftime with a questionable Flagrant 2 foul for falling then ‘elbowing’ Matthew Dellavedova that did not connect on the way down. The commentators then looked into Dellavedova’s previous games to see 2 other similar blows to the knees of other players, raising eyebrows, wondering if they were purposeful. The most recent one was Dellavedova diving into the knee of Korver causing him to fall and roll his ankle beneath Dellavedova. Korver has been out with that injury since the game last Friday. Cavs are expected to take the series but if Horford wasn’t ejected, they could have prevented the sweep they may get.

Steph Curry scared his mother, wife and fans last night with a horrible fall in the 2nd quarter. He fell over one of the Rockets’ players attempting to block a shot, onto his hands and his head. He later returned to the game with a possible concussion that I am sure will be monitored before the next game for any symptoms.

It was hard to watch. See link here with caution:

The Warriors were already trailing by about 15 points into the 4th. Some ground was made up by Klay Thompson and it took Curry a while to make a shot. He was still able to shoot three 3-pointers and score 12 points after the injury. The Rockets’ lead stretched again and Warriors’ Green was fouled out with 21 points with 3:09 remaining. Dwight Howard was also benched for a little bit after a flagrant foul but Harden was sensational. At that point you could probably call it a win for the Rockets. That made it the Rockets’ 4th straight win facing elimination. Rockets won 128-115. Harden made 45 points! They will head back to Golden State for Game 5.

Taken from www.nba.com/playoffs/

It is time for the NBA Conference Finals!

by Sports
Taken from www.nba.com/playoffs/
Taken from www.nba.com/playoffs/

Nobody saw the Clippers yielding so easily to the Rockets. After being ahead in the series, they allowed a 19-point lead to slip away in a crucial Game 6 and were totally blown away by the Rockets in the second half of Game 7 yesterday. Quite disappointing and hard to watch. The Defending Champs, the Spurs would have put up a better fight. So it will be the Cook vs. the Splash Brothers! Can the runner-up MVP beat the MVP?

Hawks vs Cavs for the Eastern Conference Division this Wednesday! Did Kyrie Irving get enough rest after injuring his knee in the last game? Suga thinks he will be alright and the Cavs should make it to the Finals with or without him.

The Warriors vs Rockets for the West should be an interesting match up. Both faced elimination with their previous opponents. It shall come down to the power of the 3s and defense.

It all starts this Tuesday with the Rockets at the Warriors and Wednesday it will be the the Cavs at the Hawks! Get your popcorn ready!

Taken from http://www.nba.com/playoffs/

NBA Playoff Update! Getting closer to the Conference Finals!

by Sports
Taken from http://www.nba.com/playoffs/
Taken from http://www.nba.com/playoffs/

What is happening to the unguardable MVP, Steph Curry?! Has he met the best defense team in the league? A big part of the Grizzlies’ success has been Tony Allen, who, after an athletic diving steal from Klay Thompson in the 3rd quarter last Tuesday, kept shouting convincingly, ‘First-team all-defense!’. For the N.B.A. all-defensive team, voted on by writers and broadcasters, Allen was second team in 2011, and first team in 2012 and 2013. He was passed over last year and this year’s selections have not been announced as yet. The Grizzlies now have a 2-1 lead in the series.

The Bulls-Cavs series is now drawn at 2-2. The last 2 games have been won by buzzer-beaters. LeBron James missed the lay-up in the game Friday, then D. Rose hit the buzzer-beater, game-winning 3-point shot to beat the Cavs 99-96. Suga’s Play of the year nominee! Bulls led series 2-1 then LeBron James of the Cavs came back with a vengeance and worked hard for his Buzzer-beater yesterday to make up for the last game, beating the Bulls 86-84. Pau Gasol from the Bulls continues to sit out the game with a hamstring injury.

Paul Pierce of the Wizards also hit a buzzer-beater, a jump shot to beat the Hawks 103-101 on Saturday to lead the series 2-1 without John Wall who is still out with a hand injury.

Meanwhile, the Clippers are smoking the Rockets, burning down ‘the Cook’, Harden’s kitchen, with or without CP3. Despite a great team effort, Austin Rivers from the bench has been showing up big time along with starter, J.J. Redick. Last night they rolled to a 128-95 win over the Rockets to lead the series 3-1.

Tonight will be Wizards vs Hawks in Washington (2-1) and Warriors vs Grizzlies in Memphis (2-1).

We are getting closer to the Conference Finals! Who will it be?

- Taken from http://www.nba.com/playoffs/

NBA Playoffs 2015 Update including why the Spurs lost and more!

by Sports
- Taken from http://www.nba.com/playoffs/
– Taken from http://www.nba.com/playoffs/

The LA Clippers eliminated Defending Champs, the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7 last Saturday night in LA, 111-109. The game was well fought by the Spurs but they were still just a shadow of themselves. Props to the Clippers with the best starters in the league and having Griffin and CP3 really show up for them not only during the series but towards the end of the game when it mattered the most. The Spurs just failed to come into top form this season. They were nowhere near and imagine they were still so competitive. It was obvious they could not get a rhythm going and shooters, especially Danny Green, did not get fully into their zone as yet. Coach Pop made huge errors by taking out Marco Belinelli when he was hot in their must-win, Game 6 and scoring 3s were a struggle and also by not giving young, Patty Mills more play. Danny Green who has not been hot all series should have stayed out and Belinelli should have been given the opportunity to stretch the lead for the Spurs. Then Danny Green could return to defend the lead and facilitate more plays since that is not Belinelli’s forte. The old legs of those such as Tony Parker, have a lot of experience but the bench should have been given an opportunity to win Game 6 for them at home. Pop should not have worried about crushing egos if he was, because players like Tony Parker and Tim Duncan are so humble that they would have been genuinely happy for the bench winning Game 6, thus the series for them and furthermore would appreciate the rest. The odds were totally against them to win Game 7 in LA even though the home court advantage didn’t seem to matter for either team earlier in the series. Those few moments throughout the series when they played ‘Spurs ball’ with their on point ball movement and shot execution, they were untouchable by the Clippers. There is still no other team with that quality ball movement and it will surely be missed for the rest of the Playoffs. The Spurs have made it to the last 3 Western Conference Finals and last two NBA Finals. They have had a good run and hopefully they have more in them. Even though they were not at the top of their game, tremendous effort was shown and they were still able to entertain and be a force to reckon with. Chris Paul emotionally paid great respect to one of his idols as a kid, Tim Duncan at the end of Game 7 and Suga is sure the Clippers will reach the Western Conference finals to face the Warriors. The Rockets are a quality team and so are the Grizzlies, but even though the series promises some excitement, they may fall short.

The Grizzlies and Rockets are already down 1-0. The Clippers are surely on a high with a 117-101 win in the Rocket’s house last night with less than 48 hours rest and CP3 sitting on the bench with a hamstring strain. The Hack-a-Howard versus Hack-a-Jordan showdown has also begun. Who will learn how to shoot some free throws first?! My money is on DeAndre Jordan after his head start with the Spurs.

Oh wait, there is an Eastern Conference going on as well, almost forgot. The Wizards may upset the Hawks taking them to a Game 6 or 7. The Wizards rallied from a 12 point deficit in the 3rd to beat the Hawks in Atlanta, 104-98 in Game 1. The Cavs are likely to beat the Bulls even though the Bulls may jump out at them to a 2-0 start with the absence of their Kevin Love and J.R. Smith.  The return of D. Rose is a huge factor and should prove to be a competitive series. Despite Irving’s 30 points, the Bulls still beat the Cavs last night in Game 1, 99-92 with D. Rose scoring 25 points.

The Spurs-Clippers series may be the best match up that the NBA Playoffs 2015 will see, if not, it will surely be remembered and thankfully Game 7 saved last Saturday night, giving us the kind of entertainment we expected, which the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight failed to deliver.

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Get your NBA Playoff 2015 Series Update here!

by Sports

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We will soon be heading into the second series of the NBA Playoffs! For the East, Suga calls that the Cavs will win the Eastern Conference finals, even without Kevin Love. The Warriors should have a spot in the Western Conference finals vs the Defending Champs, the Spurs, but it will be a really tough road for the Spurs if they get there.

Whoever wins in the West will take it ALL!

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FLOW Cable Tv is moving backward instead of forward!

by SportsWhat's Hot

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What are we paying to see at the moment? Hardly anything. This situation has been brewing in the open since local television decided to buy the rights for The Voice to see our local artist, Tessanne Chin’s season. Coverage was choppy and delayed. Then went the USA series, Suits followed by Empire. What was alarming was that in the case of the new hot series, Empire, they expected viewers to wait an entire WEEK to see the 2-hour season 1 finale. Unacceptable. The only reason they did not try the same thing with Scandal, is because they are so far behind in the season they are currently showing. The same thing has also been happening with football fans for years, not being able to see some games live or getting crappy commentary. This pushes persons to watch shows or sports online and defeats the whole purpose of local television showing desired content and thus boosting its viewership. Also remember that the west channels such as ABC west etc. with a later feed (3 hours after) are no longer available from FLOW. So if we do not make it home in time, we cannot watch the show later in the night.

Now here comes Digicel Sportsmax acquiring the rights to show the NBA. Which group of so called ‘Sports fans’ sat around a table and made the decision to show SOME of the NBA playoffs this year? Who gave them the right to choose what games we can see, or how do they choose what games should be shown?! How can that be logical in any way, shape or form? If they could not afford to show ALL of the games, then they should not show any at all. Simple! And how could the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica approve this madness? Where is the balance of interest for us, the consumers? How could a contract be signed for only Digicel Sportsmax to show the NBA 2015 Playoffs even though they stated they are only showing 18 NBA Playoff games, the Conference finals and the Finals? 18 games are not even 5% of the games before the Conference finals, not even knowing which series will go to a Game 7. So any other channel that we are currently paying for, and that is showing the game is blocked?

Now it seems Digicel Sportsmax opened a can of worms because they have stated on Facebook that, ‘the blocking of channels showing the NBA has been done because the cable operator does not have the rights to that channel for broadcast in the Caribbean.’ Also that, ‘it has nothing to do with Sportsmax.’ Of course it does, because if it was not for Sportsmax putting this contract forward to the NBA and drawing attention to us, (although we should run things legally but who cares) the NBA would not have looked into our cable providers, i.e. FLOW and realise they have not been showing NBA on channels like NBA TV and ABC legally in the first place; hence blocking them now. Then FLOW has its customer service agents lying to the public saying that channels such as TNT US are blocked because only Digicel Sportsmax has the legal right to show the NBA games. Fortunately for us, the NBA authorized that ESPN and SPACE (Who knows what or where is SPACE) cannot be blocked in this region. However, unfortunately for us, not all NBA Playoff games will be shown on ESPN but on many other channels that are blocked such as TNT US, NBA TV etc.

Also, how many years is this stupid contract for? We have gone from All Access to almost zero access. Where are the answers? Where is the communication from FLOW and how are they going to fix this moving forward? Will they only make an effort if they see a dip in subscribers or are we to accept that they are not going to fix this, purchase NBA League Pass and stream to our big screens or set up an American cable system such as DSS? All this contraption, instead of simply turning on the television?! There goes supporting Brand Jamaica because I know for sure many persons will not be supporting this inconsiderate act.

By the way, not showing the games was just scratching the surface. I will not even begin to go into the quality of feed and commentary. Isn’t this counter intuitive to growing the sport as well?!

So where do we go from here? How many more shows and programmes will be taken? And WHEN will our bills or charges be reduced by FLOW? Robbery. That is what this is. Robbery of our money, joy, bar time and sanity in our living rooms.