Tag: Golden State Warriors

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Why The NBA Play-In Was So Successful, And Why It’s Here To Stay

By Anish Dhondi

The NBA Play-In Tournament was a topic that led to mixed feelings throughout the season from fans and even players, but it turned out to be a huge success. The Play-In games got excellent TV ratings, most notably Lakers-Warriors, which drew 5.6 million viewers. Bringing playoff-level intensity before the Playoffs begin, plus having players such as LeBron James and Stephen Curry playing, brought in tons of fans from all around the world to watch. The Play-In tournament itself proved its worth because, in reality, it has always been necessary. Too often, we see 9th and 10th seeds in conferences miss the Playoffs due to a record tiebreaker or just a few games difference, but allowing them to get two wins in a row to make the Playoffs, and prove how good of a team they can be, is what the NBA needed to see.

For example, in the Eastern Conference this season, the Pacers and Wizards finished with the same record. In this case, the Wizards take the tiebreaker and have the 8th seed while the Pacers fall to 9th, sending the Pacers to their couches for the Playoffs, not giving them a chance to compete for the Playoffs, which some may say is unfair. The Hornets, who were the 10th-seed in the Eastern Conference, were just one game behind the Pacers, so for them to be so close yet still get the chance proved the fairness of the Play-In Tournament itself. 

Another huge incentive for all is that it prevents tanking, a topic that has been talked about for the past few seasons. The top teams in each conference have to get a top-6 seed, the 10-seed can make Playoffs, therefore lowering their Draft pick if they do make it, and only 10 teams out of the 30 in the NBA have no chance of making the Playoffs. The Play-In Tournament allows our fans to have six more high-stakes loser home games (7th vs. 8th, 9th vs. 10th, winners of those play each other, making for three games per conference). The only real flaw of the Play-In Tournament is that star players can get hurt and miss the Playoffs, yet we were fortunate enough to avoid that this season. Those unfortunate scenarios are just a part of the game that no one can avoid, as there simply is no way to avoid it.

The general NBA fanbase was in favor of the Play-In Tournament until the Warriors were knocked out by the Grizzlies in their second Play-In Game. However, NBA fans missed out on the good side of this scenario, which was that the Warriors and Grizzlies had a difference of just one win separating them in the regular season standings, but with the spotlight on them, the underdog Grizzlies fought harder and took their place and earned the 8-seed in the NBA Playoffs. The Play-In Tournament gave us some unforgettable moments with another chapter in the LeBron-Steph rivalry, a Warriors-Grizzlies Overtime thriller, and a 50-point masterpiece from Jayson Tatum to take the Celtics to the Playoffs. These games showed us that the Play-In Tournament is here to stay, giving players and fans a Game 7 Playoffs, win-or-go-home feeling, where current stars perform when it matters the most, and new stars blossom in front of our eyes. Additionally, it proved that Adam Silver’s innovation throughout last season’s NBA Bubble was incredible and should be applauded.

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Why NBA Fans Should Chill Out… And Why They Should Not

The Golden State Warriors seemed to have ruined the season for many NBA fans on July 2nd, when they had signed Demarcus Cousins, the league’s best center, to a 1-year, $5.3 million deal. Now, many people, including myself, originally thought that this was terrible for the NBA, yet after thinking over it for the past few days, I have some words to say to all worrying NBA fans out there, as well as Demarcus Cousins:

Why Everyone Should Chill Out

Seriously, everyone should chill. Yes, they got Boogie Cousins, which makes the Warriors look almost unbeatable on paper, but then again, he is coming off of an Achilles injury which kept him out for the last 34 games of the regular season and the playoffs, yet they went to the 2nd round, including sweeping the 3-seed Portland Trail Blazers, exceeding expectations. The biggest reason for this was because the Pelicans could finally play high-tempo basketball, something that Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry has been a master at his whole coaching career. Rajon Rondo and Solomon Hill were inserted into the starting lineup, Jrue Holiday was moved to Shooting Guard, Nikola Mirotic played at Power Forward, and of course Anthony Davis played Center. The offense gained fluidity through going up-tempo. What am I trying to say here? Cousins is going to slow down Golden State. He is a slow player, he cannot shoot, he doesn’t spread the floor, he’s a post player who can rebound, as shown by his 25 points and 12 rebounds per game last season. This isn’t Joel Embiid or Nikola Jokic, a Center that can shoot the 3, this is Demarcus Cousins, and this is the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors live and die by the 3. We have seen this since the start of the Cavs-Warriors rivalry, that is how they play, that simple. The deadlier part about that is that they play fast, up-tempo basketball, so while they seem like simply a 3-point shooting team, the fastbreaks they are able to create make things more and more un-guardable. Now, tell me, do you think that Steve Kerr and the Warriors would want to see Boogie not be able to run halfway up the court after grabbing a rebound, while Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson are all the way at the 3-point line? By the time Boogie gets back in transition, the flow of the offense is disrupted, the fastbreak is stopped, and the Warriors are about 7-8 seconds into the shot clock. Now, think about this for a second. The Warriors do this for a few possessions, they let up points on the other end, Steve Kerr calls timeout, and lets Demarcus hear it. How would Demarcus, the league’s biggest crybaby (besides Draymond Green, who is his new teammate), feel about that? Well, the same thing that has happened to Demarcus the past few years. He cries. He leaves next season once his one year deal is over. Oh, and another thing, he gets injured a lot, so maybe he won’t be so happy if he misses some time and doesn’t get his money’s worth. Oh wait, he didn’t get his money’s worth. He denied $40 million over 2 years from the Pelicans just so he could not have to do anything and still win a ring, because they will most likely still win this year. Now, regardless of if they win it all or not, it could still be a failed experiment because Demarcus didn’t like being under the scrutiny of slowing down the fast-paced offense of the team. He has the option to leave, but after seeing him make a move like this, no team in the NBA would want him, unless they’re desperate, which Demarcus would not want to be a part of. Also, Kevin Durant is a free agent next summer, and the New York Knicks are already planning to target him in free agency, and with Kyrie Irving and Jimmy Butler planning to team up in the East (Kyrie wants to play for the Knicks, and Jimmy wants to be wherever Kyrie is), and Kristaps Porzingis and Kevin Knox already with the Knicks, Durant would definitely consider it, and he would earn the respect of so many back, as he is essentially taking the path of earning his right to win a ring instead of it being given. Durant signing the 2-year extension this year proves he wants to prove himself as a team leader elsewhere, and he knows that the Warriors will always be Steph Curry’s team, even though KD is better. Klay Thompson could also leave for the Los Angeles Lakers, where his father Mychal played and won many championships in his career. Klay could certainly decide to continue his legacy there. There is a legit chance that KD and Boogie at least could leave the Warriors next season (Klay has voiced his love for the Warriors throughout his career, so leaving would be a 50-50 chance for him), and that the dynasty could be over, and teams like the Lakers, Celtics, 76ers, and Knicks, are all ready to take over the NBA.

Demarcus, How Can You Be So Ignorant?

Demarcus, how can you be so ignorant that you leave a team that was good enough without you to sweep the Blazers, get a win against the Warriors in the 2nd round, something the Cleveland Cavaliers couldn’t do in the NBA Finals, and still leave them for a team that swept the NBA Finals? How can you be so ignorant that you leave a top-5 player in the NBA (Anthony Davis), the man that hyped you up all season and all offseason, the man that literally wore your jersey for the All-Star Game because he was so sorry for you and that you weren’t there? How can you be so ignorant that you simply don’t want to be the best, and that you just want to be part of the best (Golden State)? How can you be so ignorant that Pelicans fans looked up to you, admired you, bought their jerseys, got hyped up, went to games for you, and had hope for the team, and you still left them? How can you be so ignorant that even if you didn’t want to stay in New Orleans, that you couldn’t just go to a team where you could put yourself in position to beat Golden State? How can you be so ignorant that you take your talents to a team that doesn’t need or care about you at all? How can you be so ignorant that you said you wanted to win yourself when you left the Sacramento Kings, and yet you go to the team where you need to do no work to win a ring? How can you be so ignorant that you force a team to trade valuable assets for you so you can just be injured and not play, and then you leave them thinking they aren’t good enough because you cannot stay healthy? Demarcus Cousins, you do not deserve to ever get more than the $5.3 million that you will get this year, you do not deserve to be worth more than that money, and you do not deserve to go to the playoffs and win rings. Everything you do from this point forward is not deserved or earned, it is given to your pathetic, narcissistic self for thinking that leaving a team where you put up max-contract-worthy stats, and you had a great team and players, and you left them for what potentially already was the greatest team ever assembled. Kevin Durant went from OKC to Golden State to try to win, and yes, it was messed up, because he was on a team that was so talented that they could’ve beaten that Golden State team, and he could’ve won the Finals, and even if he lost he could’ve stayed and proved himself, yet he was a backstabber who decided to take an easy way out. The difference between you and Kevin Durant is that Durant had proven himself as the 2nd best player in the NBA, and Durant, while he may not have earned his rings, earned respect across the league, and elevated the Warriors to be one of the greatest teams ever, yet you have done nothing. Being the best Center in the league means nothing if you cannot even make the playoffs yourself, and if you cannot stay healthy and get your attitude right to be part of a team like that. You are officially the most ignorant and least likeable player in any sport, and you didn’t take PEDs to break the record book, you didn’t commit any crazy crimes, no, none of that. You simply just are too weak to do anything by yourself. Period.

Why We Shouldn’t Chill Out

They will win the Finals regardless and he did absolutely nothing to deserve it, and the entire Golden State Warriors starting lineup has 5 All-Stars, that’s why. They can win this year, but this is the beginning of the end one way or another.

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The THRILLogy Continues: Cavaliers-Warriors Part III

On June 4, 2015, the Golden State Warriors played the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, with the Warriors looking to put a storybook ending to their odds-defying season. On June 16, 2015, the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers played Game 6 of the 2015 NBA Finals, with the Warriors winning the game and the NBA Finals that year. June 2, 2016, they met for the 2nd consecutive Finals. This one came down to 7 games, with Cleveland winning their first NBA Finals ever, and bringing the city of Cleveland their first championship in a professional sport in 52 years. On June 1, 2017, they will meet again for the 3rd straight year, the first time in NBA history that the same two teams have played each other three consecutive years. Here is some history of the last 2 NBA Finals, and my prediction for who wins it this year:

The History of the THRILLogy

2015: The Golden State Warriors had a league-best 67-15 record, while the Cleveland Cavaliers returned to the playoffs with a 53-29 record in LeBron James’s first year back with the team since leaving for the Miami Heat in 2010. The teams split their season series 1 game apiece, and had an easy path to the NBA Finals. The Warriors won the Finals in 6 games despite LeBron nearly averaging a triple-double in large part due to the fact that Cleveland’s second star, Kyrie Irving, injured his knee in overtime in Game 1, making the Warriors job on defense easy, having one less guy to worry about, since Kevin Love had gotten injured earlier in the playoffs (both would be out for the rest of the playoffs). This win showed the versatility of the Warriors, as league-MVP Stephen Curry had a rough series, but guys like Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, and Andre Iguodala stepped up (Iggy was the Finals MVP). This also showed that LeBron James, as inhuman as he played that series (averaging 35.8 points per game, 13.3 rebounds per game, and 8.8 assists per game), could not lead the team alone, and if the Cavs were healthy, they could win again if they made it back.

2016: Golden State played even better in the regular season, finishing with a 73-9 record, the best regular season record ever (most wins in a regular season). Stephen Curry averaged 30.1 points per game, 6.7 assists, and 2.1 steals per game on his way to winning back-to-back MVPs, and becoming the first player ever to win the league MVP unanimously. LeBron, Kyrie, and Kevin Love combined to score an average of 61 points per game to lead their team. Both teams strolled through their conferences, and met again in the Finals. As we know, Golden State blew a 3-1 lead, and the rest is history.

This Year

Cleveland and Golden State started off well, and the Warriors continued it, as they got Kevin Durant in free agency on July 4th. Cleveland ended the season after the All-Star Break with a losing record, and people began to doubt them. The Warriors went 12-0 on their way to the Finals, and Cleveland went 12-1. Now, they meet again and are much better teams. This is the toughest test of LeBron James’ career, but with him on the team, LeBron can easily make this a series. James will outplay Durant, Kyrie will outplay Curry, Tristan Thompson will outplay Zaza Pachulia, and Kevin Love will outplay Draymond Green. So it comes down to Klay Thompson vs. JR Smith, and the benches. The Cavaliers bench has a lot more versatility than the Warriors bench, by acquiring Kyle Korver and Deron Williams in February, and on the Warriors side Klay has been very erratic. Last year, the Cavaliers left guys like Harrison Barnes open on shots to be able to play other guys on defense. This year, that guy will be Klay, as he is only shooting 36%. In the end, LeBron outplaying Durant is the biggest part of the reason that I believe Cleveland will repeat. Cleveland in 7. LeBron is the MVP, possibly the GOAT, and KD goes from potential all-time great to a guy who is a superstar with no credentials who made a weak move to leave the OKC Thunder to go to Golden State, the team that prevented him from going to the NBA Finals last year.

 

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2016 NBA Finals Game 6: All or Nothing? Or Everything?

The NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors looks like they have become interesting again, as LeBron James and Kyrie Irving led the Cavaliers with 41 points each in their win to force a Game 6 back in Cleveland. However, the scuffle between Warriors PF Draymond Green and Cleveland superstar LeBron James in Game 4 might’ve just ruined the series for Golden State, as the Cavs are clawing back.

Tonight: Game 6

Tonight, very simple. Draymond Green will lose the game single-handedly for the Warriors. He is the reason Cleveland has all the momentum on their side to force a Game 7 back in Oakland, and he will be afraid. Every time he has the ball, the fans will be booing him, and anytime he is the primary defender, people are probably going to be chanting ‘Kick LeBron,” just so he can get ejected and lose his mind. I think the tactic from Cavs fans could work, because LeBron and Kyrie are IN THE ZONE! If someone like Kevin Love, JR Smith, or even Tristan Thompson can get it going, it’ll be a relaxing flight back to Oakland for the Cavs.

Who Wins Game 7?

I think Cleveland wins Game 7, making a historic comeback down 3-1 in the series. I just do not see a way that Draymond can calm himself down and not put more pressure on Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Also, their Center Andrew Bogut is done for the series, so Green has to rebound the ball and be aggressive on the glass. I do not like the Warriors’ chances of winning this series.

The Offseason

LeBron fulfils his promise of crowning Cleveland ONCE, and goes back to Miami and fulfils his promise of winning even more, as he said on July 10th, 2010.

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The NBA Finals: Why Both Teams Can Win, And Who Will Actually Win?

When Kyrie Irving went down for Cleveland in Game 1, people thought that the league’s best team, the Golden State Warriors, led by MVP Stephen Curry, would sweep the Cavs. But in Game 2, LeBron James, the best basketball player on the planet, annihilated Golden State. Matthew Dellavedova led Cleveland in Game 3. Then, it happened. Steve Kerr, coach of the Warriors, lied to the media about the starting lineup, and put veteran small forward Andre Iguodala in for Andrew Bogut. Iggy, who had not started the entire year, and was guarding LeBron, led the team to a Game 4 win. Now, it’s a best of 3. Here is why both could win, and who will actually win.

How Cleveland Can Win

LeBron James, the greatest player on Earth, plays for Cleveland, not Miami (sadly). He single-handedly has taken 2 of the first 4 games. He has led the team, but Matthew Dellavedova (aka Delly) on defense, and J.R. Smith on offense has helped out majorly with helping out James. LeBron and Co. will lose Game 5 (Sunday, June 14, 2015 on ABC), but they will win Games 6 and 7 (Tuesday, June 16, 2015, and Friday, June 19, 2015, respectively, both on ABC). Also, coach David Blatt needs to play more players in this series (he’s only played 8). Play Shawn Marion and Kendrick Perkins, who’ve won NBA Finals (with the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics, respectively). I mean, they made big-time trades to get these guys, so you’d might as well play them. If Blatt figures out a way to fit them into the offense along with LeBron, and also if LeBron can give out a ‘magic touch’ to his teammates, then maybe they can win this thing. It will be a difficult task, but they should be able to figure this who scenario out. They’ll win in 7.

How Golden State Can Win

Yo! Cleveland fans, remember 2007, when LeBron was solo-mio? Well Cleveland, those memories will haunt you guys forever. Sure, Kobe was the best player on Earth then, but still, he can’t lead them to a series win, especially against Golden State. Steph Curry is still the MVP, and Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, HB (Harrison Barnes), and Andre Iguodala have played magnificently, especially in the new lineup. LeBron has lost only two Game 6’s in his entire career, and none at ‘The Q’ (Quicken Loans Arena, in Cleveland), so winning Game 6 will be almost impossible for Golden State, since it is in ‘The Q’, but Games 5 and 7 in Oakland (Oracle Arena, in Oakland), will be guaranteed for Golden State to win in 7.

Now Seriously, Who Will ACTUALLY Win?

Golden State will win this in 7 games. I feel that the new lineup by Steve Kerr, and the tired and old legs of Cleveland won’t be able to stop this lineup of Golden State’s. Sure, they can play those vets, but Golden State has their own vets off the bench, such as Shawn Livingston and Leandro Barbosa will prove to be the X-factors, and Curry will show LeBron why he wasn’t the MVP (LeBron said after Game 3 that it is his “extra motivation” to win the NBA Finals). MVP: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors