I'm sad that Miami didn't make the playoffs (I hate ATL and BKN right now). What a season for them, started 11-30 then ended the season 30-11. Hopefully they keep the core group intact.
For me: MVP: The Beard COY: Mike D'Antoni Sixth Man: Eric Gordon DPOTY: Draymond Green MIP: Giannis Antetokounmpo ROTY: Joel Embiid (although he only played 31 games) Executive of the Year: Bob Myers, GSW (that Durant signing)
MVP: LeBron James COY: LeBron James Sixth Man: Lou Williams DPOTY: LeBron James MIP: Giannis Antetokounmpo ROTY: Joel Embiid Executive of the Year: LeBron James It's that time of the year...
Two potential upsets in the East. 1. Bulls (8) VS Celts (1) 2. Bucks (6) VS Raptors (3) Based on seeding alone, you would think that the biggest upset is 8 VS 1 but personally, I'm more surprised about the Bucks edging out the Raptors. I mean the Celtics had a great win record but the Bulls are really a match up nightmare for them so you would kinda expect the Celtics to have a tough series. But the Raptors, on paper, should really have no trouble handling the Bucks. So the Bucks beating the Raptors in the opening game was already an upset and today's total demolition of Toronto (77-104 Bucks) left my jaw hanging. The Greek freak is the real deal! I mean we already know he is good but he's instantly transforming from good to great. I was predicting the Raptors would take out the Cavs in the 2nd round but with this development, the Bucks might have a chance to advance instead. I still think the Raptors would match better against the Cavs instead of the Bucks but Milwakee VS Cle could turn out to be a landmark series as well. If GA continues into his current development trajectory, he could very well be inheriting the "best player in the East" mantle from Lebron once starts his inevitable decline. So just the thought of the first ever Lebron VS Giannis matchup in the post-season is getting me excited because this is potentially a historical moment that we will all look back to in the future. The West is playing out more or less, as expected except maybe for the Jazz stealing game 1 from the Clips. This is also quite possibly the Clips' last shot with their current core with CP, Blake, and Redick all becoming free agents after this season. It's also almost guaranteed that even if the Clippers beat the Jazz, they can't go past the 2nd round VS the Warriors so yes - the Clippers core might be on it's last dance. I'm loving the playoffs so far!
So is Griffin for the Clippers... for the rest of the playoffs. That may be the nail in the coffin for Lob City. I guess we'll see a very different Clippers next season.
Kawhi was like Kobe tonight, but still lost the game. No matter how good Leonard is, the Spurs have always thrived on ball movement and I think they should get back in moving the ball rather than go on isolation plays with him.
I don't know how the Spurs can win against the Warriors in case they meet in the WCF. they're struggling against a team that does not have much fire power. The Grizzlies just exposed their weakness.
So all those who said the Celtics are dead in the water well they just upended the Bulls in the same small-ball team lineup they used in Game 3... And of course, they have IT as their truly emotional leader to lead them out of a 3-1 whole...now back to Green City for the clincher... As much as I see the Spurs making the second round, they seem to struggle with the Grizzlies' slow-ball game, and yeah, no bench, less stars, less firepower and still Memphis just grinds up a win.. Want to see one monumental upset in this round...
Cavs brought the broom out against the Pacers but somehow, I don't think Cleveland should be celebrating. Look at those 4 wins in detail and you can see that the average point differential is just 4 points - this means that the games were more or less decided in the last 1-2 possessions of each game. It also took a superhuman effort from Lebron to pull out from a game 3 hole that they should never have dug themselves into in the first place. These games really shouldn't have been that close with the huge gap in talent between the 2 teams. 4-0 looks good on paper but in reality, the Pacers could have taken any of those 4 games (if the breaks just went their way) making this series closer than what it seems. This is not as dominant a series for the Cavs as it looks against a more-or-less, hapless Pacers team. Repeating is still a long shot if they keep playing this way. On a positive note, they get to rest early so they still have time to figure this out.
Rarefied air is where LeBron James found himself in following the Cavaliers’ victory over the Pacers. It was his 21st straight first-round triumph leading to an all-time-high 10th playoff series sweep, underscoring his continuing ascendancy in the Eastern Conference. How dominant has he been? In all 12 years he managed to reach the postseason, he has never lost an opening best-of-seven set-to, and only twice has he needed six games to advance. (In comparison, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant have gone one and done thrice and twice, respectively.) Which is not to say the Cavaliers made small work of the Pacers; on the contrary, they faced a stiff challenge every time out. In Games One, Three, and Four, they coughed up double-digit fourth-quarter leads. In Game Three, they faced a 25-point halftime deficit. To prevail in the matches, they had to rely on resolve, no small measure of good fortune, and, most importantly, a steady dose of James; not for nothing did he norm 33.7 points on 54.3% shooting from the field, and not for nothing was he just a rebound and four assists short of averaging a triple-double for the series. Moving forward, the Cavaliers have reason to be wary. It isn’t simply that the competition will be much stiffer in the second round, with either the Raptors or the Bucks in their way. It’s that they haven’t solved the very issues that had them sputtering at the end of the regular season. They can be devastating on offense, but they lack consistency and, worse, tend to rely on hero ball too much under pressure. Meanwhile, their defense is mediocre at best; All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are sieves, and they collectively break down in the face of quick ball movement. If the Cavaliers remain confident, it’s because of one thing: They have James on their side. With due respect to the other marquee names in the 2017 Playoffs, he’s the single most influential player in the National Basketball Association; he controls the pace of contests, directing traffic as only he can and bending the opposition in the process. They’re deeply flawed and in danger of losing whenever they step on the court, but unless and until they do, they deserve the benefit of the doubt. They are, after all, the defending champions, and they do, after all, have him.
That what makes Stephen Curry and Lebron James. Lebron is a true superstar: he can carry his team to a championship. Last year's Finals made all his haters hate him more hahaha
Things are getting more interesting... Dubs will miss Steve Kerr (complications from his back surgery) for their 2017 championship run. Assistant coach Mike Brown will spearhead their campaign for the rest of the playoffs. Mike Brown used to be Lebron's head coach in Cleveland.
