Nba is Finally Here …..Everybody UP

The NBA is here and I couldn’t be more excited for this season.  After a rematch of the NBA Finals and the Spurs winning so convincingly,  Lebron James decided to leave Miami and go back home to Cleveland where he was joined by Kevin Love weeks later.  At this point, nothing really surprises me in regards to the NBA.  Teams make trades, free agents sign elsewhere and hopefully your team got better with the draft.  So before the games begin I would like to outline the top four teams of each conference.  I know that is a long way from now but it’s always fun to try to predict what can happen.

In the West the top four teams in my opinion are the Spurs, Clippers, Thunder, and Warriors.  The Spurs didn’t make any significant changes to their roster and I can understand why. They clearly was the best team in the league last year.  With future Hall of Famers like Tim Duncan and Tony Parker in your lineup, and Coach Pop your chances of winning are legit.  And the five championship rings prove just that.  The Spurs literally dismantled the Miami Heat in that NBA finals last year and they did it playing a great brand of basketball. Aside from the two veterans, young guys like Kawhi Leonard had a breakout Finals and won MVP in the process.  The Spurs are in good shape with the core that has proved they belong in this conversation each year.  I’m sure Pop will manage minutes accordingly to make sure his guys are ready to make another title run.

The Clippers are bound to get over the hump at some point right?  Chris Paul arguably the best point guard in the game and Blake emerging as one of the best players in the league, this team is dangerous.  With sharp shooters like JJ Reddick and Crawford coming off the bench this team is an offensive powerhouse.  If Blake is able to establish himself in the post and be a consistent threat in the half court offense I think this team has the potential to make it to the West Finals.  With the Sterling controversy now over, I think the players are clear minded and focused on the task at hand as they have become the team of Los Angeles.

The Thunder is probably the most dangerous teams in the league.  They won’t have Durant to begin the season but he will return and when he does I think he will go on a tear. That leaves the majority of the scoring load for Westbrook and I think at this point in his career he can carry a team.  He will be able to play comfortably knowing that he doesn’t have to refer to Durant to share touches.  Whether that is good or not for the morale of the team, we have yet to see.  But when they are fully healthy this team is no joke. And with a returning MVP in Kevin Durant who knows how far he will elevate his game this season.

The Warriors feature the splash brothers of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. After playing this summer in the Fiba championships, they only got better.  There is no doubt in my mind this is the best back-court in basketball. You really can’t give them any room to get a shot off. Curry is evolving as one of the best PGs in the league and his ability to penetrate and dish is getting better every year.  New head coach Steve Kerr should be very excited to see how he can improve this team on the way to the postseason.

 

In the East the top four teams include the Cavs, Bulls, Raptors, and Wizards.  The Cavs seem to be the overall favorite right now and this is all based off paper.  Newly acquired players Lebron James and Kevin Love in a nutshell guarantee the playoffs bare minimum.  Lebron has already stated each year for him is “Championship or Bust” and this is coming from a guy who has been there on several occasions.  It will be interesting to see how this team gels as they learn to play with each other for the first time.  But them making the Eastern Conference Finals or NBA finals isn’t really farfetched at all.

The Bulls success will solely depend on the health of Derrick Rose a one time MVP.  He also played in Fiba this year and looked good so far and in the preseason games.  I really hope he is able to play a full season because he is so fun to watch. And not to mention the Bulls are a way better team with him on the court.  With Boozer gone and skilled big man Pau Gasol in his place, the Bulls finally have a low post threat with championship experience.  The Bulls are a defensive minded team and that remains the same.  An improving Jimmy Butler makes this team a lot more interesting and who knows what could happen at the end of the season.

The Raptors are favorites to win the Atlantic Division.  This young team has a great core of guys that seem to just be getting better and better each year.  They are led by all-star Demar Derozan and very hard-nose tough point guard in Kyle Lowry.  They bring an attitude to the game and it shows when they play. This team is fearless and they don’t back down from anybody. With both New York teams still needing to prove themselves I look for Toronto to have a great seeding in the playoffs.

Lastly the Wizards are a team to be reckoned with.  With John Wall getting better each year, he really is the difference on this team.  He is finally understanding how to control the tempo of the game as he was second in averaging assists in the NBA.  He will be without shooting guard Bradley Beal to begin the season who is also an emerging talent but I think the Wizards will be just fine.  Recently acquired Paul Pierce brings veteran leadership to the team and a guy who can be depended on in late game situations.  The loss of Ariza is big for them as he was a tough on ball defender, but the Wizards will have the chance to showcase their talent after a great season last year.

 

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email : Holtdane@gmail.com

What Melo should really do…

Now that the NBA season has concluded, the biggest free agent to test the market this year will be Knicks Carmelo Anthony and all eyes are on him.  As much as he has a bad reputation of stopping the ball and playing zero defense teams are still interested.  Why? Because the game is about buckets and this guy can fill it up on any given night.  I hate that analysts or just fans for that matter want to throw negative energy his way, nobody and I mean nobody has Tony Allen as their favorite player.  So just kill me with this defense shit that you claim, its overrated in a league where if you touch a guy its a foul. And god forbid a hard foul, those which were good basketball plays some years ago are now technicals and flagrants on a regular basis.  So far the two teams leading these free agent discussions are Chicago and Houston.  And as of late he has mentioned that he would like to play with long life friend Lebron James who just lost in the Nba Finals.  So first things first, Melo is going to opt out of his contract.  Opting in is ridiculously stupid and for people to even suggest it is fucking stupid.  Granted it would give the team more wiggle room as far as cap space goes but lets not forget it is a business.  The Clippers sold for billions of dollars, if that man wants to get paid shit let him get paid.  I will never hate on somebody who wants to make money and neither should you.  And while we are speaking numbers if he leaves New York he would be leaving 79 million on the table and that is a lot of cash. Man I’ll lose my nutshell if I ever touched one million . But thats neither here or there. As a Knick and Carmelo fan I would love to see him stay here in New York and work under the Zenmaster.   Phil took this position with the hope that Carmelo would be here, and he has stated this numerous times. Now will have to show some type of promise to keep the superstar, absolutely.  It has started with the hiring of Nba Champion Derek Fisher and making it public that he will be trading Raymond Felton. Both decisions in which I am happy about even though I think Mark Jackson could have been a great fit as well.

But if he decides to leave I think his best fit will be in Chicago.  This team competes hard every year and have been doing without former MVP Derrick Rose. Now for arguments sake, lets just say Rose is healthy that lineup would be stupid.  And if Tom could get Melo to embrace the defensive mindset that is established in Chicago I can see how it could workout. If I am Carmelo I am staying away from Houston for several reasons.  First off because they don’t have an established point guard, do we really want to see the Lin and Melo combo again?  Granted they do have D12 and James Harden but they are also playing in the West which by far is the more superior conference.  And with Harden already establishing himself as the guy in Houston, how do you think he will react when Melo lands there and the 4th quarter end of games play are now drawn out for him.  Plus as great as D12 can be his mindset and mentality is still not where it needs to be. Now if he happens to pair with LBJ in Miami or in New York that duo will be deadly.  As much as I don’t want to see it happen I am completely aware of the force those two could be on the court together.  But all this is just talk and hearsay for now. Teams will make moves and then get better in the draft as well.  Whatever his decision maybe I just want the guy to win and get a chance at least to hold up one of them things at the end of the season.

@This_is_Dane

Spurs win NBA Title

Is the Miami reign over? It certainly looks that way as they weren’t able to defend their title losing 4-1 in a rematch with the San Antonio Spurs.  It has been a minute since I posted and I do apologize but I am back now more then ever.  After watching these finals it was obvious the Spurs were the better team having won all their games with leads of more then 15.  Where do I even began, I have to give a lot of credit to RC Buford the Spurs general manager and Coach Pop for their resilience to make back to back Final trips. Given the fact that Miami clearly has more talent and athleticism mostly Lebron, the Spurs played a collective team game in which they executed beautifully on both sides of the ball.  It has been a long time since I’ve seen the ball get moved around the way the Spurs did this Nba Finals.  It was like they always got a good shot and they were knocking them down.  After putting up a 41 in the 1st quarter and ending the half with 70 points in game 3 I had to think to myself, no way they can do this an entire series.  Well I was wrong, because that is exactly what they did.  And then on defense their help defense with rotations were solid, clogging the paint and making Miami take contested jumpers.  Leonard the 22 year old MVP of the Spurs blossomed in front of all her eyes.  To be so efficient on the offensive side, and take responsibility of guarding the best player in basketball takes extreme confidence and the young fella had it.  Him along with others role players really played key parts in this series and I think ultimately made them unbeatable.  Great efforts from players like Danny Green, Boris Diaw and Patty Mills  solidified how much depth the Spurs had and how much they have bought in to the culture there in San Antonio.  For future Hall of Famers like Timmy D, Parker, and Ginobli it was a truly amazing season for these quote on quote “old guys” who you can tell wanted revenge from last year.  I am not sure what will happen with Tim but you would have to think he would give it another go at it.  If he is managed the way he was this year with minutes he can still be very effective in this league. Yes we know his game isn’t flashy at all but Mr. Fundamental has five rings and is arguably the best Power Forward ever.

As for Miami you can expect major moves for this roster and possibly the ending of the big 3.  Excluding Lebron James I think everybody is expendable on this team.  Wade who has been bothered with injured knees for the last couple of years just lacked all the explosiveness he needed during this playoff run.  By the time the Heat got to the finals it appeared as if he had no more left in the tank. While the role players didn’t contribute as much as they usually do a lot of this blame will go on Lebron James.  This guy is 100% the best player in the league and with that comes major responsibility.  While he did his part it looked like it was only him and Jesus Shuttlesworth who really wanted to play ball this series.  I do believe the Big 3 would like to stay together but I highly doubt this will happen.  For starters the team needs more younger and athletic players, a decent point guard because Tony Parker and Patty Mills destroyed Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole.    I mean it is 2014 and Rashard Lewis is in your starting lineup, I was tweeting jokingly about it but it is kind of absurd.  On top of that rumors have surfaced that Wade wants a max deal while his play warrants otherwise.  In my opinion I think it will be Bosh that departs, he never really got the credit he deserved during these past several years.

Lastly I have to address these comparisons of Lebron to Jordan or even Kobe for that matter.  Listen, everyone who knows me knows that I’m not the biggest Lebron fan like most people.  I just don’t like his game or style of play for that matter.  However I do realize he is the best player in the league and a freak of nature on that court.  But when he loses there is always this since of urgency to dog him for not winning.  At this point I kind of feel bad for the guy. No matter what he does he will never be able to win. And to some degree the shade that gets thrown his way is kind of his fault.  Nonetheless we have to stop the comparisons, especially to Jordan.  Jordan is the GOAT and to most people the best player to ever do it.  That is a legacy that is hard to measure up to, we are talking about a guy who never lost in the finals and 3 peated twice.  I don’t care how great these players are these days I think it will be a while if ever before we see a player dominate the way he did.  I know that pursuit of six is constantly a theme or milestone that players want to reach. But man lets just be honest its hard just to get one.  Some of the greatest players to ever play never touched down , while guys who were just average were fortunate to be on decent teams and get some jewelry. Kobe who is probably the closest to in comparison didn’t even get there yet. And if your a Laker fan I know you probably don’t want to hear this but he probably won’t.  Father time has caught up with the man and the Lakers organization isn’t really suited to compete for a title with a 55 year old point guard in Steve Nash.  So can we please stop mentioning the greatest EVER when making comparisons. These same guys idolized Jordan and mocked his game, but in doing so are trying to create their own legacy.  Don’t let that your not MIKE trash talk be the reason to just throw shade. Its just not cool if you really consider yourself a study of the game.

You can follow me on Twitter : @This_is_Dane

Evans Save Pelicans

The Brooklyn Nets have been the hottest team in the East since the new year.  What was a rough start has been a complete turnaround and the Nets are finally looking like the team we all anticipated.  Going into New Orleans with a four game win streak it appeared as if the Nets were on their way to a 5th consecutive win.  They built a 22 point lead in the third quarter, and were hitting on all cylinders.  Then Tyreke Evans, decided he wasn’t trying to lose. With the injuries to Jrue Holiday and Eric Gordon, Evans has been on a tear.  Monday night he finished with 33 points for a season high with 22 of those in the second half.  Evans, not known for his perimeter shooting constantly attacked the basket and he is hard to stay in front of.  The Pelicans overcame a huge deficit forcing overtime which after Monday are now 5-0 in extra time.   Overall it was a game the Nets let slip away and they know it.  But they are still playing great basketball and are doing it without all star center Brook Lopez and veteran Kevin Garnett.  The Nets next test will be against Charlotte tonight and the tandem of Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker.

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Knicks blow 17 point lead

The Knicks had me fooled. A eight game winning streak, Phil Jackson the head of operations, the Hawks losing and playing a Cavs team without all-star Kyrie Irving.  This was the situation going into Sunday for an Knicks team battling to make the final and last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.  I didn’t really write too much during the win streak, I guess I didn’t want to interrupt good play. Or maybe because I was in shock to see a team that played so horrible change things around when post-season was in jeopardy.  I must say it was good to be a Knick fan for about a week when the team actually started playing to their potential.  During the win streak it actually resembled last year’s team with ball movement and an decent effort on the defensive end.  I have to give a lot of credit to Raymond Felton who played better with an higher assist to turnover ratio during that span. Also, with Amare actually logging significant minutes the former all- star at times looked like he found life in those injured knees.  With the last game before a five game road trip, it was huge for the Knicks to get a victory at the Garden.  And from the first half it appeared as if it wouldn’t be a problem. Well the second half suggested something totally different.  The second half, a different team came out on that floor and I still haven’t quite wrapped my head around it.  Instead of playing solid defense, and swinging the ball which got them the lead in the first place the Knicks chose to do the exact opposite.  It was like the team that found an avid way of losing returned from the dead.  The defense was no where to be found, on the offensive side it turned into more isolation plays. It was just a bad showing, and everyone in the Garden was in pure disbelief at the end of the final buzzer.  What they saw was a team that thinks they are better then what they are.  What they witnessed was a back-up point guard in Jarret Jack drop a season high 31 with 23 of those coming in the second half. And once again the reoccurring theme of not being able to close games has been a huge downfall.   It will be interesting to see how the team responds after the tough loss.  And if the playoffs are not an option this year then the world will await to see how Phil will begin his regime in New York because change is inevitable.

 

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Knicks win 3 Straight

The New York Knicks are on a three game winning streak.  After suffering a seven game losing streak the team has found a way to bounce back and start winning.  With JR Smith and Amare in the starting lineup the team has other players now that can score the basketball aside of Carmelo Anthony.  With the win Saturday against Cleveland the Knicks are now 3 1/2 games out of the final postseason spot in the Eastern Conference.  According to Coach Woodson and the players they have something to play for now. The sense of urgency has been stirred in the right direction.  It is quite ironic to me that the team finally realized they have to fight to make the playoffs.  I really don’t understand what took so long for the light switch to come on but for once the team looks together.  They are actually swinging the ball on offense and getting baskets on a lot of assists. Besides Amare and JR playing well the offensive contribution from center Tyson Chandler has been imperative.  Chandler finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds in the latest win over Cleveland.  The third win after beating Minnesota and Utah.  The team looks to make it four in a row tonight against the 76ers who are one of the worse teams in the league.  Carmelo battling a cold, struggled initially Saturday but finished the night with 26.

Gerald Green Goes Off

I love stories like this, it really shows that hard work pays off.  Gerald Green is well regarded throughout the league for his jumping ability. With that said, he has always had difficulty keeping a job in the NBA. He has been on several teams in his NBA career and even had a stint in the D-League for some time.  This year with the injury of Eric Bledsoe , Gerald has been able to start for Phoenix and he has had some stellar performances. I’m not saying this guy has All-Star status written all over him by any means, but he is capable of staying in the league and last night showed it.  Dropping 41 and getting a win versus a team with Kevin Durant and Russ Westbrook is impressive and you have to give credit where it is due.  And how could you not route for this guy with all that emotion he shows.

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Nets Above .500

When the season started everyone expected the Brooklyn Nets to be a title contender with additions Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnet. Well, after Wednesday’s win against the Grizzlies it was the first time the team went above .500. The Nets have been playing  inspired ball and their latest acquisition of guard Marcus Thornton has been of major help. The guard came off the bench and added 20 points in route to the victory, making that four straight for the Nets.  From what I have witnessed the team has been in sync and the roles are finally established.  Joe Johnson has stepped up as the go to guy with Deron making sure other players like Pierce touch the ball.  The loss of Brook Lopez was huge but it finally appears as if the Nets have learned to exist without the All-Star center.  Also, with Garnett missing the last three games due to back spasms Andray Blatche and Plumlee have been solid filling that void in the interior. The Nets won 103-94 but at one point was up by 30 in Brooklyn. That lead was cut in half in the 4th and the starters were reinserted to assure the victory. The majority of the game wasn’t close, Gasol the only bright spot finished with 18 points and 7 rebounds in the losing effort.

They play Boston tonight at home which is a very winnable game.  With the win the Nets are now 6th place in the Eastern Conference and looks to continue to move up for a higher seed in the playoffs.

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Knicks break losing Streak

After a seven game losing streak the Knicks finally tasted victory against the Timberwolves this past Wednesday.  And desperately needing is an understatement in this case.  The Knicks started off  hot and went 5 for 7 from 3 point range ending the quarter with a 38-24 lead.  They were actually moving the ball for once, and was able to get Tyson Chandler involved with pick and rolls and lobs to the basket.  While all this was great to witness, the team has a history of giving up leads especially in the second half.  And this time was no different, in the third the Wolves marched back cutting the lead to 2 going into the fourth quarter.  However, unlike other games the Knicks found a way to answer adversity toward the end of the game and get a win.  Carmelo Anthony led the way with 33 points, but got much needed help with play from guard Raymond Felton. Felton who hasn’t had the best season reportedly spoke with Woodson prior to the game to refocus on basketball. The guard responded with 18 points and 8 assists. Kevin Love finished his night with 19 points and 8 rebounds but was limited to one point in the second half.

It will see how the team plays tonight at the Garden against the Jazz, another struggling team after the victory.  The Knicks are currently four games behind Atlanta for the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. Are playoffs out of the question? Not necessarily but the team needs to keep winning and play with a sense of desperation as the season is coming to an end.

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Iverson’s Jersey Retired

Allen Iverson standing at 6 feet nothing had one of the most influential impacts on the game and I am glad to have witnessed his career starting in 1996. I was always a fan of his from his Georgetown days but had no idea he would be that great in the NBA at his size.  With a hall of fame worthy career the Philadelphia 76ers honored the great by retiring his jersey this past Saturday during halftime. If there was anything you can say about this man is that he played his heart out every game and that is something you can respect as the fan of the game.