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.

 

You can follow me on Twitter – @this_is_Dane

email : Holtdane@gmail.com

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

Lebron for 61

Is it me or the Bobcats have a knack for giving up 60 point games?  Well after giving up 62 to Carmelo, Lebron went off last night tallying his career high of 61. We all know the game is all about scoring and as a fan I enjoy seeing performances like this just as the next. The Heat ended up winning this game 124-107.  James made 22 of 33 field goals including 8 treys.  After the special performance James has steeped right back into the MVP race with Kevin Durant and maybe even surpassed him.  His performance overshadowed Al Jefferson who finished with 38 points and 19 rebounds in a losing effort.

It all Starts Tomorrow

Tomorrow it begins, a very much anticipated NBA season.  The marquee game will be between Chicago and Miami.  The Clippers will play the Lakers after as the second half of the double header on TNT.  However with no Kobe it just doesn’t have the same magnitude as the so called Battle of LA.  The Clippers are a better team and with Doc at the helm they can be dangerous.  But back to the topic, Rose a one-time MVP will begin his comeback season facing the defending champions.  And I for the record think the Bulls will upset the Heat in Miami after they receive their rings.  Below are the top ten plays of the preseason so far.

Rose for 30

YES YES YES the NBA season is almost here, and I can’t wait.  This year will be even better then last year. I know that’s hard to imagine but trust me its true.  One of the biggest stories that will be covered is the return of MVP Derrick Rose in Chicago.  I know it is just preseason but from what I have seen, he looks good.  And by good I mean he hasn’t lost a step.  In fact it almost looks like he gained one, and put on more muscle in the off-season.  According to him he is even jumping higher as well. ( That I don’t believe )  Chicago made some noise in the playoffs last year and you can believe they will make even more now with him in the lineup.  I was a big critic last year when he decided not to play and so far it looks like it was the right decision. Here are the highlights of his 30 point performance in a preseason win over the Pacers.