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defensefilms · 4 years ago

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Embiid, Sixers And Everything Else In A Wild NBA Post Season

1. Sixers And The Joys Of The 1 Seed

This is it.

This is what it’s all about. I can’t remember having this type of optimism about the Sixers during any post season. The 2018/19 Sixers were close but they didn’t validate that optimism the way this year’s team has as far as regular season performances.

These guys have done that and then some.

We’re no longer a team devoid of shooting or ball movement. We’re no questioning what our best line-ups are and who our best player is. We now have an experienced post season coach with the cache to make demands of these players.

This is the best any Sixer team has looked in any post season. We put the mollywhopping on the Wizards. From the head coach Doc Rivers, his staff and then all the way down to Shake Milton and Mike Scott off the bench, no one even entertained the idea that we weren’t going to sweep these guys.

Now we’re facing an obstinate Atlanta Hawks squad. The Hawks have no way to stop Simmons or Embiid 1-on-1 but they got shooters for days and Trae Young’s averaging 27.7 points on 48.4% from the field. We need to put some respect on his name. Get the ball out of Trae’s hands because he was doing too much in game 1.

First there’s the fact that we’ve had our struggles defending elite scoring point guards this season. Then there’s the fact that Trae Young has done us dirty a few times before. The Hawks gave us hands in game 1 of the 2nd round. We we’re down early and didn’t get close to coming back until it was too late buts its far from curtains in this series.

One thing that has definitely been of huge concern is the health of Joel Embiid.

How is it possible that a man tear his meniscus on May 31st and then drop 39 points, 9 boards and 4 assists in the playoffs on June 3rd? How? He can’t be healthy and I don’t know if it’s smart for his long term health to play right now. He was one of the bright sparks of the game. It’s not just this specific injury either.

This season has been hell on Embiid’s body. You have to wonder how much their gonna risk it or if the team are even halfway considering giving him a rest. Embiid spoke about managing his injuries after game 1 against the Hawks. Honestly doesn’t sound good. He’s talking about managing the swelling in his knee. This on top of ACL injuries sustained towards the end of the regular season. He’ll have had five days rest before game 2 so hopefully that helps remedy what is way more alarming than the Sixers front office is making it seem.

2. Lakers Flame Out

It’s been a dramatic season for the 2020/21 Lakers and typically speaking I don’t think that a team seeded so low are worthy of a list or breakdown like this but this is a special case. These Lakers are likely a way better team than seeding suggests.

Injuries to their 2 best players, saw the Lake-show lose number 1 seeding and then slide further down.

Roster-wise the Lakers tried their utmost to replace the production that they got out of Javale McGee and Dwight Howard. Marc Gasol just can’t be an active defender anymore and his inability to cover the perimeter and post at the same time became a huge issue. Montrezl Harrell has averaged 23.7 minutes off the bench and Dennis Schroder stretches the court as a shooter and a tertiary scorer but is more turnover prone than Rajon Rondo was.

The signing of Andre Drummond was a great idea and his rim protection and big body offense are valuable assets but he was never on the court with the team’s top stars long enough for any kind of chemistry to develop.

The big issue is that as a team they are not the defensive powerhouse they were last year. The issue with that is that this team doesn’t have the kind of offensive scoring and 3-point shooting that can allow them to rely on blowing teams out the water and outscoring the opponents.

The signs were ominous from pretty early on but stop lying to yourself. More importantly, stop lying to the people. Don’t pretend you knew the Lakers would lose this series to the Phoenix Suns.

Anthony Davis has had his well covered and documented struggles with injuries throughout the season. As a an on looker, I gave the Lakers the benefit of the doubt every step of the way. I felt like we knew how this goes and the team with winning pedigree would get it together. LeBron’s injuries were something I felt he could overcome because he’s LeBron. It just never happened. That moment when Lebron takes over like he did against Boston in 2017, just never happened.

I’m hesitant to say it’s over for LeBron or anything even remotely similar to that. However it might be a wrap for him in Los Angeles.

3. Brooklyn Looking Nasty

Are the Brooklyn Nets Nasty or are they playing against a team that lacks versatility?

I’ve watched a lot of this team since 2017 and you know what I realized, that they’re a well oiled, championship caliber team until oppositions shut down the 4-out-1-in strategy. The meltdown they suffered in the 2018/19 post season against the Toronto Raptors was bad but still left room for optimism. The massacre they suffered against the Miami Heat in last year’s second round was a signal for change.

Yet I don’t feel there has been a lot of change. So the onus falls on Mike Budenholzer to come-up with a convincing second act to his game plan. Two games in to the 2nd round series against these Nets, Bud has failed spectacularly.

Then there’s the flipside of the coin, which I hope just isn’t true.

The Brooklyn Nets are looking untouchable. Kevin Durant is among my least favorite players but he’s killing it. The confidence he’s showing taking defenders off the dribble and pulling up is incredible and to be fair he’s always been really good at that.

Durant slapped the Bucks up for 32 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists in game 2 and then had one of the snidest post game interviews you’ll ever witness from an athlete.

The hope here is that Giannis and the Bucks can get it together because we need someone to take some of the steam out of this Nets squad.

4. Kristapz Porzingis Hates Being A Mav

There is an absolutely hilarious 5 minute clip of Luka Doncic just refusing to pass the ball to Porzingis throughout the 2020/21 season. Click here and witness basketball comedy.

Luka Doncic absolutely dominated in a losing effort against the Los Angeles Clippers in round 1. However it was clear that he was only going to push the Clippers and the only way to do better than that would be to take the pressure off of Luka and some one else to help carry the scoring. If only the Mavericks had a big man to compliment Luka, you know, a guy that can create his own shot and still be a mismatch when Luka forces bad switches and he finds himself guarded by smaller guys. Oh wait.

The world has finally taken notice of everything happening in Dallas and most importantly everything that’s not happening in Dallas. Luka’s growth and development is something for the organization to be proud of but this was supposed to be complimented by the growth of Kristapz Porzingis and that just isn’t happening.

The word on the streets is that Porzingis is frustrated with his role on the Mavs and may seek a trade but after some of his performances in that round 1 series, I think the Mavs will have a hard time convincing anyone to take on his contract.

5. The West Can Call Itself Wild Again

This here is by far the most open Western Conference playoffs in over a decade,

I don’t buy the hype about how the Western Conference teams are better and more competitive but the record is the record and it can’t be argued with.

No so this year.

The Lakers falling out of the race has definitely gifted us a conference where we just don’t know who is going to emerge as the representative in the finals.

The Phoenix Suns have definitely racked up the most street cred by beating Lebron’s Lakers in 6. Devin Booker is simply awesome and I don’t say that as a fan of his. He average 29.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists against the Lakers and they also overcame an injury scare to Chris Paul. They have a very interesting 2nd round series against the Denver Nuggets, who lost Jamal Murray to injury and found a way to keep winning and also overcame a near super human scoring output from Damian Lillard in round 1.

Then there’s the 1st seed Utah Jazz, who will go down in history as the most disrespected and underrated 1 seed in recent memory. They’ve been matched up against the Los Angeles Clippers who looked like they were reeling in the early part of their round 1 series against Luka Doncic and the Mavericks, then Kawhi and Paul George composed themselves and took the series in a thrilling 7 game series. The redemption story is definitely still in progress.

That’s 3 different 2nd round playoff match-ups that will probably provide a high quality of basketball. Well worth the watch.

#nba #nba 2021 #nba playoffs #philadelphia 76ers #joel embiid #los angeles lakers #lebron james #brooklyn nets #kevin durant #dallas mavericks #denver nuggets #utah jazz #phoenix suns #los angeles clippers

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thecollegefootballguy · 5 years ago

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2019 FCS Playoff Primer: First Round

The FCS Playoff starts tomorrow! Let’s check in on how the first round is set up and all of the big games from the small schools.

Just to keep track, the conference bids are as follows:

Big Sky/MVFC: 4 teams CAA/Southland: 3 teams Big South/OVC/Southern: 2 teams NEC/Patriot/Pioneer: 1 team 1 FCS Independent

#24 North Dakota 7-4 at #19 Nicholls State 8-4 (7-2)

North Dakota managed to nab an at-large as a football independent. The Fighting Hawks went 7-4 against a schedule mostly made up of their old Big Sky conference mates. Their big win over Montana State helped catapult UND into the Playoff. North Dakota is in their second ever FCS Playoff, having made a prior appearance in 2016 as members of the Big Sky where they lost in the second round to Richmond.

Nicholls State tied Central Arkansas atop the Southland standings but the Colonels were able to earn the automatic bid by beating the Bears 34-14 in October. This is Nicholls’ sixth ever appearance in the FCS Playoff and third in a row. NSU will attempt to build on last season, where they made it to the second round before falling to Eastern Washington.

The winner of this game has the unfortunate luck of drawing overall #1 seed North Dakota in the second round.

#13 Illinois State 8-4 (5-3) at #12 Southeast Missouri State 9-3 (7-1)

Illinois State finished tied for 3rd in the MVFC alongside South Dakota State, whom the Redbirds beat 27-18 to help secure their playoff berth. ISU probably would have earned a first round bye if they hadn’t lost to Youngstown State last week. It’s a real shame, the loss also cost Illinois State home field advantage. The Redbirds are in their eighth FCS Playoff and first since 2016 when they were bounced by Central Arkansas in the first round.

Southeast Missouri State had a very good season, tying Austin Peay for the Ohio Valley championship. The Redhawks enter with a six game winning streak. SEMO are looking to build on last season where they made the second round before losing to Weber State. It’s only the Redhawks’ third ever FCS Playoff selection.

The winner will play 8 seed Central Arkansas in the second round.

#16 Furman 8-4 (6-2) at #18 Austin Peay 9-3 (7-1)

Furman enters the Playoff perhaps a bit underrated. The Paladins finished second in the Southern Conference but only lost 2 games against FCS opponents. Furman are in their 18th Playoff, their first since 2017 which saw the Paladins fall to rival Wofford in the second round.

Austin Peay won the OVC’s automatic bid to the tournament by beating Southeast Missouri State in the regular season 28-24. The Governors are making their first ever appearance in the FCS Playoff, and it’s not a surprise why. Head coach Mark Hudspeth led Louisiana-Lafayette to several Sun Belt titles in his time in the FBS.

The winner of this contest will face 4th seeded Sacramento State in the second round.

#17 Central Connecticut 11-1 (7-0) at #25 Albany 8-4 (6-2)

Central Connecticut had their best season in recent memory. The Blue Devils went undefeated against the FCS and secured their second ever bid to the Playoff after 2017 when they lost to New Hampshire in the first round. The NEC Champions will have a tough road to advance, despite going undefeated in conference play they’ll be on the road the whole time.

Albany finished second in the CAA behind Playoff regular James Madison. The Great Danes managed to sneak in with a bit of help from the schedule, they missed both the JMU Dukes as well as Villanova. Either way, Albany finds themselves in their second ever FCS Playoff after losing in the first round to rival Stony Brook in 2011.

The winner will play 5 seed Montana State in the second round.

Holy Cross 7-5 (5-1) at #14 Monmouth 10-2 (6-0)

Holy Cross won the Patriot League outright despite losing to runner-up Lafayette. The Crusaders come into the tournament as big underdogs and have a tough road ahead of them. Holy Cross are in their third ever FCS tournament and first since 2009. They haven’t yet won a Playoff game in program history.

Monmouth finally broke out in 2019, getting past conference favorite Kennesaw State to win the Big South’s auto-bid to the tournament. The Hawks only lost to FBS Western Michigan and to Montana, who earned a first round bye as one of the eight best teams in the FCS. Monmouth is in the Playoff for the second time ever after their 2017 loss in the first round to Northern Iowa.

The victor in this game will unfortunately have to play 2 seed James Madison.

San Diego 9-2 (8-0) at #6 Northern Iowa 8-4 (6-2)

San Diego once again represents the Pioneer League in the FCS Playoffs after winning the conference handily. The Toreros are playing their fourth straight Playoff and fifth total. They have a bad draw against Northern Iowa.

The Panthers finished 2nd in the FCS Playoffs and were controversially denied a first round bye. UNI has only lost 3 games in I-AA, all to Playoff opponents. Northern Iowa is a fixture in the tournament, and are making their 20th appearance all-time.

The winner plays 7 seed South Dakota State next week.

#15 Kennesaw State 10-2 (5-1) at #11 Wofford 8-3 (7-1)

One of the better matchups of the first round. Kennesaw State was the Big South favorite before falling to Monmouth in the regular season. The Owls have made their 3rd straight FCS Playoff after starting the program in 2015.

Wofford has won the Southern Conference with a 24-7 win over in-state rival Furman. The Terriers have won their last 8 FCS games and are in their 3rd straight Playoff (10th overall). Last season Kennesaw State defeated Wofford in the second round to knock the Terriers out.

The winner here will play 3rd seed Weber State.

#8 Villanova 9-3 (5-3) at Southeastern Louisiana 7-4 (6-3)

I’m not well versed enough in the FCS Playoff to know why Villanova (who could have been given a first round bye), don’t even get home field advantage against Southeastern Louisiana. After starting the season unranked, the Wildcats leapt all the way to 5th in the FCS before losing three straight. ‘Nova steadied the ship and found their way into the Playoff for the first time since 2016. The Wildcats have a strong history in the FCS, having made the tournament 13 times and going deep through most of the 2000′s, including winning the title in 2009.

Southeastern Louisiana were picked to finish 8th in the Southland Conference but have managed to make a spot for themselves in the 24 team tournament. The Lions nearly secured the automatic bid but fell to rival Nicholls State to end the year. SELA is making only their third ever bid to the FCS Playoff and first since 2014 when they lost to Sam Houston State.

The winner will have to travel to Missoula to face 6 seeded Montana.

#college football #North Dakota Fighting Hawks #Nicholls State Colonels #Illinois State Redbirds #Southeast Missouri State Redhawks #Furman Paladins #Austin Peay Governors #Central Connecticut Blue Devils #Albany Great Danes #Holy Cross Crusaders #Monmouth Hawks #San Diego Toreros #Northern Iowa Panthers #Kennesaw State Owls #Wofford Terriers #Villanova Wildcats #Southeastern Louisiana Lions

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junker-town · 4 years ago

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Predicting the 2020 NBA playoffs at the bubble

Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images

Here are our picks for the 2020 NBA playoffs.

Home court advantage doesn’t exist. The schedule is more demanding than ever even without travel, forcing teams to play every other day until they advance or get eliminated. Those summer vacations with family and friends players cherish so much have been replaced by the most intense work environment of their career.

Welcome to an NBA postseason unlike any in league history.

It’s too much to suggest we throw out the previous 72 games (or in the Portland Trail Blazers’ case, 73), but it does feel like the unprecedented circumstances of the 2020 NBA playoffs will create more variance. If you’re the sort of person who likes to complain about the NBA’s postseason too often going chalk, the bubble playoffs could be for you.

The playoffs feel more unpredictable than ever, but we’re going to try to make predictions anyway. Here’s our best guess at what will happen in the NBA playoffs.

Photo by Cato Cataldo/NBAE via Getty Images

2020 Western Conference playoff predictions: first round

No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 8 Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard has caught fire inside the bubble. Jusuf Nurkic is healthy and playing like a top-five center. The Blazers have gone 7-2 since arriving in Disney and just won the first play-in series in league history. Portland is becoming a trendy pick to pull a monumental upset against the Lakers, but that feels too optimistic for one big reason: the Blazers’ defense is a disaster even before they meet LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Portland’s breakneck offensive attack will make this series entertaining, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be competitive. Prediction: Lakers in five.

No. 2 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 7 Dallas Mavericks: The Mavericks had the best offense in NBA history this season. Luka Doncic has been historically productive for a player who recently turned 21 years old. Kristaps Porzingis has averaged 30.5 points per game inside the bubble. It still won’t be enough to truly test the Clippers, whose deep bench and pair of superstar wings gives them the highest ceiling of any team in the league. Prediction: Clippers in six.

No. 3 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 6 Utah Jazz: The Nuggets have stumbled into the postseason at 3-5 since arriving in the bubble, but Denver seems to have found another star in Michael Porter Jr. Porter is averaging 22 points per game since arriving in Disney and gives the Nuggets a dynamic 6’10 shot-maker on the wing. Not having Bojan Bogdanovic at all and Mike Conley at the start of the series is a killer for Utah. Prediction: Nuggets in six.

No. 4 Houston Rockets vs. No. 5 Oklahoma City Thunder: How healthy is Russell Westbrook? That’s the question that hangs over this series after reports he will miss at least the start of this series with a strained quad. The Thunder have been the biggest surprise of the season, and you know Chris Paul would love nothing more than getting revenge on his former team. It’s tempting to pick OKC, but I’m rolling with The Beard. Prediction: Rockets in six.

Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images

2020 Eastern Conference playoff predictions: first round

No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 8 Orlando Magic: It’s a damn shame the Suns missed the playoffs but the Magic and Nets made it. We’re at 20 straight years of Western Conference supremacy and it doesn’t feel like it’s going to stop any time soon. Prediction: Bucks in four.

No. 2 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 7 Brooklyn Nets: Brooklyn has been a pretty incredible story inside the bubble, going 5-3 at Disney despite a roster decimated by opt-outs and injuries. It would be great to see Caris LeVert keep going off like he did vs. the Blazers in the regular season finale, but the Toronto defense is simply too good to allow it. Prediction: Raptors in four.

No. 3 Boston Celtics vs. No. 6 Philadelphia 76ers: Philadelphia was my preseason pick in the East, but this year has been a disaster for them in every way. It just sucks that Ben Simmons is out with a knee injury. A competitive series would be so much fun if only for the smack talk between two of the league’s most passionate fanbases, but it seems unlikely to happen without Simmons. Prediction: Celtics in five.

No. 4 Miami Heat vs. No. 5 Indiana Pacers: It feels like a pretty monumental accomplishment for this Pacers team to get the No. 5 seed while playing without Victor Oladipo for so much of the year. It’s too bad Domantas Sabonis is now out with a foot injury — it would have been wonderful to see him battle Bam Adebayo in the middle. Miami feels dangerous right now. Prediction: Heat in five.

2020 Western Conference playoff predictions: second round

Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 4 Houston Rockets: If Westbrook is fully healthy, Houston’s small ball attack feels like it could give the Lakers trouble. The Rockets do an impressive job of defending the rim without a traditional center. James Harden is playing at an MVP level. Houston has to be due for some good shooting luck in the playoffs at some point, right? I’m tempted to pick the Rockets, but just can’t there. Here’s a bonus prediction: this is the series where everyone starts wondering if Anthony Davis is really the best player on the Lakers. Prediction: Lakers six.

No. 2 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 3 Denver Nuggets: It will be interesting to see how the Clippers chose to matchup with Nikola Jokic. Can they really get away with Montrezl Harrell at five in crunch-time against one of the league’s great centers? Ultimately, it probably doesn’t matter much either way. The Clippers’ talent advantage is too stark for this series to actually get close. Prediction: Clippers in five.

Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images

2020 Eastern Conference playoff predictions: second round

No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 4 Miami Heat: There’s a convincing case to be made that the Heat matchup with the Bucks better than any other team. Miami can throw Bam Adebayo at Giannis and dot the perimeter with knockdown shooters like Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro. This will have to be the series where Khris Middleton proves his amazing regular season numbers can carry over to the playoffs. Here’s guessing this is one of the best series we get in the bubble. Prediction: Bucks in seven.

No. 2 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 3 Boston Celtics: Another great matchup — with two top-five defenses, expect these games to be brutal knockdown, drag out fights. Tatum and Jalen Brown have been so great all year, but I don’t know if they’re ready for the biggest stages quite yet. Kemba Walker’s health also feels like a legit concern. Prediction: Raptors in six.

2020 Western Conference playoff predictions: finals

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 2 Los Angeles Clippers: The series everyone wants to see. It feels like seven games won’t be enough. Can we make this a best-of-13 instead? The Lakers are the only team in the league with a better 1-2 punch than the Clippers, but it’s the rest of their roster that gives me pause. The Lakers just seem to have a few more holes that can be exploited regardless of how amazing LeBron and AD are. Prediction: Clippers in seven.

2020 Eastern Conference playoff predictions: finals

No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 2 Toronto Raptors: Toronto’s defense feels like the single most dependable unit in the league right now. The Raptors finished with the No. 1 defense in the bubble and it wasn’t particularly close. Stopping Giannis without the help of Kawhi Leonard will be the biggest challenge of Nick Nurse’s career, but to this point the Toronto coach has shown incredible creativity in solving any problem his team faces. I think the Bucks will finally miss Malcolm Brogdon in this series. If Milwaukee falls short, it feels likeit will be more of an indictment on Bucks’ supporting cast — which has been incredible all season — than Giannis. Prediction: Raptors in seven.

Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

2020 NBA Finals prediction

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Toronto Raptors: It defies logic that the Raptors have a better winning percentage and a superior point differential this season without Kawhi Leonard than they had with him last season. This is the round where they will really miss him. The Clippers have had the best combination of top-end talent and depth all season. They were my championship prediction back in October. I’m sticking with them. Prediction: Clippers in six.

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ecoorganic · 4 years ago

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Booker leads surging Suns against Thunder

There's no question the Phoenix Suns are the biggest surprise of the NBA bubble as the only undefeated team at 5-0.

The Suns get a chance to continue to shock the basketball world when they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder Monday afternoon near Orlando.

Phoenix (31-39) can keep its postseason hopes alive with another win. It's likely the Suns will need to win their three remaining games in the bubble and get help through losses by the Memphis Grizzlies or Portland Trail Blazers to make a play-in game, but there's no shortage of belief among the Suns.

All-Star guard Devin Booker, who scored 35 points in Saturday's 119-112 win over the Miami Heat, said he's excited to see the team thrilling fans back in Arizona with its play. The Suns haven't been to the postseason since the 2009-10 campaign.

"Since I've been in Phoenix, we haven't had the win success, but the support has been there," Booker told the Arizona Republic. "This is what we owe to the fans, we owe it to the organization. It's been a long time for us and I think this bubble opportunity was big for us and we're taking advantage of it."

It won't be easy. Starting with the Thunder, the Suns play three games in four days to round out the seeding round.

But the Suns are doing things now they never came close to doing before the league shut down due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Phoenix never won more than three games in a row all season, and it's getting production from role players Dario Saric, Jevon Carter, Cameron Johnson and Cameron Payne.

Booker, the team's leader and top scorer, is turning heads with his play, which includes a buzzer-beater to send the Suns to a win over the Los Angeles Clippers last week.

The Thunder (43-26) are chasing the Houston Rockets for the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. They're 3-2 in the bubble, with wins over the Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Wizards and losses to the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies.

Oklahoma City is playing the second of back-to-back games after its 121-103 win over the Wizards on Sunday afternoon. The Thunder never trailed in the game and got a career high 23 points from rookie Darius Bazley off the bench.

"When the ball gets in my hands it's all about just making the right play," a confident Bazley told Fox Sports Oklahoma after the game. "What's the right basketball play? Whether it's shooting that shot or taking the drive or making the pass, whatever it is."

The Thunder played without starting center Steven Adams (bruised lower leg) as well as Andre Roberson (foot soreness), Nerlens Noel (ankle) and NBA Sixth Man of the Year finalist Dennis Schroder, who is away from the team for personal reasons. But Oklahoma City went outside without Adams and Noel, matching a season high with 18 3-pointers.

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actutrends · 5 years ago

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Who deserves a playoff spot most: Kings, Suns or Timberwolves?

The Kings, Suns and Timberwolves are all theoretically in the playoff hunt in the Western Conference. Who needs that spot the most?

So it looks like the NBA draft lottery works! Three teams who miserably tripped over themselves en route to top-10 picks repeatedly over the course of a decade are right in the playoff hunt this season. They are the Kings, Timberwolves and Suns, and at most two of them will make it.

As NBA languishing goes, these franchises are about as bad as it gets. They fumbled around for years to get to this point, and are only here because they got lucky a couple of times in one of the dozen drafts in which they should have found a star. None of them truly deserves it.

There’s also a chance they all fail again. FiveThirtyEight gives Oklahoma City and Portland the best odds to nab the seventh and eighth seeds in the West. Seven teams currently sit within five games of one another in the standings, meaning this thing is far from wrapped up.

When we talk about who is most deserving, though, it’s a whole other discussion from who will make the playoffs. The Trail Blazers and Thunder each were top-six seeds last year. They dueled in the first round. And while we’re discussing deservedness here, the Thunder are probably at the bottom of the rankings based on the fact that Damian Lillard turned the whole franchise into a corpse with one shot:

Newness is just more fun thing to root for when other options have run stale. Circling back to Sacramento, Minnesota and Phoenix (who combined for one playoff appearance this decade), let’s establish criteria to determine which depressing franchise ought to get to the playoffs in 2020:

1. How depressed is the fanbase?

2. How insufferable would the fanbase be if they made it back in?

3. How likable are the players? Are there any guys you especially want to see in the postseason?

4. Are they actually trying to win right now?

5. Is there hope for the future or is this their best chance to make the playoffs?

With those five categories in mind, let’s answer each question for each team and see who wins/loses the most categories. This exercise will totally have an impact on the actual outcome of the race.

1. How depressed is the fanbase?

Phoenix Suns: Relative to the other franchises listed here, the Suns still haven’t outlived the goodwill they collected last decade. The near-Finals berths and 60-win seasons and back-to-back MVP celebrations is too much to give them a full 10-of-10 here.

Still, the past decade has been atrocious. They’ve won 63 games combined the past three seasons. Minnesota and the Lakers are both on pace to make the playoffs this year alone. The Suns’ closest season to a playoff berth was 2013-14 when they accidentally won 48 games and became one of the worst teams in league history not to make the postseason.

The Suns have had a different head coach during each of Devin Booker’s five years in the league. They fired their general manager eight days before the 2018-19 season and James Jones is in his first full year running a franchise. It’s bleak.

Sacramento Kings: The Kings haven’t made the playoffs since 2006. They cannot possibly be less optimistic right now. A random click on a recent article at Kings’ blog Sactown Royalty quickly leads to the word “playoff drought.”

BUT Sacramento is the team many smart people picked heading into the season. They were the ninth-best team in the West last year. They have several promising young players, including Marvin Bagley III, Buddy Hield and De’Aaron Fox. It’s been ugly for a long time, but I can’t quite say it’s been miserable when last year was so promising and their encore has been promising thus far.

Minnesota Timberwolves: The team who made the playoffs most recently is somehow the most miserable. That’s because the savior who got them to the promised land, Jimmy Butler, was so frustrated with the infrastructure in place from top to bottom in the Twin Cities that he left six months after their playoff berth.

Before that, the last playoff appearance was in 2004, when the star of Uncut Gems was on the team.

A sampling from Wolves blogger Andy Grimsrud of A Wolf Among Wolves: “Wolves fans will tolerate losing — a lot of it, in fact. But there needs to be something to cling onto so that hope is not lost. For a stretch of games this season, we had reasons to believe: a suped-up Towns, rejuvenated Wiggins, and an improved team defense. Lately, however, those have gone out the window.”

Winner/loser: Minnesota

2. How obnoxious would the fanbase be if they made it back in?

Phoenix Suns: There aren’t a lot of obnoxious Suns fans. Internet fandom rose to prominence while the Suns were still good, and because their home city is full of old people and parents, theirs are a boring, silent plurality rather than any sort of insufferable monolith. It would be super weird for anyone to say something like, “I hate Suns fans.”

Sacramento Kings: Both Sacramento and Minnesota are going to be jubilant if and when their teams return to the promised land on the back of their young cores. And rightly so. It’s splitting hairs to see who would be worse in this regard.

Worse means the kinds of people who can’t be happy internally. In short, who between Kings and Wolves fans would act least like they’d been there before? With this new rubric in mind I can’t help but jump immediately to Sacramento.

They do this thing where the joke of how bad they are actually takes up way too much headspace among larger NBA fandom relative to how much they actually matter. Their place in the Sam Hinkie Trade Hall of Fame gave them an outsized place in the basketball conversation despite them being mind-bogglingly terrible for a while.

Somehow, I have a feeling we would talk about the Kings making the playoffs more than we did with the Wolves and more than we did with, like, the Indians making the World Series or whatever.

Minnesota Timberwolves: See above.

Winner/loser: Sacramento

3. How likable are their players? Are there any guys you especially want to see in the postseason?

Phoenix Suns: Everyone seems to hate Booker. All of the veterans are guys we’ve already seen in the playoffs. Nothing to really see here.

Sacramento Kings: The main guy of note here is Hield. The continued rise and unexpected development of the Bahamian sweet-shooter is one of the coolest things about basketball this decade for people who watch college basketball. After a wild explosion as a senior at Oklahoma, Hield was drafted to a Pelicans team that had no interest in developing him.

Remember the DeMarcus Cousins trade? Apart from the one year Cousins played for New Orleans before rupturing his Achilles, Hield has been better than the big man since the deal. The Kings have undoubtedly gotten more value out of Hield than the Pels did out of Cousins.

Aside from Hield, the other stories are the Harrison Barnes playoff redemption and seeing Fox on a big stage for the first time. This would be pretty fun.

Minnesota Timberwolves: In Minnesota’s five-game loss to Houston in the first round of the 2018 playoffs, Karl-Anthony Towns averaged 15.2 points on a paltry 54.2 true shooting percentage. Minnesota allowed 120 in the closeout games of the series as the Rockets basically got a break before the semis.

Towns and Andrew Wiggins had a chance to prove we should be excited about seeing them in the playoffs and failed. All the other guys are really young. Pass.

Winner: Sacramento

4. Are they actually trying to win right now?

Phoenix Suns: Undoubtedly. They traded away all their second-round picks until 2022 and signed Ricky Rubio to a big new contract in order to compete this season. The bigger form of pressure is Booker’s continued contentedness, a storyline that will only glow brighter as his new maximum contract goes on.

Sacramento Kings: Not necessarily. They are still playing the long game — and should be. They passed on extending Bogdan Bogdanovic this fall and for once this summer did not sign any guys near retirement to big last-hurrah deals. They have lots of talent, but most of it is young and they can afford to be patient.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Again, not so fast. After trading Butler, they finally immersed themselves in a more traditional build around Towns, hiring Gersson Rosas and Sachin Gupta to lead the overhaul. Their entire core is under the age of 25. They have pressure — like Phoenix — to appease Towns before he starts to look around the league and imagine greener pastures.

Winner: Phoenix

5. Is there hope for the future or is this their best chance to make the playoffs?

Phoenix Suns: There’s plenty of time. Booker is in the first year of his second contract, Deandre Ayton is in his second NBA season, and just about everyone else is on their rookie deal. Though veterans like Aron Baynes and Dario Saric may leave after this season, they are replaceable talents. The young guys are on track to help Phoenix compete for the foreseeable future.

Sacramento Kings: Losing Bogdanovic would hamper the Kings next year. By failing to agree on an extension with Bogdanovic but doing so instead with Hield, Sacramento definitely appeared to pick one over the other. In fairness, they are redundant players. Keeping both doesn’t make much sense.

However, losing Bogdanovic in restricted free agency this summer would leave someone like Justin James to replace that bench scoring production for next year. That means this season may be their best chance to compete.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Rosas’ vision is clearly deep into the future. Placing Jarrett Culver and Josh Okogie in the starting lineup when they’re not all the way ready is one bit of evidence. The decision not to sign anyone except Jake Layman to multiyear deals is another. With Towns and Wiggins locked in long-term, Minnesota has no need to step on the gas right now.

Winner: Sacramento

The part where I decide who will make the playoffs in the West

It has to be the Kings. How crazy is that?

This is exactly why we do this stuff. Combing through all the various factors at once is overwhelming. Laying it all out shows you that yes, in fact, the Kings of Sacramento have the perfect mix of misery, urgency and talent to be the most deserving of a playoff spot in 2020.

The post Who deserves a playoff spot most: Kings, Suns or Timberwolves? appeared first on Actu Trends.

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placetobenation · 5 years ago

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College football fans, we are officially down the home stretch of the college football season. There’s just one weekend of major regular season games left, then conference championships, and then we figure out the Top 4 to play for Clemson’s National Championship. First, let’s look back to last weekend and see what the hot takes were!

LOGAN:

SEC Cupcake Week: Inevitably every year fans of the SEC come upon the week known as Cupcake Week. Cupcake Week always falls the Saturday before the Rivalry Week (AKA the final week of the regular season). This week is when the SEC teams schedule FCS teams to rest up and beat up on a much inferior team. This is always a point of contention with fans of other conferences teams, especially when it comes to playoff positioning. Mississippi State, Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt were the teams that participated in it this year and all coasted to victories over Abilene Christian, Western Carolina, Samford, UT Martin, and ETSU respectively by a combined score of 251-17.

Georgia Wins Defensive Struggle: Georgia has already wrapped up the SEC East, so at this point in the season for the Dogs it is all about making sure you don’t slip up on the way to the SEC Championship. The Dogs welcomed in the Texas A&M this week in what promised to be a very good matchup and if you like defense it was exactly that. The Dogs used their incredible defense to hold down the Aggies all game and squash a late rally to come away with the 19-13 victory.

Big 12 Championship Rematch Set: When GameDay rolled into Waco a few weeks ago, it provided an opportunity for Baylor to prove that they were among the nations elite, while for Oklahoma it was a way to keep them in the playoff hunt. Oklahoma was able to come away with the victory, but we are going to see a rematch in the Big 12 Championship. Baylor was able to qualify with a win this week over Texas, while Oklahoma slipped by TCU. The rematch still has playoff implications but it is likely that both teams would need a lot of help to get there.

Utah Inches Closer Towards the Playoff: Coming into this week, it appeared that the likely matchup in the PAC 12 Championship between Oregon and Utah would likely decide the last playoff spot if both teams took care of business. Well, as my partner will speak on the Ducks did not hold up their end. The Utes headed to Tucson to play the Arizona Wildcats. Unlike the Ducks though, the Utes would dominate the Wildcats and keep their playoff chances alive and well.

Tennessee Becomes Bowl Eligible: The title of this take is something you would’ve never convinced me that I would write. The Tennessee Volunteers could not have had a worse 5 game start to the season, starting 1-4. The job Jeremy Pruitt has done with this team to get them in the position to qualify for a bowl is incredible. With this week’s victory over Missouri, they have accomplished just that. The Vols have reeled off 5 of 6 and have the chance to go from 1-4 to 7-5. Incredible job by the Vols.

SCOTT:

Buckeyes move up: So Ohio State continues to defy the odds with a relatively young coach, amidst studs like Ed Orgeron, Dabo Swinney, Kirby Smart and Nick Saban. Right now the Buckeyes are probably the best team in the country, and after OSU’s 28-17 win over Penn State, only rival Michigan and a Big 10 Championship game they’ll likely win stand in their way to being the #1 seed in the CFP. Even without Casey Young at points this season, the defense is the best in the country. JK Dobbins is an unheralded running back, burning the Nittany Lions for 157 yards and 2 TD. The big game is Saturday in the Big House, which will have over 100,000 rocking fans. Sadly it won’t be rocking on the field. Ohio State should beat Michigan handly.

Ducks get speared by the Sun Devils: Utah has officially replaced Oregon as the hot Pac-12 team on the trail of a playoff spot. Oregon has been banging their drum all season after losing a heartbreaker in Week 1 against Auburn. Then they ran into Jayden Daniels. The Arizona State QB threw for 408 yards on just 22 completions and 3 TD as ASU upset the Ducks 31-28, effectively ending Oregon’s chance for a playoff spot. Justin Herbert threw for 304 yards with 2 TD, but also threw two costly interceptions that killed Oregon drives. The Ducks will likely face the Utes in the conference championship for a date in Pasadena.

Gophers still alive: Minnesota’s 38-22 win over Northwestern puts them at 10-1, and a legit chance at a playoff spot. Tanner Morgan threw 4 TD and the Gopher defense continues to bend but not break. Right now it would be Minnesota and Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship, if OSU beats Michigan and the Gophers can beat #12 Wisconsin at home. Neither game will be a cakewalk, but Minnesota has proven they can step up in a big game. If I were the Buckeyes, I’d do my business with Michigan and get ready because these gophers have nothing to lose.

Irish still fighting for a New Year’s bowl: After those two forgotten weeks where they got blown out at Michigan and then fucked off for three quarters against Virginia Tech at home before winning by 1 point, the Irish seem to have righted the ship. They’ve crushed Duke, Navy and this past week a 40-7 win over fellow Catholics Boston College. Ian Book had three TD’s and has looked fairly solid again after that deplorable performance in Ann Arbor. That loss is looming large against Notre Dame getting a New Year’s Day bowl. Right now they’re slated to face Texas on December 28 in the Camping World Bowl in Orlando. ND would like to upgrade from that. Even if they beat Stanford Saturday and finish 10-2, that’s not a guarantee of anything.

Academies Update: Army had off last week after back to back blowout wins over UMass and VMI. This week they play at Hawai’i to try to even their record at 6-6 and be bowl-eligible. After getting crushed by Notre Dame, Navy rebounded to beat ranked SMU 35-28 in Annapolis. The 8-2 Middies are at Houston this week before the big game with Army, Air Force is 9-2 after a 44-22 win over New Mexico and finish their regular season Saturday at home against Wyoming. On December 15, the Army-Navy game will decide the CID trophy.

So here’s the updated CFP standings:

IN THE PLAYOFF:

1. Ohio State (11-0)

2. LSU (11-0)

3. Clemson (11-0)

4. Georgia (10-1)

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN:

5. Alabama (10-1)

6. Utah (10-1)

7. Oklahoma (10-1)

8. Minnesota (10-1)

Now for this weekend’s biggest games, including on the greatest rivalries in sports, all games Saturday unless noted:

Friday 3:30pm: #19 Cincinnati at #18 Memphis

Noon: #1 Ohio State at #13 Michigan

Noon: #3 Clemson at South Carolina

3:30pm: #5 Alabama at #15 Auburn

3:30pm: #12 Wisconsin at #8 Minnesota

7pm: Texas A&M at #2 LSU

8pm: #7 Oklahoma at #21 Oklahoma State

#IFTTT #Place to Be Nation

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thecollegefootballguy · 7 years ago

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2017 Top Games of the Week: Week 2

Hey everybody, welcome to Week 2! I hope you’re as excited as I am because Week 2 is stacked with good games. Even I was a bit surprised because I left off the Iowa-Iowa State game. I’m a sucker for rivalry series so I like to put it on, but this year Week 2 is too crowded for them to fit.

Anyways, let’s get to the preview.

Top Ten Games of the Week

10. #17 Louisville 1-0 (0-0) at North Carolina 0-1 (0-0)

Series Ledger: 4-3 Louisville Last Meeting: 39-34 Louisville 9/15/2012

This game is a bit more mysterious than I had anticipated. Louisville struggled to corral Purdue in Week 1 while North Carolina was upset by Cal. We should have a better idea where these teams stack up now that they’re playing a conference opponent. This is the first meeting between these teams since Louisville joined the ACC.

9. Nebraska 1-0 (0-0) at Oregon 1-0 (0-0)

Series Ledger: 6-1 Nebraska Last Meeting: 35-32 Nebraska 9/17/2016

These two big brands are trying to gain traction in their conferences. Nebraska has been lost in the weeds for some time now and are waiting on a breakthrough. Oregon, newly fallen to earth, wants to avoid the same fate. This is the first time that the game will be played in Eugene despite seven previous meetings.

8. Boise State 1-0 (0-0) at #20 Washington State 1-0 (0-0)

Series Ledger: 4-1 Washington State Last Meeting: 31-28 Boise State 9/10/2016

Boise State is once again gunning for the coveted Group of 5 slot reserved in the New Year’s Six Bowls. The Broncos have dropped the ball since making the Fiesta Bowl in 2014 and now they have to survive a dangerous Washington State. The Cougars finally beat their FCS opponent, shutting out Montana State, if that means they’re better than last year then Boise has an issue.

7. Utah 1-0 (0-0) at BYU 0-1

Series Ledger: 56-31-4 Utah Last Meeting: 20-19 Utah 9/10/2016

The Holy War! Utah returns to Provo for the first time in four years. Both programs are rock solid, though BYU might have some troubles on offense. The Utes will be a much more reasonable test than LSU. It’s one of the best rivalries in the Western US and I’m glad it’s being played yearly after that short break.

6. #23 TCU 1-0 (0-0) at Arkansas 1-0 (0-0)

Series Ledger: 44-23-2 Arkansas Last Meeting: 41-38 Arkansas 9/10/2016

TCU and Arkansas complete the second leg of their home and home series, the first they’ve played since the Razorbacks left the SWC. Both schools want to be a dark horse in their conference the winner of this could live up to the billing.

5. Pittsburgh 1-0 (0-0) at #4 Penn State 1-0 (0-0)

Series Ledger: 50-43-4 Penn State Last Meeting: 42-39 Pittsburgh 9/10/2016

I am stoked for this one. Pitt’s upset of Penn State last year was one of the better games in the 2016 regular season and knocked the Nittany Lions out of the Playoff. I’m sure that PSU hasn’t forgotten. They’ll be out for blood and looking to crush a Panther team that got pushed into overtime last week against Youngstown State.

4. #15 Georgia 1-0 (0-0) at #24 Notre Dame 1-0

Series Ledger: 1-0 Georgia Last Meeting: 17-10 Georgia 1/1/1981 (Sugar Bowl)

The last time these teams played was in the 1981 Sugar Bowl, and Georgia’s win capped their undefeated national title season. This time, both teams are figuring things out instead of being finished projects. Bulldog QB Jacob Eason is out which will be a handicap for UGA.

3. #14 Stanford 1-0 (0-0) at #6 USC 1-0 (0-0)

Series Ledger: 60-32-3 USC Last Meeting: 27-10 Stanford 9/17/2016

One of the PAC-12′s premier showcase games, I almost put this at the #2 slot because it’s a much bigger rivalry. Last year, Stanford’s early season win over USC kept the Trojans out of the PAC-12 title game and perhaps the Playoff. This time, SC came into the season with everything seemingly figured out. This game will, once again, have big implications in both divisions of the PAC-12.

2. #13 Auburn 1-0 (0-0) at #3 Clemson 1-0 (0-0)

Series Ledger: 34-14-2 Auburn Last Meeting: 19-13 Clemson 9/3/2016

The other Tiger Bowl will have some serious Playoff consequences. Clemson has vaulted into poll position in the ACC now that Florida State lost Deondre Francois for the season. Clemson will solidify their position until that fateful meeting if they can fend off Auburn. Those Tigers could launch themselves into the conversation with an upset over their South Carolina counterpart with a win on the road. It might even make the SEC interesting.

1. #5 Oklahoma 1-0 (0-0) at #2 Ohio State 1-0 (0-0)

Series Ledger: 2-1 Ohio State Last Meeting: 45-24 Ohio State 9/17/2016

Folks, we’ve been blessed by the football gods with two top five matchups in two weeks. It feels good. Needless to say, the winner of this game will be a favorite to make the Playoff, and probably as a 1 or 2 seed. So far, no team has won at home in the three games these programs have played.

5 Group of 5 Games of the Week

5. Western Kentucky 1-0 (0-0) at Illinois 1-0 (0-0)

Series Ledger: 1-0 Illinois Last Meeting: 42-34 Illinois 9/6/2014

Western Kentucky can make a statement with a win over rebuilding Illinois. Or maybe not. The Illini might be terrible again. Still, it’ll be a good win for a Hilltopper program looking to stay among the ranks of the G5′s best programs.

4. San Diego State 1-0 (0-0) at Arizona State 1-0 (0-0)

Series Ledger: 10-0-1 Arizona State Last Meeting: 34-13 Arizona State 9/15/2007

San Diego State is once again prepared to win the Mountain West’s West Division, but win a win over Arizona State they can take a big step in the G5 race. The Aztecs have never beaten the Sun Devils.

3. Houston 0-0 (0-0) at Arizona 1-0 (0-0)

Series Ledger: 1-1 TIE Last Meeting: 37-3 Arizona 9/6/1986

Houston kicks off the Applewhite era with a road trip to Tucson. The Cougars want to assure everybody that they haven’t gone away and a win over a P5 team will help move them along in the post-Herman AAC landscape.

2. Western Michigan 1-0 (0-0) at Michigan State 1-0 (0-0)

Series Ledger: 12-2 Michigan State Last Meeting: 37-24 Michigan State 9/4/2015

Oooooh now wouldn’t this be a fun upset. Western Michigan was giving USC trouble into the 4th quarter last week. As far as we know, Michigan State is not USC. The Spartans are trying to turn around a bad collapse last season that gave them the worst record in the state of Michigan. WMU can keep the pedal to the metal with a win here and once again declare them a viable NY6 contender.

1. Memphis 1-0 (0-0) at UCF 1-0 (0-0)

Series Ledger: 9-1 UCF Last Meeting: 24-17 UCF 10/5/2013

This one shot up the ranks after UCF totally annihilated FIU last week the way that a good P5 school would. Memphis is in the West race and the Knights are now totally in the East race.

Notable FCS Games

5. Montana 1-0 (0-0) at #7 Washington 1-0 (0-0)

Series Ledger: 16-1-1 Washington Last Meeting: 58-7 Washington 9/22/1951

Will this be a good game? Nope. But I’m putting it on here anyways because it’s my blog and I think it’s cool that these teams used to play in the PCC together and haven’t met in over 60 years.

4. #12 New Hampshire 1-0 (0-0) at Georgia Southern 0-1 (0-0)

Series Ledger: 1-0 New Hampshire Last Meeting: 27-23 New Hampshire 11/27/2004 (I-AA Playoffs)

The only time these teams ever met was in the FCS Playoffs which I think it cool. Plus, I think that New Hampshire has a chance of knocking off Georgia Southern again.

3. #8 Villanova 1-0 (0-0) at Temple 0-1 (0-0)

Series Ledger: 16-15-2 Villanova Last Meeting: 41-10 Temple 8/31/2012

These two Philadelphia-area teams actually have a small rivalry and play for a trophy, what’s even cooler is that Villanova leads the series. That lead is on the line when the Wildcats travel to Lincoln Financial to take on Temple.

2. #9 Richmond 0-1 (0-0) at #25 Colgate 1-0 (0-0)

Series Ledger: 4-1 Richmond Last Meeting: 38-31 Richmond 9/24/2016

Colgate knocked off ranked Cal Poly two weeks ago on the road so now the Raiders are looking to do it again against a more formidable opponent.

1. #6 Eastern Washington 0-1 (0-0) at #2 North Dakota State 1-0 (0-0)

Series Ledger: 1-1 TIE Last Meeting: 50-44 North Dakota State 9/10/2016

It’s the FCS equivalent of Oklahoma-Ohio State and it’ll probably be better football than most of the games that are on this weekend.

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junker-town · 5 years ago

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The 5 saddest NBA title defenses of the last 20 years

Dwyane Wade and Shaq had a lifeless title defense for the Miami Heat.

These are the NBA title defenses that never got off the ground floor.

At the onset of Mike Prada’s incredible and emotionally wrought plan to crown the best team in NBA history that never won a championship, several clubs that fell short of raising a banner were disqualified based on the exercise’s criteria. Specifically, teams coming off their own title run, only to have their defense cut short by inexplicable disappointment, bouts of bad luck, or some combination of both.

So while you peruse Prada’s list of 64 teams over the next two weeks, here’s a look at the five saddest title defenses of the last 20 years. For some teams, sadness emanates from fans who look back wondering what could have been, either thanks to a heartbreaking injury, the rapid and unexpected effect of age on a key player, or even an organization-wide arrogance that seizes everyone who just took a champagne bath.

Insecurities revolve around money and minutes. Pecking orders and hierarchical scoring options are called into question. Sometimes, for reasons that remain a mystery to this day, the team’s championship heart just stops beating, or a rival competitor simply “wants it more.” Who knows.

For the purpose of keeping this as concise as possible, no organization appears twice on this list, and anyone eliminated in the Finals or conference finals didn’t make the cut because losing that far along is less sad than never advancing there in the first place.

5) 2011 Los Angeles Lakers

Regular season record: 57-25

Key losses: Jordan Farmar

Key additions: Matt Barnes, Steve Blake

Everyone remembers how this team went out. Near the end of a blowout, Andrew Bynum was ejected for trying to murder a defenseless, airborne J.J. Barea. Anytime violence occurs on a basketball court it’s shocking; this particular incident felt more like the foreseeable release of a sharp frustration that had been bubbling for weeks.

When they dropped their very first game of the playoffs against Chris Paul’s New Orleans Hornets, Kobe Bryant didn’t mince words: “He’s not naturally aggressive,” Bryant said about Pau Gasol, who made two baskets in the whole game. “Even if I’m tired, I’m naturally aggressive.”

Then, earlier in that series against Dallas, Bynum all but confirmed LA’s locker room drama. “It’s obvious we have trust issues,” he said. “Unless we come out and discuss it, then nothing is going to really change.”

Winning one championship is hard. Winning two in a row — as these Lakers did — is a Rubik’s Cube. Three-peats are a first-class ticket to immortality. But for this particular team, one full of championship experience and Hall of Fame talent, to fall short without any tangible explanation ... it almost diminishes the impressiveness of that entire era.

I remember the end of Game 1 against Dallas, watching Bryant back rim a three at the buzzer that would’ve put the Lakers up 1-0 and thinking LA would shake off the cobwebs and win in five or maybe six. When the series ended, I kept going back to Bryant’s three that never was, how it couldn’t have missed by more than an inch, and what would’ve happened from that point on if it went in.

Several factors decide whether a talented team will surge or fizzle at various inflection points on any given playoff run. The psychological momentum held in that one fading three was immense. Had it gone in, the Mavs could have overcome its devastating toll and still won it all, but to do so before earning the collective confidence every champion must acquire would’ve been next to impossible. The Lakers were so close yet so far away.

Their collapse then led to the Dwight Howard-Steve Nash apocalypse, while simultaneously cheating us of a possible Lakers-Heat showdown in that year’s Finals. What a shame.

4) 2000 San Antonio Spurs

Regular season record: 53-29

Key losses: None

Key additions: Terry Porter

San Antonio’s first title defense ended before it began when 23-year-old Tim Duncan tore the lateral meniscus in his left knee during Game 78 of his third season. The Spurs limped into the playoffs as a 53-win, No. 4 seed, where they were swiftly handled by a Phoenix Suns team that didn’t have their own best player (Jason Kidd) for the first three games, thanks to a broken ankle.

Looking back, though, all that really matters are the circumstances that surrounded Duncan’s knee. It’s an overlooked what-if moment in NBA history, full of incredible foresight and head-shaking details that make the whole thing seem avoidable if the Spurs knew then what we know now.

On one hand, Duncan averaged 42.5 minutes in the 10 games before he was shut down, including 48 (!!) in his season finale against Sacramento — a six-point overtime win in which Duncan finished 6-for-22 from the field and was not subbed out at all in the first and third quarters. (To put this in context, Giannis Antetokounmpo has crossed the 40-minute mark twice in the last two seasons.)

On the other hand, Gregg Popovich was wise enough to put Duncan on ice. Who knows how his knee/career would’ve been affected had he played, or even if that year’s champion — the first of three straight for Kobe Bryant’s and Shaquille O’Neal’s Lakers — would’ve been too much for them to handle.

San Antonio swept LA from the playoffs the previous year. The Lakers were talented but unproven, nearly falling against Sacramento in the first round after a 67-win regular season. Eventually they needed a Trail Blazers collapse in Game 7 of the conference finals to finally break through; it’s fair to wonder how any of this would’ve gone down had the Spurs let Duncan loose.

”I don’t know if it was right or wrong,” Popovich said over a decade later. “But we did it.”

Looking back on it, the Spurs had 34-year-old David Robinson (who was still an all-star/monster) and Sean Elliot rounding into shape after a kidney transplant forced him to miss the first three quarters of the season. From there, Terry Porter, Mario Elie, and Avery Johnson (who made one three in 2,571 minutes) were on their last legs, long before Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili injected new life into the organization.

The Spurs famously never went back-to-back in the Duncan era. This was low-key their best chance to do so.

3) 2009 Boston Celtics

Regular season record: 62-20

Key losses: James Posey, P.J. Brown

Key additions: None

Kobe Bryant’s first ring without Shaquille O’Neal came on a 65-win, revenge-fueled Lakers squad that spent all season stewing over their miserable Finals experience the previous June. The wheelchair game. The 24-point comeback at Staples Center (in which Ray Allen made the biggest *layup* of his career). That listless 39-point beatdown in Game 6. In 2009 they weren’t the best Lakers team ever, but did have a healthy and mountainous 21-year-old Andrew Bynum back in the starting lineup. No team in the Western Conference stood much of a chance.

But on the other side of the bracket, the Celtics were their own machine, emboldened by a champion’s aplomb, benefit of continuity, and Rajon Rondo’s steady bloom into a stud. The Celtics started the season 27-2, including a 19-game win streak that was ended on Christmas Day by the 23-5 Lakers.

As every member of their fanbase is well aware, in Boston’s first game after the NBA All-Star Game break the 44-11 Celtics were decapitated when Kevin Garnett injured his knee trying to catch a lob against the Utah Jazz. He tested it out a few weeks later but the results were pitiful relative to Garnett’s usual standards: 9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 16.5 minutes in four games. He wasn’t healthy enough for the playoffs.

Without the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Boston eventually scraped past Derrick Rose’s hungry Bulls in a classic seven-game series that included five games decided by three or fewer points before they blew a 3-2 lead against the Magic. (When it became clear Garnett would miss the entire postseason, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck said this about the first-place Cavs: “They earned home court, they earned the best record, they are clearly a championship-quality team, and in my opinion they have the best basketball player on the planet right now: Mo Williams.”)

A series against the Cavs would’ve been a dog fight even if Garnett’s knee was 100 percent, but, as was made clear the following year, the Celtics were just about impossible to beat four times in seven tries when everybody was healthy. (Did you know their starting five never lost a playoff series? It’s true.)

This was before the three-point revolution, when physicality, size, and defense dictated wins and losses. On that end, Garnett and Boston’s defensive coordinator Tom Thibodeau owned the league with a back line overload concept that everybody else tried to copy. LeBron James was already the best player in the world, but Cleveland had yet to give him enough help.

Garnett’s knee robbed the Celtics of an epic Finals rematch. Instead, Courtney Lee missed a layup, Jameer Nelson forgot how to play transition defense, and the Lakers snuffed out Orlando in five.

One year later, Boston and LA met again, but by then the Celtics were on fumes. Garnett wasn’t the same player, and, even for a team that routinely struggled to score points throughout their time as a championship contender, the 2010 Finals were a particularly bumpy rock fight.

The Celtics emerged from the Garnett era with one ring, which is impressive by itself. But his injury in 2009 stole an opportunity everyone in Boston wished they could have back.

2) 2012 Dallas Mavericks

Regular season record: 36-30

Key losses: Peja Stojakovic, JJ Barea, Tyson Chandler, Corey Brewer, DeShawn Stevenson

Key additions: Vince Carter, Lamar Odom, Delonte West, Brandan Wright

Poor Dirk Nowitzki. It’s either recency bias or the deflating way Dallas allowed its only champion to implode overnight, but this team inspired me to write this article more than any other. The only championship team in franchise history was kind of like a sturdy Jenga tower, if that makes any sense. So long as every piece was in the right place, they had a breadth of complementary skill-sets who all belonged — an embodiment of the idea that the sum can be greater than its individual parts.

Unfortunately, six guys were free agents that offseason, and the only one Dallas retained was Brian “The Janitor” Cardinal, whose three-point percentage dropped from 48.3 to 20.4. Not great!

One particular decision still pains Mavs fans to this day. At the time, with the lockout sewing a modest amount of confusion into every team’s long-term strategy, Mark Cuban sided with long-term flexibility over the 29-year-old defensive anchor Tyson Chandler. Instead of keeping a good thing (with a narrow window of contention) going, they fell in love with the idea of pairing another free agent star with Nowitzki. One in the hand is worth two in the bush, etc.

Hindsight is 20/20, but even at the time this felt icky. Since, the Mavericks have advanced past the first round precisely zero times; in 2012 the Mavs were swept in Round 1 by Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden’s Oklahoma City Thunder. It’s fair to look at the talent in Oklahoma City and say Dallas capitalized on its one and only chance, but Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, and Jason Terry deserved an opportunity to sustain their magic against LeBron James’ Heat one more time.

Chandler went on to win Defensive Player of the Year during his first season with the Knicks, and eventually came back to Dallas in 2015. By then the landscape had shifted. Golden State was starting a dynasty and Nowitzki was 36. “Obviously it would have been better if we could have kept him, right?” Cuban said at Chandler’s press conference in 2014. “But our hand was dealt with all the changes. All’s well that ends well. I think it turned out just the way we wanted, just the way I planned.”

A year later, Chandler was in Phoenix. The Mavs, having thought DeAndre Jordan was in the bag, were left in the cold once again.

1) 2007 Miami Heat

Regular season record: 44-38

Key losses: None

Key additions: None

For these Heat, “sad,” as it’s described in the introduction of this article, equals “pathetic.” This team was as mediocre as it was forgettable as it was disappointing. For just a moment, try and get past the fact they were the first defending champion in over 50 years to get swept from the first round, and instead focus on how they made zero essential changes to their championship roster during the offseason and then lost their season opener by 42 points!

Getting demolished in the playoffs was embarrassing but could at least be blamed on a regular season that was ravaged by injuries (Dwyane Wade missed 31 games and Shaquille O’Neal sat out 42). But to no-show your own ring ceremony? And only score 66 points!? Needless to say, this was officially the worst loss in league history by a defending champ on opening night.

Now, when you throw in the controversy that still surrounds Miami’s 2006 title — Oprah Winfrey might as well have stood on the baseline shouting “You get a whistle, and you get a whistle!” every time Wade drove into the paint — is there any title from the last 25 years that feels more random if that postseason were simulated 100 times? I’m not trying to disparage a championship run, but the league had no boogeyman in 2007, and the Eastern Conference was wide open once again.

In 2008, O’Neal was traded and Alonzo Mourning retired. They won 15 games and were awarded the second pick in the draft, which meant Michael Beasley instead of Derrick Rose. Eventually LeBron James saved Miami from the wilderness and forever altered how that organization is perceived. But back in 2007 they were, as Pat Riley said in early January — when he announced his own indefinite leave of absence to deal with personal health issues — ”We have a championship team that is sideways right now, so this is going to be a great challenge. Keep your notebooks open. We’ll see how it plays out.”

Narrator: It played out like a complete and total catastrophe. Some might point to the injuries and the age-related decline, but that’s kind of an excuse. This team is remembered as a defending champion that had no interest in wanting to do it all over again. That’s not what you want.

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newestbalance · 7 years ago

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NBA notebook: Aldridge talks trade, Hornets officially hire Borrego

When things were going badly between LaMarcus Aldridge and the Spurs during the 2016-17 season, the star forward had told coach Gregg Popovich he wanted to be traded.

Apr 19, 2018; San Antonio, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green (behind) blocks a shot attempt by San Antonio Spurs power forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) in game three of the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

His desire to change teams was so strong that he asked former teammate Damian Lillard if he could talk to Trail Blazers general manager Neil Olshey about bringing him back to Portland, according to a report from Bleacher Report published Thursday.

Aldridge was said to have left the Blazers on bad terms when he signed with the Spurs in 2015, though he has remarked in recent interviews that his relationship with Lillard has improved. Aldridge is coming off his best season with the Spurs, in which he averaged 23.1 points and 8.5 rebounds, after meeting with Popovich several times last summer to iron out their differences.

— The Charlotte Hornets hired longtime San Antonio Spurs assistant James Borrego as head coach on Thursday.

The sides agreed to a three-year deal with a team option in the fourth year, according to multiple reports.

Borrego, 40, spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs and had a previous stint (2003-10) in the same role under Gregg Popovich. Borrego becomes the 11th head coach in franchise history and is the first Latino coach in league history.

“We are thrilled to have James join our franchise,” Hornets president of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak said in a statement. “He brings a wealth of experience and a strong track record of player development from his time as a coach in San Antonio, New Orleans and Orlando. … James is considered one of the NBA’s most well-regarded assistant coaches and it’s great to have him as part of our team.”

Jan 24, 2018; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) shoots against Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul (3) and center Clint Capela (15) in the first quarter at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

—Neither team with homecourt advantage in the NBA conference finals is in the favorite’s position to reach the NBA Finals.

At least that’s the view of the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas. The entity has the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers on a collision course to meet in the finals for the fourth straight season. The second-seeded Warriors opened as -185 favorites to beat the top-seeded Houston Rockets in the Western Conference finals, while the fourth-seeded Cavaliers were installed as hefty -275 favorites against the top-seeded Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals.

Houston won two of three regular-season meetings with Golden State and is a slight favorite to win Monday’s Game 1. Cleveland took two of three from Boston, but Sunday’s opener is rated as even per the Westgate betting line.

—Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki shed the walking boot on his left ankle and said he isn’t ready to declare that the 2018-19 NBA season will be the last of his career.

Dec 17, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) runs into Oklahoma City Thunder forward Nick Collison (4) during the second quarter at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Nowitzki, who turns 40 next month, missed the final four games of the regular season after undergoing a surgical debridement of the ankle in early March. He said he is progressing on schedule and is not rushing his rehab, which could take much of the summer.

The 20-year-veteran also said he is planning on suiting up next season while not ruling out playing beyond that, depending on how he feels on a year-to-year basis. If Nowitzki does keep playing, he will become the first person to suit up in more than 20 NBA seasons with the same team, breaking the record he currently shares with Kobe Bryant.

—Oklahoma City Thunder forward Nick Collison announced his retirement after 15 seasons in the NBA.

“My goal was always to make a career out of basketball, and I was blessed to be in the NBA for 15 seasons,” Collison said in a team release. “As my time as a basketball player comes to an end, I’m so grateful for my family, friends, teammates, coaches, fans, my hometown, Kansas University, the Thunder organization and everyone else who has helped me along the way. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. It has been an incredible journey that I’m proud of, and it would not have been possible to do it on my own.”

Collison, 37, spent his entire career as a member of the Thunder organization after he was selected 12th overall out of Kansas in the 2003 draft by the then-Seattle Supersonics. His decorated career with the Jayhawks included being named national college player of year in 2003.

—Sacramento Kings center Kosta Koufos will exercise his $8.7 million player option for the 2018-19 season, according to a report from ESPN.

Koufos joined the Kings on a four-year, $33 million deal in 2015. The 29-year-old averaged 6.7 points and 6.6 rebounds in 71 games (12 starts) last season.

Koufos has career averages of 5.8 points and 5.1 rebounds in 10 NBA seasons played with the Kings, Memphis Grizzlies (2013-15), Denver Nuggets (2011-13), Minnesota Timberwolves (2010-11) and Utah Jazz (2008-09). He was the No. 23 pick in the 2008 draft by the Jazz.

—Field Level Media

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party-hard-or-die · 7 years ago