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Thursday, April 30, 2015

Grizzlies VS Trailblazers (game 5)

Final Score: Grizzlies win 99-93



Grizzlies win series 4-1

It's all over. Another series finished. The Grizzlies just were too much for the for the hurt and lacking Trailblazers. Let's take a look at what the Portland Trailblazers did right and wrong.

The Blazers had a great contribution form C.J. McCollum as he had 33 points and shot 7-11 from 3 point range. He wasn't enough to give this team the win though. Even though Batum had a horrible shooting night, he still had 10 rebounds and 7 assists. Damian Lillard only shot 1-8 from the 3 point line. He had shot like that all series. Arron Afflalo just couldn't shoot. He was scoreless in the game. The Blazers also had 18 less rebounds than the Grizzlies. All of those things contributed to the loss in game 5 for the grizzlies.

The Grizzlies just played great. They controlled the boards, dominated in the paint, and played great defense. One thing they could have done better is shoot the 3. They only shot about 7% from three point range. That's pretty sad. Defensively, Tony Allen played great. He had 5 steals and 2 blocks. The Grizzlies had an astonishing defensive rating of 94.6. Beno Udrih played absolutley horrible. He had a defensive rating of 111 and an offensive rating of 65.3! That's a net rating of -46.6. Absolutely horrible! Udrih was great in pretty much every game of the series, but game 5 he couldn't do anything. He is going to have to play better in the next series if Conley is still out. If Conley is back, I don't see this guy play much if he continues to play like this. Of course, this was just one game. I expect him to bounce back in game 1 against the Warriors. 

The Grizzlies are moving on. I will miss the Trailblazers and all their crazy three point shooting they gave us. I wish the Grizzlies best of luck going into the next series. They are going to need it.

Hawks VS Nets (game 5)

Final Score: Hawks win 107-97



Hawks lead series 3-2

The Hawks got their game together. And Deron Williams lost his again. I guess it was just a one game kinda deal. The Hawks could put it away next game. Let's breakdown what they have to do.

The Hawks have done okay in this series but they picked it up in this game to the great old Hawks like the time they won all those game in the regular season. I really want to give credit to Jeff Teague who had 9 of his 20 points and 3 of his 8 assist in the 4th quarter. He was such an important in the fourth. Horford just needs to keep doing what he's doing. He had a double-double of 20 points and 15 rebounds with 2 blocks and 2 steals to go along with that. One thing that bothered me was Paul Millsap's play. He only had 10 points in the game. It wasn't much of a concern though. He just couldn't hit shots. In fact, he passed the ball, set screens and really helped out his team. He just couldn't hit shots. Hopefully he can do better next game and the Hawks can put this series away.

The Nets played okay. They played great in the fourth but the Hawks always had an answer on the offensive end. Alan Anderson had a great game coming off the bench. He ended the game with 23 points and 7 rebounds. Deron Williams had 5 points in the game. Not to mention, the team was horrible with him on the court. Deron Williams had a low offensive rating of 97.8 and a horrible defensive rating of 117 when he was on the court. They played best when Jarrett Jack was on the floor. People that say it's because Deron Williams is playing with his ankle hurt, I don't buy that one bit. Deron Williams ran a total of 2.26 Miles while running an average of 4.14 MPH. So don't tell me that he's hurt. The team did great from three point range and I would look for them to shoot more threes. Other than that, there isn't much they can do.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Clippers VS Spurs (game 5)

Final Score: Spurs win 111-107



Spurs lead series 3-2

This was a crucial game. And the Spurs look like they are in great shape for next game. They can put this series away next game. We are all wondering who will win this series. It is probably one of the most interesting series in the playoffs so far. Let's breakdown the Spurs play to start off.

The Spurs had a great bounce back win after the loss they took at home. They had great ball movement and everyone was involved. One guy I really want to look at is Borris Diaw. He had the best plus/minus advantage on his team with +13. What was he doing so great. Just playing great basketball, setting screen, grabbing boards, and just making good defensive plays. Anything that could help his team. His defensive rating (the lower the better) was great at 86.6. You think that good, his offensive rating (the higher the better) was at an astonishing 120.1. That is great. If fact the whole bench had an offensive rating above 120. I was amazed on how well their offensive rating was for the Spurs bench. One thing the Spurs should probably change for next game is the guy guarding Barnes should be in more of a help position. He needs to be able to double team. I really think they should try that out. Another thing is don't have Manu be the main ball handler for the bench. He is more of a shooting guard and had 4 turnovers in just 18:28 minutes.

The Clippers have some work to do. Redick took to many chances and played lazy defense. I would look for him to step it up. This is the playoffs! You need to play your best. Redick fouled out of that game really because of the way he played. Their bench could use a lot more from Jamal Crawford. The Clippers only have 3 people coming off the bench and Jamal Crawford just needs to be regular Jamal Crawford. Again, Blake Griffin just needs to cut down his turnovers. My main problem really was the bench though. Everyone on the bench had a horrible defensive rating all over 125. That cannot happen from your bench. They really need Matt Barnes with the bench and DeAndre Jordan too. Their bench has a great offensive rating. They just need to bring up the offensive rating. Have Austin Rivers, Jamal Crawford, Matt Barnes, Glen Davis, and DeAndre Jordan all out on the court. That would be a great way to start the second quarter.

This is going to be great so tune into TNT 9:30 PM EST to see game 6. This could be the last game of the series and you don't want to miss it.

Rockets VS Mavericks (game 5)

Final Score: Rockets win 103-94



Rockets win series 4-1

It was a nice series while it lasted. Too bad Chandler Parson couldn't play. Too bad Rajon Rondo couldn't make his coach happy. Too bad Patrick Beverley wasn't there. Too bad the Rockets social media manager was fired for making a picture of a horse with a gun to his head (sounds like a social media manager that has no common sense of social media). Too bad Dirk couldn't win another championship. Too bad the refs couldn't have a little more common sense (they were okay, but nobody else seemed to like them). And too bad this series is over.

The Mavericks did a lot of things wrong in this game 5. First off, Devin Harris was a horrible back up for Barea and they should have had Felton back up Barea at point. Second, Amar'e Stoudemire didn't get the touches he needed. He only had 16 touches in the 11:22 minutes he played. If he had touched the ball more and let him get in the post, that would have spaced out the floor better and would have help the Mavs control the tempo a little better. Same with Tyson Chandler. Now they did do a great job of getting Dirk some touches. Third is that they turned the ball over way to many times. They did a great job making the Rockets turn the ball over but they turned it over just as much as the Rockets. The good thing were that J.J. Barea and Dirk had great games. You might be like "Barea!?" Yes Barea. He only had 6 points but he had 9 assists, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals. The thing that stood out to me though, was how he controled the game. He had more touches than Dirk which obviously seems like that his team trusts him. He looked comfortable on the court. Of course, he is familiar with Dirk and this team. Dirk had 22 points and 14 rebounds but he couldn't win. I feel bad for Dirk because he wants to win more than anybody, but he couldn't.

The Rockets had an okay game. Somethings that weren't so good were that stood out. First, there were way too many turnovers. The team had 21 turnovers while James Harden himself had 6. Then, Trevor Ariza shot 1-7 from three point range. The team only shot 52% from the free throw line. And their teams assists were only one more than their teams turnovers. Some good things. Dwight Howard had 4 blocks and 4 steals. Josh Smith had 20 points off the bench. And Dwight Howard had the most touches for the team with 55 which was more than James Harden who had 44, which means that the floor is spaced for this three point shooting team and they don't rely on Harden as much.

Like I said, this was a great series, but it's over, so that's it for the Mavericks. Great time watching them and I will miss this team.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Grizzlies VS Trailblazers (game 4)

Final Score: Trailblazers win 99-92



Grizzlies lead series 3-1

The Blazers finally get one. It took them a while. It really didn't look like they'd get one either. Damien Lillard finally started to get his game together, and you could see how great the Blazers can be. But they can do better. Let's see how.

The Trailblazers get the win. How? Let's look at Lillard. He had 32 points to go along with 7 assists. The guy that stood out to me was Nicolas Batum. He had a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. He also had the best defensive rating on his team. The biggest thing was Meyers Leonard and C.J. McCollum. They both a plus/minus of 23 and had the best offensive ratings for their team. They needed to step up as Afflalo ended the night shooting 0-5 from the field and had no points. They are going to have to have him step up in the next game though.

The Grizzlies played great. They were missing Mike Conley but that can't be an excuse. Zach Randolph can't be shooting 20 shots and only making 6. He also can't have 3 of the Grizzlies 9 turnovers. That can't happen. They also need to rebound better. The lost in the rebounding section 40-50. The Grizzlies should be the best rebounding team. Get a body on Batum. Other than that they looked pretty solid. Gasol was regular Gasol with 21 points and 6 assists. But he only had 7 rebounds. The Grizzlies are a great team and they just need to step up their game a little bit. If they can do that, they will win this series. 

Bulls VS Bucks (game 5)

Final Score: Bucks win 94-88



Bulls lead series 3-2

Bucks are not out. Don't count them out. Jason Kidd knows what he's doing. He won a series last year with the Nets. Let's breakdown what the Bucks have to do to win their next two games first.

The Bucks played great. Michael Carter-Williams played probably his best game ever. He had a near triple-double with 22 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds. What stood out the most though was on the defensive end. The PG had 3 blocks and 1 steal and kept Rose to just 13 points. They could clean up the turnovers a little bit as MCW had 4. In this game it just seamed like the Bucks just wanted the ball. Everyone on the team averaged over 4 MPH. The other thing is that when the bench was on the court, their offensive pace stepped up.

I hate how everyone is saying Derrick Rose is looking like an MVP candidate again. He had 2 semi-good games in the playoffs. All the others were somewhat okay. Let's put it this way. If Kevin Durant had a 13 point night shooting 0-7 from three point range, would that be an okay night. No, that would be a horrible night for him. Rose couldn't do anything right and he had 6 turnovers. So stop criticizing MCW for having 4. Next was Nikola Mirotic, Tony Snell, and Aaron Brooks who showed minimal effort on the court. The whole reason to have a bench is so they can produce while your starters are resting and can bring effort. They need to show some more effort out there next game if they are to win. It was just a poor game for the Bulls. They have to change something here and soon. 

Hawks VS Nets (game 4)

Final Score: Nets win 120-115



Series tied 2-2

Wow, this was a crucial game. The Hawks could have carried momentum back home with a lead in the series. Then Deron Williams came. Out of nowhere. Let's start off with the Nets.

Deron Williams scored in single digits and shot horrible from the field in the first three games. Last night he scored 35 points and 7-11 from 3-point range. He also had 7 assists and 3 steals. Good for Williams. This is what I said that needed to happen for the Nets to win. Deron Williams needed to produce. They could use a little more from the bench. It seems like every night that their bench does absolutely nothing. Other than that, they are doing better than anyone would expect and hopefully can keep rolling.

The Hawks played pretty good. One thing I want to point out. Korver shot 13 threes tonight and only made 4. Why doesn't he shoot 13 when he's making them. He shoots more when he is missing. It makes me so upset. Another thing is that they need to get a person the ball more when they are making shots. I like the whole "sharing" thing but there needs to be a time when someone just needs to get the ball and make something happen. They needed more plays for Carroll. He shot 8-15 from the field and 4-5 form 3 point range. He ended the game with 20 points. He needs to end with 28 in that game. Last, they just need to limit the turnovers. Let's look at the good though. They surprisingly out-rebounded the Nets by 55-40 rebounds. That's a big difference. The Hawks just need to make some minor adjustments. If they can do that, they shouldn't have any trouble winning.

Monday, April 27, 2015

Let's Get Caught Up!



Sorry for your inconvenience. I was away for a little bit. The hotel I stayed at had really bad wi-fi.  It sucked. Which pretty meant no posts for you people. But have no fear, the TV at the hotel had TNT and ESPN so I was able to watch the games. And let me tell you, the time I was gone a lot happened, so I will breakdown all the series right here in this post. Well, here we go!

Warriors VS Pelicans: This was a great series. Too bad it's over. Stephen Curry played his greatest basketball yet in this series and remember, his career is far from best. Obviously, they should have fouled Curry right when he got the ball, but his release is so quick on his shot. So what they should have done is allowed Curry to get the ball by pressuring him from behind and quickly fouled him when he got the ball. It's not the best solution at the end of a game, but it was probably the only way to possibly win one game. But instead they lost. It was great while it lasted but we all know, there was no way for Anthony Davis to carry this team by himself against this Warriors team.
Warriors win series 4-0

Atlanta VS Brooklyn: It's quite obvious to me that Brook Lopez is the dominant player in this series. But he needs to use that to his advantage more. Ever notice that Markel Brown didn't play in game three and Mason Plumlee played only about 4 minutes. They need to play him a little more. He is a great player and they have to get him involved. Deron Williams needs to get it together. He hasn't been able to do anything, including making warmup jumpshots. It's just sad.
Atlanta leads series 2-1

Trailblazers VS Grizzlies: Damien Lillard has been way to inconsistent and they need him to step up if they are going to win one game. LeMarcus Aldridge can't take on this much. I think that Conley with the hurt foot is playing better than Lillard. He needs to step up. As for the Grizzlies, they are doing great on both ends, they just need to keep it up.
Grizzlies lead series 3-0

Raptors VS Wizards: who would have thought that the Wizards would have swept the Raptors. The Raptors really took way too many jumpshots and it hurt them. They couldn't get back. It was horrible defense. You take a look at John Wall and he got passes 4 players to get to the rim and he got a foul. It was lazy and all they did was foul him. It was just sad. Paul Pierce just put this team away again.


"Paul Pierce Wizards" by Keith Allison - Flickr: Paul Pierce. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paul_Pierce_Wizards.jpg#/media/File:Paul_Pierce_Wizards.jpg
 
Clippers VS Spurs: Danny Green needs to step it up. He has shot poorly and needs to step it up. The Hack a Shaq strategy has worked well and has took them out of there offense. If Chris Paul can keep producing like this, the Clippers could easily run away with this series. One good thing for the Spurs is that Tony Parker looks fine. He is did great in game four.

Bulls VS Bucks: This is just a series which is pretty much who can score more. If you can outscore the other team, you pretty much win. That should be more of the mentality for the Bulls. The Bulls could have put it away when the Jareds kept the series alive. Perfect pass and finish.

Rockets VS Mavericks: The last game was great. The Mavs played their best basketball this season last night and you owe it all to Barea and Ellis. Barea has played great and fits well with the Mavs. I honestly think that the Mavs can comeback. They have great talent and there offense was really great. They just need to keep playing that way.

Cavaliers VS Celtics: Wow, this was an intense atmosphere. J.R. Smith has a two game suspension, Kendrick Perkins got fined and Kelly got a one game suspension for next season. Tough for the Cavs though. Kevin Love is out for the Semi-conference finals. It will be tough for them if they go against the Bulls. They will be without Smith for 2 games and won't have Love. But the Cavs swept the Celtics, and I don't think loosing Love and J.R. was worth it.

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Clippers VS Spurs (game 2)

Final Score: Spurs win 111-107



Series Tied 1-1

An Overtime win for the Spurs is a win. Duncan had a great game and so did Leonard. They just played a great game. They got some stops and won it. Why? Patty Mills was part of it. He had a great game with 18 points. He always seems to come out around playoff time. They played Spurs basketball. Tony Parker needs to step it up though. He only had 1 point in the game and 5 assists. He needs to step it up if this team is to keep winning.

The Clippers on the other hand could use Jordan to make more Free Throws. He only shot 35% from free throw and shot 6-17 from the line. Next they need to be able to finish the game. They missed two crucial possessions to put the game away, but instead it went into overtime where they lost. The last thing, they need more from the bench. The Spurs have a large bench while the Clippers bench has Jamal Crawford. Besides Crawford, the bench for the Clippers scored 6 points. That is not enough and I fear that the Clippers will run out of gas and loose this series.

With the series tied, who will take the advantage in San Antonio?

Grizzlies VS Trailblazers (game 2)

Final Score: Grizzlies win 97-82



Grizzlies lead series 2-0

The Trailblazers are having a tough time in this series. Let's take a look at their problems. First off, Damien Lillard was shooting horribly. He shot 30% from the floor and 20% from three point range. Next off, they didn't do too great on offense on passing and getting open shots as Coach Nick described. They shot 71 contested shots and only 41 open shots. They only made 19 of 31 shots at the rim. They are simply not getting open shots and not running through the offense. If they are to win at home now, they have to run their offense.

The Grizzlies were great. One thing that they did well of was getting Marc Gasol touches. Marc Gasol had 5 assists in the game and 86 touches in all. The next thing was their defense. It was great, and their bench was even better. Green, Koufos, Udrih, and Carter all had a defensive rating under 90. That is great. Everyone on the Grizzlies had a positive net rating as all of their offensive ratings were better than their defensive, while all of the Trailblazers were a negative net rating. The next thing is that they limited their turnovers to only 5. That is great as the Traiblazers will feed off of transition points. If they keep this up, they will be moving on.

Hawks VS Nets (game 2)

Final Score: Hawks win 96-91



Hawks lead series 2-0

"Deron Williams for the tie! No Good! He Missed the Wide Open Jumper!" This was the most disappointing game for Deron Williams yet and the Hawks took the win. I will break down this win here. Let's start with the Nets.

The Nets kept it close the whole game. Jarrett Jack had a great overall game as he played a big part in that game. And guess what! Teletovic is back. He only played about 4 minutes, but still, it's nice to see him on the floor. Deron Williams really has to step up in this series though. He only had 2 points and missed a game tying shot. Also, point guards Jarrett Jack and Deron Williams had a combined 7 turnovers. You can't have that happen, especially against a great transition team like the Hawks. Thaddeus Young only had 2 points as well. The Nets need some more players to step up in this series if they are to get a win.

The Hawks had another great team win. Carroll Had an off game but the rest of the team stepped it up. One thing that they need to bring up though, is their Field Goal %. They shot under 40% from the field. Al Horford had a great game and a near triple-double. He 14 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 blocks. Great game. If they keep this up, I expect them to sweep this series if they can bring their Field goal % up.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Playoffs Day 4

Cavaliers VS Celtics

Cavaliers lead 2-0


Raptors VS Wizards

Wizards lead 2-0


Rockets VS Mavericks

Rockets lead 2-0


April 22
  • Hawks VS Nets game 2
  • Grizzlies VS Trailblazers game 2
  • Clippers VS Spurs game 2

Rockets VS Mavericks (game 2)

Final Score: Rockets Win 111-99



Rockets lead series 2-0

Lets start this game off with the Mavericks.

The Mavs will not have Parsons for the rest of the playoffs. Rondo will be benched. Coach Nick told you why in the video. He is not helping the team. He only played 9:55 minutes in the game. What do the Mavs do. Let's take a look at the good. The bench played great, especially Barea and Felton as they played wonderful together. I was actually how great these two smaller guard player alongside each other. But them again, Felton was a decent player, and Barea is just a really physical guard. They are going to be crucial in games to come. The thing they need to cut down is threes. They only hit about 27% of them and shot a total of 20. Houston only shot 20 threes. It's not a good sign if you shoot more than them.

The Rockets are doing great. Dwight Howard really got into this game. Not to mention that Corey Brewer and Josh Smith are doing really great off the bench. They are staying aggressive and they have to if they are to win their next two games. The other thing I was impressed with was Dwight Howard at the line. He got to the line, and he shot well from the free throw line, shooting 8-11 from free throw. It was just a good overall team game. I they can have their next two games like this one, they will move on to the next round.

Raptors VS Wizards (game 2)

Final Score: Wizards win 117-106



Wizards lead series 2-0

This was a great game for the Wizards as they have a chance to put the series home with them leading the series 2-0. Let's take a look at the Wizards first.

The Wizards played great. They found out a way to get DeRozan contain a little bit. One player taht had a great game was John Wall. After having a tough offense game, he came back with 26 points and 17 assists! Just a wonderful performance from him. Bradly Beal was hitting a bunch of shots on the floor and was well spaced through-out the game. They just played great overall basketball as they out scored Toronto in the 2nd and 3rd quarter by 27 points.

Toronto has a lot of work to do. They must play Wall really good and force the ball out of his hands. They can't let him even touch the ball. Wall is a play-maker not only for himself, but for his teammates especially. He had 17 assists in the game but also 111 passes in the game. The was the most for any player, and he was the only player with over 100 passes in the game. Lowry and Vasquez combined had only had 93 passes and they were the leading players for passing for their team. They need to take Wall out of the game. The second thing they need to do if they are to stay in this series is to stay out of foul trouble. DeRozan had 5 fouls and Vasquez, Williams, and Amir Johnson all had 4. However, out of those 27 fouls from the Raptors, the Wizards only shot 34 free throws meaning that alot of the Raptors fould were floor fouls which they need to cut down.

It could come down to 2 games at Verizon center. The Wizards could put this one away, but you know the Raptors want at least 1 more game at Air Canada Centre.

Cavaliers VS Celtics (game 2)

Final Score: 99-91



Cavaliers Lead Series 2-0

This was a great game with lots of improvements from game 1. Everyone was more comfortable and people were playing great. Let's take a look at the Cavs first.

The Cavs played aggressive and great. Love looked more comfortable and was better defensively. He had 2 blocks and had an awesome alley-oop dunk. One thing that was concerning was LeBron having way too many turnovers. He finished with 6 in the game. The whole Cavs bench wasn't that good on the court. The all had a negative plus/minus advantage on the court. J.R. Smith shot horribly from the floor. He shot 3-12 from the floor and 1-8 from the 3-point line. One great thing is that he didn't jack up 18 threes, (although 8 is still a little much), but he was more defensively minded. He had 5 steals in the game.

The Celtics had a pretty good game again. One question I have is why does Avery Bradly put up more shots when he is missing. In game one he shot poorly and put up a ton of shots. In game 2 he shot semi-good but only put up 2 threes and 8 shots. He had made both his threes. Even though Bradly was perfect from deep, the Celtics shot poorly from 3-point range overall. They shot 22 threes while only shooting about 27%. Kelly Olynyk does need to get involved in the offense a little better. That's what lots of people say. I think he is fine though. He get good quality looks for himself and others. He lead his team in plus/minus with +13. He was one of three players above 0.

This is a great series. We all thought this would be a walk through the garden (get it, Boston Garden) but the Celtics have been a tougher match than anyone would have expected. We'll see if they can win one here.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Playoffs Day 3

Bucks VS Bulls

Bulls lead series 2-0


Warriors VS Pelicans

Warriors lead series 2-0


Games on April 21:
  • Cavaliers VS Celtics (Game 2)
  • Raptors VS Wizards (Game 2)
  • Rockets VS Mavericks (Game 2)

Warriors VS Pelicans (game 2)

Final Score: Warriors win 97-87



Warriors lead series 2-0

Great game with a great comeback from the Warriors. This was a game where great shots were made and great offense was executed. Let's take a look at the Warriors to start.

The Warriors were great. They struggled in the first half but eventually caught up and won the game. It all came down to the 4th where the Pelicans were outscored 26-16. A great player on the floor for this Warriors team is Draymond Green. He had 1 Block and 3 steals to go along with 14 points and 12 rebounds. The best thing about Green was his +/-. His plus minus was a total of 24. He lead the team in that stat. The Splash Brothers just need to keep doing their thing. If they can keep Draymond Green playing great, this team is pretty much assured to move on.

The Pelicans did great and then lost it. I just have to say, Monty Williams is stupid. He came out and asked for the Warriors crowd to quiet down. Of course the Warriors crowd did the opposite, they got louder. Let's take a look at Anthony Davis. He had 2 blocks and 2 steals. That's okay, but he is having trouble defending because the Warriors are a perimeter team. I honestly think that Davis needs to start at center and have Asik back him up. Start Anderson or Cunningham. They are more apt to defend against a perimeter team. It's going to be tough. Hopefully they can pull off a win. Can they? What do you guys think? Will this series be a sweep for the Warriors? Comment below. 

Bulls VS Bucks (game 2)

Final Score: Bulls Win 91-82



Bulls lead series 2-0

Wow, game two was intense. Come on guys, you got at least 2 more game together. You wouldn't think that by watching the first quarter, it would be like that. The Bulls had only 11 points in the first while the Buck only had 16. It was a slow game to start. Let's take a look at the Bucks to start off.

The Bucks have to have more production. Middleton did great. He had 22 points, but others need to have more offense. Giannis "The Greek Freak" Antetokounmpo shot 2-11 from the field and had 6 points. You can't be missing wide open layups in the playoffs. What I really liked with this team is that they had great cuts, ball movement, and spacing. This was a problem with this team. If they evened it out, this would have been a closer game. Rebounding. The Bucks were out-rebounded 48-64. You need to get a body on someone. You can't allow these second chance points. They need to rebound better.

The Bulls just need to keep performing. Derrick Rose picked it up in the second half but he need to score and shoot well. Butler made up for it in this game though as he had a total of 31 points. I honestly think a great way to beat this Bucks team would be to outscore them. The Bucks don't seem like they can score that well, and if the Bulls take off with points, the Bucks won't be able to keep up. Like Jason Kidd said, the Bucks game is playing at a slow pace. If you play at a fast pace, that will throw their game off.

Monday, April 20, 2015

Playoffs Day 2

Cavaliers VS Celtics

Cavs lead 1-0

Hawks VS Nets

Hawks lead 1-0

Grizzlies VS Trailblazers

Grizzlies lead 1-0

Clippers VS Spurs

Clippers lead 1-0

Clippers VS Spurs (game 1)

Final Score: Clippers win 107-92



Clippers lead series 1-0

This was a game where the Spurs got a look at what the Clippers are capable of. Blake Griffin and Chris Paul were dominant over this Spurs team. Let's take a look at the Clippers first

Blake Griffin and Chris Paul had a combined total of 58 points. These two players alone had over half their team's points. They have to keep looking to them. You know that Greg Popovich will be looking to contain both of these players so Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are going to have to find some more ways to score in a best of 7 series. There is really nothing you can do with DeAndre Jordan's free throws. He shot 5-12 from the free throw line which is below 50%. My suggestion is to get DeAndre more touches in the post and get him to score. This will get him going and it will make the Spurs more hesitant to foul. Other than that, they just need to keep going with their offense and defense.

The obvious for the Spurs is that they need to stop Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. You can't let two players score over 50% of their scoring. They also need more scoring. The most points of a player was 18 by Leonard. The next player had only 11 who was Duncan. There was a lot of one v one in that game with the Spurs offense. They just didn't look like the Spurs. Last is that Diaw and Green need to make shots. Those players combined shot 4-23 from the field and 1-12 from the 3 point line. They need to produce well if this team is going to see them winning in this series.

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Grizzlies VS Trailblazers (game 1)

Final Score: Grizzlies win 100-86



Grizzlies lead series 1-0

Trailblazers could not take the Grizzlies as the Grizzlies had a blow-out win. The Grizzlies had great production from the bench and played great inside defense. Let's take a look at the Trailblazers and what they need to change next game.

Damien Lillard is an inconsistent player. He will score 30 one night and 0 the next. This was a night where he just couldn't make anything. He was 0-6 from three point range and finished with 14 points. For them to even have a chance to win a game, they need Lillard to produce. Aldridge is doing his part. He had a total of 32 points and 14 rebounds. That is not enough though. Nicolas Batum just has to keep doing what he is doing, which is everything. This guy is doing everything out on the court. Keep it up Batum.

The Grizzlies are doing great. They are playing great defense, getting everyone involved, and their bench is producing. Udrih had 20 points off the bench. They can work on their spacing a little. Sometimes it seems like they are all cramped up on the court and they need to space out a little. The only other thing is for Conley to get better. He is a crucial part of their offense and defense. Other than that, just keep it up.

Hawks VS Nets (game 1)

Final Score: Hawks win 99-92



Hawks lead series 1-0

This was a great game. Both teams I thought played pretty good. It's hard to beat the Hawks though. They play good overall basketball. This was a game where so many players had great games. Let's take a look at the Hawks first.

The Hawks were great. Not to mention, they have just shown something that they had never shown before. Trying to get someone the ball. Now, I'm not talking about "give the ball to LeBron and watch what he does." I'm talking about, this guy is making shots, he will draw attention when we give him the ball, which will give us good shots. Lets give Korver the ball more. Korver ended the game with 21 points and 5-11 from 3-point range. That is really good. If they are to make it to the finals, they need someone they can give the ball to and count on to make a shot or play. That guy in this game was Korver. Now, it wasn't like Korver was the only one getting the ball. Everyone was scoring, that's Hawks basketball. They just seemed a little more apt to get it to a single person.

The Nets need to change a little bit. In this game, the scoring was even all around for their team. Which is what you want to see from the Nets. The biggest problem was turnovers. Young had 4 and Jack had 5. The whole team had 17. That needs to go down. The second thing is free throw percentage. The Hawks and Nets took the same amount of free throws but the Nets made 15-22 Free throws. The Hawks made 21-22. That is a 6 point difference. If the Nets made the same amount as the Hawks, the final score would be 99-98. But the outcome would be different. The Nets would have a chance to tie and play the foul game if it were that close. But it wasn't that close because the Nets didn't make their free throws and the Hawks did.

This is going to be though for the Nets. They don't play that well at home and I don't think they can win that much against the Hawks on the road. It's going to be tough for the Nets. I would like to see them prove me wrong though.

Cavaliers VS Celtics (game 1)

Final Score: Cavs won 113-100



Cavs lead series 1-0

It was close throughout the first half. The Cavs won the game in the 3rd quarter though. Although, it's hard to win against the Cavs with your best player coming off the bench. Take a look at the Cavs. Love, LeBron, and Irving had a combined total of 69 points, 13 assists, and 21 rebounds. That is 61% of their teams points, 68% of their teams assists, and 45.5% of their teams rebounds.

Kevin Love struggled in the first half but ended up with 19 points. Kyrie had a total of 30 and James had 20. The main thing that the Celtics have to do is take all three of these players out of the game. That is going to be hard to do and I don't think any team can do it. I would look for them to force the ball out of Irving's hands and into LeBron's hands. LeBron thinks he is the best ball handler on the floor. Lets be honest now, Irving is. LeBron had 5 turnovers in the game and Kyrie only had 1. If you have LeBron handle it he will turn the ball over. You really need to make sure Irving passes it off. Irving will take you one on one, while LeBron's iso is not nearly as good.

As for the Cavaliers, they need to get all three of the players involved like they were doing. I am okay with Kyrie in isolation because he can pass the ball and make shots for him so easily but LeBron isn't that great of a ball handler and I would not want him in Iso. Sure if there is a miss-match, post up or Iso. But other than that, just run through the plays. The most successful teams get everyone involved like the Spurs and Hawks for example. If you get everyone involved, you will win. It's that simple.     

Playoffs Day 1

April 18th

Raptors vs Wizards:Wizards 1-0



Warriors VS Pelicans: Warriors 1-0



Bulls VS Bucks: Bulls 1-0



Rockets VS Mavericks: Rockets 1-0




Games on April 19th:
  • Cavs VS Celtics
  • Hawks VS Nets
  • Grizzlies VS Trailblazers
  • Clippers VS Spurs

Rockets VS Mavericks (game 1)

Final Score: Rockets Win 118-108



Rockets lead series 1-0

Tough game for the Mavs. They did a great job with Howard and Harden. Who would have thought that Brewer would come out with 15 points and shooting 3-4 from 3-point range though. The Mavs just got to keep it up. The way I see it, the Rockets just got lucky this time. The Mavs played their best they had played all season really. Just the fact that Terry and Brewer were knocking down hard shots made it a tough game for the Mavs.

Playoff Rondo! It looks like he's here. He had 15 points, 5 assists, and only 5 turnovers! That is pretty good for Rondo. Everyone was in the game. Ellis was doing great. Dirk had an amazing night. The only thing is I want to see Parsons do a little better. He was 0-4 from 3-point range. Also, Dirk needs to limit some turnovers

The Rockets just need to keep doing what they were doing. The Mavs took out their main guys and the Rockets found a way to get everyone involved. They played great basketball. Passed the ball. If they keep this up, they could find themselves going on to the next round.

Bulls VS Bucks (game 1)

Final Score: Bulls win 103-91



Bulls lead series 1-0

This is tough. This Bucks team is going against a great offensive and defensive team. Not to mention that Derrick Rose is back and he is healthy. Him and Jimmy Butler had a combined total of 48 points. The other part the the Bucks lost badly in was rebounding. The Bulls had a total of 52 rebounds while the Bucks had 41.

One thing that the Bucks could do better is use Bayless a little more. He had 11 points and lead the team with assists with 5. That is pretty good. One thing the Bucks did great with though is getting steals. Kris Middleton got a total of 4 steals in the game. When I was watching the game, I saw both teams going after the ball all the time. If it was going out of bounds, someone would get it.

The Bulls really need to limit their turnovers. All their starters had 2 turnovers except for Rose who had 4. It might not be a problem right now, but it could be a problem later if they meet the Cavs in the second round. They need to make the easy passes. I saw Rose take a lot of gambles with his passes, throwing skip passes sideline to sideline.

The Bulls can't rest. Jason Kidd is going to try to find a way to beat this team and the Bulls need to be ready for that. They need to keep the momentum going. They can't stop.

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Warriors VS Pelicans (game 1)

Final score: Warriors win 106-99



Warriors lead 1-0

The Warriors were harsh on this Pelicans team. They showed no mercy. Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry had a combined total of 55 points. If the Pelicans are to win even one game, they have to force Klay and Curry to pass the ball to other teammates. The other thing the Pelicans need to do is protect the paint. They were so focused on Curry and Klay, they didn't notice other players cutting, leaving the paint unprotected.

It seems like Asik and Davis can't keep up in trasition and they just need to ignore trying to get second chance points and get back on defense. Those two need be the line of defense for transition. Cunningham and Pondexter can't even try to grab rebounds. They need to get back as soon as their team shoots.

Anthony Davis had a great night with 35 points but he needs other help if they are to win a game. You can't have two of your starters combining for 3 points. The Warriors are going to make Davis pass at some point, and the Pelicans need to know how to respond to that.

I would like to see more of Livingston. He was great last year with the Nets in the playoffs. I think the Warriors should play him more in this series before they play against more tough teams to get him going. He only played about 13 minutes in this game.

Well, I would like to see the Pelicans come out with a win in the series. They obviously won't win the series (however, the Pelicans have proved me wrong before.)

Raptors VS Wizards (game 1)

Final Score: Washington Wins 93-86 in OT



 Washington leads series 1-0

Paul Pierce is a Villain in Toronto. He lead another team to another win against Toronto in the first game of the playoffs. Air Canada Centre is a hard place to play. It is so loud and for the Wizards to win there, that makes the win so much more important. The Wizards got off to a slow start but caught up and had the lead for the whole second half. Of course Vasquez has to come out and tie up the game. The Wizards had control in overtime though and they came out with the win.

I noticed at the beginning of the game, the Wizards had trouble getting the ball inside. They shot a lot of mid-range jumpers and threes. Toronto didn't really get to the paint til the second half. Toronto would have had an easy game if they forced the Wizards to force up jumpers.

Once you force up a jumper, you have to get the rebound. Toronto rebounded horribly. The Wizards out-scored them 61 to 48. Not to mention, the Wizards had 19 offensive rebounds.

What made me mad was Toronto was drawing tons of fouls and that was a result of the Wizards doing a lot of lazy defense. They switched on defense way to much. They need to hedge more. Toronto seems like a more perimeter oriented team and I would hedge more on them. The Wizards were really lazy and just didn't want to hedge. Instead of them playing good defense they ended up sending them to the line. They did pick it up in the second half though.

DeRozan was playing pretty well, but John Wall and Sessions kept Kyle Lowry contained. He ended up fouling out of the game and only had 7 points. That was a crucial point to Washington's win. If they can keep Lowry contained for the rest of the series, the Wizards will have a great chance to win the series.

Pierce was going absolutely crazy in the game. He lead his team with 20 points and he was 4-7 from 3 point range. If Toronto is going to have any chance in this series, they have to keep Pierce contained.

Anyways, congrats to the Wizards on the win but they have one more at Air Canada Centre before they go off the Verizon for 2 straight games. Can they get 4 wins, or will they fall to the Raptors?

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Playoff Outlook 2015 (first round edition)



In this post I will explain the playoffs and the outcomes of it. There are many possible outcomes and I will try to describe them all.

It came to my attention that I should write this post when my friends and I made some NBA Playoff brackets. We gave one to our Spanish teacher. She has no knowledge of the NBA, whatsoever (all though she knows a lot about the 90s in the NBA). She asked me to make a post for people like her that don't have much knowledge of present day basketball and how to fill out her bracket. I told her I will, and look where I am now, typing this post for her, so I'm dedicating this post to my Spanish teacher.

Well anyway, lets get started.

East: Round One

Hawks vs Nets: I think this one is pretty obvious. The Nets are 0-4 vs the Hawks. Now your all like, but the Hawks havn't been that good lately. Yeah, okay, but the Nets played them twice in the last two weeks. I think the Hawks have this one.
Winner: Hawks

Cavs vs Celtics: Yes, okay, the Celtics have won against the Cavs twice in the last 2 weeks, but the Cavs sat their main players out. I think that the Cavs did that on purpose and wanted to play the Celtics. C'mon, this team has no star player.
Winner: Cavaliers

Toronto vs Wizards: I honestly hope that the Wizards suprise me. They are 0-3 against the Wizards this season. The Wizards have been horrible lately but they tend to have a playoff mode. Also, Toronto has had troubles in the playoffs before. Last year, they lost to the Nets as the Nets had a spoiler. Yeah, I called it last year. No one believed me that the Nets would beat the Raptors. In conclusion though, I think that Toronto will win just because they don't want to be spoiled again.
Winner: Toronto

Bulls vs Bucks: Wow, this is another obvious one to me. This was another team I called out to loose last year and nobody believed me. This team probably was upset about the Wizards last year and they probably want to win this year. They lead against the Bucks 3-1 this season and this is a Bucks team that has many two-year guys that have no playoff expirences. I think that the Bulls will win this one.
Winner: Bulls

West: Round One

Warriors vs Pelicans: This is an easy one. Draymond Green will do a great job on Davis, Stephen Curry will be boss, and Warriors will win. Anyone disagree, no? Fine, lets move on.
Winner: Warriors

Rockets vs Mavericks: Yes I know Rockets lead 3-1, but I thought this team would be a finals team at the beginning of the season. Obviously that view has changed, but they still have a great team. I think this game will come down to game 7 and James Harden will clutch it and will the whole thing. That's just James Harden.
Winner: Rockets

Portland vs Memphis: The whole season, Memphis has won vs the Blazers. It now does not help the Blazers that Batum and Matthews are out. Also, Aldridge has played half the season with a hand injury and Afflalo just went down. It doesn't look like Memphis has much of a challenge in the first round.
Winner: Memphis

Clippers vs Spurs: The season series is tied between these teams. It really comes down to who has more Playoff experience. I want to say that Chris Paul will carry his team, but I don't buy it one second. This team went on a 10 game win streak at the end of the season. They are still that same team from last year. It will probably come down to a game 6 or 7 and I think that the Spurs will win.
Winner: Spurs

Again, I'm dedicating this post to my Spanish teacher. Gracias, for telling me to do this post. And for teaching me how to command people to do things in Spanish. It doesn't really do much though. People just look at me and are all like "What?". And I just yell at them "Lavalos!" Still, I might go to Mexico or Spain one day. Then I might be able to command someone to wash the dishes. Thank you.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Aaron's Awards for the 2014-15 season


I may be wrong, but I will stand by my opinion and support it with facts. If you have your own opinion, great. I will supply facts for both sides. I hope you enjoy this annual edition of Aaron's Awards.

Rookie Of The Year: This one I think is pretty obvious. It is down to 2 players really. Many people put Nikola Mirotic and Elfrid Payton in this race but I don't think they are in there. I don't agree with Payton because he averages under 10 PPG. Wiggins averages about 7 more PPG than him. Mirotic averages around 10 PPG so I don't think that he should either knowing that Wiggins averages around 17. Now you say, how can Noel be in it if he averages about 10 PPG? Noel is great on defense and is probably one of the best defensive players in the league. Knowing that Noel has been great on Defense and Offense, that puts him ahead of Mirotic. Looking at Andrew Wiggins though, he averages about the same amount of points as John Wall does. That's pretty good. Not to mention, Noel gets his points on Dunks and Post-ups mainly. Wiggins can score in so many different ways. He can score with Isolation, Post-up, Drives, and Spot-ups. Wiggins is just a better offensive player. It's a close race. Who is my winner though?
Winner: Andrew Wiggins

Sixth Man Of The Year: Okay, we are sick of Jamal Crawford winning this award. You got to love Louis Williams, sometimes. Actually, I don't really like this guy. I do have to say though, Jamal does great things all the time, it's just that Lou has had more of the headlines. What I'm saying is that Louis has never been like this before so he deserves it more than Jamal.
Winner: Louis Williams

Defensive Player Of The Year: Wow, this one is tough. You have Marc Gasol, DeAndrea Jordan, Rudy Gobert, and Draymond Green. I will tell you right now, do not compare their defensive ratings for this award because your defensive rating is affected by your teammates. I do have to say though, Draymond Green is probably the best defender out of all of them. He doesn't just guard in the paint, which is waht all these other defenders do. He comes out and will guard on the perimeter too. That is why I have to say that Green should get it
Winner: Draymond Green

Most Improved Player: Draymond Green has improved and so has Jimmy Butler. But the title "most improved player" meens the most improved guy. I honestly think it is Hassan Whiteside. Hassan is averaging a double-double and is a great defender. He is not averaging that many blocks, but he is averaging the second most in blocks per 48 minutes. He is a great defender. Hassan Has exceeded everyones' expectations more than he has for anyone else. Just ask yourself, would you expect Hassan to put up his number more than Jimmy Butler's. No. Most of you would be like, who is Hassan Whiteside, before the season. That is why I think Whiteside should get this award.
Winner: Hassan Whiteside

Most Valuable Player: You really can't go wrong with either James Harden or Stephen Curry. I thought Stephen Curry was MVP, then James had his 50 point nights. Then Curry started doing better. I have to hand it to Curry though. He broke the NBA most three pointers in a season and lead his team to the best record. Jame didn't do that. Sure, he is doing great with free throws and scoring, but he hasn't lead his team to the best record. That is why Curry is my MVP.
Winner: Stephen Curry

Those are my awards. Comment below. Do you agree, or disagree. Explain why you agree or diagree. I am interested to hear the opinions of the rest of the NBA population. Remember, these are my opinions mixed with facts. Support your own opinions with facts.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Thanks for the season

The teams that are done and will not enter the playoffs are the Hornets, Pistons, Magic, 76ers, Knicks, Suns, Jazz, Nuggets, Kings, Lakers, Wolves

More will be decided tonight. I want to give a shout out to the best plays from these teams.

Hornets: Kemba's multiple buzzer beaters this season.

Kemba was probably the most clutch guy this season. He hit multiple shots to win and tie the game. Gotta love Kemba. Good bye Hornets. We will miss those close games.

Pistons: Reggie Jackson Trade. Ever since Reggie Jackson came to this team, it has been great. I will admit. I miss Singler, but you have to love what Jackson has done. Ever since he came to the Pistons, he has averaged 17.4 PPG, 35% from 3pt, and 9.1 APG. Just throwing this out, those are numbers that John Wall is pretty much averaging. Bye Pistons, we will miss Jackson's new numbers.

Orlando Magic: Elfrid Payton's hair. Wait! That was an April Fools Day joke! He sure fooled NBA article writer Lang Whitaker. Good Bye Orlando Magic. We will miss all the jokes and laughs you have given us.

Philadelphia 76ers: We will miss the stats you have given me. You ranked 1st in steals and second in blocks. You also ranked 1st in turnovers though. Still, thanks for the stats. But really, don't trade off anymore of your players for future draft picks. It gets a little old. We will miss you 76ers. We will miss your crazy defensive stats you gave us.

New York Knicks: Knicks winning against the Hawks. That was pretty good. You have put up some fights. Not to mention your fans are probably booing you for lessening your chances at the #1 draft pick. Still, you had some great games. Most bad, but there were some good ones. And thanks for finally taking Lou Amundson out of the starting line-up. We will miss you New York Knicks. For your wild win over the Hawks.

Phoenix Suns: That Trade deadline wouldn't have been crazy without you. You traded off Miles Plumlee, Isaiah Thomas, and Goran Dragic and changed your team completely. Wow, this was one of the most interesting trade deadlines of all time, and we owe most of it to the Suns. Them and Sam Hinkie, who makes no sense at all. Why is he a GM?! We will miss you Suns. Thanks for the trades we will miss so much.

Utah Jazz: Thank you Jazz for upsetting a lot of teams and going to make a playoff run, even though you were already eliminated. You put all your effort but just could 't make it. I would also like to make a shout out to Gordon Hayward for leading his team and making the Cavs go home with a frown on their faces
We will miss the Jazz and that face LeBron had after Hayward made that shot.

Nuggets: I don't know that I will miss much from this team. Sure, Gallinari had 47 points, but that's the best that has happened. We will miss you Nuggets, I guess.

Kings: All three coaches. Let's face it, they will have a new coach next year. It's just what the Kings do. They love finding new coaches. C'mon they had three this year. I know that their arena isn't that good (more like horrible). But you can't tell me that it hasn't been fun seeing a variety of post-game conferences from a variety of coaches. We will miss you Kings. And all three of your coaches too.

Lakers: Steve Nash. He is gone. Never played a game for the Lakers this regular season. And now he is gone from our lives. Never got a ring. Just two MVP trophies. We will miss you Steve Nash. And so will the Starters. Good bye Lakers, and good bye Steve Nash.

Minnesota Timberwolves: The worst team had given us some great plays. And by great plays I mean Dunks. From Zach LaVine to Andrew Wiggins to Anthony Bennett, we have seen some great dunks.

Thanks Zach for the Dunk Comp.

Thanks you Wolves for the worst season and turning it into a dunk festival. We will miss you Wolves and we will miss the highlight dunks from you.

As the Regular season closes. These teams are done til next season. So I ask that everyone dedicates this moment to these teams and all they have brought. Whether it's Mo Williams 52 points or Payton's Triple-Double. They made the NBA season just that more special. Besides, without them, we would have no regular season. It would just be the playoffs and the playoff teams. We will miss all these teams, and we will miss the Regular season.



Turnovers Check


Wow, Monday night was the worst night for a lot of players. Let's just look at the Turnover highlights for some players

O.J. Mayo: 6 TO
Iman Shupert: 7 TO
John Wall: 10 TO

A number of players had 4 turnovers. Many had 3. Look at the teams that had a bunch of TO.

Bucks: 17 TO
Pacers: 18 TO
Wizards: 19 TO
Kings: 20 TO
Nets: 21 TO
Cavaliers: 24 TO

There was just way too many bad plays and pass last night. Teams like the Nets need to cut down their turnovers if they are to make the playoffs. It was probably the worst night for turnovers in the NBA. Now, I can't say it was the worst without pointing out that Russell Westbrook only had 2 turnovers while his team only had 8. That's pretty good. For the rest of the league, not so good.

Monday, April 13, 2015

DeMarcus Cousins or Marc Gasol

Who would make your all NBA first team at the center position? Would it be Marc Gasol or DeMarcus Cousins? I will try to help you decide in this post. Let's compare these two in shooting first.

Shooting: 5-15 Feet: DeMarcus Cousins shoots below the average for a center in the league while Marc Gasol is above. Cousins only shoots 29% from 5 feet out while Gasol shoots about 47%.

Take a look at DeMarcus Cousins' shot chart. Notice how he has poor consistency form the top of the key area.


Now take a look at Marc Gasol's shooting chart. Notice how he takes more shots from that area.






You can also see that Marc Gasol has more red in the in the paint and you can see a lot of blue in the paint for Cousins. In conclusion, Gasol is the better shooter.

Defense: If we take a look at defense, DeMarcus Cousins allows the opposing team to 103.3 Point per 100 possessions when he is on the court. Gasol allows 101.5 Points per 100 possesions when he is on the court. Yes this does factor in the players that Gasol plays with, so they are about the same.

Rebounding: Let's take a look at Rebounding now. DeMarcus Cousins has won this one. He averages 12.7 RPG while Gasol averages 7.9. DeMarcus Cousins also accounts for 20.9% of the rebounds in a game while Gasol takes in about 13.9%.

Assists: Now this is where it gets complicated. If we look at the APG, Cousins averages 3.6 while Gasol averages 3.9. About the same right? If we look at the Assist % for their teams, Cousins is at 20.2%. Gasol on the other hand, is at 19.4. What does this mean? It just means that Gasol's team has more assists per game. Cousins Assist to Turnover Ratio is at 0.83 while Gasol's is at 1.73. This means that Cousins turns the ball over more than he assists, while Gasol assists more. Clearly Gasol is the better at assisting.

Scoring: If we compare the usage%, Cousins is used 33.9% of the time. Gasol is only used 24.7% of the time, which makes it seem that Cousins gets the ball more. That is why he averages 24.1 PPG and Gasol only averages 17.6. Gasol can score in many more ways than Cousins can though. When it comes down to who is the better scorer is though, the answer is obviously Cousins. Cousins scores about 6.5 more PPG.

Who is the better player? I'm not making this decision for you. You can make a case for both sides. If you can't decide, let me ask you this. Who would be the better player to have on a team? Cousins or Gasol? Everyone has their own opinion on what makes a better player.

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Danilo Gallinari needs to play somewhere else


Danilo Gallinari scored 47 points in the loss against the Mavericks. The guy was knocking down threes, perfect from the free throw line, and shot 65% from the field. He is underrated and placed behind teammates Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried. I honestly think Gallinari needs to request a trade. He is on one more year with this Nuggets team after this season. This is a guy who could do great on some teams. I will list them below.

3. The Pacers: With Paul George back, this team has a star. George Hill will be looking to pass and score. This team obviously is different now with Lance Stephenson gone though. They would really benefit from a three point shooter like Gallinari who could spread the floor.

2. The Hornets: This team didn't benefit with Stephenson but they would benefit with Gallinari. I honetly think a trade of Stephenson for Gallinari would be great. The Hornets could use some one coming off off-ball screens sizing up and spreading the floor. This would get guy like Kemba cutting and he could set screens to get people open.

1. Phoenix Suns: This could be the guy to get this team into the playoffs. He would help guys like Eric Bledsoe get off good shots and would work well with Brandon Knight. Gallinari would be able to knock down big threes. The Phoenix Suns struggle with end of game which they could use him for. He would come off curl screens from Markiff Morris to get open shots. This would be a great team for him.

Gallinari is averaging 12.3 PPG this season and I don't think that the Nuggets are using him properly with an immature PG, Ty Lawson. Gallinari would do better somewhere else. You can see he is being improperly used in the video as he is being isolated and not coming off screens. This is a prime example on why Gallinari would do better somewhere else. You think this is good, imagine what he could do somewhere else.

Saturday, April 11, 2015

Another Sleeper Season at Sleep Train Arena

"Sleep Train Arena interior" by CLopez63 - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sleep_Train_Arena_interior.jpg#/media/File:Sleep_Train_Arena_interior.jpg

If you have ever watched a Kings game at Sleep Train arena, it doesn't look that inviting. It probably looks like one of the most depressing arenas in the NBA. I will be watching a game at Oracle, Verizon, Target, Barclays, or Air Canada, and I think, I wish I were there. Then I watch a game at Sleep Train, and I will be thinking, wow, I would hate to be there. The truth is, I wouldn't hate it. I love watching games live. The last place I would go though, is Sleep Train arena. It just looks depressing. The place I would most likely go is Oracle, Air Canada, or Madison Square Garden. Those places actually look inviting. Who would wan to go to a place that is on the top 5 arenas that need an upgrade.

The depressing Sleep Train Arena actually sums up the Kings season. In fact, it sums up the last few seasons. They have one of the best small forwards, (Rudy Gay), and one of the best centers, (DeMarcus Cousins), yet they still can't make the playoffs. This season they have had 3 head coaches. Something tells me that there is something wrong with the team and staff if you have gone through 3 coaches.

This team had some Hot Sauce night for Nik Staustas, just to get people to come to the arena to see the games. I guess it was a good idea since many people came. I feel bad for this Kings team, I really do. They have so much talent. They just can't win. I think that it has something to do with the likability of DeMarcus Cousins. Why wasn't he originally voted in as an all-star? He was a great player averaging over 20 PPG. I think it has something to do with none of the coaches liking him. He is a great player, but I honestly can't stand the guy.

To sum it up, the kings have had another lost season as DeMarcus and Gay continue to get older and waste their youth on this team, just like Steve Nash did with the Suns for so many years. It's just been another season, where you could probably fall asleep at Sleep Train. I have one more question for anyone who is reading this. What kind of team gets a mattress company to sponsor their stadium. Only in Sacramento. 

Friday, April 10, 2015

Pistons Have Talent

I think it's pretty obvious, the Detroit Pistons have talent. After trading off Singler for Jackson, Jackson has been amazing.This is a team that consists of Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond in the post, and when Jennings is back, they will have Jennings and Jackson in the back-court.

Monroe can leave this upcoming off-season. Pistons have to keep Monroe. He is a dominant post player along-side Drummond. Is Monroe content with loosing and is in it for the money, or is he sick of loosing and wants to join a winning team.

Detroit has a first round draft pick coming up that could be useful in their playoff hopes in year to come. With all this talent, how come they haven't been able to win. Coaching is most likely a part of it. I think that Stan Van Gundy isn't a great match for this team. Injury has been another part. Before Reggie Jackson came, Brandon Jennings, the main point guard, went down with injury. Jennings is the main part of the team. Without him, the offense can't function. But, expect him to be back next year, and expect the Pistons to have a great season. For that to happen though, I put together a list of what the Pistons have to do in order to have a great next season.
  1.   Re-sign Greg Monroe
  2.   Keep Brandon Jennings healthy and have him controlling the offense
  3.   Sign a veteran or two in free agency
  4.   Scout and pick their draft picks carefully
  5.   Find a new head coach for the Pistons
 If they can accomplish these tasks, I think they will have a great season next year.

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Welcome back Paul George

"Paul George Pacers" by File:Anthony Tolliver defending Paul George.jpg: joshuak8derivative work: Chrishmt0423 - →This file has been extracted from another file: Anthony Tolliver defending Paul George.jpg.. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paul_George_Pacers.jpg#/media/File:Paul_George_Pacers.jpg

Paul George is back. We have waited a long time for this moment. Pacers fans have had a hard time without him. I don't care if he is on a minutes restriction. Although, this is a Paul George we have never seen before. PG-13. Wearing his #13 jersey for the first time in a Pacers uniform. Of course, we haven't seen the best of PG-13 yet, but expect him to improve through out the rest of the year. Imagine if Paul George wasn't injured this year. He would most likely be an MVP candidate. But then again, imagine if Kevin Durant wasn't injured. He would also be an MVP candidate. Yet, I think we all forget just how skilled Paul George was. Last year he averaged 21.7 PPG, 1.9 Steals per game, 3.5 APG, 6.8 RPG. Not only that, but he was a star player that only averaged 1.9 Turnovers. That's less than Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James. The Pacers are on the outside of the playoffs, and I don't expect them to make it, so this is great encouragement for next year. All I got left to say is, Welcome back Paul George, welcome back.

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Brook Lopez leading the way to the Playoffs

The Brooklyn Nets are stepping it up. They want the playoffs more than anyone right now. Who's leading the way? It's not Thaddeus Young or Deron Williams. Although they have both helped in a big way, It's Brook Lopez taking on the challenge. Brook Lopez just took on the scoring load and is plowing a way to the playoff picture. Coming off a devastating injury from last year, Lopez is looking better than ever. Just take a look at his game logs from the last 11 games.

"Brook Lopez against Bobcats" by bwjcaptures - Flickr: bobnets (53 of 58). Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brook_Lopez_against_Bobcats.jpg#/media/File:Brook_Lopez_against_Bobcats.jpg


VS Portland: 32 PTS, 9 REB,
AT Atlanta: 11 PTS, 6 REB,
VS Toronto: 30 PTS, 17 REB, 2 AST
AT New York: 18 PTS, 7 REB, 5 BLK
VS Indiana: 24 PTS, 11 REB, 2 AST, 2 BLK
VS Lakers: 30 PTS, 11 REB, 4 BLK
VS Cleveland: 20 PTS, 9 REB
AT Charlotte: 34 PTS, 10 REB, 2 STL, 3 BLK
VS Boston: 31 PTS, 4 REB, 2 BLK
AT Indiana: 26 PTS, 4 REB, 4 BLK
VS Milwaukee: 32 PTS, 18 REB, 5 BLK


Pretty good right? Just look at the game vs Milwaukee. He has had 6 game with at least 30 points in his last 11. Brook Lopez is a great player. Lots of people forget because of his injury he had. If he can keep this up in the playoffs, expect this team to possibly upset some fans if they win a round in the playoffs.

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

The Small Forward Play

"Rudy Gay Kings" by Mike - Flickr: (2013-12-21) Kings at Magic 21. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rudy_Gay_Kings.jpg#/media/File:Rudy_Gay_Kings.jpg

Besides LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, who are the best Small Forwards. The Three I'm about to show you are my favorite small forwards. They do so much and they are some of the best players out there.

3. Nicolas Batum: This guy is a great player. His lenght is amazing and it allows him to grab rebounds and get off a good shot. He averages only 9.7 PPG but gets 5.8 Rebounds per game and 4.8 Assist per game. With that being said, he averages about 1.9 turnovers per game. His ability to make cuts always makes him a dangerous threat. This is a deadly role player for Portland, and you have to know where he is all the time.

2. Chandler Parsons: He is a great scorer and can put the ball on the deck. He is playing with a deteriorating Nowitzki and Monta Ellis. He has to step up if this team is going to be upsetting some teams in the playoffs. Chandler Parsons should never be underestimated. He averages about 15.7 points per game and shoots about 38% from 3 point range. His field goal percentage is at about 46%. He is a great shooter, and his height allows him to shoot above everyone. Chandler Parsons is one of the most underrated small forwards in the NBA.

1. Rudy Gay: This is the most underrated player in the NBA. I don't care if you say Monta Ellis or Mike Conley is, because they are not. The fact is, we talk about who the most underrated players are, and draw them attention by doing so. No one ever says Rudy Gay is the most underrated player. Look at this guy. He averages 20.9 PPG, about 6 RPG, 45.5% from the field, and 35.5% from 3 point range. I honestly think, besides LeBron and Carmelo, this guy is the best small forward in the NBA. He doesn't get credit for it though. None of these three guys do.

Monday, April 6, 2015

The Hornets Are Slowly Fading

Kemba Walker comes up from behind, Blocks Him! Kemba, last second shot! Wins It!

That's what the beginning of the season was like for the Hornets. However, newly acquired, Lance Stephenson, was not fitting well with this group. Coach Clifford started to bench Lance. Then the most devastating thing that could happen to a Hornets fan, happens. Kemba Walker goes down. He is injured. Small Forward, Gary Neal, was having a great season with this Hornets team. It was impossible for him or Lance to come off the bench and play Point Guard though.

Point Guard, Zach LaVine for the Minnesota Timberwolves was about to participate in the Dunk competition as well as the Rising Stars challenge. He was seeing a lack of minutes, and with Ricky Rubio coming back from injury, he would be placed behind not only Rubio, but Mo Williams too. The Timberwolves made the decision to trade off Mo Williams to get some playing time for a rising Zach LaVine. Of course, the Hornets needed a great veteran Point Guard. Mo Williams had 52 points with the Timberwolves. Obviously this guy could help the Hornets, right?

The Hornets traded off Gary Neal for the Timberwolves, Mo Williams. Mo already was familiar with the Hornets center, Al Jefferson, who had played with Mo on the Jazz. Mo was an immediate impact when he came to the team. They ended up going on a winning streak, Mo won the Eastern Conference player of the week award, and Kemba Walker was close to returning.

Kemba Walker's return didn't help them. It made them worse. Kemba couldn't find rhythem, and Mo couldn't produce that well off the bench. They ended up a couple games out of the playoffs. Now to make matters worse, team center, Al Jefferson has a knee injury. Poor Al could be benched for the rest of the season. As the Celtics and the Nets are on the rise, the Hornets are slowly fading.

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Injured Teams

This year has been struck by injury for many team. Many teams were hoping for playoffs and more but then injury got in the way. Lets take a look at the worst

5.Oklahoma City Thunder: Durant and Westbrook went down. But Westbrook came back with fire in his eyes. After Ibaka went down and Durant was out for the rest of the season, it's really hard to see this team making much noise in the playoffs. But you never know with Westbrook.

4. Minnesota Timberwolves: This is a team that suffered way too many injuries this season. They were looking at the possibility of the 8th seed in the West. All of a sudden, Rubio went down on their 5th game against the Magic. Kevin Martin played against the Knicks and broke his wrist at the beginning of the game. After he broke it, he scored 37 points that night. Nikola Pekovic went down (as usual) Shabazz Muhammad went down for the season after averaging about 13 points per game. And this is just to start with.

3. Miami Heat: It's bad enough that LeBron James left their team. Now Chris Bosh is out with blood clots on his lungs. This team thought they could do some great things in the playoffs. Dwayne Wade and Shabazz Napier are out. How does this team expect to beat anyone with two of their stars out. It's going to be a bumpy ride for this Heat team. Someone needs to send them a sympathy card.

2. Los Angeles Lakers: Julius Randel goes down before the season even starts. So does Steve Nash. Kobe goes down of course. Nick Young is injured. The playoff hopes that this team had pretty much flew away. They had to start players like Wayne Ellington who was supposed to be a bench player this year. No playoff for this team. And no more Steve Nash.

1. Indiana Pacers: This team was coming back from the loss in the Eastern Conference Finals looking toward next season. Then Paul George goes down ruining all their hopes of a title run for next season. Minor injuries occurred along the way like George Hill going down. They still await the return of Paul George. We all miss him. But I'm pretty sure the Pacers miss him most.

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Portland's Playoff Hopes

Wesley Matthews went down. Not long before that Arron Afflalo was involved in a trade that sent him to Portland. Okay, we have Afflalo to start. The only thing is, what will they do in the Playoffs. Arron Afflalo is no Wesley Matthews. He is simply not as great as Wesley Matthews. Lets take a look at what Matthews brought to this Portland team.

Wesley Matthews
  • 15.9 PPG
  • 44.8% FG
  • 38.8% 3 point range
  • 2.9 3 point makes per game
  • 1.3 Steals per game
  • 1.4 Turnovers Per Game
  • 2.3 ASP
  • 3.7 RPG
  • Defensive Rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) 99.4
  • +4.6 on the court
Arron Afflalo
  • 13.6 PPG
  • 42.6% FG
  • 35.0% 3 Point Range
  • 1.5 3 point makes per game
  • 0.5 Steals per game
  • 1.6 Turnovers Per game
  • 1.7 APG
  • 3.2 RPG
  • Defensive Rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) 105.7
  • +2.3 on the court
Wesley Matthews leads in all of those categorizes. Look at the +/- advantage. Matthews has double than Afflalo does with the Trailblazers. The teams defense is better with Matthews and they give up more points with Afflalo. I'm not saying Afflalo is a bad player. I love Afflalo, but he is just not as good of a player as Wesley Matthews. I think that Portland's playoff hopes have really been lost since Matthews went down. Afflalo is a great player, and Portland has Damian Lillard and LeMarcus Aldridge, but Wesley Matthews is the player that made this team so great. Now he's not here. How will they win in the playoffs without him? 

Friday, April 3, 2015

Is Wiggins Rookie Of The Year?

Everybody has been telling me, Wiggins is ROY. I honestly have to agree. Others have said Mirotic is ROY. Nobody has really told me that Noel is ROY. Coach Nick has told me that Payton is ROY. I honestly think it's a little lopsided though and it's leaning toward Wiggins.

Here is what Coach Nick had to say. I don't agree with him but I thought it was a great point. I don't think Payton should just be ROY just because he broke a record though. He just hasn't been the better player in the obvious stats I will show you.


Let's take a look at some stats (credit NBA.com)

If we take a look at Noel, His offense is okay, but when have you seen a rookie of the year only average 10 PPG. His defense somewhat makes up for it though.
  • 10 PPG
  • 46.4% FG
  • 0% 3pt
  • 61.2% FT
  • 1.9 Free Throws Made Per Game
  • 8.2 RPG
  • 1.7 APG
  • 2 Turnovers per game
  • 1.8 Steals Per Game
  • 1.9 Blocks Per Game
  • 100 Defensive rating (the lower the better)
  • 91.3 Offensive Rating (the higher the better) 

Let's take a Look at Wiggins now. His offense is great, and he shoots quite a bit of FTs. His defense is okay as he is averaging over 1 steal. It's not as good as Noel's though.
  • 16.3 PPG
  • 43.6% FG
  • 32.2% 3pt
  • 75.3% FT
  • 3.9 Free Throws Made Per Game
  • 4.4 RPG
  • 1.9 APG
  • 2.1 Turnovers Per Game
  • 1.1 Steals Per Game
  • 0.6 Blocks Per Game
  • 109.9 Defensive Rating
  • 100.1 Offensive Rating
 Now it's time for Nikola Mirotic. He has the best defensive and offensive ratings, but remember, those ratings factor in the players you play with, so it doesn't help Mirotic's case. He averages less than 10 PPG. Many people say he should be rookie of the year because if he started, he would be better than Wiggins. The fact is, he doesn't.
  • 9.9 PPG
  • 41.1% FG
  • 30.6% 3pt
  • 80.3% FT
  • 2.7 Free Throw Makes Per Game
  • 5 RPG
  • 1.2 APG
  • 1.1 Turnovers Per Game
  • 0.6 Steals Per Game
  • 0.7 Blocks Per Game
  • 99.4 Defensive Rating
  • 105.3 Offensive Rating

 Lets look at Elfrid Payton. He averages barley any points. He can't shoot the three. His Free Throw is worse than Noel. However, He averages 6.3 APG.
  • 8.9 PPG
  • 42.9% FG
  • 22.9% 3pt
  • 54.3% FT
  • 1.4 Free Throw Makes Per Game
  • 4.3 RPG
  • 6.3 APG
  • 2.5 Turnovers Per game
  • 1.6 Steals Per Game
  • 0.2 Blocks Per Game
  • 105.5 Defensive Rating
  • 101.3 Offensive Rating

You will see that I made the best guys at the category green and the worst red. I did however factor in their positions they play (example: Noel isn't red in the 3pt%) Now to my point. I have never seen a rookie of the year average under 10 points. I am going to take Payton and Mirotic off right away for that. I think it comes down to Noel and Wiggins. The fact is though, Wiggins can score anyway; Post up, Spot up, Three Pointers, Free Throws, Dunks and layups. Noel can score inside, that's about it. Does his Defense make up for it? A little. I don't think he has been a better player than Wiggins though. Wiggins is the Dominant Rookie.



Thursday, April 2, 2015

Sam Hinkie, What are you doing to the 76ers!

Joel Embiid might return to basketball activities this summer. Earlier this season, the 76ers made some interesting trades. They had traded off former Rookie of the year, Micheal Carter-Williams, and K.J. McDaniels for future draft picks. Honestly, I don't understand this at all. Right now this is a team starting Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. In the future, they could have been in plenty of finals rounds. With Noel making a case for rookie of the year, this team had great talent. They could have had a back-court consisting of Carter-Williams and McDaniels. Then they would have had a front-court of Noel and Embiid. You think that sounds good? Now take the lottery pick of (insert a great small forward prospect) to replace Mbah a Moute. That would be a great future starting five. I don't really know what trading players with great potential for players who have yet to play in college with great potential, makes any sense. This would have been a great team, but instead they just traded two of these players off. Now they are going to be in an even longer rebuilding mode. Geez, I would hate to be a Sixers fan. 76ers GM, Sam Hinkie, What are you doing to the 76ers!