What You Missed From Game 7

By Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA - LeBron James, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36918817

Game 7 was quite the game. At half-time, there were Warriors fans were saying that the Warriors were going to win it all. Then came the final minutes of game 7. It was neck and neck and the Cavs pulled ahead to win it. That's when everyone went nuts and surprisingly everyone missed a lot of stats and things that happened in this game. People jumped to things saying, "Curry lost the game, LeBron James won it, Kevin Love was still horrible in the series and he'll be traded." Well, here I am, and here is what you probably missed from game 7.

Curry Lost The Game?
While Curry really did blow away any chances to win the game towards the end, did he really lose the game? Towards the end, Kevin Love was guarding Curry, and of course, Curry thought he could take advantage of it. But Kevin was on Curry tight. This left room for Curry to get to the rim, but instead of trying to drive, he was set on shooting a 3; a 3 that was well off. This was a big possession and was really the turning point in this game. Curry even said after the game he "settled". He settled for shots. While it didn't lose them the game, it really hurt their chances to get back in it. Instead of closing it out, Curry settled, and that led to the loss.

But What About Klay?
While Curry got a beating from the media, Klay left without a scratch, besides the fact that he left the game without congratulating the other team. Tell me, do you remember Klay making shots in this game? Because he didn't make many. Klay had only 14 points and shot 2-10 from 3-point range. He shot worse than Curry from 3 and didn't show up to the game, yet no one really mentioned Klay at all.

LeBron Carried The Team?
LeBron did a great job in this series, but right after the game, Kyrie's performances were forgotten. This guy was on fire throughout the whole series. While I think LeBron was no doubt the MVP, everyone seemed to forget about guys Kyrie, Richard Jefferson, and Tristan Thompson. Sure, LeBron was great, but recognition for the whole team wasn't there. After all, without these guys, would've they even come close to winning the championship?

Kevin Love Hurt The Team?
People wouldn't stop talking about Kevin Love's performance throughout the series and after it was over. What people missed was Kevin Love's amazing defense and rebounding in game 7. But if they didn't miss that, they sure didn't see his +/- advantage. Kevin Love was a +19 on the floor while Kyrie was only a +10. And LeBron James, he was a +4. When Kevin Love was in the lineup, it was extremely beneficial to the team. The fact that the guy had 14 rebounds in only 30 minutes of play alone was amazing. 

Draymond...
Everyone seemed to forget about Draymond's play after game 7. The guy had 32 points, 15 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 steals. He also shot 6-8 from 3. However, no one said a word about it after the game.


And Last... Is Tristan Thompson Defensive Player Of The Year?
The media went crazy after LeBron's block on Iggy. Yet here is the thing, If Iggy didn't change his shot in mid-air, it never would've been blocked. It was a blocked shot. Now, LeBron was good defensively, but guess who was on Curry and Klay chasing out to the 3 point line through the whole game. It was Tristan Thompson. Let me make this clear... Tristan Thompson had 3 rebounds in game 7. Only 3. The reason why? He was chasing guys out on the 3 point line. Tristan Thompson contested 7 three point shots during game 7. That was more than anyone else on the team. He contested more 3 point shots than J.R., more than Irving, more than Shumpert, and more than LeBron. And guess who was doing it, that's right, the starting center for the Cavs. And even while he was out of the paint, he still managed to fit in 2 blocks. When your starting center can guard Stephen Curry, that does a lot. We see a block from LeBron and think he's the best defender, when people don't realize, there is a lot more to defense than that. LeBron might have saved a couple plays, Tristan Thompson might have saved the whole game.


 

NBA Finals Game 5 Preview

By Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA - Kevin Love, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36918954

The Cavaliers are down 3-1 to the Warriors. A lot of people are saying, "Hey, the Warriors came back from a 3-1 deficit this post-season, why can't the Cavs. Now I'm not saying that the Cavs can't do it, but I am going to say that what the Warriors did was totally different. The Warriors only had to play 1 game on the road while they had 2 home games left. The Cavs only have 1 home game left and have to win 2 games on the Warriors home floor. Now, this isn't impossible because 2 of the 10 teams to comeback from a 3-1 deficit only had 1 home game left after being down 3-1. One was the Celtics from the Bill Russell days, and the other team was the Houston Rockets and their clutch city team. These are two historic teams. And no one has comeback from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA finals, so if the Cavs were to accomplish this feat, it would be a very historic moment in NBA history.

Now, if you haven't heard, Draymond Green has been suspended for game 5 of the NBA finals due to his encounter with LeBron. He will be out of the lineup. I don't know what Steve Kerr is going to do, but I have to assume he'll start Iggy at the 3 and slide Barnes to the 4. What I do if I'm the Cavs, is start Love at the 5. Now you might think I'm crazy, but I can explain. Love at the 5 would most likely match him up with Andrew Bogut and Kevin Love is a guy that can really stretch the floor. Through the whole time Andrew Bogut is on the floor, I'd suggest the Cavs go into pick and roll/pop with Love. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving should just go into pick and roll/pop with Love until Steve Kerr decides to take Bogut out of the game. With shooters like Jefferson and J.R., if the Warriors help off of the pick and roll, these guys will have wide open shots and lanes to the basket. We've seen how the Warriors do against the small line-up in pick and roll when they have Bogut or Ezeli out there; it isn't pretty. With them down 3-1, they have to try something, and Love at the 5 might actually work for at least the first quarter.

With Draymond Green out, this really takes away the Warriors' versatility and option to go small. This is going to force them to have a big throughout most of the game and what the Warriors are going to have to hope to do is out-score the Cavs. I expect Anderson Varejao to play a big role for the team because of his versatility and hustle he brings. He can also somewhat stretch the floor. Same with Speights and I think he will also get some key minutes.









Game 5 is going to be Cleveland's best chance to steal a game in Golden State and you have to think if they can win the next 2 games, they will have a good shot at winning game 7 in Golden State.

Cavaliers VS Hawks (Game 4)

Cavaliers Win 4-0

Get out your brooms because it's a.... sorry Hawks fans. Anyways, this game was entertaining and while I wish the Hawks got a clean look at a shot, that just wasn't how the game played out.

The Hawks seemed to think that the Cavs would just stop making 3-pointers. They just didn't understand that if you get an open shot from 3, it's almost like a 3-pointer. Somehow, Kevin Love shot just 36% from the field while he shot 53.3% from 3-point on 8-15 shooting from deep. Kevin Love was literally wide open from 3-point range, and the defense never adjusted. If a guy is making 3s, you get out on him!

I thought that the defense at the end of the game from the Hawks was the worst defense from any team this playoffs. This was from a great defensive team. They allowed LeBron to get a wide open pass right underneath the hoop and they watched him put up 3 or 4 shots in 1 possession. Then, towards the very end of the game when they needed a stop, Paul Millsap, instead of cutting off LeBron, he let's LeBron catch a pass towards the hoop. Millsap trails him thinking he could just get up there and block it. Of course, this ends up being called a goaltend! All of this could have been prevented if the players made the right defensive play.

You could say the Hawks lost because of their poor 3-point shooting and shots just weren't falling. You could say that the Cavs hit lucky shots. But the fact of the matter is, the Hawks defense was brutal at the end of the game. The will to win wasn't there. There was no want from the players. They didn't want to play defense and this lost them the series. 

Fantasy Friday: New Year's Resolutions

It's a new year! And there are some players that have had a great year, and there are some that are ready to put 2015 behind them. Those players are ready to start off fresh and come out with some new numbers. That is their New Year's Resolution. Let's take a look at them.

Kevin Love- This last year didn't go to well for him. He struggled as he was averaging under 20 PPG, something he hadn't done in a while. He wasn't shooting as well and not getting as much boards. To top that off, he was injured in the playoffs and the Cavs ended up losing in the Finals. Recently it has been real bad though. In December alone, Kevin Love has been averaging 12.7 points, and has been shooting 37.3% from the field and 27.1% from 3-point land. Coming into this next year, Kevin Love wants to bring that up. His New Year's resolution is to get out of this shooting slump and average 20 PPG. Can he do it? It's a New Year's resolution people!

Draymond Green- You heard this guy, he thinks the Warriors can get better. He isn't satisfied at all. As you can see, he already brought his 3-point percentage from 33% to 40%, which is insane. So this guy is always going to be getting better. For Green's New Year's resolution, he is looking to clean it up and cut it down to 1 turnover per game instead of 3. Good luck Green!

LeBron James- LeBron wants to be as good as he can right? Well he can start by shooting better. I think that is what LeBron wants to do. Increase his range. By the end of the year, LeBron wants to be a 38% three point shooter. Do I think that's possible, eh. But he can certainly bring that up.

Chandler Parsons- Yeah, Parson is having troubles. He is averaging a career low in points, rebounds, and steals. This should be the part of his career where he is at his best. And Chandler Parsons could be all-star material right? Yeah. That is why he wants to average at least 19 PPG for the year of 2016. Parsons wants to average the best numbers in his career yet. He doesn't want his career to end at the age of 27, he wants his best years to be now!

Brandon Jennings- He has started in all but 3 of his game up until now. Jennings has been bench after coming back from injury. Obviously, Jennings wants to start. But how is he going to. He has to prove himself, and the only way to start is to average starting numbers. He is going to average 18 PPG and become 6th man of the year. Then Jennings will prove that he is starter material. So he will either become a starter or he will be traded.

Michael Carter-Williams- He is sick of missing shots. He is going to develop a jumper. Not only that, but MCW is going to shoot at least 75% from FT and 33% from 3-point land. And just when you think he is satisfied, he will average at least 9 assists. MCW is going to be a valuable fantasy player to have. At least, that's the plan.

So, how did you like the resolutions. Do you have any that I didn't mention? Share them below in the comments section if you do. As always, I will see you next week. Happy New Year From NBA Inside The Play Nation! 

Fantasy Friday (Dec. 18)

Well, we are back to our weekly players in this post. We got some players that haven't definitely changed their fantasy value. So let's take a look at them shall we?

Over-Performers Of The Week

• Kobe Bryant: He has been great this past week. In 4 games he has averaged 20.3 PPG, 6 RPG, 4.8 APG, and only 1.5 turnovers while shooting 50.8% from the field and 37% from downtown.
• Raymond Felton: This has been an amazing week for him as he has averaged 14.3 points, 6 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1 steal.
• Will Barton: Barton has been doing more than scoring of late. In his last four games he has averaged 18.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 3 APG, and 2.3 steals. Amazing right?

Under-Performers Of The Week

• Kevin Love: While he has been efficient with his other numbers, he has only averaged 13 PPG this week.
• Jared Sullinger: This week he has only averaged 8.3 points and 8.8 rebounds. The big thing is that shooting horribly; under 20% from beyond the arc, 40% from the FT line, and just 36.8% from the field.

Pick-Ups Of The Week

• Matthew Dellavedova: Averaging 8 points and 6 assists could do you good in your league. He is only 9% owned in Yahoo and 12.4% in ESPN.
• D'Angelo Russell: This week he has averaged 14.3 points, 6 assists, and 2.3 steals. He has been playing great. The only problem is he is owned by over 3/4 of the fantasy leagues in both yahoo and ESPN.
• Raymond Felton: He had a triple-double this week and has been averaging great numbers. He is owned by just 30% in Yahoo and 31.8% in ESPN.

Hope you all liked the post and we hope you have a great fantasy week. Until next Friday.  

 

Chicago Takes Down The Cavs On Opening Night

Chicago looked great in last nights game. Their offense hasn't looked that great in a long time. On the other hand, the Cleveland Cavaliers did not look like the championship team from last year and they look very concerning. However, this could just have been from LeBron sitting out most of the game and Kyrie Irving being out from injury. There were bright spots and some bad spot that we saw from both teams, so let's check them out

Nikola Mirotic Looks Great!
Listen, this guy is on my fantasy team, and he just gave me a big boost for opening night. So thank you Mirotic for that 19 points. One thing I noticed is that Mirotic looks better on his shot and he was showing off his handles. He was definitely not afraid to show Kevin Love that he can shoot the 3 ball. He did great attacking the rim, something that Mirotic wasn't known for last year. He gave us stuff we weren't expecting from him and it makes me a proud fantasy owner with this man on my team.

Kevin Love Looked Really Confident
Love really had a lot of confidence in this game and maybe it was a little too much. Anyways, it is good to see Kevin Love getting off a lot of shots, because he really wasn't shooting shots like this last year. I really think Love should have gotten the last shot of the game but didn't as LeBron got stuffed and then with a second chance Jimmy Butler stole the ball. However, Love shot 17 shots last night but only made 6 of them. I'm okay with him shooting like that because you know that he will be getting them to fall soon.

Mo Williams!
This man had 17 points and 7 assists. He was very good. I think many people forget that he scored 52 points with the Timberwolves and won an eastern conference and western conference player of the week awards last year. I think most people forget that he was an all-star back in 2009. Anyways, Mo looks like he will be great for this team and should be having games like this til Kyrie comes back.

Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler Struggled
Jimmy Butler couldn't seem to get a shot to fall and Derrick Rose couldn't finish at the rim. Rose shot just 36% on 8-22 shooting. Butler just really didn't look that well on his jumper. Hopefully, both of these guys pick up on the shooting and do much better in games to come. Another guy that didn't look the best was Pau Gasol. While he shot 1-7 from the field, he did have 6 blocks though and 1 of them saved the Bulls the game.

Other Points

• Tony Snell started in the game and he was anything but disappointing. He showed us his range as he had 11 points on 4-9 shooting and 2-5 from the 3 point line. He will be an interesting player to keep on eye on this season.
• Richard Jefferson looked great as he constantly drove and kicked to open players. He also had a great offensive game last night. He gave us 10 points in just 17 minutes. 
• E'Twaun Moore had a great game. I forgot this man was even on the team. He scored 11 points in just 14 minutes. He looked very impressive and the Bulls look like they have great bench depth. 

I'm concerned for the Cavs, they looked like they thought it was a preseason game and they could just not be ready yet. I just hope that they turn things around. However, the Bulls look really good, and they have a great roster. If they keep this up, they could be looking at the Finals down the road. I know it's just one game, but Fred Hoiberg and the Bulls look very promising.

Fantasy Fridays: Rebounders

Rebounders can give you a great amount of points, especially if your league gives you a great amount of points for boards. So why not give you the best rebounders for the 2015-16 season.

10. LaMarcus Aldridge: Last season he averaged 10.2 RPG. Now that he is with the Spurs, I expect that to go up since he doesn't have a great rebounding center like Robin Lopez. Not to mention, LaMarcus is most likely going to be more focused on rebounding and more and not as focused on scoring.

9. Rudy Gobert: The rising increase in popularity for Rudy Gobert isn't for no reason, and he has the numbers to prove it. Last season he averaged 9.5 RPG, but it obviously increased since the second half of the season. Gobert is going to be hard to get though, since he is rated so high on the rankings and I really don't recommend drafting him so high at where he is positioned.

8. Nikola Vucevic: This man is a boss on the boards, and is very underrated. Vucevic will give you boards but I don't expect his numbers to rise. In fact, I expect his numbers to decrease. The reason why is that his team is stacked with developing players that are really athletic and can rebound that basketball. I honestly don't think he will average 10.9 RPG next season.

7. Hassan Whiteside: Trust me, this guy will get a minutes increase. He won't be playing as much as LeBron of course, but he will average more minutes. That means his 10 RPG from last season, will increase. Chris Bosh isn't a rebounder, and Hassan is going to be the Heat's main man for rebounding.

6. Anthony Davis: Some people say Davis is the best fantasy player in the NBA. I say, yeah, he is. And his rebound numbers show why. However, Davis is not the best rebounder, and his rebounding numbers will not go up. The problem is, there is only so much numbers you can put up in a game, and most likely he will be more focused on offense as Asik will be focused on rebounds.

5. Kevin Love: After having a down season, I expect Kevin Love to have a major increase in his numbers, especially in his rebounds category. Love has been a top 5 rebounder and has had amazing rebounding when he was with the Wolves. I don't think his numbers will be back to his Minnesota times, but I think he will average a great amount of points.

4. DeMarcus Cousins: Why isn't he higher? Well, Willey Cauley-Stein is going to take some of his rebounding numbers, it is as simple as that. He is going to be a top rebounder, he just won't do as good.

3. Greg Monroe: You are probably saying, "Aaron, what is wrong with you?" What, you don't believe me? Greg Monroe averaged 10.2 RPG while his teammate averaged 13.5 RPG. Now that he is with the Bucks, he will see a big increase in rebounds. He could average over 14 RPG next season.

2. DeAndre Jordan: 15 RPG last season. What else do I need to say. Not much. He lead the league in rebounding last season, that is all you need to know.

1. Andre Drummond: He averaged 13.5 RPG and that will likely increase. Now that his teammate, Greg Monroe, that averaged 10.2 RPG last season, is now with the Bucks, Drummond is going to be the best rebounder in the NBA. He will be unstoppable on the board and he is an unknown player. Drummond is the best rebounder to get next season.

Fantasy Fridays: Power Forwards

Power Forwards will give you rebounding and blocks. The best ones are the ones that will give you multiple 3 pointers. Power Forwards are necessary to having a great fantasy team. If you have ones that are dominant in the post and can stretch the floor, it's very beneficial. So you want some great PF's, well here are the top 10.

10. Thaddeus Young: Now with the Nets, he will have to take on a bigger scoring load. I certainly can see the PF averaging at least 16 PPG. One big thing is that he is a power forward that can steal the ball. He averaged 1.6 steals last season. He will also knock down a couple of 3s from time to time. He knows his role and I expect Thadd to do great next season.

9. Serge Ibaka: Averaging 2.5 blocks per game last season, Serge was doing great. He averaged 14.3 PPG last season, however, with Kanter, Durant, and Westbrook, I fear that could decline. However, that isn't was it is about for Serge because it's the little things that matter for him. Serge averages 7.8 rebounds, 0.5 steals, and shoots a great 37.6% from 3 points range and makes about 1 per game. Serge will get you quite a few things that many PFs will not.

8. Pau Gasol: Pau is going to have his numbers drop this next season no doubt. He really isn't that best fantasy player and struggles with consistency. While he averaged a double-double, that will be most likely not the case next year. I have a strong feeling that he will average around 15 PPG next season and about 8 rebounds, mainly because of Derrick Rose returning, and the rise of Jimmy Butler.

7. Paul Millsap: The Hawks played great last year, and Paul Millsap had a lot to do with that. Millsap last year averaged 16.7 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.1 APG, 0.9 Blocks, and 1.8 steals. No doubt he will continue this next year and could find an increase in points and rebounds. I would assume that Millsap will be a great fantasy player to grab.

6. Dirk Nowitzki: He is a lights out shooter and will be great to have on your fantasy team as always. Dirk is getting old however and his PPG will most likely drop a little. He was never the best rebounder, so don't get him for that reason. But Dirk will shoots lights out from FT, 3, and FG.

5. Kevin Love: Hopefully, he will have a better season than last year. That's what we hope. And if are hopes come true, fantasy owners with him on their team, will be rewarded. Kevin Love used to have 26 PPG and 13 RPG with the Wolves but production sure has slowed down with the Cavs. Hopefully the Cavs will incorporate him into the offense a little more and he will have an increase in stats.

4. Chris Bosh: he averaged over 20 PPG last season, and hopefully he will do the same after his recovery from the blood clots on his lungs. The only problem with Bosh is he isn't the best rebounder and doesn't have much else to offer other than scoring. So that is what I recommend using him for, scoring.

3. LaMarcus Aldridge: He is definitely going to have one of his best seasons yet and I expect his defensive numbers to rise. LaMarcus will no doubt get more rebounds than ever and will be faced with lots more assists and scoing opportunities in the Popovich system. Aldridge is going to be a great fantasy player this year so pick him up if you can.

2. Anthony Davis: 24.4 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.5 Steals, 2.9 Blocks, 80% FT, and 53.5% FG in his 3rd season. Nuff Said...

1. Blake Griffin: "What, this can't be right, Blake Griffin in front of Anthony Davis! How can this be!" Yeah, well guess what. The 2015 playoffs were unlike anything we have ever seen from Blake Griffin and I personally think that Blake is about to enter Stardom. In 14 games in the playoffs, Blake averaged 25.5 PPG, 12.7 RPG, 6.1 APG, 1 Steal per game, and 1 block per game. I figure that this will continue into the 2015-16 season and it will also improve. I have a feeling that Blake will be doing some stuff that we have never seen from anyone before and I think Blake will be the ultimate fantasy player to get. With Chris Paul slowly decreasing on the scoring side, I expect Blake to take on an even bigger scoring load.

Well, there you have it. The Power Forwards will most likely be the best fantasy position this year. There is so much talent so make sure you stock up on some great PFs.

No More Kyrie Means More Marion

"Shawn Marion Mavs" by Keith Allison from Owings Mills, USA - Shawn Marion. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shawn_Marion_Mavs.jpg#/media/File:Shawn_Marion_Mavs.jpg

 

Kyrie Irving is out for the rest of the playoffs. To me, this Cavs team isn't done yet. They have key contributors that I think really could be a big impact for this Cavs team. Mike Miller and Shawn Marion are going to come and play. They both have great playoff experience. While this will be a hard task to take down the Golden State Warriors, all these 2 have to do is give some points and be great contributors. Take a look at what these guys have done in the past

Mike Miller:

• 5.2 PPG for the Playoffs over his carreer
• 7.3 PPG in the Playoffs last year for the Grizzlies
• 11.3 PPG for his career
• 40.7% from 3 point range over his career
• 4.4 RPG over his career
• 2.7 APG over his career

Shawn Marion:

• 4 time all-star
• 13.9 PPG in the Playoffs over his career
• 15.2 PPG over his career
• 8.7 RPG over his career
• 1.5 Steals over his career
• 1.1 Blocks over his career

I really don't understand why the Cavs aren't playing Marion right now. Why do they even have this player on their team if they don't even play him? This guy was a 4 time all-star with major playoff experience. He is also a great defensive player. This guy should be played but for some reason, Coach Blatt refuses to. I just don't understand it. But now with Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving out, he should have to play them. I actually think the Cavs will play great with Miller and Marion on the floor, and that the Cavs are not out of the finals yet.  

Do You Remember The Klay and Love Trade Talks?

Do you remember the Klay Thompson and Kevin Love trade talks. Back when Kevin Love wanted to be traded from Minnesota and Minnesota was offering Kevin Love for Klay Thompson. But in the end, the Warriors said no and the Wolves ended up trading him off to the Cavs. Let's take a look at how it would affect the 4 teams.

"Kevin Love (15847116411)" by Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA - Kevin Love. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kevin_Love_(15847116411).jpg#/media/File:Kevin_Love_(15847116411).jpg

"Klay Thompson in 2015" by Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA - Klay Thompson. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Klay_Thompson_in_2015.jpg#/media/File:Klay_Thompson_in_2015.jpg

Cavaliers: If Love was traded to the Warriors, the Cavs would have Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett, unless they found another team to trade them off to. But they wanted Love. Who else would be willing to trade off a franchise PF for these 2 first picks in the NBA draft two consecutive years. I'll tell you who. The 76ers. Of course this team would trade off Thaddeus Young, K.J. McDaniels, and draft picks for Wiggy and Bennett. They would be more than willing to do that. So you would probably see Thaddeus Young on this team and I honestly think that he would fit better for that role in Cleveland than Love. K.J. McDaniels would be a solid role player for the team. Now, I could go and breakdown how this would affect the Nets and all of that, but I'm not going to.

76ers: The 76ers would have Wiggins and Bennett (most likely). They would start both of them and they wouldn't have Mbah a Moute. It would be Carter-Williams, Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett, Nerleans Noel, and most likely Freeland. Carter-Williams wouldn't be traded off since they have all the talent they want as it will be a great starting 5 when Embiid comes back. This would be a team how the Timberwolves are except with even more potential. This would be a dominating future team.

Timberwolves: This would be a playoff team. They would have David Lee and Klay Thompson starting along with Rubio, Pekovic, and Brewer. Along with LaVine, Budinger, Mo Williams, Shabazz Muhammad, and Dieng off the bench. Great roster. I would actually expect this team to make the playoffs. Klay Thompson would work so well with Rubio and Klay would become an all-star. Brewer wouldn't be traded. Neither would Mo Williams. This would be a content team and they really wouldn't be the future team that you would think. The big thing though, K.G. might not come back to the Wolves. I honestly think that Kevin Garnett wouldn't come back to the Wolves unless the Wolves were to trade off David Lee for him. There would be no Wiggins on this team. That just wouldn't be there. It would be a totally different team with Klay Thompson as the face of it.

Warriors: The Warriors would take a big effect. They would have Curry passing to Love off great pick and pops with Kevin Martin coming off of weak side screens. That would be amazing. I honestly thought at the time that if the Warriors made this trade, they would be the best team in the NBA. I honestly thought they made a big mistake. And I still do. I think that if they took the trade, you would have so much better of a team. I know Klay is great. I know that. But Klay Thompson and a David Lee who has rarely played at all this season for Kevin Love and Kevin Martin who are both averaged over 15 PPG this season. I'd say that it would be worth it. That would be a great team. Not only that but you would have Draymond Green coming off the bench. A great player coming off the bench. So your bench would have a lot of strength. This team would have been unstoppable. And they are right now to.

So as you can see, it's very complicated. And I just did those 4 teams. As you can see, the Warriors and the Cavs would still be great, but the Wolves and the 76ers would have big changes.

Throwback Thursday (NBA Finals Edition)

"Rick Barry" by Corey Carter from Fremont, US - Rick Berry. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rick_Barry.jpg#/media/File:Rick_Barry.jpg

 

Today on Thursday, let's go back to 1975 where the Warriors won their last Championship over the Washington Bullets. It has been a long time since Warriors fans have had something to cheer about. Unless your a band-wagoner, then you just go around to the winning teams, and your always cheering and defending your team that your with for .5 to 2 years. But if you always have been a Warriors fan, this is your time to cheer, because you might not have another chance for another 40 years. So live while your young. You'd rather cheer at the age of 40 instead of 80, so do it now because you might not get another chance for a long, long time. And you band-wagoners can just do what ever the heck you want.
 

Also, you Cavs fans could actually get to see one of your teams win something. Remember this.

"LeBron James 18112009 1" by Keith Allison from Kinston, USA - LeBron James. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LeBron_James_18112009_1.jpg#/media/File:LeBron_James_18112009_1.jpg

 

Yeah, that was LeBron's first time meeting with the Spurs in the Finals. Yeah, first time was not the charm. You people lost. But, to be fair, the Cavs were from the East and didn't have the best roster against a Timmy Duncan in his prime, Manu Ginobili playing great, and Tony Parker averaging about 20 PPG in the playoffs. Also, LeBron wasn't the great LeBron at that point. Tell me, is there anyone there who is in the Cavs picture (besides LeBron) who now starts for any team in the NBA. No. This was really a team that has no meaning now except for LeBron. So let's be fair, the Cavs didn't stand a chance this year. But now they have 2 all-stars, and great role players. Also, LeBron is way more developed now. So yes, this team is so much better now and they have a better chance of winning. However, they could use Kevin Love. But you Cavs fans need to cheer, because you haven't had much to cheer about out of the last 70 years. Although, you band-wagoners get to cheer every year so you just do what you want.

While we look at these pictures and remember, keep in mind, history is in the making.

Cavaliers VS Bulls (game 3)

Final Score: Bulls win 99-96



Bulls lead series 2-1

I have to say, the officiating wasn't that great in this game. LeBron fouled Butler on that 3. Butler traveled on the reverse layup. LeBron fouled Derrick Rose with about 4 seconds left as he knocked it out of bounds. But the ending was great. I saw Derrick Rose put up the last shot. Then I exploded. "OH MY GOODNESS!" I yelled about 23 times. I'm sure the whole neighborhood was all like, "what's happening over at Aaron's place." "someone probably dunked it." Yeah, well guess what. That wasn't a dunk people. That was a game winning shot. But the game winner wasn't the only thing that won that game. It was everything that the Bulls did leading up to that. Let's take a look at what the Bulls did to have that game tied to those last 3 seconds.

Well, Derrick Rose got to the free throw line and he had a great game overall. He scored. Jimmy Butler did great too. Also, Derrick Rose kept Kyrie Irving to 11 points and 3-13 shooting. That is great. Joakim Noah didn't score or shoot well, but he did great on rebounding and defense. That's all you can ask from him. The whole team did a great job of limiting the Cavs to 39% shooting from the floor. Nikola Mirotic had a great game as he had 12 points and 8 rebounds but his defense was the biggest thing. He had a defnsive rating of 88.4. That is great. Aaron Brooks is still struggling and he really needs to pick it up on offense. He shot 1-7 from the field and 0-4 from 3-point range. They also controled the rebounds as they had 54 while the Cavs had 39.

The Cavaliers have a lot to change. With Kevin Love gone, they don't have a big to really spread the floor. Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov seem to clog up the paint and it becomes harder for guys like Kyrie Irving and LeBron James to make shots in there. They obviously could use Love right now. Especially against a match-up like Pau Gasol. LeBron needs to calm down a bit and stop taking too many shots. He was just 1-7 from 3 point range. And let's face it, LeBron isn't the best 3-point shooter. He just needs to get his teammates involved more. Not to mention, LeBron had 7 tunrovers. J.R. Smith had a great game. He shot 4-8 from 3-point range and 2 of those were in the last 2 minutes. Clutch. One thing that the Cavs did great was forcing the Bulls to shoot contested shots. The Bulls shot a total of 63 contested shots! They only had 27 uncontested. That is great contesting by the Cavs. The Cavaliers need Love. If this team even beats the Bulls, they need him for the next round, because without him, they will have lots of troubles.

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.

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.     

What's wrong with Kevin Love?

Kevin Love has not been so great with the Cavs, why? Well obviously he is not getting the attention he got with the Timberwolves. He is not the #1 player on the team. The other part is that the coach for the Wolves was Rick Adelman who was one of the best offensive coaches in history. Compared to David Blatt, who I am not too fascinated with, he is not much. The Cavs don't run the best offensive plays, and a lot of is just one on one. Not really what you want with three all-stars on the court. That's why I think Kevin Love isn't the same player. Coach Nick describes it a little bit better in this video.