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.


 

Cavaliers VS Hawks (Game 1)

Cavaliers Lead Series 1-0

The Cavs played good overall, but this was not what the Hawks can do. They had a very poor performance. I really was surprised on just how poorly the Hawks played.

The Hawks shot just 37.9% from the field. Not something that they are known for at all. Some people might argue that the Cavs defense was great, but I have to disagree. The Hawks shot more uncontested shots than contested shots. The problem was, they weren't hitting their open shots. In fact, they hit just 37.5 of their uncontested shots. They shot 48 of them! It seemed like Horford and Millsap just couldn't hit a post shot. They did a great job; they just couldn't get the shots to fall.

Dennis Schroder kept the Hawks in the game. He finished with 27 points in the game, leading points for both teams. They could really use another good performance from him in game 2. The Hawks need their starters to produce more though. Teague finished with just 8 points. Korver had 3 points in 37 minutes. Horford had 10. The Hawks just need to hit more shots.

The Cavs were very tough to defend in the game. Everyone was hitting 3's with really spaced the floor. J.R. Smith, Kyrie, Richard Jefferson, and Kevin Love were all hitting 3's. This really opened up the paint for LeBron. It really helped that LeBron was hitting outside shots as well. This forced the defense to guard him at the 3-point line which enabled him to get into the paint easily.

The Hawks really just need to hit shots. They didn't in this game. I expect them to heat up and the Cavs to cool down. If this happens, we will have some close games that might make this the series we've been waiting for.

Cavaliers VS Pistons (Game 4)

Cavs Win Series 4-0

The Cavaliers won the series, but before I get started, I would like to point out that Kyrie Irving traveled in the video above. And It wasn't a half-court, his foot was over the line. I mean, geez guys, it's not a big deal!... I'm kidding!

Okay, so to start off, the Pistons need to find a better backup center for Andre Drummond, because Aron Baynes just gets destroyed out there. He isn't a good rebounder and not the best defensive player. They could really use a backup like Bismack Biyombo.

The next thing I'm going to mention is that both teams had a combined total of 14 turnovers. Only 14. The Cavs only had 5 turnovers in the game. If they keep that up going into the next rounds of the playoffs, they are going to be hard to beat. So great job to the Cavs for taking great care of the ball.

While the Pistons guarded LeBron pretty well, LeBron completely destroyed Marcus Morris in the paint. I wasn't too thrilled about Morris''s defense. While Morris shot 75% from the field, he was a -13 when he was on the floor, this was because he did a horrible job guarding LeBron. Stanly Johnson on the other hand did a great job on letting LeBron put up longer range shots and forcing him out of the paint.

I also think that the Cavs kind of strayed away from ball movement in this game. They only had 16 assists and I think that they should move the ball around more. This was mainly the reason why this was such a close game, the Cavs played a lot of iso ball, a little too much.

Anyways, while Reggie Jackson didn't really get a good look at a game winner, this was still a fun series to watch. But the Cavs need to get ready to move on. They need to be ready for whoever is next, because if they play like this, they could easily be beaten.

Cavaliers VS Pistons (Game 3)

Cavaliers Lead Series 3-0

The Pistons home court was lit. All of the fans in the arena were just happy to see their team back in the playoffs again, and the Pistons put on a show. So far in this series they have been a challenge for the Cavs, but the Cavs have had no problem conquering them.

The Pistons starters were great. They played really well on the court as all of them had double-figure scoring. Their bench was brutal though. They only had 14 bench points total. The Cavs completely destroyed them when the bench was in the game. They can't have a great performance from their starters and them have the bench come in and ruin it. However, I was impressed with Stanly Johnson, he did a much better job defensively this game and he had 9 points off the bench. He was very efficient on the floor.

Defensively, I thought the Pistons did a great job. They let LeBron shoot jump shots and really get into him in the paint. This worked well as LeBron shot just 33.3% from the field. He also shot 1-6 from 3-point range. I thought that they really contained LeBron which put them in a much better position to win.

The Cavaliers killed the Pistons on the boards. The Cavaliers had 46 rebounds while the Pistons only had 32. If you looked at what the Cavs were doing, they were sandwiching Andre Drummond so he couldn't get the rebounds. Stan Van Gundy needs to bring this up to his players. If a guy is being sandwiched, then someone isn't being boxed out. This is the player that needs to crash the offensive and defensive boards. I also thought that it was very strange that  Stan Van only played Drummond 27 minutes in the game. Aron Baynes was horrible on the floor and Drummond was a lot better to have on the floor. 3 of 5 starters for the Cavs had at least 10 boards. J.R. Smith had 9. They need Drummond in there longer. The Cavs had 17 2nd chance points. That is just too many, especially when the Pistons have the best rebounder in the league. The fact that Drummond only got 7 rebounds in the game and J.R. Smith had 9 just tells you that the Pistons just need to crash the glass harder.

The Pistons could really just use a playoff win for some confidence. They are having a tough time against the Cavs but they have to keep their eyes on the target of winning the game, throughout the game.

Cavaliers VS Pistons (Game 1)

Cavs Lead Series 1-0

Stan Van Gundy and his team fought. They fought hard. For a good amount of the 4th quarter, it looked like they had the game, then the pressure got to them. They just couldn't close it out. Reggie Jackson lost his composure, they just couldn't finish it. But they sure put up a fight and made this series interesting for sure.

The Pistons really fought hard. The Cavs were very focused on stopping the Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond pick and roll. However, they left Detroit's shooters wide open. The Pistons took advantage of these kick-outs as they made 15 threes and shot 51.7% from deep. Their efficiency from the 3-point line really kept them in the game.

I was very impressed with Cleveland. They finished the night with only 4 turnovers. All of those turnovers were off of steals too. You could tell just how disciplined this Cavs team was on offense. I was also shocked with their ability to move the ball. They rarely went into isolation and LeBron seemed to always make the extra pass. This ball movement and so little turnovers is really what kept them in this game. However, the Cavs really need to step up their defense on getting out on the shooters if they are to really pull away in this series.

The Cavs did a great job on the boards. They limited Drummond to 11 boards which is well below his average and they actually won the rebounding battle against a team that is well known for its rebounding.

The Pistons had a big lift from their bench. Stanly Johnson and Steve Blake played a big part in this game. They did a great job defending and Steve Blake always found the open guy. Those guys were great defensively. However, all of the Cavs big 3 had over 20 points. They dominated on the floor together.

I am concerned for the Cavs on how LeBron is going to hold up through this. He was the only player in this game to have at least 40 minutes and he was getting tired. You could tell too. He had the worst speed average, worse than Aron Baynes speed. He isn't keeping up with the other players and it's from fatigue. As the playoffs go on, can he keep this up? 40 minutes on the court is a long time. I don't if he can keep logging that many minutes a night.

There Is Nothing Wrong With The Cleveland Cavaliers

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

Lately in the news I've been hearing that the Cavs are struggling since the all-star break. However, compared to the rest of the league, this is simply not true. I tried to look for reasons why the Cavs are losing, adn I could not find many.

If you look at the Cavs record since the all-star break,it is 7th. You may look at that, and think that it is very bad. The Cavs lost to the Pistons where they just didn't play their best, Kyrie was the only one really playing great. The loss to the Toronto was just the Cavs playing a really good Raptors team. The game they lost to the Wizards, the team didn't have LeBron James. And the loss to the Grizzlies wasn't that bad as you would think it is. While the Grizzlies have had a lot of injuries of late, they still have managed to get the 8th best record since the all-star break. Not to mention, the only blowout loss, was the one where they didn't have LeBron.

Their offense and defense doesn't seem to be the problem as they have the 4th best net rating since the all-star break in the league and they have the 3rd best rebounding percentage. Their effective and true shooting percentages are both top 5 since the break, so it isn't them missing shots either. So if it wasn't anything the Cavs were doing wrong, it must be the opponent.

There was nothing special with the Cavs' opponents shooting percentages at all since the break, in fact, they aren't that high. I looked at 2nd chance, fastbreak points, points off turnovers, and points in the paint for the Cavs opponents since the break and I saw nothing, in fact the Cavs actually did very good in limiting these categories. So really, couldn't find anything wrong with the Cavaliers.



I then decided to check their clutch stats and how the team did when the game had a differential of 5 points or less in the last 5 minutes of the 4th. The Cavs game up quite a bit of possessions and lost 2 games in the clutch because their opponents FG% was so high. 48%. 9th worst in the league. The only other teams above .500 that were worse were the Detroit Pistons who only lost 1 game in the clutch and the Thunder who are actually struggling. It should be noted that the Thunder lost all 5 of their games in the clutch since the all-star break.

So is there really anything wrong with the Cavs? They lost a couple of close games and 1 without LeBron James. They just need to play a little better defense down the stretch. I wouldn't say that this team is struggling like the Thunder are though. The Cavs are fine. They are playing good defense and are playing good offense as well and they are still a title contender.

Is Russell Westbrook Is Better Than LeBron James?

"Russell Westbrook shoots against Cavs (cropped)" by Erik Drost from United States - Russell Westbrook. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons.

Both Russell Westbrook and LeBron James are athletic all-star players at their positions. Both of these players are given a lot of hype due to the teams that they play for and their fan base. However, if someone was to ask who was the better player, chances are that most people would say LeBron James as most people call him "the best player in the world". Lot's of people would say it's unfair to argue which one is the better player since they both play 2 different positions but both of these player have the same style of play. Not to mention that James is handed the Point Guard role most of the time. So which one is better, Let's dive into the stats to find out.

Lets' start out by looking at their scoring abilities. They are about the same, James averages 25.8 ppg while Westbrook averages 25.5. Can you really say that LeBron is the better scorer though? No. Westbrook is a second option on his team to start with, LeBron is the first option. We saw last year what Westbrook can do as the first option; it's scary. It is impressive that Westbrook can average those numbers with a guy who averages 26.5 PPG.

While these two are similar in their numbers for scoring, they both score in the same ways as well. By getting to the rim. However, Westbrook does spread out his scoring more. 53.6% of LeBron's points come from the paint while only 42.6% of Westbrook's comes from the paint. While you think both of these guys just take layups all game, you are actually wrong on that. While LeBron shoots layups more than any other shot, you may be surprised that Westbrook shoots more jump-shots than he does layups. Now you are probably saying that I'm crazy, but Westbrook has made 163 jumpshots and only 130 layups. Now, you could include dunks in this but if you included bank shots also, then Westbrook still has more jumpshots. The reason why is because Westbrook takes tons of pull-up jumpers, and he hits them at a pretty good percentage (comparing them to his other percentages). He shoots 50% on pull-up jumpers and 34.7% on 3-pointer pull-up jumpers. He has made 78 pull-up jumpers this season, so I'd say he should keep shooting pull-up jumpers.

Both of these guys have about the same shooting numbers as well, Westbrook shoots 45.8% from the field while LeBron shoots 50.1% from the field. Both of those players also shoot very poorly outside the paint and beyond the 3-point line. Westbrook is only shooting 30.4 from three point land while LeBron is shooting an even lower percentage of 28.8% (he has seemed to be shooting a lot better of late though). Russell Westbrook is clearly the better Free Throw shooter though, which has never really been LeBron's best thing. Westbrook shoots a pretty good 83.1% while LeBron shoots 71.7%.

Now, what do these guys do besides scoring. LeBron doesn't have the reputation of being one of the best players in the league just because of his scoring, because in that case, James Harden would be the best in the league right now. LeBron is well known for his rebounding and passing along with his overrated defense. Let's compare LeBron's numbers to Westbrook's.

Russell Westbrook is a 6-3 guard. LeBron James is a 6-8 forward. Westbrook somehow is averaging 7 rebounds while LeBron is still averaging a great 7.4 rebounds. Both of these numbers are great, but Westbrook is 6-3. That is shorter than Troy Daniels, Matthew Dellavedova, and Ricky Rubio, and he is averaging 7 rebounds. LeBron is still averaging great rebounding numbers, but Westbrook's are astounding. In fact, Russell Westbrook leads all guards in rebounding this season, and that includes guys like Nicolas Batum (who should be listed as a forward, but plays the guard position this season).

Not only that, but while Westbrook is averaging over 25 points, he is averaging 9.5 assists as well. LeBron averages 6. That is still a good number, but 9.5 is a great number, especially when you are averaging over 25 points.

Defensively, who is the better player? Russell Westbrook averages 2.5 steals to LeBron's 1.5. LeBron has Westbrook in blocks, but not by a lot as it is only a difference of 0.5 and neither of them average over a block. Both of these guys aren't great defensive players, mainly because most of their effort is contributed to offense, however, Westbrook seems to put in more effort on defense. However, defense is more than just getting steals and blocks. In PnR, LeBron is the better defensive player by far. Same with Isolation. The better on-ball defender is probably LeBron, while the better off-ball defender is most likely Westbrook.

As you can see, both player are very talented and are very similar in there style of play. To me, Russell Westbrook is the better player, but it is really close. They're really close in numbers which does make it hard to see which one is better, but considering that Westbrook is the number 2 option while LeBron is the number 1 option, Westbrook seems to average great numbers still.

So next time you are comparing LeBron to Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant as the best player in the league, add Westbrook in there. Most people say he is overrated (which is somewhat true) but he IS underrated compared to LeBron. Which one is the better player is a close call and you can make a case for either one.

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! 

NBA Inside The Player Of The Week (Dec. 15-21)

LeBron James had a great week. He came through for his Cavs team as he won all 3 games this week including games against the Thunder and the Celtics. LeBron's performance this week was great which earned him the NBA Inside The Player Of The Week award.

This week, LeBron averaged 26.7 PPG. He lead his team with a Kevin Love that hasn't been producing this past couple of weeks and a Kyrie Irving that just came back from injury. Not only did he lead the team in the scoring department, but he also made big contributions from other areas. He averaged 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2.3 steals. 

While LeBron only played in 2 fourth quarters this week considering he did play a game against the 76ers, but he still managed to do well in the 2 games he played in the fourth. He averaged 7.5 points, and a whopping 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals. LeBron clearly stepped it up in the fourth this week.

While LeBron's play was great, he did have areas of concern. This week he averaged 5 turnovers to his 6 assists. Not really what you want from your starting SF. He also struggled shooting from 3 this week, but you expect that from LeBron. He shot just 18.2% from 3-point range this week. Of course, LeBron's play in the other categories did make up for this. And James did keep it under control in the 4th quarters shooting just attempting 2 threes in the 4th quarters this week. He really shot inside the paint during crunch time.

As you can see, LeBron was the main reason why the Cavs won all of there games this week. That is why he is your NBA Inside The Player Of The Week.

Mo Williams Shoots Down The Jazz

Of course, the Utah Jazz wouldn't go down without a fight, but they would end up losing the game due to amazing performances from Mo Williams and LeBron James. Let's take a look at the game and how this team had this amazing win over the Cavaliers.

Mo Williams Shot The Lights Out!
If you didn't notice it, Mo Williams missed only 1 free-throw and a shot. He shot 8-9 from the field, 4-4 from 3-point range, and 9-10 from the FT line. Not only that, but Mo was moving the ball. He had 6 assists and passed the ball a total of 71 times, more than anybody else on either team. Now, while Mo's shooting was phenomenal, it wasn't like he was taking tough shots. In fact, 7 of Mo's 9 shots were uncontested, meaning that he only took 2 contested shot and he missed one of them. Why didn't the defense get on him then? 2 reasons, the Jazz didn't play that great of defense and Mo is a very smart player. He constantly used pump-fakes, and moved really well with and without the ball. You can't forget the Mo used to be an all-star.

LeBron James
Now, LeBron is a player who can score, and he did that in the 4th quarter. While he scored a total of 33 points, he had 17 in the 4th. Some of that came from Mo finding LeBron, some of it came from poor defense from the Jazz, and some of it was just LeBron making smart plays. As you may know, LeBron isn't a great shooter at all, but he stayed within his range in this game, shooting 6 of his 8 shot attempts within the paint, and you know that those are very high percentage shots for him.

Credit: NBA.com/stats

Burke and Burks Bench Boys
What really kept this Jazz team in the game, were Alec Burks and Trey Burke who came off the bench. Alec had 24 points and shot 4-5 from the 3-point line and Trey Burke had 16 points on 2-3 shooting from deep. Without these guys, the Jazz wouldn't have been able to make the run that they made.

The Jazz Defense
The Cavs great offense was really a result of the Jazz's bad defense. They had 0 blocks as a team. The team had a defensive rating of 119.3 and Rudy Gobert wasn't doing much on the defensive side. He seemed really soft and the whole team wasn't playing that great. Instead, most of the players were fouling and not playing great defense. Even though he only played a little over 13 minutes, Joe Ingles somehow managed to have 5 fouls on the game. Both Gordon Hayward and Alec Burks were in foul trouble as they also had 5 and Rodney Hood fouled out of the game. The whole team had a total of 35 fouls. This isn't something you would want to see from a defensive team.

Other Points

• Kevin Love had 22 points and he shot just 37.5% from the field. He had a scare when he came down on his knee wrong on a fast break, but he appeared to be fine as he continued to play in the game.
• The Jazz had very equal scoring all around. 6 players scored in double figures.
• Gordon Hayward has really struggled this season, as he hasn't shot well and has only had one 20 point game. You could see his struggles again as he 6-16 in the game. Hopefully he starts to play a little better as the season continues.
• Both Mo Williams and LeBron James had 5 turnovers and the Jazz had 11 steals. The Cavs do need to limit their turnovers as it could cost them dearly in some games later in the season.

Well, this was a great game to watch and a great game to breakdown. Hope you guys liked it. I got to give a big thanks to www.nba.com/stats for providing such great stats and charts to help not just NBA Inside The Play but many other websites and blogs with their articles. Also, checkout AP Highlights and their youtube page. They make really great highlights over their, and you will especially like them if you are a Lakers fan so check it out and here is the link: AP Highlights. Again thanks for reading and hope you people loved it.

Fantasy Friday: Small Forwards

Small Forwards can be great players to have on your team. If you remember, there were actually 3 Small Forwards starting for the East in the 2014 All-star game. There are a lot of great Small Forwards and you must pick them wisely. Hopefully, this article with help you with that problem. So without further ado, here are the top ten NBA fantasy Small Forwards for the 2015-16 season.

10. Luol Deng: This man is slowing down. No doubt. But he will be a big influence on the upcoming season for the Heat. What does he have to offer you say? Maybe a steal or an assist? Well, he will give you about 5 RPG and 14 PPG. That's it? Well, he is a good shot selection. He will give you about 35% from three. But the main thing is he shoots a high FG%. Really high. Infact, he has a FG% of 46.9% and shoots over 50% from inside the three point line. This veteran player will give you some scoring and great shot selection.

9. Nicolas Batum: He had an off-season last year but I expect him to get back on track with his new team. You might say that Batum is getting too old but the fact is that he is only 28 and if Batum was going to have a breakout season, this would be the season. Last year he dipped down to 9.4 PPG after he averaged over 13 the year before, scaring fantasy owners. But with a change of scenery, Batum could be a great fantasy player seeming that he is a great rebounds and can pass the ball well. Not only that, he is a great defender with his length. Batum would be a great guy to pick up for your fantasy team.

8. Chandler Parsons: Parsons is going into only his 5th season in the NBA. He averaged over 15 PPG last season and I wouldn't be surprised if he raised that this upcoming season. Let's face it, Dirk is getting old, and he can't keep taking on this big scoring load, someone is going to have to take a little weight off. And Parsons is the man. He will provide few turnovers and will give you great shooting.  Parsons is a great offensive player and would be a great addition to your team.

7. Gordon Hayward: He is perhaps the best player that is not yet an all-star. He averaged 19.3 PPG last season and he lead his team in a great second half of the season run. Hayward is most likely going to be snubbed in your fantasy draft so pick him up now!

6. Andrew Wiggins: After almost averaging 17 PPG last season in his rookie campaign, Wiggins is looking to make the all-star team this season as the game will be held in his native homeland, Canada. Wiggins was a dominant figure on offense last season for the Timberwolves but he also was a big help on defense, taking on big guys like James Harden and LeBron James. He proved he could guard them both, blocking both of them when the Wolves played them. Wiggins will provide some defense but will bring a boat load of offense to whoever has him.

5. Kawhi Leonard: Averaging 16.5 PPG last season for the Spurs, Kawhi proved why he was the 2014 Finals MVP. He had shown that he could score well and this next year, he is looking for his first all-star appearance. However, it isn't Kawhi's scoring that makes him stand out to fantasy owners. Kawhi averaged 7.5 RPG, 2.5 APG, 0.8 Blocks, and 2.3 Steals while only averaging 1.5 Turnovers last season. If he improves even more next season, expect Kawhi to be one of the ultimate fantasy players.

4. Carmelo Anthony: When Injuries struck last season, Carmelo went down and averaged only 24.2 PPG. Carmelo is now 31. He is obviously on the decline. While he will give you scoring and rebounding, his numbers will most likely start to drop. Another thing is if he can stay healthy. His health has proved to be questionable every year. That is why I put him at 4.

3. Rudy Gay: He averaged a career high of 21.1 PPG last season and I expect it to get even higher this next season. Gay is a great Defensive player that will also help a little in the assist and rebound department. Unlike LeBron James though, Rudy Gay is a great shooter. He is going to give you threes and will do a lot of scoring. Scoring is Gay's main category. If you need a scorer, Gay will show you the way.

2. LeBron James: He averaged 25.3 PPG, 7.4 APG, 6 RPG, and 1.6 steals last season, LeBron is a stat machine. However, he will hurt you in turnovers and shooting. To be fair, LeBron is not the best shooter and that is the main reason why he is not the best Small Forwards in fantasy. However, he is a really great player to have on your fantasy team. Most likely he will be taken very early on though, so I don't think you will be able to get him at a good position.

1. Kevin Durant: KD is not nice. Leading the league in score for 3 consecutive years is not nice. Shooting way above average from FG, 3, and FT is not nice. Being an above average defender and averaging 1.2 steals and 1 block over his career is not nice. Being a great overall player by averaging 3.5 APG and 7 RPG over his career is not nice. KD may have injured last season, but in all of his other seasons, KD never missed more than 8 games. That's not nice. Let's face it KD is not a nice player... Unless he is on your fantasy team. 

So, are you going to listen too me. I don't know. I honestly don't care how you run your fantasy team. I'm just trying to help. You might choose Andre Iguogala as your first pick. I would say that is a stupid decision, then with my luck, Iggy would have a 24 PPG, 9 RPG, 6 APG, 1.6 Blocks, and 2.3 steals per game season. Then you would tell me I was wrong and I would feel like an idiot. So, I'm just going to save the time and just not even care how you run your fantasy team and let you do what you want. These are just who I think will be the best small forwards for the NBA fantasy in the 2015-16 season. So go ahead and listen to me or take Iggy, I don't care. Take some chances and have some fun this fantasy season. See you next Friday fantasy lovers.

5 Things You Probably Don't Know About LeBron James

 "LeBron James 3408968580" by Keith Allison from Baltimore, USA - LeBron James. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LeBron_James_3408968580.jpg#/media/File:LeBron_James_3408968580.jpg

LeBron James is said to be the best player in the world. At least, that's what the commentators and announcers tell you. But what don't they tell you about LeBron. Well, I'm about to tell you 5 things that you probably don't know about LeBron James.

5. LeBron James is 4th in Playoff Turnovers for all-time.
LeBron has given up the ball a lot and he is not even done with his career. He has 625 total turnovers and is only 72 Turnovers away from passing up Magic Johnson. He has been very careless with the ball averaging 3.5 Turnovers per game in the playoffs.

4. When LeBron is wide open, he only makes about 38% of his shots.
Wide open means that there is no defender within 6ft. Those shots should be automatic. Instead, he only makes 38% of those shots!

3. LeBron does not do that well in Isolation.

LeBron usually goes into isolation, and the longer he stays in it, the more his field goal percentage goes down. And his 3 point% actually drops below 30%. Great isolation players like James Harden actually have their percentages rise.

2. When the team is healthy, LeBron only passes to Kevin Love and Kyrie.
This one to me isn't a shocker. LeBron claims that he plays point and works the offense, but he really doesn't run an offense. The fact is LeBron almost immediately goes into isolation then passes to one of the stars that he plays with (Kevin Love or Kyrie Irving). In fact, Kevin Love rarley even passes to the other players. Does that sound like an offense. J.R. Smith get passed to by LeBron about 4.2 times per game. In fact, John Wall gives out more passes to Bradley Beal then LeBron does to Kyrie but Wall also gives more to all the starters and dishes about 4-5 per game to bench players Rasul Butler, Otto Porter, and Kris Humphris. That is a player running an offense. Getting not just the stars involved, but everyone.

1. LeBron is a below league average shooter.


I hear all the time that LeBron is a great shooter. All the time I hear that. I say, "he isn't the shooter you think he is". LeBron is indeed below league average on his shooting. You just have to look at the stats. Take a look at this chart that www.bballbreakdown.com provides.

As you can see, from 5 to 22 feet, he is below league average, and from 23 to 30 feet he is also below league average. And yet, LeBron takes more 3 pointers than most players, take a look at the shot Frequency chart provided by www.bballbreakdown.com below.

As you can see, LeBron take a lot of shots, and misses a lot of shots. Take a look at the Zones for his shooting also provided by www.bballbreakdown.com.

These are the areas where LeBron shoots under 35% from. That's a lot of blue. As you can see, outside of the paint, he doesn't shoot that well. And it's unfortunate for players that are idolized like LeBron for them to have these stats that go unnoticed. Many people don't even realize how this guy plays and how he shoots. I'd like to thank www.bballbreakdown.com and www.nba.com/stats for providing all of these stats. I hope that this article provides a better outlook on LeBron James for you. Comment below if you have any questions or disagreements.

Warriors Lose in OT

The Warriors seemed a little tight and settled for far too many three points. Stephen Curry seemed like he was trying to prove that he could make all these shots but he kept on missing. It wasn't that fun seeing Curry miss all those shots but it was sure fun seeing a close game like that. If only all games could be that close.

LeBron looked like he actually had a great game like the ones he had when he was with the Heat. He actually shot pretty well from the field and 3 point range. LeBron has been bringing the ball up and if you are the Warriors, you need to force LeBron to go up and get the ball and also, you need a defender on the inbounder. Once the ball is into LeBron they should go and throw a trap to force LeBron to get the ball out of his hands. After that, Iggy just needs to play LeBron like he has been.

The main reason why I think that the Cavs won this game is because everyone was involved in the game. LeBron made sure that everyone touched the ball. That is what needs to happen in order for the Cavs to win. Yes LeBron, you can have your 40 point nights, other people just need to score too. The Cavs can do it. You can see that Curry was really struggling though. Klay was carrying his team. That is not how the Warriors usually play. You know that the Warriors have to get one in Cleveland. Let's see if they can do it.

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.  

The Finals Have Started!

The Warriors have won the first game of the Finals. It was a close game as it went into overtime. I have to admit, it was a little rough for both teams though. 

When I first started watching the game I saw LeBron miss a fade-away shot pretty badly and then the next time down the floor, J.R. Smith bricked a three off the backboard. The game wasn't too great to start off. However, by the end of the 1st, Cleveland had a 10 point lead.

One thing that was really surprising to me is that the Warriors didn't have a player who had over 7 rebounds but they still won the rebounding battle. Everyone on the Warriors had at least 3 rebounds. They all crashed the glass.

If you take a look at the Cavs scoring, It was really just LeBron and Kyrie with Timofey Mozgov giving some offense. Kyrie and LeBron combined had a total of 65 points. Besides Mozgov, LeBron, and Kyrie, the rest of the team only scored 17 points. For the Warriors, that's what you want. You want this to be a 3 on 5 kind of game. The Warriors love that. I think that you have to be happy with only 3 people really coming out and scoring points. 

I really think Bogut could do a better job on Mozgov and he didn't look that great on defense. He just wasn't filling up the paint like he usually does.

If you the Warriors, you have Klay Thompson back and he is looking good as ever. He played great basketball. If your the Cavs, you have to be really disappointed. Kyrie just went down and you could be missing 2 of the big 3 now. They need Kyrie. He is the next best offensive player after LeBron on the team. They need him. They really need him.

The last 32 seconds of regulation wasn't the best last 32 seconds that I've seen before. Stephen Curry had the ball but couldn't make the layup as he somehow got his layup blocked by Kyrie Irving. Then LeBron gets the ball and puts up a really dumb shot that he was going to miss. Really poor shot selection. Shumpert got the rebound and put it up last second and somehow almost won the game. But he missed and the game went into OT. The Warriors ended up making their free throws and played great defense as they limited the Cavs to 2 points that were scored in the last 24 seconds as the Warriors just kind of LeBron get a wide open layup. They were like "who cares, we won". It was a great game. But the series isn't over. We have 3 more games at the least and 6 at the most. It will be a great finals series, I can already tell.

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.