The Golden State Warriors are in the midst of what should be a brutal series with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. The Warriors entered the postseason coming off a regular season that saw the team break what many thought was an unbreakable regular season wins record. Going 73-9 this season was an amazing accomplishment for Golden State, especially when you consider that they broke the 72-10 record of a Michael Jordan led Chicago Bulls team. The Warriors are also the defending NBA champions after besting the Cavs in last year’s Finals.
Perhaps, you may look at that record and trophy and think that this Warriors team is cemented in the conversation as one of the greatest teams ever — That they have nothing left to prove. Well, not only do they have a lot to prove, but this year’s series against Cleveland is about more than just winning a second straight title. The series is about validating the claim that the Warriors are more than just a flukey regular season dominator. I know, I know; that may seem crazy if you take it at face value, but here me out.
Last year, Golden State cruised to
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Looking at this Warriors team, I find myself asking who they beat last year? Their run to the 2015 title began with the New Orleans Pelicans, which the Warriors easily ran off the court. In a No. 1 seed vs. No. 8 seed matchup, that is expected. Then, Golden State met a scrappy Memphis Grizzlies team that held their own for a while, but really were not even in the same building when it came to talent. The Warriors then faced the Houston Rockets in the Conference Finals, which they also easily defeated in five games. People like to point out that the Rockets were the No. 2 seed last year with James Harden and Dwight Howard. Well, do Harden and Howard make you think of Gary Payton and Patrick Ewing? No, I didn’t think
Most players that enter the NBA draft early are 19 or 20 years-old. They are going to end up playing against 25-year-olds that are stronger, faster, and that have had more experience than they have. Along with more experience, they will not be as physically fit because one or two years of college will not do it, and high school will not do it. For example, Lebron James. He is considered one of the best to have played the game, and he went straight out of high school. Imagine if he had gone to college, he would be so much better. So if they leave after the freshman or sophomore year, they will be about five or six years behind and that will make it harder to get a spot on the bench. If they do not make it to the bench, then they will be in the D league for 2 or 3 years to help develop their skills. “The D-League uses a tiered compensation system that's based on experience. Players with ample NBA
The Thunder has been my favorite team since 2011. I loved the way they played on the court and put in hard work and dedication to the game. They made it all the way to the Finals in 2012, a great achievement for a team so young and of course they still have plenty of room to grow. One way they can make their team play better is to up their ball movement; in 2011 they were dead last in the league in assists, a lot of one-on-one basketball being played. Right now in 2016 though, they are a top tier team, ranking the 4th seed in the Western Conference, arguably the strongest out of the two conferences.
When asked if he believes that the Cavs could still come back from their loss against the Golden State Warriors (GSW) during the NBA Finals, Harvey said the GSW can’t be stopped. He expressed that you have to outscore them because they can’t be stopped. Harvey proceeded to say that they have too many gorillas. He says GSW
People look at Sacramento like one of those teams that will need a LeBron James, or a Michael Jordan to help lift us out of the rut that we are in. But people don’t look at why we are in a rut, to come up with a solution. The Kings have been playing bad basketball for the past five to ten years now, plain and simple. The people in prime responsibility, the players and coaches for their lack of care and effort in a team that they think is just a speed bump in their career. And as they choose complacency in how they attack the problem, and sulk under the mask of bad basketball, the fans punished, by horrible entertainment. There is a solution, but it only comes when the coaches and players are ready say they are proud to be a Sacramento King.
Throughout the Phoenix Suns existence, they have had many great years as well as many down years. When I was introduced to the sport of Basketball, the first team I watched was the Chicago Bulls; I was completely intrigued by this sport. Each member of the team on the court always seemed to be giving it their all. It was only for a year that I was a Chicago Bull fan; this was because I had not yet found out that Arizona had, and “The Team” of course, is the Phoenix Suns. I was quickly converted to a Suns fan (now I now what you’re thinking; you think I’m one of those people who just moves around cheering the team that wins…. well I’m not I was just a little kid who just found out that there was a professional basketball team in the state he lived in, and I just started cheering for them.) This team is great they are always playing their hearts out.
Currently holding a 7-4 record, they are seated at 4th spot in Eastern Conference and seems to be heading to another breakout season. But with defeats with the Cavs and Warriors, they are said to be one player down to contend with them.
The victories through the playoffs led them to a much anticipated rematch against the Golden State Warriors for the 2016 NBA
Though, this season suggests that the Preds have struggled against their divisional rival, that's not entirely true. While they have struggled to surge back to the level of success and consistency they had leading to that 2015 run, there's still been plenty of positives. Leading scorer Ryan Johansen has been added to their team since then, along with defensive wonder P.K. Subban.
...e Western Conference. While a casual NBA fan probably will never root for their team to lose, it is not only an unorthodox way to root for a team; it can also prove to be extremely effective in the long run.
...d actually passed it and stole it mid-flight. He was all alone, everyone behind him, clear path to the basket. He finger rolled it out of his hands and into the hoop. Tie game with ten seconds left. LeBron James slowly dribbled up the court as the clock clicked down. He hesitated and then quickly drove by Kevin Durant. Past half court now with three seconds left. LeBron knew he only had time to hoist up a deep prayer from way outside. As he stopped, Kevin was charging from behind as he released the deep bomb. Kevin slapped the ball from behind and the buzzer sounded. They were heading to another overtime. This game was no longer a five on five matchup. It was one on one. LeBron James vs Kevin Durant. LeBron James and Kevin Durant will always be heavily compared and contrasted, long after their days in the league and while the game of basketball continues to evolve.
The "G.O.A.T.", is coming used term in the sports world meaning, The Greatest of All Time. In the National Basketball Association, when you mention the term, the "G.O.A.T., everyone assumes of one name and one name only, Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan was an innovator of the basketball work and influenced many different people and players that inputted & mimicked Jordan’s style of play and implicated it into their own game. In today's generation, there are several players that many average day people would consider these players on the road to becoming a Jordan type of player, potential or maybe even greater; players that may be able on road to sharing a Michael Jordan type of legacy includes Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and LeBron James.
We didn 't play the way we wanted. Even though we struggled, we still did some things right. If we just focus on the things we did well like; boxing out, playing tough defense, and rebounding, we can work around those things and build up the things that needed to be worked on. I know that we can step up and play at a higher level. We just have to make some fundamental changes and work on some things in practice and I think that it will help in our next game. We can hold on to this loss for the night but when you come to practice tomorrow we aren 't going to hang on to this feeling we need to shake it off and start to prepare for our next game. We just need to use this game as an opportunity to see what we need to work on and build off of that. Once we improve what we need to, I think we can get to the level of success we want.”
Even though they lost the big game, this proves that even though the difference might be by a large margin, there’s always a possibility of turning something
...years. They have been the home of the best basketball player to have ever lived and mostly they redefined winning.
Putting things in proper perspective, the Western Conference is loaded, five or more teams will win 55+ games and at least seven playoff slots are already locked up. When you discuss the Western Conference playoffs teams, in no particular order, you must mention 1) Golden State Warriors 2) San Antonio Spurs 3) Oklahoma City Thunder 4) Memphis Grizzlies 5) L.A. Clippers 6) Houston Rockets 7) New Orleans Pelicans 8) Dallas Mavericks. It is debateable to state, with certainty, that the Lakers are better than the Portland Trailblazers, Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz or Sacramento Kings today. The Lakers have the talent to exceed ESPN’s Summer Forcast and win 30-35 games.The Lakers are moving in the right direction and have more talent on their roster than last year. The purple and gold have a good mix of veterans and young players. The Los Angeles Lakers do not have the look of a playoff team in the stacked Western Conference however this is where the challenge of making the playoffs when no one thinks you can comes into