Thoughts on Spurs vs Warriors (Game 1)
One of the most amazing playoff games in the 2017 playoffs was played last night in the Oracle. The place was going crazy, the intensity was high, the superstar players were ready to go, the passion was there, great coaches going at each other and the Western Conference Finals were underway. The Spurs in the first half were incredible. LaMarcus and Kawhi were leading the team scoring 18 points and being up by 20 points at the half. The Warriors with Kawhi on the floor were shooting only 13/38 from the field. The Spurs at the half led by 20 points, 62-42 showcasing their exceptional coaching both defensively and offensively, with Leonard and Aldridge showing their offensive repertoire. Leonard's injury in the third quarter send him to the line, he remained in the game, and then he shot an off-balance shot and landed in Pachulia's foot, rolled the same ankle, left the game and did not return.
This injury was the turning point of the game and possibly the series, as without Leonard on the court the Warriors were grabbing offensive rebounds, playing great defense, making threes, with Steph and Durant leading the way with 40 points and 34, outscoring the Spurs 58-33! This shows, how valuable Leonard is both defensively and offensively for the Spurs. Now, there has been a lot of discussions about whether the injury was intentional or not, dirty or just an accident. Leonard after the game stated that he did not do it on purpose, while Pachulia added that he would not do that because he is an athlete too. Either way, it was the toughest loss San Antonio could face, which led to an unbelievable comeback from the Warriors, as they rallied back from 25 points to beat a great team in the Spurs. The Warriors were lucky in the end though, by grabbing long offesnive rebounds, making crazy shots and playing in their home court. This was a game that could possibly affect the series to a large extent, if Leonard is not 100% ready to go in Game 2. The Warriors though, have learned their lesson, and will be ready to go in Game 2, and will be better from the first jump ball of the game.
As stated in my preview (http://morningnba.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/can-spurs-challenge-warriors-preview.html) the Spurs have the exceptional coaching of Greg Popovich the unbelievable talent of Leonard who at the moment is a top-3 player in the world, the experience of a Pau Gasol and Manu Ginobili, and yesterday they showed that they could challenge the Warriors, until Leonard went down. I still think the Warriors will win Game 2, and the Spurs will win both games in San Antonio, going back to Oakland for Game 5 and finishing the series in six games on the road in San Antonio.
Is John Wall the second best player in the Eastern Conference?
What a performance by the Washington Wizards and John Wall in game 4 of the second-round series against the Boston Celtics. In the first half the Celtics were up for the most of it, and at some point even led the game by 12. John Wall was struggling, he could not make shots, he had a couple of turnovers early on, and the Wizards were also struggling. However in the third quarter, the unstoppable John Wall showed up, and the team followed, going on to a 26-0 run! John Wall was assisting, scoring layups, making a couple of threes, being aggressive, going to the free throw line and helping his team come back and destroy the Celtics in the third and fourth quarter. But is he the second best player in the Eastern Conference behind LeBron James?
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| Credit: NBA Facebook |
The answer is yes. John Wall at this particular moment is the second best player in the East. In the playoffs, he led fourth-seeded Wizards over the Hawks in six games, while now after being down 2-0, he has led his team to two straight blowout victories over the Celtics and tied the series in two games. Just like LeBron James he makes his teammates better. By assisting, going to the paint, coast to coast with his unbelievable speed with the ball, scoring mid-range jumpers, and hustling on the defensive side of the floor he is helping his team become successful this season. Kyrie Irving, Kyle Lowry, Demar Derozan, Jimmy Buttler, Giannis Antetokounmpo are all up there, but they don't make everyone around them better like John Wall makes his teammates. In the regular season, he finished with 23.1 PPG and 10.7 APG while in the playoffs he has improved his game, become more aggressive, attacking and he is averaging 28.8 PPG and 11.1 APG on 47.7% shooting from the field. In his 6th years, he wants to let the world to know that he belongs in the conversation of the best point guard in the league, and could be in the top 3. In these ten playoff games in the 2017 playoffs, he has shown a matured player, who knows what to do, when to do it, and how to do it right. The Wizards have a legit chance of advancing to the Conference Finals to challenge the Cavaliers for a place in the Finals.
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| Game 4 |
The most important part of his game that makes him that good is the following. When he does not play well, turn the ball over, shots are not falling, cannot finish around the basket, his team is also struggling. But when he plays well, his team is also playing well. The action/reaction effect. This is what makes him so good. Now, you could make a case for a lot of other players that are up there and can challenge John Wall for that second spot, but in my opinion John Wall in these playoffs and particularly these four games against a great Boston Celtics team is showing why he is one of the top point guards in the league and the second best player in the East.
Finally, if the Wizards, advance I believe, have more belief in themselves that they can challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers for a place in the Finals and this is all starting from John Wall, a player who has turned things for his team, and himself all the way around. This is also something I don't see as much in the Boston Celtics, while the Wizards with John Wall as the leader can challenge the Cavs and take them to six or seven games.
Highlights - Game 4:
Are the Cavaliers the best team in the 2017 playoffs?
The Cavaliers, with LeBron James as the leader of this team, the guy who does it all, have been if not the best, the second best team in the 2017 playoffs. Particularly in the three games against a better team (than the Pacers), in the Toronto Raptors, they have elevated their game to the next level. They want the sweep, they want this rest, and they will possibly get it. Lebron James in the playoffs has been phenomenal, in the perfect time of the year, and is averaging, 34 points, 9 rebound and 7.3 assists. This stat line in the seven games he has already played in the playoffs shows Lebron's greatness. An all time great stat line, over the course of seven games, going 7-0. He shows everyone why he still is the greatest player in the world. However, the opponents the Cavaliers had to face so far cannot even compare to the Cavaliers, do not believe they can even challenge the Cavs in a game. The Golden State Warriors on the other hand who are 6-0, faced a good team in the Trail Blazers, in the first round eliminating them in four games, and are now being challenged by one of the best defensive teams in the league, the Utah Jazz, and are up 2-0. So, if I had to choose between the Warriors and the Cavs on which team has been the best, I would pick the Warriors slightly over the Cavaliers. Despite the Warriors playing one fewer game (tonight will be a TEST for the Warriors), because of the tougher teams they are playing, and the way they are winning these basketball games.
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| 34/9/7 Lebron's stats in the playoffs |
If tonight the Warriors loose then the Cavaliers will be considered as the best team in the 2017 playoffs, and that is just and only due to their postseason record of 7-0. However, there is a big but, in the four games against the mediocre Pacers, the Cavaliers had to rally back, down 25 points, needing a super human performance from Lebron, and 'stealing' game 3 on the road. Despite this win, all four wins against the Pacers had been decided by less than 10 points, which shows that the Cavaliers were not ready, and with a tougher opponent, they could have lost one, maybe two games. Defensively the Cavs, against the Pacers were vulnerable. Paul George had no help whatsoever, but he challenged the Cavaliers in all four games. So in the first round, the Cavaliers were lucky that game tying and winning shots were not falling for the Pacers, while they were also lucky for not facing the Bulls in the first round, who beat the Celtics in the first two games. It would have been another story. Now, I'm not taking anything away from Lebron and the Cavaliers, as in the second round against a great regular season team in the Raptors, they have destroyed them on the offensive and defensive side of the floor. Lebron is making three's; Kyrie Irving is orchestrating the offense, Kevin Love is grabbing rebounds, and scoring tough points inside the paint, etc. Last night, the Cavaliers made a statement to the rest of the league, especially the Eastern Conference, that no one can actually challenge them as they beat the Raptors by 21 points in Toronto, in a much-needed victory for the Raptors.
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| 116 points per game - Offense 100 points per game - Defense |
On the other hand, the Warriors are playing unstoppable basketball right now, even though they are not with their coach Steve Kerr who might not return for the 2017 playoffs, with back problems. They are playing great basketball on both sides of the floor, scoring a playoff best 116.5 points per game, while only allowing 100.7 points per game from the other teams. They eliminated Portland easily in four games, without having to face any challenge, as 10 or more points decided all four games, and they are now leading the fifth-seeded Utah Jazz, who have been really great all season long, especially on the defensive part. Tonight's game will answer the question itself. If the Warriors win, they are at the moment considered the best team in the league, due to their performances, to go along with the teams they are facing. If they loose then, the discussion will change hands, as the Warriors will be 6-1, while the Cavs will be 7-0, even though they are facing weaker teams.
To conclude, both teams are showing their capabilities, but also are showing the rest of the league, the rest of the teams that they are ready for round 3 in the finals against each other.
Is the Celtics vs Wizards an actual rivalry?
Series 2-1
Game 3 Score: 89-116
We've been discussing the Wizards and the Celtics in some of our previous articles as well, including a recap of the unbelievable game 2 overtime victory for the Boston Celtics, the player performances of Wall and Thomas, as well as previewing this series before game 1, stating that it most likely will reach six or seven games. However, yesterday's game was a different type of ball game than the other two games played in Boston. The Wizards as they have done in all three games this series came out straight balling, shooting the lights out and causing some problems for the Boston defense early on. The 22-0 run is what made them in an excellent position, being at home to remain this lead and come out on top. That is what they did, the retained the lead throughout the game, with the Celtics trailing at the half, at the end of the third quarter, but also the end of the game, winning the third game of this second-round series easily. So much passion, intensity, fights, the competition was in the game, despite the Celtics not showing up in Washington and the Verizon Center to challenge the Wizards or going for the 'break' that would put them up 3-0. However, the question is if this is starting to become a real rivalry. The short term answer is YES. The article furthermore, will explain and discuss why this is becoming a rivalry in just only three games, as well as why this is good for the NBA and it was something the NBA was missing.
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| Credit: NBA Facebook |
In yesterday's heated game, eight technical fouls were given, to go along with three ejections, fights on and off the court and fearless competitors going at it. It was one passionate game, that even though was over from the beginning, the tensions did not stop until the end of the game. In only three games, we have already seen enough to actually call this a new rivalry in the NBA. The regular season games were split going 2-2, while we had some technical fouls, ejections and unstoppable superhuman performances from John Wall, Bradley Beal and Isaiah Thomas. So before even the series started, as predicted in our preview article (http://morningnba.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/celtics-1-vs-wizards-4-preview.html), we predicted that it would be a heated series with many technical fouls, fights, possible ejections and unbelievable performances, that most likely would go to six or seven games.
In the three games we have already watched, we have seen an incredible comeback by the Celtics in game one where Isaiah scored 33 points and had 9 assists willing the Celtics to victory, while Markieff Morris got injured, landing on top of Horford's foot. While in game two the unreal matchup of Wall and Thomas going at it, Thomas scoring 53 points to secure an overtime comeback victory and a 2-0 lead, and Morris asking Horford if he meant to 'injure' him, and intention flowing in the air. Bodies were hitting the deck, including Wall's couple of ugly falls, Thomas hitting the deck hard, but also Olynyk and Smart, and overall were two crazy games, with an amazing playoff atmosphere. Going to game three, where the Wizards held on to their unstoppable first quarter lead and beat the Celtics easily with an 89-116 final score. Eight technical fouls, three ejections and many bodies hitting the deck was the story of this game that finally went to the Wizards. So, one can understand how throughout this three playoff games, to go along with the four regular season games, starting in November those teams do not like each other. There is a 'deeper' meaning in that, meaning that they will do all that it takes to make their team advance to the Conference Finals to face on Lebron James and the Cavaliers.  |
| Game 3 |
Why are we stating it is a rivalry? Well for all of the reasons above, for the reason that both teams are playing their hearts out and want a shot, an opportunity at the Cavaliers, for the numbers stated above with the technical fouls and the ejections, and the way the players talk in the press conferences about each other. Isaiah Thomas said it perfect: 'These two teams don't like each other. We don't like them; they don't like us.' This, coming from Isaiah's post-game interview shows how he believes that this could be viewed as a rival in today's NBA. Wall also addressed it, laughed, and cursed, showing and proving us right. And this is something that is good for the NBA and was missing from the NBA. It reminds people of the rivalries back int the 80s and the 90s with the 'Bad Boys', the Bulls vs. Pistons rivalry, the Celtics vs. Lakers rivalry as well as the Clippers vs. Warriors rivalry in 2013-2015. Passion, intensity, belief, some bad refereeing decisions, technical fouls, some fighting in the court, did not hurt anybody, and certainly, the fans love it more. It is only game three of the second round series between the Celtics and the Wizards, and they already seem like real rivals. We were most excited for this series, as our preview states, and we certainly do believe that it will be decided in six or seven games. Take a seat and enjoy the rest of this passionate series, that might 'change' the NBA in the near future, to a small extent.
Highlights --->
Which team will advance to the Western Conference Finals? Spurs or Rockets?
Series tied 1-1
A great overall performance by the San Antonio Spurs in yesterday's game gave them the second game of the series and tied the series in one game a piece going into Houston and the Toyota Center. Leonard had an overall fantastic game, willing the Spurs to victory, with 34 points to go along with 7 rebounds and a playoff career-high 8 assists, as well as 3 steals. One of the best all-around players in the NBA, possibly the best, had himself a game last night in what could have been a very crucial and perhaps season-ending loss for the Spurs; had they lost game 2 at home. However, the question is the following: Which team will advance to the Conference Finals to most likely take on the Warriors, who at the moment seem unstoppable? In my opinion, the answer is the Spurs.
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| Credit: NBA Facebook |
An exceptional coached Spurs team, who has been in championship contention for more than 15 years, and have won five championships, has to face another obstacle in the Houston Rockets. Leonard is turning into a superstar, a clutch player, the greatest wing defender in the world, and has the ability to also score, rebound and assist the basketball. One in a million. However, the only problem with the Spurs is that despite having the experience, the superstar player, and the greatest coach in basketball in Greg Popovich, they are getting old. Tony Parker's knee injury last night seems to be serious and he could miss the series, possibly the rest of the playoffs, while Gasol cannot play defense and sometimes is too slow, and tired to go up the court. As well as Lamarcus Aldrige who can at times be amazing on the offensive side of the floor but terrible on the defensive side of the floor. Leonard lacks help, but in the last years we have seen the Spurs win series against tough teams, challenging the Warriors and being the biggest threat there is in the Western Conference. Leonard, as previously stated in some games lacks help, being the biggest issue of this Spurs team. Nevertheless, as we saw yesterday Lamarcus Aldridge can be good offensively (15pts), Gasol can get you 10-15 rebounds a game, while Parker can still play an effective game and facilitate the offense (18 pts). They have the depth that's needed to go far in the playoffs, with Patty Mills, Jonathon Simmons and David Lee, coming off the bench and in my opinion, they can get a game in the Toyota Center and win the series in six or seven games.
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| Game 2 |
On the other hand, the Rockets shot the lights out of game one on Monday, but they never showed up last night. This is the problem with this specific team, and teams who shot many threes. One day they can shoot the ball exceptionally well while spreading the floor with James Harden being the facilitator and the next game the shots are not falling. This is what happened yesterday the shots for the Rockets were not falling. They made 11/34 threes last night. Leonard locked up Harden on the offensive side of the floor, limiting him to only 13 points, and the Spurs beat the Rockets by 25 points, 96-121. In order for the Rockets to have a chance and advance to the Conference Finals to face off against the Warriors, they have to shoot effectively from the field and especially from their favorite spot on the court, the three point line, and make 16-21 threes per game. If they can do that against a great defensive team in the Spurs, they can beat them twice in Houston and then have the advantage and the 3-1 lead. James Harden has to start to attack the 'weak' San Antonio paint and get foul calls. In yesterday's game, he only had six free throws attempted. He has to double that, he has to shoot more and attack the paint. This is something, I'm sure we will see coming Friday, with Harden being locked in, zoned in and attacking the Spurs more, thus creating more shot opportunities for himself, but also for his teammates.
A big question mark for the rest of the series is Tony Parker and his knee injury. He played well last night, scored 18 points helped Leonard on the offensive part, and facilitated the offense in a way he can do and has done best for the last 15 years, but now with him being injured, Patty Mills and the other guys, coming off the bench will have to step up, and this will be a big test for Popovich. Can he get them to do something they don't normally do? Can he make them step up? These questions will be answered on Friday when the Spurs travel to Houston to take on the Rockets in game 3 of the second round matchup. A matchup, that after the Celtics vs Wizards series will be the most exciting to watch, with two teams battling and being tied 1-1 in their fight to advance to the Conference Finals.
My prediction: Spurs in six
Highlights -->
Credit: NBA Conference (YouTube Channel)
Celtics (1) vs Wizards (4) PREVIEW!!!
Overview (Breaking it down).
Perhaps, one of the most exciting second round series in the 2017 playoffs. The Golden State Warriors will either take on the Los Angeles Clippers or the Utah Jazz (Game 7 - Sunday), while the Houston Rockets will face off the San Antonio Spurs and the Cleveland Cavaliers the third-seeded Toronto Raptors. However, the most interesting and exciting game of the second round, which may eventually end up going to either six or seven games is the Boston Celtics vs the Washington Wizards. Two teams that don't like each other, two teams that have been focusing on challenging the Cavaliers in the eastern conference, have to take on yet another challenge, in order to face the Cavs in the eastern conference finals.
John Wall and Isaiah Thomas have been incredible this year, both named all-stars, both point guards have led their team to the second round of the playoffs with strong performances all along. Super stars in the making, will now have to face off in a very heated second round series. John Wall this far in the postseason has been averaging an amazing 29.5 points per game in six games while handing out 10.2 assists per game and showing his superstar capable talents, potential. On the other hand, the Celtics being down 0-2, defeated the Bulls four straight times, with Isaiah Thomas scoring 23 points per game and handing out 6 assists. Throughout the curse of the regular season the two teams split their four games. The atmosphere in these four games, was like a playoff atmosphere, with two teams wanting to surpass each other in the standings, and get to challenge the Cavaliers. The passion both teams have is unreal, and it will be something that will stand out throughout this series. Technical fouls, trash talking, miracle shots, fights, close games, clutch player and superstars in the making, are all going to take part of this upcoming second round series. Both teams have unstoppable offenses, but lack this playoff defensive mentality that will win you games. Defensive rebounding is also an important issue for both teams especially for the Celtics, while both teams also like to run down the court and start a fastbreak that can lead to an open lane, for a layup, a dunk.
Most important weakness.
Boston Celtics:
One of the most important and problematic issues for the Boston Celtics throughout this NBA season, but also through round one of the 2017 NBA playoffs, is the defensive rebounding. In the regular season they ranked 23rd in defensive rebounds per game. This is something that can affect the Celtics negatively, but also affected the team negatively in the two games they lost against Chicago. The Wizards have the 'offensive weapons' to challenge a weak team on the glass with Marcin Gortat, Markieff Morris, and even John Wall and Oto Porter Jr, and it will be something that can play a huge part in the series. Jae Crowder, Horford, Johnson but also Bradley have to box out in order to prevent an offensive rebound that can result into a second chance point that may hurt their team.
Washington Wizards:
Despite having a 'deadly' offense with John Wall leading the team, and Bradley Beal an offensive weapon, a scoring machine, the Wizards lack options sometimes. When Marcin Gortat and Morris are not in their game, the Wizards have problems. This also happened when losing the two games against Atlanta away from home. However, the biggest problem of the Wizards team is their defense which in the regular season was ranked the 21st defense in team opponent per game in the entire NBA. Another small but crucial weakness that may affect the series to a small extent, is the number of turnovers the Wizards make every game which is 14.1.
Prediction
Certainly, this series will possibly be the most exciting of all four second round matchups, as both teams have the passion and willingness to achieve their ultimate goal of the season, reaching the eastern conference finals, and taking on their biggest challenge yet, the Cleveland Cavaliers. If the Wizards play every game like their last one, this series will switch hands and will favor them. The final prediction is that the Wizards will either defeat the Celtics in either six or seven games. The playoff intention, the winning mentality, the superstar potential will all be in this series. One series to not miss...Are the Milwaukee Bucks the future of the NBA?
One of the most interesting debates for the next couple of years in the NBA is the following: Who will be the MVP in three years? Who will be the NBA champion in three years? Will it be the Minnesota Timberwolves with Karl Anthony Towns? The Golden State Warriors? The San Antonio Spurs who are contenders every year for the past 20 years in the NBA? A question that can have many right answers, and a question that will be answered by 2020. Yesterday’s Bucks/Raptors game 6 was one of the most exciting and passionate game of the playoffs so far. Giannis Antetokounmpo played 47 minutes, trying to get the Bucks back into the game, while Middleton, Terry, Monroe helped him in overcoming a 25 point deficit. Unfortunately, a couple of late mistakes by the Bucks caused them the game, which got them out of round two and the rest of the playoffs. However, the future for this young team is bright. Even though there are many teams who can be in championship contention in the next three to five years, I believe that the Bucks are one of these teams.
Despite not having a great three-point shooter on their roster, except Jason ‘The Jet’ Terry, who made a couple of clutch shots in yesterday’s showcase, the Bucks fought really hard and won two games against a very solid Toronto team (3rd seed). The Bucks however, need a shooter that will help, Middleton and Antetokounmpo offensively. Let’s not forget that the Bucks were also playing without Jabari Parker, a really talented young offensive player who can average 20 per game. If healthy, starting from next year, while adding a shooter, or an experienced point guard, (e.g Derrick Rose, Chris Paul) the Bucks can overcome the first round of the playoffs, take a huge step and reach the eastern conference semis. To do that, they must play all season long, like they played in the playoffs for most of the six games. Starting from October, all the way through April, if they can reach the 4th seed in the eastern conference will be a great achievement that will lead them closer to their short term goal, reaching the second round. With Giannis Antetokounmpo as a leader of the team, Jabari Parker a young offensive weapon who can get you 20 points per game, and a great scorer in Middleton, the Bucks have a young core who can cause problems for many teams around the association. If this summer, the trades, the signings are in their favor the Bucks can be a threat in the eastern conference in the upcoming years.
Moreover, the Bucks this summer have to focus on the offensive part, the Greek Freak has to find his shot, has to work on getting even stronger, knocking down important free throws, open shots, while Jabari Parker, has to get back healthy and stronger as ever, and the front office of the Bucks has to make some important changes and decisions in the point guard and the shooting guard positions, surrounding Jabari and Giannis with shooters. If they can do that, in my opinion, the Bucks in three years could absolutely be the face of the NBA and can become a huge threat in the eastern conference, challenging the Cavaliers, possibly the Sixers and the rest of the conference. Above all, yesterday’s game showed how the Bucks when being down 25 points with 16 minutes to go, did not give up, as they rallied back, and took the lead 82-80. The exceptional coaching of Jason Kidd, along with the effort of the young Bucks, but also the championship experience of Jason Terry and Mathew Dellevadova, was what sparked the comeback, that ended up eventually being short. However, this team with these changes and improvements can make a lot of noise in the eastern conference starting from the following season.
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