Trail Blazers light up the Warriors

Damian Lilliard, God himself, scored 40 points after letting the Warriors come back to win the previous game. The Trail Blazers won 120-108 tonight against the Warriors in Game 3 to bring the series to 2-1 in favor of the Warriors. The Warriors were still without last years MVP Stephen Curry, who sprained his MCL in game 4 against the Houston Rockets. Draymond Green had 37 points, and Thompson had 35 points for the Warriors. For the Trail Blazers, Aminu had  23 points and McCollum added 22 points. Game 4 is this upcoming Monday and we can expect it to be a very good battle. The Blazers came back from a 2-0 deficit against the L.A. Clippers, but took over and won after the Clippers lost superstars, Griffin and Paul.

Barnes and Barbosa closed the gap to 105-92 for the Warriors with 6 minutes left in the 4th quarter. Lilliards 3-pointer made it 114-97, but Green answered back with another 3 of his own. Damian Lilliard wasn’t voted into the all star team this year and has made it his personal mission to prove that he deserved to play in that game. Damian Lilliard finished the game with a playoff high 8 3-pointers made in the game. Curry is still unsure about returning for Game 4 and Coach Kerr has made no comments.

Kyle Lowry stepped his game up for the Toronto Raptors for the 95-91 win against the Miami Heat. The Toronto Raptors are ahead in the series 2-1 and Game 4 is on Monday night. Kyle Lowry has been shooting at 31% this series. During this game both teams lost a player. The Miami Heat lost their center, Hassan Whiteside. For the Toronto Raptors, they lost Valanciunas. After he left the court, Wade went on a hot streak shooting 5 for 9 in the 3rd quarter. But in the end, Lowry brought his team to a victory against Wade and the rest of the Heat

Kobe’s final goodbye

Not long ago the 37 year old legend, who has been called possibly the greatest player to ever step on the court, has officially played his last game in the NBA. Kobe Bryant, the hero of basketball for this generation has finally played his last game. In one of the most emotional games I have ever watched Kobe Bryant scored 60 points to take the win over the Utah Jazz in his career ending game. Kobe has played for the Lakers for all 20 years of his career and has 18 all star games played. Kobe has also scored the second highest amount of points ever to be scored in the NBA with 81 points. The only other person to score higher was Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 point game for when he played with the 76ers.

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors is injured right now with a sprained MCL which he suffered during Game 4 against the Rockets. Curry was given 2 weeks till he was able to return to the court. The Warriors finished the series in Game 5 against the Rockets and are now preparing to go against the Portland Trail Blazers. Curry felt fortunate not to injure his knee any more than he already has in his slip. The MVP said he is still in pain but is trying to return as soon as he can to the court.

Not long after the Cleveland Cavaliers set an NBA record for most 3-pointers during Game 2, the Cavs began preparing for the next game. The Hawks have been no much as soon as the Cavs decided to play at the highest level they could. Atlanta missed 11 of 14 shots and turned the ball over four times in the final nine minutes after leading by eight.

The dinosaur has gone extinct

Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat has officially been ruled out for the remainder of the playoff season, a conference was held where a statement was released Wednesday about the injury. There has been no reason on why Bosh is out, and on the Heat’s injury report, the reason for Bosh’s injury is not declared. Although Bosh is out, The Heat still won against the Toronto Raptors in Game 1 in an overtime match. The week before the Heat faced possible elimination against the Charlotte Hornets in Game 7. Kemba Walker and the rest of the Hornets showed great desire to win. Luckily the team got the winning push from Dwayne Wade for the 97-90 win. As a result, the Heat extended their franchise record to 18 consecutive playoff series in which they’ve won at least one game on the road. They’re gradually turning their weakness into a new found strength.

The Warriors rolled past the Portland Trail Blazers in a 118-106 win in the conference semifinals. The Trail Blazers seem to be small compared to the Warriors skill set. Although the Trail Blazers were successful last week in closing out the Los Angeles Clippers team in the first round, the Warriors, with or without Stephen Curry, present a large amount of problems. While size is an advantage for the Warriors, the overall play making might be a better advantage. Meanwhile, Thompson has four inches on McCollum and the play style of the Warriors complement Thompson accordingly.

Almost two years ago, the Thunder’s athleticism and length seemed like Spurs kryptonite. They destoryed the Spurs in the regular season after that season, and when Ibaka returned from his injury to play in Game 3 of the 2014 conference finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs with their speed and outstanding verticals. The Spurs have now become a team focused on Leonard and Aldridge, which holds possibly the greatest defense in league history.

Raptors on fire

During the Heat vs Raptors first 2 games, both teams suffered a player loss. For the Heat, center Hassan Whiteside left Saturday’s Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Toronto Raptors in the second quarter with a right knee injury, and Toronto lost center Jonas Valanucinas in the third quarter with a sprained right ankle. The Heat haven’t reported how serious his injury is, but he will indefinitely will not be returning soon, x-rays were negative and more tests are too come. Valanucinas was diagnosed with an ankle sprain, nothing too serious. Raptors took game 3.

In game 2 for the Cavaliers vs Hawks,  the Cavaliers set an NBA record for shooting 25 3- point shots, in game 2 the Cavs made 21 3-point shots. The Cavaliers became the first team in NBA history (regular season or playoffs) to make 20 3-pointers in consecutive games. Damian Lilliard continues to try to carry the Trail Blazers in their quest to defeat the Warriors without MVP Stephen Curry. The Series is 0-3 in favor of Golden State.

Vintage Tony Parker came out in Game 3 against the Oklahoma Thunder for the 100-96 win. The 14-year veteran scored 19 points (13 in the first three quarters), in addition to dishing five assists and pulling down five rebounds. Parker moved past Karl Malone to No. 5 in NBA history for the most postseason games with 10 points or more (184), joining a list that includes teammate Tim Duncan (231), Kareem Abdul-Jabaar(223), Shaquille O’Neal (206) and Kobe Bryant (204). Meanwhile, Leonard poured in a game-high 31 points to go with 11 rebounds, three assists, one steal and a blocked shot, in addition to knocking down a pair of late free throws to seal the victory. Aldridge contributed 24 points and eight rebounds.

The Madness of April

From the previous month of March, many colleges sent their basketball teams to a competition to prove which school is the best basketball school. Many fans, students, and families watched as their teams played their hearts out. From the 68 teams that we start with, March Madness has eliminated all besides 4 school, the Final Four as they are most commonly referred as. The Final Four consists of Villanova, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Syracuse. Today is the day that we find out which two teams will continue onto the Championship game. The match-ups for the day are Villanova vs. Oklahoma and North Carolina vs. Syracuse.

In the NBA world, the Boston Celtics finally snapped the Golden State Warriors’ record of 54 won games at home. The most impressive part of the game was the Celtics matching the Warriors in points for the entire second half. As far as how the Warriors performed it would have looked like they have won, but the Celtics found a way to match them. The Warriors have always had the tendency of causing turnovers from their desire to assist each other. The Warriors never took the lead once in the 4th quarter.

With the Cleveland Cavaliers, fans are worried about Lebron and the team chemistry. Recently Lebron has been making trips to Miami and has been posting questionable tweets with no answers behind them. With the recent game against the Atlanta Hawks, the Cavs had to take the No. 4 team in their division to overtime to beat them. Although it was still a win, Lebron was seen yelling at point guard, Kyrie Irving, who seemed to not care about the situation.

The Mavericks with a depleted roster right now due to injuries, is fighting its way to return to their position in the finals. Luckily, in their game against the Detroit Pistons, JJ Barea’s wife delivered her baby and he was able to attend the game. During a game, he dropped 26 points in which he upped Friday to a 29 point game performance from him.

The Round-up

As the NBA season approaches its end, teams are playing harder to earn their position in the Championship. The biggest story for a team playing better is, Cleveland Cavaliers. This story is particularly big because having the talent to do all those things has never been the issue in Cleveland. Instead, the source of the Cavs’ woes has been a sense of discomfort, a lack of harmony. But finally, the Cavs looked like they were actually playing as a team for once. 

The Spurs won 93-85 on Saturday night in part because Green’s shot broke the last tie and broke the Thunder, but on the whole because the Spurs keep learning more and more about exactly who they can become.

On the other side of the country, Charlotte Hornets have emerged as one of the NBA’s hottest teams, winning six straight through Saturday afternoon. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors remain the top two teams in the Eastern Conference, but the Hornets have joined the likes of the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, and Indiana Pacers as playoff contenders. The Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs remain the two best overall teams in the league. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Clippers are fighting for third and fourth place in the West.

Longtime NBA referee, Joey Crawford, has officiated his last game, unable to return this season after a Dec. 4 knee injury. The 64-year-old Crawford has worked more than 2,500 regular-season games, 374 postseason contests and had 50 Finals appearances over a 39-year span.

Progression

Just recently, Lebron James has passed Tim Duncan for the 14th on the career scoring list. James being considered to be one of the greatest small forward and Duncan being one of the greatest power forward.

Lebron James became the 3rd player to score 10 or more points in 700 straight games

The Golden State Warriors have improved their record to 55-5 as they beat the Chicago Bulls. The Warriors have high chances to pass the 1995-95 Chicago Bulls’ all time record of 72-10. Warriors’ player, Draymond Green, has apologized to his teammates, coaches and the organization for an emotional outburst during halftime of the Warriors’ 121-118 overtime victory Saturday at Oklahoma City.

Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lilliard, scores 50+ points again but still lose to the Toronto Raptors. The player who wasn’t voted in to the All Star Game has shown in the recent games that he believes he deserved to play in that game.

Both the Huston Rockets and the Chicago Bulls have been real disappointments this season. With Jimmy Butler out right now, the Bulls are struggling to score without their star guard. The Rockets who were a huge threat last season in the playoffs, have now become a team that looks like they don’t deserve a spot in the playoff brackets. Players like James Harden and Dwight Howard seem to be playing far below their expected value..

Oklahoma Thunder signed free agent Nazr Mohammed. Spurs sign guard Kevin Martin. Huston Rockets sign free agent forward, Michael Beasley. Kevin Martin accepted a buyout from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Atlanta Hawks sign forward, Kris Humphries. The Toronto Raptors sign free agent forward, Jason Thompson. San Antonio Spurs sign guard, Andre Miller.

 

Open Season

With All-Star Weekend behind us, the NBA has resumed back to their normal schedule as they approach the championships. With this upcoming time, players are being watched to see what will happen during the upcoming free agency and open contracts. Players like Kevin Durant, Lebron James, Pau Gasol, Dwayne Wade, and others. Among those, Anderson Varejao (Cleveland Cavaliers) already confirmed a team he will be moving to. The team he is leaving Cleveland for is former champions, Golden State Warriors. Golden State picked up this big man due to the lack of size they have on their roster this season due to injuries. Although people are focused mainly on the upcoming free agency, the games are still going on.

On Sunday, Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans) dropped 59 points and 20 rebounds in his game against the Detroit Pistons. Anthony Davis was projected to be this years MVP, but now isn’t even in the talks for it. Davis coming from an excellent season last year, has slowly declined in performance this season. Some say it’s due to the lack of depth on the team and some say it is due to the lack of leadership Davis has with the team. On Saturday, the Warriors and the Clippers went head to head after the Warriors lost their 5th game of the season the night before. Nearing the end of the 4th quarter the Warriors took their starters out after having a double digit lead. The Clippers automatically seized their opportunity and brought the game down to 3 points. This prompted the Warriors coach, Steve Kerr, to bring back in the starters to avoid losing their first consecutive losses of the season. The Warriors won the game in the 4th quarter by 3 after the Clippers player, C.J. Wilcox missed the game tying 3 point shot.

Anthony Davis #23 achieving franchise history for most points in a game

All-Star Extravaganza

Ahoy my friends, this past weekend was the time for the notorious NBA All Star weekend. With events like the dunk contest, celebrity game, all star game, and the skills challenge. This year was a special year for the all star weekend because it marked the 18th time that Kobe Bryant will be participating in the all star game. This was the veterans last chance to play at the all star game since he will be retiring after this season. The first event to take place was the skill challenge. The skill challenge consists of an obstacle to test dribbling, passing, and shooting skills. The winner for this even was Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves. The next event was the fan favorite, dunk contest. The winner of the dunk contest was Zach LaVine from the Minnesota Timberwolves. This win was his 2nd win he has achieved, the 1st one being from winning last years dunk contest. The final dunk to win the contest was LaVine doing a free throw line dunk.

Zach LaVine’s Free Throw Dunk

After that event, it came time for the Celebrity game between USA and Canada. The game was the most entertaining as a show. The winners from the game was the Canada team led by Drake. Then the event that everyone was anticipating came, the All Star game between the West and the East. Players that stood out to me were the main superstars. For example players like Paul George, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry,  Anthony Davis, James Harden stood out over the rest. The game ended with the West winning 196-173 making Russell Westbrook the MVP for the All Star Game.

Russel Westbrook, MVP All Stars 2016

 

Perserverance

Like the great Pele once said, “Success is no accident. It is hard work,  perseverance, learning, studying, sacrificing, and most of all, love what you are doing or learning to do.” With Superbowl 50 on the rise, the Panthers and Broncos prepare to face off. With the Panthers Quarterback and recently named MVP, Cam Newton, has become a dynamic force with 50 total touchdowns including the postseason. On the other side, the Broncos carry a strong defense and Manning is still an offensive threat even if his arm is not as strong as it used to be or as strong as the younger quarterbacks is, but he has a stronger mind for the game and more experience. He has perseverance, no matter his setbacks,  Manning has fought to continue to prove that he is one of the top tier quarterbacks in the league still.

Beyond the Superbowl and football, the NBA is closing in on their All Star game (2/14). With players like Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, DeMarcus Cousins, Lebron James, Paul George, and Dwayne Wade makes this All Star game more interesting. The big question is how will Kobe do on his last All Star game? Recently Kobe has been slowly returning to the player he was when he was younger, the Black Mamba. Kobe has definitely been putting in everything he has this season, so he could leave it on a high note. As the regular season goes the leading team is, Golden State Warriors (46-4). The Warriors have seemed to blow past any team that has come their way this season, but recently they had a challenge against Oklahoma City Thunder. With superstars Westbrook and Durant to go head to head with the young, powerhouse of a team known as the Warriors, they came out of the game with a loss (116-108).

Pele doing bicycle kick