Sunday, May 17, 2015

Reaction to Phil Jackson's Troll Tweet at Steve Kerr

Have to feel for Knicks fans. Phil Jackson obviously doesnt know anything about today's NBA. If he really thinks that 3 point shots are bad, and doesnt see the importance of spacing the floor, I can now 100% believe the reports of them being interested in players that play essentially the same position as Melo (such as Greg Monroe). Now, players at the combine have mentioned being asked about their knowledge of the triangle in interviews with the Knicks. That means they really are committed to running that as their primary offense, in a league that is dominated by athletes, pace, and spacing the floor. You have to play with pace unless you have an elite defensive team, and even then, you still want to get out and run.

By the way Phil, the Knicks led the league in 3 point attempts the year they won 54 games a couple of years ago. They dropped to 21st in attempts this past season, and Oh, look at that! Worst record in franchise history....And to answer his question, teams that shoot a lot of 3s have won more than 60% of their games in the playoffs so far

Quick Reaction to end of Wizards-Hawks series

Even more incredible finish to this Hawks-Wizards game, after a crazy end to Game 5. I dont think I can remember ever seeing a team get eliminated on something like that, but thats just off the top of my head. I think that not having Sefolosha will hurt Atlanta in their series with the Cavs. I'm curious to see if Mike Scott can finally see more time, now that he is back from injury. I think he gives them some defensive versatility at the 3/4 spots. I have no doubt that Atlanta can beat the Cavs, and I think they would definitely beat them with Sefolosha. I think LeBron can still win this series though. Atlanta needs to use their depth, and if they can stay in the rebounding battle, they'll have every chance to win the series. If LeBron makes the type of effort to get the ball in better spots, like he did in the last couple of games of the Bulls series, he'll give himself a chance to get back to the Finals

Quick Reaction After Game 6 of Rockets-Clippers

Just saying, thats the 2nd time Houston has won by coming back from down a lot without James Harden. There is a reason for that. They use their athletes to be disruptive, and are better defensively, and they move the ball better, and utilize Dwight a little more. So they get out in transition more, and they score better in the half court. Even without Patrick Beverly, Pablo Prigioni is still a very good defender. They have a good matchup against the Clippers.

Huge opportunity missed by the Clippers to let Houston get back in this series, and now they have to go to Houston for Game 7, and they are in serious trouble. Have to feel for Chris Paul. It would be cool to see him finally break through and shut some people up. You have to think that he'll come out with everything in Game 7

Should be interesting to see who moves on. If its Houston, I feel like they have a somewhat decent matchup with Golden State, assuming they play the correct rotations, and play more inside out/through Dwight Howard. They can match them with their length and athleticism, and versatility in some ways. That being said, I dont see either of these teams beating Golden State, as they're on route to winning a Championship, barring injury

Mini Synopsis of end of Bulls-Cavs series

Honestly, the Bulls have no business going home right now. This series should have arguably been over already, with them heading to the Eastern Conference Finals. So much had to happen for them to lose Games 4 and 5. Just poor luck, and some poor execution in big moments.


Cavs luck out once again with Kyrie Irving going down, helping their defense and allowing them to move the ball and space better offensively. Aaron Brooks is also complete garbage defensively. Not difficult for Matthew Dellavadova to knock down shots when nobody is guarding him. For all of his short comings defensively, Tristan Thompson's unbelievable effort on the offensive boards was a huge part of them moving on, as the Bulls couldnt finish off defensive possessions with a rebound.

Otherwise, LeBron totally carried them once again, and somehow willed them to winning a series they had no right to win. With Atlanta still beat up with injuries, LeBron may luck into a 5th consecutive Finals appearance...Seriously though...how much luck can 1 organization possibly have?

Monday, May 11, 2015

Golden State May Actually Be In Trouble

Right now, Golden State isnt playing anywhere near the way they did all season. They are feeding directly into what Memphis wants. This looked like it would be a really tough matchup for GS heading in, but there is no reason that they should lose this series. Memphis is using their postseason experience to overwhelm them right now.

Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes need to get in the post more. Klay Thompson needs to back Tony Allen down b/c right now, he is letting him destroy him on the perimeter. They should feature Harrison Barnes a little more as well. The Warriors arent moving the ball the way they have all season either. Too many times have they taken poor shots, pulling up for 3s, or isolating on the perimeter. You cant do that against a defensive team like Memphis. Also, way too many bad turnovers. That was a problem for GS in the past, but this year it hasnt been there. They need to fix that. There is zero reason for Memphis to have 21 fast break points in any game. If GS can do those things better, and stay in the rebounding battle, they should win. Right now, they have an unfortunate injury to deal with, as Marreese Speights went down. This probably means that its time for David Lee to give them such huge minutes. He has been on the bench all year, and obviously hasnt been much of a fan of that. Now is his opportunity to show why he is still currently their highest paid player, in the biggest minutes he has ever played in his life. Otherwise, GS may actually be in some big trouble in this series

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Mini Game 2 Preview Cavs-Bulls

I didnt get a chance to type up a full synopsis of the 1st round, nor have I had the chance to post my 2nd round predictions. Hopefully, I'll get that chance in the next day or so. For now, here is a mini preview for Game 2 of the Cavs-Bulls series

As I mentioned, if the Cavs continue to play the way they did against the Celtics, and really for the entirety of the regular season, they will be swept by the Bulls. They have failed to use LeBron James correctly all season. Now, they need to change that. LeBron needs to be at the 4, and Mike Miller and Shawn Marion need to play more. Surrounding LeBron with shooters will help them space the floor, and they may have some issues rebounding the ball, but playing smaller lineups will also allow them to switch pick and rolls defensively. As for their issues scoring in the half court, they need to get LeBron in the post. They need to get him (or Kyrie) the ball on the move. They need to run actions for him at the elbow. This will allow him to get to the free throw line more, as well as get easier opportunities. Having LeBron (or Kyrie) try to run the offense off the dribble on every single play, while they get the ball 35 feet from the basket, and their teammates stand and watch, isnt going to be very consistent. Sometimes it may work, as we saw against Boston, but that is just b/c LeBron and Kyrie are such great scorers.

LeBron knows that he has to do everything for them if they are going to advance. That has to start tonight. Otherwise, dont be surprised if they get swept or lose in 5 games, and you cant blame the loss of Kevin Love on that

That being said, the Bulls had some stretches of stagnant offense themselves in Game 1. They were able to get by with some perimeter shots, but they cant rely on that in Game 2. Derrick Rose didnt take a single free throw in Game 1. He made some jump shots. He definitely needs to be more aggressive in Game , and they cant allow themselves to be flat on the perimeter. I felt that they missed some mismatch opportunities. Any time James Jones is guarding Pau Gasol in the post, you obviously need to feed Gasol

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Mini Synopsis of the 1st round of the NBA Playoffs

Since I'm dealing with an issue with my eye, I wasn't able to post my full analysis on the 1st round match-ups. With that being the case, here is a poorly formatted mini synopsis ahead of today's games.

I have GS in 5 or 6 (the match-up is actually somewhat decent for NO if they get certain contributions, and they do have the best player in the series). Then I have Houston in 6 (I personally would have gone with 5, but I don't like Houston's offensive style in the playoffs. I don't think they can score in the half court. Obviously, it can also be argued that Dallas isn't exactly the team they were before making a bad trade for Rajon Rondo). I have Memphis in 5 or 6 b/c of Portland's injuries, though if Portland can get anything from their bench, they have a shot to win the series). I have the Spurs in 5 or 6 as well. I just think the Clippers are missing another 3 and D wing player, a backup PG, and a rim protecting big off the bench (which they have, but don't play him). If they win the rebounding battle (both teams are poor rebounding teams), that gives them a shot, but they're going to need a big series out of Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan to knock down some foul shots, and obviously, they need CP3 to be CP3. In the East, I would say I don't like the fact that Atlanta lost Sefolosha, and I think they have an issue rebounding the ball, similarly to GS issue. That being said, they should beat Brooklyn in either a sweep or in 5 games, but if Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson go off, it could become interesting, at least if GS doesn't knock down shots. That Toronto-Washington series isn't the kind of series I would have thought it would be before the season. These are 2 very bad teams right now. Its a toss up, but I'm going with Washington in 6, as they are deeper. I've got the Cavs in 6 or 7 actually. I liked the Bucks or Heat match-up better, but Boston matches up well with them. I'm interested to see how the Celtics perimeter defenders effect Kyrie Irving. The Cavs are going to need to play through LeBron in the post A LOT, and they're going to have to take care of the ball. I'm really looking forward to that series to be honest. Finally, I have Chicago in 6 games, assuming they are healthy. I really like Milwaukee's length and athleticism, and they could end up being very disruptive, but I think that Chicago's bigs, and MCW being a poor shooter are going to be the difference in the series

Quick View: GS (5 or 6)
                      Houston (5)
                      Memphis (6)
                      Spurs (5)
                      Hawks (5)
                      Wizards (6)
                      Cavs (6 or 7)
                      Chicago  (6)

Despite the fact that some of the match-ups that I wanted to see wont be happening, it still looks like a potentially exciting 1st round. Definitely cant wait



Full analysis will be up at some point in the next couple of days, provided my eye recovering from removing the loose stitch I had in there for a couple of weeks, and unfortunately causing an infection

Monday, April 6, 2015

Revised win totals after trade pre opening day:

Revised win totals after trade pre opening day:

Atlanta Braves (78-84)
San Diego Padres (87-75)

Sunday, April 5, 2015

2015 MLB ST Predictions (post injuries and pre opening day)

Revised 2015 MLB ST predictions (pre opening day):

AL EAST                                 AL CENTRAL                         AL WEST
1. Boston Red Sox(90-72)      1.Detroit Tigers  (89-73)            1.Seattle Mariners (92-70)
2. Baltimore Orioles (87-75)    2.Cleveland Indians (85-77)     2.Oakland A's (88-74)
3. New York Yankees (84-78) 3.Chicago White Sox (84-78)   3.Los Angeles Angels (87-75)
4. Toronto Blue Jays (83-79)   4.Kansas City Royals (83-79)  4.Houston Astros (76-86)
5. Tampa Bay Rays (78-82)   5.Minnesota Twins  (73-89)       5.Texas Rangers (74-88)

NL EAST                                         NL CENTRAL                       NL WEST
1. Washington Nationals (94-68)  1.Pittsburgh Pirates  (93-69)   1.Los Angeles Dodgers (90-72)
2. Miami Marlins   (89-73)           2.St Louis Cardinals (90-72)   2.San Francisco Giants (87-74)
3. New York Mets (85-77)            3.Cincinnati Reds (84-78)       3.San Diego Padres (86-76)
4. Atlanta Braves(81-81)              4.Milwaukee Brewers (83-79) 4.Arizona Diamondbacks (75-87)
5. Philadelphia Phillies(68-94)     5.Chicago Cubs     (82-80)       5.Colorado Rockies   (72-90)

AL Cy Young - Felix Hernandez
NL Cy Young - Clayton Kershaw
AL MVP - Mike Trout or Mookie Betts (obviously a bold prediction)
NL MVP - Bryce Harper or Andrew McCutchen 

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Originial 2015 MLB Predictions pre Spring Training (pre injuries)

These were the picks I had going into ST. With the slew of injuries, and some player movement, I will be updating this before Opening Day. There are definitely some changes

Original 2015 MLB ST predictions:

AL EAST                                 AL CENTRAL                         AL WEST
1. Boston Red Sox(90-72)      1.Detroit Tigers  (89-73)          1.Seattle Mariners (92-70)
2. Tampa Bay Rays (86-76)    2.Ceveland Indians (87-75)     2.Oakland A's (88-74)
3. Baltimore Orioles (84-78) 3.Chicago White Sox (84-78)   3.Los Angeles Angels (87-75)
4. Toronto Blue Jays (83-79)   4.Kansas City Royals (83-79)  4.Texas Rangers (83-79)
5. New York Yankees (82-80)   5.Minnesota Twins  (77-85)   5.Houston Astros  (76-86)

NL EAST                                         NL CENTRAL                       NL WEST
1. Washington Nationals (97-65)  1.Pittsburgh Pirates  (93-69)   1.Los Angeles Dodgers (91-71)
2. Miami Marlins   (87-75)           2.St Louis Cardinals (90-72)   2.San Francisco Giants (88-74)
3. New York Mets (85-77)            3.Cincinnati Reds (84-78)       3.San Diego Padres (86-76)
4. Atlanta Braves(81-81)              4.Milwaukee Brewers (83-79) 4.Arizona Diamondbacks (78-84)
5. Philadelphia Phillies(71-91)     5.Chicago Cubs     (82-80)       5.Colorado Rockies   (74-88)

2014-2015 Late Season Stretch Run to the Playoffs NBA predictions

I wont lie, I got a little lazy in terms of posting my 2nd half predictions, but with about 15 games remaining, I'll lay out how I see the rest of the regular season going

EAST                              WEST
1. Atlanta Hawks            1. Golden State Warriors
2. Cleveland Cavaliers   2. Memphis Grizzlies
3. Toronto Raptors         3. Houston Rockets
4. Chicago Bulls            4. Portland Trail Blazers
5. Washington Wizards  5.San Antonio Spurs
6. Miami Heat                6. Oklahoma City Thunder
7. Milwaukee Bucks      7. LA Clippers
8. Boston Celtics           8. Dallas Mavericks
9. Indiana Pacers           9. New Orleans Pelicans
10.Charlotte Hornets    10.Phoenix Suns
11.Brooklyn Nets        11.Utah Jazz
12.Detroit Pistons       12.Denver Nuggets
13.Orlando Magic       13.Sacramento Kings
14.Philadelphia 76ers  14.Los Angeles Lakers
15.New York Knicks   15.Minnesota Timberwolves

As for how I see the playoffs going, thats a little tougher to say because these are some good matchups, and its hard to speculate on certain injuries. I feel like I can go in a few different ways. I think the dynamic of the matchups can really make some things interesting as it feels like even the couple of teams that I like the most in the East have teams they could lose to. I personally like Atlanta and Chicago, assuming their health, the most, and think that a healthy Chicago has the best shot to beat Atlanta (though I think a first round matchup with the Celtics could be interesting for them as well). In the West, I'm pretty much sticking to my original thoughts. The backend of the seeding should go down to the last day. Obviously, that means that certain matchups may happen earlier, such as Golden State and OKC. I still stand by the notion that a healthy OKC has the best chance to beat the Warriors, but in the end, I will stick with my preseason prediction, the Golden State Warriors, to come out of the West and win the NBA Championship. The regular season has only strengthened my beliefs there. Assuming everything goes this way, this is what I would have to go with:

Eastern Conference Finals                                       Western Conference Finals
Chicago Bulls vs Cleveland Cavaliers    Golden State Warriors vs Oklahoma City Thunder
               
                                                    NBA Finals
                               Golden State Warriors vs Chicago Bulls   
           
                                       2015 NBA CHAMPIONS
                                  GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS