Saturday Slam: Should the Brooklyn Nets blow up?

                                              (Credit: Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports) 

The Brooklyn Nets were a team that had so much hype and promise at the start of the season. They had James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant. They were looking like a team that should come out of the East or at least reach the conference finals. Instead, they finished 7th in the conference and got swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics. While a lot of people are talking about blowing up the Utah Jazz after the way their post-season ended (I'll share my thoughts on that in an upcoming post), I think it's perhaps even more fair to ask the same question about the Nets.

For starters, Harden is gone. He's now with the Philadelphia 76ers and still in the playoffs, advancing to the second round where they'll face the Heat. By trading him before the deadline, that was already a step towards blowing up the team. 

Secondly, Irving refused to get vaccinated, making it so he couldn't play every night while also creating an unnecessary distraction. It's hard to develop a rhythm and team chemistry when one of your key players is in and out of the lineup. While the vaccine mandate was eventually lifted and Irving was able to play in home games towards the end of the season, it's clear that his inability to play really inhibited them. And while Irving's refusal to get vaccinated was about personal freedom, the fact that he was willing to put his team through all that has to make one wonder how committed he really is to building a championship team in Brooklyn. 

Third, Durant is getting up there in age. He'll be turning 34 in September and while he did average 29.9 points per game this season, one can't help but wonder how much more gas he has left in the tank considering the Achilles injury he had and everything. Father time catches up with everyone and he could be soon to catch up with Durant as well. 

Last and most importantly, they got swept in the first round. That's bad. Any time you get swept in the playoffs, that has to lead to some soul searching and introspection. Especially if you are a more veteran team. It's one thing to get swept and be young with a promising future. The future is supposed to be now for the Nets and if now isn't panning out, it's hard to see it ever panning out. 

The bottom line is the Nets have a lot of questions to ask themselves after this season and the first one is whether or not they keep Durant and Irving together or if they begin the process of blowing up the team and starting over. It's not a fun conversation to have, but when you exit the playoffs like they did, it's a conversation that needs to be had. 

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Tomahawk Tuesday: Should the Golden State Warriors be favored to win the West?

 

                                             (Credit: Jeff Chiu/Associated Press) 

At the moment, the Golden State Warriors are up 3-1 on the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA playoffs. It's the only Western Conference series that's clearly going in favor of one team. The top-seeded Suns are being pushed to the brink by the eight-seeded Pelicans tied 2-2 in their series; the two-seeded Grizzlies are up 3-2 on the seven-seeded Timberwolves after winning 111-109 tonight; and the five-seeded Jazz will look to force a game seven on Thursday against the Mavericks. 

The Warriors are on cruise control right now and assuming they advance, they'll face either a Grizzlies team that got pushed to the brink of elimination or an up and coming Timberwolves team that doesn't seem ready to reach the conference finals. And then who knows who'd be waiting for them in the conference finals if they get there. Even if it's the Suns and Devin Booker is back, the Warriors have more championship experience. And that's really the whole point here. The Warriors are the only team in the entire Western Conference playoffs who have proven championship DNA. Everyone else for one reason or another can be called into question. 

This isn't to say the Warriors are perfect or that they don't have their flaws. They do. There's a reason they didn't get the top seed in the West. But when looking around the rest of the conference, it's hard to not look at the Warriors and think they should be favored to come out on top. Stephen Curry is back, Klay Thompson is back, Draymond Green is healthy, and Jordan Poole is a rising star. They have their core championship unit intact and appear to be heating up at the right time. 

As of this moment, I believe the path to an NBA title out West goes through Golden State. Their overall body of work speaks for itself and nobody else in the conference appears ready to grab the bull by the horns and take control. It'll be interesting to see if Golden State goes on to win the West rather unopposed or if some worthy challenger out of all these other struggling teams will emerge. 

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Saturday Slam: Can the Portland Trail Blazers withstand Damian Lillard's absence?

 

                                             (Credit: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) 

Earlier this week, Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard underwent abdominal surgery. The team announced that he will be re-evaluated in six weeks, though he could be out as long as eight weeks or even longer. After averaging 30.0 points per game in the 2019-20 season and 28.8 points per game in the 2020-21 season, Lillard has regressed a bit this year in his production, averaging 24.0 points per game. The last season he averaged fewer than 25 points per game was his third season in the NBA (21.0 points per game), so for his standards this is quite a drop off. 

If you are the Blazers, you have to hope that by undergoing this surgery, that'll help Lillard get back to his old self where he was averaging 28+ points a night. Lillard hasn't felt healthy all season long. It's clear that his production has suffered. 

While this surgery is good for Lillard and the Blazers long-term, this does hurt them in the short-term. They are 10th place in the Western Conference standings right now at 17-25, just .5 game up on Sacramento. With Lillard out, it does look unlikely that they'll hang onto the 10 seed, which means that when he comes back (assuming he does come back this season), they're likely going to be on the outside looking in of the Western Conference play-in tournament. 

If the Trail Blazers are to have any hope of making the play-in tournament and making a run in the playoffs, they're going to need shooting guard C.J. McCollum (20.6 points) and swingman Norman Powell (18.6 points) to really step up. If those guys can get going and pick up the slack, it's possible the Trail Blazers hang around and don't fall too far in the standings. 

Speaking of McCollum, he is expected to be back Monday against the Magic per Shams Charania of The Athletic after being out with a collapsed lung that he suffered on December 4th against the Celtics. So that's one piece of good news for the Trail Blazers. 

Ultimately, it'll be interesting to see how the Trail Blazers look without Lillard and whether or not they'll be able to stay afloat. He's by far their most important piece and when he's not on the floor, they're nowhere near the type of team that they know they are capable of being. Going on without him will be an uphill battle, but it's the cards they've been dealt. They have no choice but to solider on as best they can. 

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Saturday Slam: Klay Thompson's return is huge for the Golden State Warriors and fun for the NBA

 

                                             (Credit: Jeff Chiu/AP Images) 

The long awaited return of Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson is finally here. After being out for over 900 days due to a torn ACL and a torn Achilles, Thompson will make his return on Sunday against the Cleveland Cavaliers at home. Thompson missed the entire 2019-20 season due to his ACL and then missed the entire 2020-21 season due to his Achilles. To say the least, it's been a while since we've seen him play in an NBA game. 

For the Warriors, the return of Thompson is huge. He's one of the greatest shooters the NBA has ever seen, cut out of the Ray Allen/Reggie Miller cloth as a lethal shooter in catch and shoot situations. He moves really well without the ball and if you give him any space, he'll hit a three in your face. In the 2018-19 season, Thompson averaged 21.5 points per game on 46.7% shooting from the field, 40.2% shooting from 3-point range, and 81.6% shooting from the foul line. He was an All-Star for the fifth consecutive season and he was just starting to enter the prime of his career before going down with two bad injuries. If he's able to get back to that form or close to it, he'll be a very nice boost to a Warriors team that is 29-9 and looking to get back to the NBA Finals. 

As for the NBA at large, it's just fun to have Klay back. He's a really fun player to watch and has one of the better personalities in the league. He has a bit of a dry sense of humor and is laid back while also being very lethal on the court. As good as Stephen Curry is, I think we've all missed seeing Curry play with Thompson by his side. The Splash Brothers as they have been called, are now back as a duo and the league will be better for it. 

In terms of what we can realistically expect from Thompson, it's probably fair to expect him to be a bit rusty at first. He needs to get back into game conditioning and it could take him a little bit of time to find his rhythm. But in time, I do expect him to get back to being one of the best shooters in the league and who knows, maybe he'll surprise me and get off to a great start on Sunday. Regardless, I'm glad he's back and I hope he's able to stay healthy going forward. 

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Saturday Slam: Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo has solidified himself as an all-time great

 

                                             (Credit: Getty Images) 

Before I shift my focus to the 2021-22 season, free agency, and all that good stuff, I want to stop and smell the flowers a bit by reflecting more on what Giannis Antetokounmpo has accomplished this past season. The young Milwaukee Bucks star brought back an NBA championship to Milwaukee for the first time in 50 years by taking out the Chris Paul/Devin Booker led Phoenix Suns in six games. In those six games, Antetokounmpo averaged a jaw-dropping 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game en route to an NBA Finals MVP trophy. 

Immediately after securing the championship, Antetokounmpo was overcome with emotion. Tears were flowing down his face. You could tell that he was still processing everything that was happening around him. After he was able to compose himself and do an interview, he remarked that even if he never wins another NBA championship in Milwaukee, at least he got one. He accomplished the mission that he set out to accomplish. 

I would like to take Antetokounmpo's comment a step further. By winning this one championship in Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo has solidified himself as an all-time great. I don't know where he ranks among the greatest of the greats and quite honestly, it's too early to say where he ranks given that his career is far from over. But regardless of where he stacks up, it's safe to say that he is now one of the games' greatest all-time players. 

In this NBA Finals, we saw it all come together for "The Greek Freak." He was basically score at will inside, he was making huge defensive plays, he was crashing the boards, and was the most dominant player all series long. The only real weak spot for him was the foul shooting and 3-point shooting, but he was able to overcome those weaknesses by being such a dominant force inside the 3-point line and around the basket. When you got the physical gifts that he has and are able to put it together like he did inside, foul shooting and 3-point shooting don't become a huge concern. 

What makes this all the more impressive is this was his first trip to the NBA Finals. It would have been easy for him to choke and cave under the pressure given this was his first time on this big of a stage. Many of the all-time greats have done it themselves. Instead, he rose to the challenge and delivered a sublime performance that few have rivaled. 

Perhaps the best part of this whole story is how this all began for Antetokounmpo: Far away in Greece, first discovered as an intriguing yet raw talent picked 15th overall in the 2013 NBA Draft. Nobody saw him becoming the all-time great that he is today. I'm not even sure if he saw it coming. Yet with hard work, humility, and a commitment to keep getting better each and every day, Antetokounmpo has seen the fruits of his labors deliver the goods in a big-time way. 

While I have no doubt that this is only the beginning for Antetokounmpo and that he has the potential to win several more championships, I think it's important to reiterate that regardless of what happens from here on out, Antetokounmpo has emerged as one the greatest players to ever play the game. He brought an NBA championship back to a city that was long thirsting for one and he did so with humility, class, and pure greatness. 

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2021 NBA Finals Preview: Phoenix Suns vs. Milwaukee Bucks

                                                (Credit: clutchpoints.com) 

The 2021 NBA Finals begins on Tuesday and will feature a matchup that nobody on earth predicted at the start of the season: Phoenix Suns vs. Milwaukee Bucks. It's been a crazy journey for both of these teams to reach this point. Starting with the Suns, they took out the Lakers, Nuggets, and then Clippers to win the Western Conference crown. The Lakers were hobbled due to Anthony Davis not being at full strength, making them a vulnerable opponent. The Nuggets were without their star Jamal Murray, but they did have 2021 NBA MVP Nikola Jokic on their side. Jokic just wasn't able to do it all on his own in the end. As for the Clippers, Paul George and co. put up a real fight, but the absence of Kawhi Leonard also proved to be too much. 

As for the Bucks, they went through the Heat, Nets, and Hawks. The Heat were led by Jimmy Butler like last year, but they weren't able to recapture the magic they had in the bubble a year ago. The Nets had injury issues of their own with Kyrie Irving and James Harden missing some time. Kevin Durant played incredible basketball, but once again, it's a team sport and one man can't do it all on his own. As for the Hawks, they played really well as a team and had Trae Young not gotten injured, they might have reached the NBA Finals. 

The commonality in both the Western Conference and Eastern Conference brackets is that injuries played a big role in how things turned out. However, that isn't to say that the Suns and Bucks didn't have injury issues of their own. The Suns had to deal with Chris Paul missing action due to COVID protocols and Devin Booker had a busted nose. As for the Bucks, they've been without Giannis Antetokounmpo for the last two games due to a hyperextended knee and while there is no structural damage to his knee, it is unclear when he'll be back. Hopefully for Tuesday's Game 1. 

Ultimately, when looking at this upcoming Suns/Bucks series, a lot hinges on the health of Antetokounmpo. If he's healthy, the Bucks have a real shot to knock off the Suns due to their depth, length, and 3-point shooting. Khris Middleton has been a really nice number two option for them, shooting it well from the perimeter and giving Giannis the help that he needs. On top of that, veteran big man Brook Lopez and veteran guard Jrue Holiday have been playing well. The pieces around Antetokounmpo are definitely there. But he has to be present. 

As for the Suns, they appear to be pretty healthy right now. Paul is back from his COVID hiatus and while having a busted nose isn't fun, Booker hasn't been affected much by it. He also seems to pretty much be back from the injury anyways. Big man Deandre Ayton is getting it done inside (E.g. Valley-oop) and is giving the Suns the interior presence that they need. 

At this point, I do have to give the Suns the edge to win this series. They're the healthier team at the moment and they do have home court advantage. The NBA championship goes through Phoenix and not Milwaukee. Plus, it just feels like it's Chris Paul's time. He's paid his dues and he has the entire Suns team playing really good basketball. Everyone is feeding off his energy and I think everyone is extra fueled by the possibility of helping the great CP3 finally get a ring. 

In regard to how many games this series goes, I think if Giannis is able to go for the entire series, Suns win in 7. If he misses multiple games, then we could be looking at Suns in 5 or 6 games. After seeing such an injury ridden NBA playoffs, it would be nice to at least have an NBA Finals that features the best players of both teams. Hopefully the basketball world gets what they want. 

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Saturday Slam: Making sense of the Clippers-Mavericks series

                                                 (Credit: Kevin Jairaj, USA TODAY Sports) 

The NBA more than any other pro sports league values home court/field advantage. But in this year's first round Western Conference series between the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks, home court advantage has become home court disadvantage as the road team has won the first six games. This is the first time this has happened in NBA playoff history. Game 7 will be on Sunday in Los Angeles, which I guess means the Mavericks should be favored. In this blog post, I want to quickly analyze what has happened in this series and what we can expect to happen on Sunday. 

The Mavericks won Game 1 113-103 in Los Angeles behind 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists from Luka Doncic. 21 points from Tim Hardaway, Jr. and 18 points from Dorian Finney-Smith, both of whom also start, made a difference as well as 15 points off the bench from Jalen Brunson. For the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard (26 points) and Paul George (23 points) stepped up, but they didn't get enough help. As a team, the Mavericks made 17 three-pointers, while the Clippers made 11. That seemed to make a pretty big difference in the game. 

Going on to Game 2, the Mavericks once again won, though this time it was closer (127-121). Doncic exploded for 39 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists while Hardaway, Jr. (28 points & 5 assists) and Kristaps Porzingis (20 points) had big nights as well. For the Clippers, it was more of the same: A huge night from Leonard (41 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals) and a double-double from George (28 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists) while not getting much help from anyone else. 18 made threes from the Mavericks and 13 made threes from the Clippers made a difference similar to Game 1. 

Game 3 went the Clippers' way as the series shifted to Dallas by a final score of 118-108. The Clippers got down 30-11 in the first quarter, but found a way to bounce back. I had pronounced them dead, but they proved me wrong.

Leonard (36 points) and George (29 points) once again had big nights, but this time it was the role guys that stepped up. Reggie Jackson's 16 points and Marcus Morris' 15 points were just what the doctor ordered. Meanwhile for the Mavericks, it was basically Luka Doncic going wild with 44 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists without much from anyone else. 

The Mavericks' three-point shooting was hot again as they made 20 threes, to the Clippers' 13, so in that vein it's a little odd they didn't win Game 3. But, the Clippers did outbound them 39-33 and also shot 57.9% from the field compared to the Mavericks' 44.2%, so three-point shooting obviously isn't everything in this series. 

In Game 4, the Clippers won big 106-81 to tie the series up 2-2. Leonard's 29 points and George's 20 points led the way. Doncic had a quiet 19 points and he was the top scorer for the Mavericks. So, this game wasn't really all that competitive. 

In Game 5, the Mavericks stole back home court, winning by a final score of 105-100. Doncic exploded for 42 points, 8 rebounds, and 14 assists while Hardaway, Jr. chipped in 20 points. Leonard didn't have his best outing as he had 20 points. George was the top performer with his 23 points and 10 rebounds. Jackson (20 points) and Morris (16 points) played pretty well, but Leonard having an off-night relative to his standards did the Clippers in. 

In Game 6, the Clippers won 104-97 to force a Game 7 as Leonard really took the team on his back with 45 points and 6 rebounds, his best performance of the series. George also had a nice night with 20 points and 13 rebounds while Jackson had a series high 25 points.  As for the Mavericks, Doncic had 29 points, 8 rebounds, and 11 assists, which is very good performance while Hardaway, Jr. had 23 points. The problem for the Mavericks is nobody else really stepped up. 

So, that's where things sit as we head into Sunday's series deciding Game 7. As far as what we can learn from the first six games, it's clear that star power is key. When Kawhi Leonard goes off and is the best player in the game, the Clippers win. When Luka Doncic is the top performer and goes off, the Mavericks win. It also seems like when those guys get going for their respective teams, their teammates feed off that and play better as a result. 

What does help Leonard is the presence of George, who for the most part has been a pretty reliable number two option. Doncic doesn't have that same number two guy who he can consistently depend on, but if there were to be such a guy on the Mavericks, it would be Hardaway, Jr. who has played pretty well this series. 

As far as my prediction is concerned, obviously anything can happen in a Game 7 and we are in uncharted waters here as it's the first Game 7 in NBA playoffs history where the road team has won every game in the series. So, it's hard to just pick the Clippers to win Game 7 because they are at home. 

That said, I do think the Clippers will win Game 7. Not because they are at home but because they are the slightly better team. If Leonard can go wild and George does his regular thing, that should be enough for the Clippers to win provided they get decent support from their role players. Doncic has to do more for his team and I think that's starting to wear on him a bit as the series goes on. But once again, anything can happen. The Mavericks winning certainly wouldn't surprise me. It's going to be fun to see how this one plays out! 

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