2015 NBA Finals Have Been Fantastic Experience, But What Are We Watching?

A little over one year ago, this 

is what the headline said.

Bill Russell Responds to LeBron James Mount Rushmore List

 balldontstop.com on February 18, 2014

Last week LeBron James listed his NBA version of Mount Rushmore, James chose Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson.

King James has captured  or chased afterthe 

crown for the past 6 years in a row- and 

every year we debate a redesign of our 

NBA mount Rushmore's.

For those who couldn't include LeBron on the mountain, 
alternative monuments have been suggested.

Why has Kobe fallen off of the NBA Mt. Rushmore talk?
He would like to know.  Russell and Bird don't care.

Is Bird considered because he's a white
guy, and is Kareem's sky hook
worthy of a place on the Mount?

  

If LeBron has bumped someone like the great Bill Russell from NBA's
Mount Rushmore, can Steph do the same to Larry Bird or Kobe 
or is he not that kind of player......yet?

Via Sun-Sentinel:

According to (Craig)Sager, Russell told him, “Hey, thank you for leaving me off your Mount Rushmore. I’m glad you did. Basketball is a team game. It’s not for individual honors. I won back-to-back state championships in high school, back-to-back NCAA championships in college, I won an NBA championship my first year in the league, an NBA championship my last year, and nine in between. And that, Mr. James, is etched in stone.”

No really!  What happened to Kobe?  Why didn't he make the Mt. Rushmore 4?
----------
Shaquille O'Neal is sitting somewhere saying:
"Shut up Kobe. I didn't make it either"

What exactly are we watching?  Since this  series has destroyed the common bromide "The best team always wins in a 7 game series", 

what are we watching? 

What value is there to all of the commentary when neither team seems to be doing what we expected of them to start this series, turning an out of shape white guy into the storyline?

I'm rooting for LeBron and the Cavs, but I certainly still anticipate what every fan who is still picking the Warriors expects as well-

for the Warriors to come out and play the way we've seen them play all season, and even at moments in this series.  All the folks from Akron, Ohio including one of them with the last name James- thinks that the 2nd best team can and will win the NBA finals this time around. 

Let Stephen A. Smith (ESPN) give his FirstTake, and he'll tell you that LeBron is different from Kobe and Jordan because he is more comfortable with losing than either of these legends were.

Magic, LeBron, Jordan and BillRussell- not Kobe, should be the new NBA Mt. Rushmore, right?

  LeBron (and Magic), 




unlike Kobe and Jordan, deal with losing better because they realize that "experience is not only the best teacher" it is a prize no one can take away, regardless of the games outcome. LeBron didn't know if his team could make it all of the way to the NBA finals, but says he was certain that he could lead them if they did. 

LeBron- bent over at the waist in a yoga style v-stretch, getting 

recovery and relief from the grueling battle he'd just won, quickly smiled like a fresh morning sun moments later when talking to Doris Burke about the experience his new brothers were gaining as they struggle to maintain fourth quarter leads.

People who live and think like that can never really lose in life- or basketball.  Kobe and Jordan rise to the top of the debate when it comes to rings and moxie, but fall flat when character comes into the Mt. Rushmore debate of NBA greats.  LeBron and Magic, on the other hand, shine like the smiles you think of whenever you imagine their legendary skill and bigger personalities.

Like it or not, LeBron will never be a murderer on the basketball court.  He's willing to take your hope away while leaving your heart fully intact.  Jordan and Kobe on the other hand, needed your heart for nourishment, and ate a few of their own teammates while satisfying the hunger.  LeBron, Magic- and Bill Russell for sure- deserve to be considered the greatest basketball players of all time because basketball is a team sport that deserves its greatest players to be acclaimed as players and people that everyone would have wanted as teammates, and not just to avoid getting eaten. Is the LeBron of today still willing to leave Bill Russell off of the list  in lieu of Oscar Robertson, or does he now realize that, when it comes to teamwork, Russell deserves to be the logo, not Jordan or Jerry West.

LeBron is just the kind of player and person to usher in the style of Bill Russell team basketball that is currently elevating the NBA globally since that the NFL is causing headaches and early retirement, and baseball is boring.  If we hoop fans think we prefer basketball with lots of scoring, the past few championships  series, including this 2015 NBA finals, is challenging that notion since viewership of the finals is at an all time high.  Each of these teams have defended at an all time high level and are experiencing the pain and the rewards of stellar defense.  Golden State might be looking to shoot better, but if they had defended any less in these first 3 games, game 4 would be a closeout opportunity for Cleveland and not a chance to even the series as it is for the Warriors.

Experience is the best teacher for Golden State as well as Cleveland. An experienced LeBron is not quite certain if the Warriors will keep up and maybe improve their stellar defense, or sacrifice something in the quest for more offense?

Some believe double teaming the ball away from LeBron  who is shooting below 40% already is really the key.  I think it will insure a triple double and a huge game from Mosgov instead of LeBron's regular 40points, 12 boards and 8 assists that LeBron has averaged in the series? To these aging eyes, LeBron needs the double team to help him create plays.  Without it, he appears a tad too old to do what his young legs used to do easily. LeBron is still capable of forcing his way around and through multiple players like he once did regularly, but it costs him so much more than it used to. and it didn't help his last rag tag Cleveland team anyway.

 So he doesn't do it until he must. 

Freethrows Win Championships

As of game 3, LeBron now seems willing, almost eager, to step up and hit the free throw. Every big game is decided at the line, rather directly or indirectly, and the greatest player alive must have watched the tape and learned from the experience of gaining a victory through the hustle and freethrows of his sidekick, Delly- freethrows that the king has often missed in moments that matter.  

FREETHROWS are championship basketball, and at the end of games, heroes succeed and celebrate 20% of the time, while the rest of the time the lunch bucket teams hit their freethrows and haul away the crown. 

At this point of the 2015 NBA finals, there are no more secret plays and no more adjustments that will matter.  If either team had something decisively effective, they would have used it to win the first 3, highly crucial games, which have each been won by the last team standing, not by strategic mastery. One of the hardest parts of late game freethrows will always be late game exhaustion. Championship fatigue might later send you to the hospital for IV replenishing, or sad and alone in the off season, wondering where you went wrong while wishing you had worked IV hard.  As always, the greatest pain yields the greatest gain. Not the pain of playing defense until you feel like you're gonna die- I'm talking about the pain from losing and feeling like you didn't sacrifice to the death like your opponent did to win. If you are lucky to make it back, there is a lot to be gained from such an experience.

No One Can Tell Who Will Win

Are we watching the meltdown of Golden State or the over achievement of Cleveland?  Why did we expect the Warriors to have experience that they didn't even add through free agency? Leandro Barboso is a serviceable veteran player, but he has never won it all just like the rest of his Warrior teammates. Coach Steve Kerr has Golden States only championship experience, and at times it looks like he would rather suit up and battle LeBron instead of trying to impart his knowledge with a business suit on. There is almost no more coaching left to be done, there is only effort and competition left to decide the season. The great Dan Patrick thinks that the Warriors must change the style of game if they hope to change the result of the game.  Everyone who thinks like this is setting Golden State up to be slain by their own sword.  These teams are playing the game at the highest effort level, and the more experienced team barely won two games. 
Barely.

Although Golden State seemed a clear cut favorite going in, and still a pretty good bet if you ask some, are the Warriors really any more talented than the Cavs, or are have we glossed over every player on the Warriors because of Steph story?

My 2 cents just became an IOU since I'm still stuck with so many questions, even though the team I chose won 2 games already including one on the opponents court.  Anyone who tells you that they still have a  definitive clue about the outcome of this series is hiding fear or confusion behind a facade of confidence.  LeBron remains unsure about the challenge before him, and Steph has also stopped saying that his team expects to win.  The tea leaves tell me that this series is totally up in the air- still.

Except for LeBron and a few Cleveland backups, these teams have the same 3 amazing games of championship level experience. I expect LeBron's experience to tip the scale, but we will see, since everyone is obviously watching so very close.

LeBron Doing "Everything" It Takes To Win It All

Delly is making the difference for a team that needs it.

Cleveland is clearly a multi-cultural team in a multi-cultural city in which you can find a little bit of everything.  Nowhere else can you imagine an African American basketball star coached by an Israeli basketball coach whose team's character comes from an Australian Delly.

Much will be and should be said for this special trio whose decisions keep forcing the pressure on the Golden State Warriors, and they have yet to respond well to it.  Desperation basketball is deceptive because a lot of confidence comes from the realization that you suddenly have very little time and nothing left to lose, as a loss seems certain.


For three games, the Warriors have been pushed to the point in which they scratch and claw their way back.  The fight or flight reflex bottles fear into a fuel- a mixture of one part adrenaline and two parts pride.  Fear can help you to compete with pride, but it won 't win the game for you even though many teams often confuse caged desperation as something to build upon.  Such fuel can shoot you to the moon, but you had better save some fuel to finish the journey home.

Steph shoots 50% from the field after getting hot late.
Will it carry over into the next game?

Desperation has encouraged the kind of shooting that Golden State keeps needing in order to make up the deficit that they have erased in the first 3 games.  Cleveland will certainly see the most dangerous version of the Warriors from the very beginning of game 4, so they will have to stem the tide and keep the game manageable in the first half. Some of Golden State's best basketball has been a byproduct of Cleveland's worst defense and more passive offense which keeps returning as they attempt to coast to the end of games.

Whether or not Golden State can actually play end game ball to start the game is actually the question we've been waiting to see every since the Warriors were favored to win this series.




Expectations were high for the Golden State Warriors so very few of their supporters are willing to give up the ghost, nor will this team. The story of these first 3 games has been fairly consistent- minus the overtime that seemed on its way for the third game as well.  No player has scored at a high  enough clip to allow either team to go on a real run.  Every sporadic run has come from the other team getting lax or going cold.  Typically, that team has been Golden State unless you are talking about the last 10 minutes of the 4th quarter.



 That's when the cards have turned in the direction of the Warriors, who play consistent enough in the 4th quarter to chip away at the lead Cleveland keeps compiling. The leads have only been single digits for the most part- until last night's 20 point 3rd quarter expanse.  Jordan was known to beat teams in this kind of 'keep it close, lull you to sleep and turn up the heat' fashion, and coach Steve Kerr spent a few seasons playing with his Airness.  In other words, this could be a tactic that the Warriors are intentionally employing at the end of games, but I doubt that.  This team expected to win this series, but they don't anymore.  They are in for it and every player now recognizes the challenge.

What Will It Take?  EVERYTHING!

LeBron is right.  For so many reasons, game 4 now becomes the most important game in this series because the Warriors were dangerous when they were less desperate than they are now.

Everything is on the line, and everything will be needed from LeBron for his team to win game 4 and avoid the dreaded split that would give this series right back into the hands of the Warriors. When the world keeps asking him to reveal the secret motivation that he should have kept secret, LeBron just smiles and declines.

The real secret is that he already told us EVERYTHING we needed to hear. Some of it he said in the post game interviews, and the rest is being spoken with each game performance.

This man is willing, and able, to do everything it takes to win the championship of the NBA.  In fact, I am venturing to say that never before have we seen ONE player who can actually do everything in the game of basketball, and did it en route to a title.

He might not be as titillating a shooter as Steph Curry is at moments, but he is totally capable of taking and making shots against double and triple teams just like Steph.  A few times in this series he has made them from extra long range just to remind us that he can do that to- just like Steph.  LeBron can certainly pass, evidenced by his high assist average in the finals along side a high volume of shots.  He is not scoring at a high percentage for the first time in forever, but he has never chosen high volume shooting over high percentage shooting, and is only answering the call for his team- over and over again.

Like scratching nails on a blackboard, LeBron is enduring shooting at a/low percentage against his own will. In the post game interview with his former (and maybe future) teammate D-Wade, LeBron educated us that his shooting percentage has increased for each of the last 7 season prior to this year in which everything has been asked of him from time to time.

7 seasons in a row?


Although I didn't realize that statistic, I have watched LeBron add something new to his game each and every season that he has played.

After he first went to the finals and lost,  I saw him come back and post people up with the Hakeem Olajuwon Dream Shake.  The next year, he started raining long shots like a 2 guard.  If you watch this series, you are likely to see a hook shot that rarely misses even if it doesn't touch the sky like Kareem's did.  When he gets tired, he now relies on his Dirk Nowitzki fade away jumper which also seems to fall about as often as his baby hook does.

Dellavedova takes a break after the "And-1" bank shot that
 secured the game for the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

The secret of LeBron James is that he is the only player in the history of the league,  able to do everything as he does, and there is not really a close second because Oscar Robertson is a distant second.   This season, he has added player coach to the list of everything he can do just in case someone tries to use the reigning ring holder, Bill Russell as an example of something LeBron hasn't done.




Did I mention miracles? LeBron does those too. He basically invented the Australian Delly, and turned him into a cult hero.

LeBron James Could Realign NBA Solar System

In the ongoing debate between Jordan and every star who dares to shine after him, Bill Laimbeer says Jordan would not have been able to get this group of Cavaliers to the finals and I tend to agree with him.  Now that the group LeBron brought is falling apart at the seems, its unlikely to some and doubtful to most, that even the best player in the world can pull off this miracle.  In my opinion, this is his legacy moment- something predestined for his ability an
d one that Michael Jordan could never have achieved.

Could Jordan have taken Cleveland to the finals like LeBron?

I qualify (or disqualify) my opinion and that of Laimbeer with an inbred contempt for what Jordan did to the game of basketball, evidenced by the numerous players who copy the worst parts of his game and wear his shoes to the mall on the weekend......... still. Laimbeer was a hard-nosed rebounder who understood that possessions in the playoff make the difference between winning or losing. Jordan, who finally had to get the same message in order to overcome the Pistons, eventually learned to beat them at their own game.  The addition of bad boy Dennis Rodman to the Bulls allowed Jordan to benefit from their own game in the later years of his career.

Playoff Games with 10+ rebounds

• LeBron James                        58 games
• Michael Jordan                     21 games

____________________________________

Whether Jordan agrees with Laimbeer's view of King James is a good question to ask Jordan himself, especially with the cast of characters that LeBron is now pressing forward with. Would Jordan care to take on this challenge?  Laimbeer believes that Jordan's low number of rebounds and assist in the playoffs would have made Air unable to take Cleveland to the finals- a feat the king has now done twice.

Need a little Love?

That's right!  Don't forget about the last Cleveland team that made it to the finals and lost to the San Antonio Spurs.  LeBron launched his first Cavalier team into the finals within four years of turning pro. Four year's into the NBA, Jordan could have done no such thing, and even the glowing shine of his stellar career has the benefit and complement of completion. The constellation LeBron may not have as many rings yet, but he has decorated the heavens in so many ways already that we tend to hold him more accountable for how many times he didn't overcome the championship challenge instead of creditting him for taking so many trips.

Jordan confesses to being too physically fragile to overcome the physical demand that Laimbeer's Piston's forced him to deal with.  Though he eventually developed himself to endure the bang of the league, LeBron was giving the bang right back from the moment he joined the big boys. His oversized body and small man dribbling skills redefined the term big boy, whereas the "Jordan Rules" (hit him every time he nears the lane) came as a result of realizing that Mike was originally too fragile to be given so much freedom on the court.

Ironically, the Cavs will probably have to reignite the Jordan Rules on Steph to keep him from squeezing his fingerprints all over this championship series.  If Steph is the heir apparent to the throne, his game is more closely connected to the second coming of Jordan with his ability to create off of the dribble in a way that paralyzes the opponent.

The Warriors and the Cavs are far and above the most defensive teams left in the league, so their presence in the final series comes as no accident, and relagating the Warriors to nothing but a jump shooting team, or LeBron as the only scorer for the Cavs, means you haven't watched the defense and rebounding that drives both of these teams. LeBron will have to return to himself and Steph will be challenged to increase his assist count or win by scoring in a way that we've never seen in the finals.  Sort of like LeBron almost did in game one, until the hoop gods denied he and  Iman Shumpert the benefit of such luck.

Will Steph be asked to do more things to win it all?

Jordan was a legendary talent who is often remembered for the worst parts of his game.  He played exceptional defense, demanded it of his teammates as well, and shared the ball enough to create legends of names like Paxson and Kerr, players forever remembered for hitting big shots in the finals. He also tries to remind us all that he missed more game winners than he ever made, but nobody listens to that part of the Jordan story.  My fear is that Steph returns the league to that same misperception of good basketball as young kids flock to mock the glitz and glamour and not the grit and grime. San Antonio did a great job of humbling LeBron (twice) into a clear recognition of winning basketball, For one really strong quarter, he had his really average lineup performing like champions.


Where Does Greatness Begin?

LeBron could place himself among the brightest of the NBA stars by pulling off this impossible dream.  When we watch a 33 year old tennis legend still winning major titles in dramatic fashion, and then see a  horse racing accomplishment that we haven't seen in 4 decades, you realize that sports have always been designed for amazing story lines.  Nothing seems plausible about these adventerous stories as we watch them, but they color the spectrum of sports in a way that deserves reckoning.  Is not the opportunity for greatness the reason for its being in the first place?  It was for Serena when she saw herself giving away a French Open title that she had no reason being two games from securing as a 33 year old woman anyway.  As with any great sports story, suddenly the wheels fell off Serena's car.  To reclaim that victory without wheels on the car demanded a fire from Serena that was driven by the lure of opportunity.

Jordan fans often remind me that he could have and should have won two more titles when he ran off to chase the lure of opportunity that baseball offered him.  Did he succeed?  We know the end of that story including his triumphant return to championship basketball. Whether it was the chance to do something different, or the opportunity to do it again, the lure of opportunity has always written the narrative and provided the script to the movie that usually follows.  LeBron's story will one day be told in its entirety, and it will be full of opportunities that lured him into the greatness he's destined to enjoy.

The NBA doesn't need any one player to keep it healthy, however, destiny has a way of sending a King just when the people need it the most.  Without the impact of smarter basketball players- especially players like LeBron who could rely on athleticism if they prefer- the game will continue on a path of being unwatchable.  Not like the fabulous contest that we got a chance to watch for 47 minutes and 55 seconds in game one of the NBA finals.  More like that 5 seconds of crap followed by an OT that smelled even worse.  LeBron has an opportunity to erase that error and truly earn the King moniker he was prematurely given. NBA fans have the chance to finally bear
Witness.

LeBron Forgets His Crown. Misses Shot At Game 1

Will LeBron remember the error of past Final series?

Game one is over and we've learned a whole lot even though we're left with several new questions that we hadn't really thought about.  First question is, did we all forget about the dominating point guard named Kyrie Irving during the phenomenal run that Steph Curry has been on?  He may be out for the rest of the series, which will only add to the question of whether or not the point guard who blocked Steph's shot twice- to start the game and when the game was on the line- is actually equal or better to the league MVP?

The potential loss of Irving seems to be enough  for the prognosticators to declare that the series is all but over for Cleveland, who miraculously made it to the finals without the impact of Kyrie along the way.  Of course, J.R. Smith and others were living up to their potential, but even they were the beneficiaries of  timely passes from the best player in the universe who is almost averaging a triple double in the playoffs.

What Happened To The King?

While I would love to ask the question, "What happened to the best player in the universe", I already know the answer to the question long before I ask it.  Social media happens to LeBron, and it will define him or destroy him in the end as he continues to try to write a narrative for his career in response to the criticism of social media and the Michael Jordan effect.  In the Jordan era, turning off a television was a lot easier than turning off the internet is today, and whether he's behind the interview camera or stepping on the court, LeBron continues to try to prove that he is a different player than Jordan, yet worthy of his early coronation as King.

Before we let the outcome of the game confuse the story too much, the splash brothers were just normal pieces to the Warrior puzzle that Steve Kerr manipulated into a victory.  He probably should be creditted for outwitting player coach LeBron James, who even calls timeouts at the end of the game after a key second chance rebound, whether the real coach (whatever his name is) wants it or not.  Bill Russell has done similar things in this league, so it shouldn't be terribly odd- except the NBA hasn't seen a player coach since the 70's, and never an undeclared coach. Coach James had been forcing J.R. Smith to shoot and make big time shots at the end of the game in order to get his team to the finals- even when J.R. had missed earlier shots.

Last night, LeBron wanted that shot for himself.  Coach James, the Cavalier King, would have shared the ball and enjoyed the benefits of a game he probably deserved to win.  LeBron, the social media dude, wanted the fade away 3 point shot to help write a story that he and Kyrie narrated rather nicely until the final missed shots of regulation.  Everything in OT was the result of one deflated team and another who had clearly dodged a major bullet on their home court. The Cavaliers with Kyrie at 100% might have swept this series.  Without him, LeBron will be forced to return to the basketball doctrine of King James, the benevolent passer, instead of LeBron the petulant social media star hungry to be accepted as King.

Behind the decisions that drive LeBron seems to remain the shadow of the only player anybody thinks he has yet to surpass.  Kobe has slowly fallen from the conversation, and Jordan remains as the last man standing for LeBron to surpass.  What that means to some people is LeBron surpassing Jordan's championship victory totals.  He's already matching Jordan in championship experience and surpassing him in other playoff statistics, but he has lost more than he's won.   Would it have been better for LeBron to have never played the game at all?

Maybe.

Maybe it would have helped LeBron's image to lose in the eastern conference finals each time that his team couldn't close the deal instead of taking two inferior Cavalier squads to the dance in addition to a manufactured Miami Heat team that played for the crown every year that he stayed in South Beach?
But I doubt it.

I would be great for LeBron to remember who he is and what he has done to be succesful in his career instead of declaring himself the same unstoppable player that Steph Curry is during press conferences because whenever you say things of the sort, you then are forced to prove it on the court.  LeBron is an incredible player- but he doesn't transform into a King until he thinks like royalty.  Every time LeBron shows up, the King goes away.

Inside of Mr. James is the capacity for royalty, the ability to bring a team that didn't have Kyrie to the finals, and the experience to close the deal as long as he realizes the method of kingdom building along the way.  In reality, the loss of Kyrie is likely just another opportunity to add an additional spice to the narrative that Curry alone might not give anymore.  For important segments of last nights game, I barely noticed Curry on the court, and he was essentially outplayed by an 80% Kyrie Irving.  Shumpert was also able to quiet Curry, but using Shumpert on Curry is a major interior sacrifice for perimeter defense alone.  This series should take on an entirely new complexion without Irving in the lineup, which could be exactly what the doctor ordered for Cleveland who foolishly tried to close out game 1 with isolation plays, abandoning the style that helped them win the east.

Ball movement and defense got them to the dance and it will help them find their footing as they recover from losing the first game of the championship series.  70% of the time, the winner of game 1 goes on to win the series, however, if the losing team does come back 30% of the time, one with a King could get it done.

Respecting The King

Although Steph Curry won this years MVP award, LeBron James was the only player in game one who was treated with the superstar approach.  What is the superstar approach?  Let the star score most of the points (under pressure) while shutting down the supporting cast entirely.  Some pundits anticipated the Cavs would employ the same approach towards the Warriors.  Instead, Cleveland pressured Curry, who got a big boost from supporting players like Mo Speights who hit big shot after big shot when the game could have gotten away from Golden State.

Cleveland's supporting cast offered no such support and the Cavaliers still had two shots at the end of the game to steal one in Oakland.  If they can watch film on the defensive domination that started the game, in which Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mosgov erased any hopes of second chance rebounds, the Cavaliers could easily steal game two and complete the mission of any visiting team- win one game. Outside of that style of play, they'll be swept themselves.

Matchups will be key throughout this series because no team shoots 3's consistently or the percentages from that distance wouldn't be what they are, and both teams launch a fair amount of them.  What that means is that the Cavs will get their shooters activated eventually- which should uncover the physical dominance of Mosgov and Thompson over Bogut and Green.

So long as triple double King James can make that social media dude LeBron pass the damn ball.

LeBron Should Win, But He'd Better Do It Now

And then , there were two!

This has been an interesting season of basketball in the NBA, one in which the new guard came in a rush to stake claim at the league's MVP.

Curry claimed the crown, but everyone qualifies his achievement by saying LeBron is still the best basketball player in the world- even if the MVP didn't reach his mantle again.

Stephen Curry has the duty of living up to his crowning while taking down a man who has seen this stage for 5 years straight.  Nothing that Golden State Warrior Coach Steve Kerr can say from the bench will match the words LeBron can share in the middle of it all.  Eventually, Steph must take down the king James by himself if he hopes to be the new king.

Tonight brings that opportunity to a head and everything that we would like to say in analysis is mostly hot air. LeBron's Cleveland Cavaliers are a Vegas underdog, but that kind of stuff is mostly a matter of betting, not basketball.  The NBA champion is, and always will be a deserving team because 7 games insures it.  I expect the king to retain his throne simply because he's reached that cross section between experience and enough youth to do something about it.

Plus, there's nothing like a little Curry to spice up your legacy- right LeBron?

That being said, he'd better win right now, because Curry is a once in a lifetime talent who's doing something that these eyes have never quite seen before. But maybe it's just me.

Return Of The King Forces Warriors To Look Ahead

Pimping is said to be difficult-  but it can't be much harder than closing out a series with a sweep in the NBA semi-finals.  That's the kind of thing only king's do well. Golden State, behind MVP Steph Curry, is a really good team. This team can truly play defense and crash the boards with the best of them, and at times they appear to be a team even LeBron can't handle.  They will need to be all of that and more tonight since the Cleveland Cavalier closeout should add the same pressure to Golden State that Golden State's closeout of Memphis added to the Clipper's.


What happened to the Clippers ? Kevin McHale and Golden State?

If the Houston Rockets are trying to duplicate their unlikely triumph over the L.A. Clippers, spotting Golden State a 3-0 lead was a great way to do it.  They might have gotten off of the snide by avoiding a sweep, but they've still got to do it again, and again, and again if they hope to be watched during the finals.  Most likely, Houston will watch the finals as spectators just like the rest of us. However, they just got the same free agent addition that they received at the end of the Clipper series.


The agent is doubt from a Warrior team who is already starting to wonder if they can actually beat a rested LeBron- and free because such doubt won't cost Houston a dime. Golden State should have never forced Curry to return to the lineup after his nasty spill, but pressure causes missteps.  If Curry needed a rest in game 5, the decision to force him back in game 4 made the game 5 decision for you.

Looking Ahead?

For a while, the Clippers were the story of the NBA playoffs after beating the defending champs and going up 3-1 to the Rockets.  Suddenly. the resting Golden State Warrior team joined the Houston Rockets cause by adding "we're waiting for you" pressure to the equation.  With a 19 point lead and a clear path to the Bay Area, the destraction became too much to bear, especially since the resting and waiting Warriors appeared unbeatable anyway.

Cleveland's sweep could be the opportunity that Kevin McHale needs to pull off his post season magic once again..  NO ONE thought Houston could do it without the services of guard Patrick Beverley, who went down at the the end of the regular season- or without their alMost Valuable Player James Harden, who sat on the bench during the magical 19 point, come from behind victory against L.A. that launched the Rockets into the next series.  They did it, and from the looks of things, even if Dwight Howard loses a game or worse from trying to free himself from Bogut- or worse, Terrence Jones at center could be the right way to go since Howard's limited offensive ability and inability to make free-throws on a consistent basis has turned him into a real liability in the 4th quarter.

By the way!

Tristen Thompson could be putting his name in the hat for top center in the league after this outstanding playoff season.

Hack-A-Howard  .vs. Hack-A-Dre .vs. Hack-A-Josh

While I am now rooting for Kevin McHale and his Rockets (if my team is out- give me the underdog everytime), I am not a fan of the intentional foul (a.k.a, Hack-A-Shaq).  In fact, I really wonder if it even currently fits inside of the rules of the game, Every foul typically demands a play at the ball and not at the head or legs when a player actually has  the ball.  On every level of basketball, fouls that are intentional but not directed at the ball will typically invoke some version of a flagrant foul, much like it does in the final 2 minutes of the NBA. How can we ever justify and allow intentionally fouling a player who doesn't have the ball  and call it a good rule or good basketball?  While I can't understand how the rule gets allowed throughout the game, every team that does the tactic at least deserves shame and bad luck if you ask me.

It seems like a simple fix to force ALL intentional foul's to be allowed ONLY while making a reasonable attempt at the  ball being held by the player holding or receiving the basketball.  If such a modification goes into play, fouls against these horrible shooting post players will only happen when those players have the ball.  This is important because RIGHT NOW, team's choosing to foul often mitigate their approach by selecting teammates with minimal fouls to do the dirty work.  If off-ball fouling gets corrected, teams will no longer have the luxury of doing it with minimal risks.

Hack-A-Shaq doesn't seem to ever give good kharma to the team's that do it anyway. Nonetheless, despite having players that have endured this tactic all season/career long, the Rockets and the Clippers chose to do it towards each other.  You would think that the teams with a Shaq (or whatever) would be more sensitive to the low brow approach that others have taken against them.

Obviously that's not true.

I have a soft spot for great coaching, so I am pulling for McHale, and generally I am a West Coast guy since my Denver Nuggets are a Western Conference team,  but I have a hard time expecting good sports kharma from any team that tries to win a title through off the ball intentional fouls. From my best recollection, every team that did the Hack-A-Shaq lost to Shaq.

Make Your FreeThrows Kids
;That being said, if the league doesn't change the Hack-A-Shaq, I can live with that too because you already can't get away with it in the final 2 minutes, and kids really need a graphic example of the vital importance of making or missing freethrows.  Crappy post season freethrow shooting has been a leaguewide horror flick, and it's not only Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan with the problem.

Ain't that right Josh Smith?

#7 Might Not Be So Lucky

Houston's two Achilles heel's, Josh Smith and Dwight Howard, are likely to cost the Rockets in the end, no matter how far the Rockets rise.  A rested LeBron is surely enough pressure to make a team that's never been there before tighten up.  Without question, the Warriors must dominate game 5.  A loss in game 5 comes with a virtual guaranteed loss in game 6 at Houston as well. and #7 might not be so lucky if it goes that far.

#7 Might Not Be So Lucky

The biggest problem with making yourself believe that you are a contender when you really are not is that it totally delays the process of realizing and pursuing the truth.  The Denver Nuggets were not really close to winning anything when they had Carmelo, and they moved even further away after he left, despite the illusion that 57 wins and a Coach of The Year create. These Nuggets have NEVER seen a sniff of the top pick because they've only recently come to recognize the value of sucking for a while to smell what big time losing provides.

This year's #7  might be the unluckiest of them all.  Why?  The Nuggets own it.

The last 7 at #7 have been more good than bad.  Maybe even some greatness at 7.  

2014  #7 Julius Randle  UNC            - Lakers
2013  #7 Harrison Barnes  UNC       - GS
2012  #7 Greg Monroe  Georgetown - Detroit
2011  #7  Bismack Biyombo   Congo - SAC
2010  #7  Stephen Curry Davidson    - GS
2009  #7  Eric Gordon   - Indiana       - LAC
2008  #7  Corey Brewer - Florida       -MIN

It could be a good pick, if my Nuggets weren't still looking for a coach, presumably one that might impress the front office more than interim coach Melvin Hunt does.  Brian Shaw was really no different than Melvin Hunt relative to his experience as a head coach, but he had name recognition.  If the Nuggets have chosen not to lock up Hunt as their next coach, its because they are, once again, waiting for another coach with a name, not one who clearly connects and can develop a team of up and coming players.

The problem with chasing big names is that it assumes that any recognizable coach will trust coaching for a team that got rid of George Karl after a 57 win, Coach of The Year effort, and won't hire an interim who did everything you hoped he could do.  Shaw's failures might have removed the Karl cloud from above our next head coach, but any smart person must know to tread lightly with a front office that is more focused on the fish they would like to take the bait and not at the bait at all.

News Flash:

An up and coming coach is the right choice for an up and coming team.

These Nuggets need to lock up Melvin Hunt and give up that #7 to go up or down from that spot to get a player that doesn't need so much development.  Keeping #7 means that the list of young Nuggets who need developing will only grow after next season unless we get a sure fire pick, or one that we won't need to develop so much while Jusuf Nurkic, Erick Green and Garry Harris prove their value.  Frank Kaminsky should do just fine at 15 or 20.

 Kaminsky has a lot of Kevin McHale in his game.

Is Frank Kaminsky the NBA draft sleeper?
This Nugget fan hopes he is, for our sake.

I have already confessed my support for coach Kevin McHale, the guy who took out the other coach that I was rooting for, Doc Rivers. I'm a coach. What can I say?  I was also always a big McHale fan as a kid, especially when I discovered Larry Bird was quite the jerk. I encountered Bird's  Boston Celtics when they borrowed our high school gym prior to a game against my Denver Nuggets.  McHale was awesome, and his kindness and post moves have stayed with me for years.  I still utilize a couple of his baseline pivot moves whenever I get a chance to act like a basketball player, although I typically credit Jack Sikma because his name sounds cooler to say.

7 game series?

Bleak seems to be the exact temperature that these Rockets perform best under, as if losing the weight of expectation allows them to takeoff.  If this Rocket is losing fuel, McHale's championship history could become the power source for this series like it was in the last. It is reasonable to expect an up against the wall Houston team to fight, maybe even steal a game in the Bay area as they nearly did in the first two games.   This series still feels like a 6 or 7 game brawl to me that sets the Western conference up to deal with the well rested Cavs.

Aside from the damage they might inflict upon each other before it's over, both western conference teams would be worthy opponents for LeBron, maybe even favored over him- yet both teams are young and new at all this, so neither will win a crown without a world class brawl, most likely one for the ages.  If Golden State can actually win the west without a 7 game series (which I doubt), they almost certainly won't have the experience to beat LeBron's Cavaliers in less than 7 games.

Either way, buckle your seatbelts for the kind of NBA basketball that makes you need to sit and watch for 4 quarters.

Finally!

What The Flop Is The NBA Doing Fining Steph?

What the flop is the NBA thinking fining Steph Curry for flopping?

First of all, the rule that instituted fining people who choose to flop was a stupid rule to begin with.  Not that I didn't appreciate the league's attempt to keep Manu Ginobli from making me turn the channel until the part of the game when flops get ignored so that ref's don't dictate outcomes. The idea was beyond admirable, and my initial response came with an equal level of appreciation and trepidation when the rule came to be.  The trepidation, however, comes from the difficulty with determining a flop in the first place.


Some Dude's (Me) Hack Too Much

I've personally stopped playing a lot of organized basketball simply because of the referee problem that makes it difficult for guys like me.  While I admit to being one of the most skilled fouler's in the history of fouling, I also have never intentionally flopped.  I have come to accept that shooting and flopping are not easy to do at the same time if you have any hope of making the shot. Despite the high double digit fouling that I intentionally get away with every single game that I play, I rarely foul out of games.  On the other hand, since I don't understand the flop technique and usually absorb contact without major shot disruption, I often get fouled without getting the calls I deserve.  In the grand scheme of things, it all probably balances out in the end.

You see, the problem with this whole flopping debate is that most really good referee's do not lean towards the heavy whistle side of basketball, especially in the NBA playoffs or old men basketball leagues when physicality amps up a bit.  If basketball game officials chose to keep the whistle blowing in concert with the increased level of fouls in the playoffs, then the game would hardly be watchable.

In last nights Cavs .vs. Hawks game, I watched LeBron James drive to the whole with 3 dudes draped all over him on multiple occasions. No foul called.  In fact, the only real hope that even LeBron, the best player in the world, has of getting a foul called during late game action is to flop a bit.  Taking the foul strongly and focusing on finishing is a formula for getting the field goal, but not the "and one" or the two shot foul you probably deserve,

To Steph Curry's credit, he is paying $5,000 for a flop that really did happen, but not for the reason's that some guy's do it.  Steph is a reactionary flopper in that he focuses on the shot, and falls away from the contact because small guys better fall away just to minimize the bangs and bruises that come with being great.  If I were playing against Curry, I would have to assume he's shooting jump shots, and be near to poke, prod and manipulate his pre and post shot, until he becomes uncomfortable.

In other words, I would foul his arse as much as I could get away with.  Such an approach is not novel.  It is the only hope you have against these type of players.  Conversely, flopping or accentuating the contact is the only hope that such players have to shine a light on the extra that goes on when stars shoot the ball.  If you watch the play, Steph pushes off on Corey Brewer in order to gain the free look, and then gets brushed against the arm from a player trailing the action.  With this player coming from the trail side, his near block of Curry forced the contact that lead to Curry's $5,000 flop.

To the NBA's credit, they've warned players of these potential fines over a year ago, so anyone who pays has very little room to point fingers.  Actually, they could point fingers at the hundreds of players who continue to flop without penalty and ask the question of, why me? Why so sporadic in the enforcement of the rules and why would you decide to open blind eyes on this season's MVP, especially on a less than obvious flop?

There is a statement in this particular fine, but its neither clear or for Curry alone.

Kharma Writes Stories and Wins Game 4 For LeBron

And then there were none.

Is LeBron his own dynasty, or is Cleveland attempting
the impossible? Winning in a small market?

With the fall of the San Antonio Spurs, the age of the NBA dynasties has almost come to an end.  If you count the fact that LeBron is struggling as I write to take down the Chicago Bulls just for a chance to overcome the Washington Wizards or the Atlanta Hawks, then its safe to say that none of the remaining teams are cut from championship pedigree.

The moment I typed these words, LeBron drove to the lane against the Bulls to cut into their double digit lead that they took into the fourth quarter of game 4.  Win this game and the Bulls take a strangle hold over the series (3-1) and start the process of returning Chicago to the realm of champion, despite distant memories from their dynastic days of old.

This season, all signs point towards the rise of the "Have Not's", teams from small market cities that typically were believed to be incapable of winning a championship.  Maybe Chicago or the LA Clippers will win and keep the theory intact, but their franchises are among the many in the league fighting to rise to relevancy too.  Even if the Clippers (big city) or the Cavs (LeBron's team) can win a title this season, hope still springs eternal for lowly cities like Denver that have never proven themselves to be capable of reaching the peak of the NBA.

While my heart has moved into the corner of supporting NBA legend Doc Rivers this playoff season, the only other championship mind capable of dealing with the championship experience of LeBron, I wouldn't be sad if the Warriors lay siege or the Wizards cast  a spell of hope for the rest of us secondary sports cities like Denver to build on.  With a capable front office, anything is possible.  Whether or not Denver's front office qualifies as capable is the only question left unanswered for this hopeful fan looking for a reason to believe.  The Nuggets' next few moves will reveal a lot.  In the mean time, I have to watch this Cav's versus Bulls game and wonder if losing Timofey Mosgov and J.R. Smith was good in the long run, or is LeBron so good that he makes even these ex-Nuggets look like stars?

Before I could complete two paragraphs of thought, LeBron has erased the Chicago lead, and is making Smith and Mosgov look like Parish and Ainge as he carries them towards greatness.  I expect LeBron to find a way to win this game and keep the Bulls in the state of figuring things out- which might mean firing Tom Thibideau at the end of this season.  Thibideau is actually the only other coach that I would take in Denver aside from Nuggets interim coach Melvin Hunt, still in the hunt for a permanent tag in Denver.

As I write, J.R. Smith just nailed another long range 3 in response to one scored by the Bulls, giving the Cavaliers a 3 point lead with 5 minutes to play.  James blocks a shot that Mosgov recovered and then set Mosgov up with a pick and roll dunk   He missed of course, but nailed the two free throws from being fouled.  In game 3, Mosgov only missed one free throw, and for all of the things he struggled with in Denver, he was an improving free throw shooter.  As I typed these two sentences, Mosgov followed his two freebies with a defensive rebound, and offensive rebound and a put back for a 7 point lead.

Timeout Chicago.

Cleveland might win it with LeBron doing what he does, but they are the Cavaliers of small city Cleveland. A victory by this team makes small city hoops more possible than ever, so even the magic that LeBron keeps doing works in favor of the little guys.  After a really good defensive play that produced a foul from the Bulls, J.R. Smith shoved the same Bulls player, giving up a technical free throw and reminding me why we don't really miss J.R.  On the next possession, Mosgov got one of those wide open layups that he often misses.  He missed the shot, reminding me why we don't really miss Mosgov that much either.

With the clock winding down quickly, LeBron misses another 3 point shot (he has hardly made any during the series), and Derrick Rose heads down court to show King James how its done, knocking down a 3 pointer to close this pivotal game to a 3 point margin.  How did the King respond?  With a muscle drive to the hole for an easy 2 points.  Rose advances up the court trying to match LeBron shot for shot, and gets fouled by a Cavalier team unwilling to let him do it freely.

Rose hits both freebies.

When the King can't hit a jumpers, it's not hard to guess what he will do instead, so Joakim Noah did just that when he guessed right on the next Cavalier possession, drawing an offensive foul on James destined to get to the hole.  Despite the turnover, the Cavs got a stop and had one minute and LeBron James to finish off an important game.  This time down, the Bulls fouled an attacking LeBron and he nailed both freebies for a 5 point lead.  With 27 seconds left in the game, Jimmy Butler nails a 3 point bucket to try and salvage the biggest game in the series for his team.  Win the game and you cripple the King.  Lose it and he inspires his henchmen to take you out.  Guaranteed. If LeBron doesn't get you, the depression of such a lost will do it for him

Bulls use their last time out to create a plan.

3 seconds separate the game and shot clock, and Noah informs the ref that they will not play to foul, so hold tight to that whistle. A strong double team on J.R. causes him to take a timeout with 19 seconds on the clock.  Though the Bulls have no time outs with one left for the Cavs, until more great defense on the in-bounds forces the Cavs to use their last timeout without taking a second off of the clock.  These Bulls saw red and the Cavs were it.  With a long inbound pass to LeBron that he catches in half court corner, the Bulls double team too, forcing LeBron into another offensive foul and a turnover. With a sudden sign of life, Rose takes the ball end to end to tie the game and force the play back to LeBron.

There are no timeouts left and very little time on the clock as LeBron makes his hesitation drive at the lane.  When he was a younger man, he would have dunked on Noah who put a hand on his shoulder to stop the expected dunk. The refs swallowed their whistle forcing the King to use 1.5 seconds in regulation to decide it.  He was clearly fouled on the play, but the uncertainty of when the ball got knocked  of bounds gave both teams one last chance to huddle up as referee's checked video to correct the shot clock.

In my mind, hoop kharma writes these stories for you, and kharma usually goes in favor of those who've paid their dues in the past.  LeBron has won it before, but he also has a lot of tears from those years when he didn't win.  Those are the tears that carry you over the top in moments that matter.

James hit the shot at the buzzer.  Series tied 2-2.

Maybe all the years of bad hair has hurt Rickie's kharma?

PostScript:  Kharma told me that Rickie Fowler was going to rush from behind to win the Players championship today even though he was 5 shots back when I felt the premonition and turned to watch the Cavs/Bulls finish.  By the time I turned the channel back to The Players, Fowler was in a three-way playoff with Sergio Garcia and Kevin Kisner.  Garcia has a lot of kharma out there on the course, but nothing compares to 2014 for Fowler.  I'm predicting Fowler wins just so I can pat myself on the back for having kharmic awareness.  He's left a lot of tears out on the course over the years
.

 

Spurs Snatch Title From King James. BEST TEAM EVER?

Did the Spurs officially close the MJ era with their victory?

The San Antonio Spurs are the champions of the National Basketball Association and take over a special mantle that will likely exist for the next decade.  As we experience the next ten years, we shall all be caught up in the whirlwind, rendering us unable to see clearly enough to describe the impact of when the NBA evolved back into a league of teams. When its all over, a new era of basketball will be defined, led by the player whose name and game is defining the era as we speak.

San Antonio deserves more than a moment of consideration in this story.  When the scrolls are compiled and the official doctrine is canonized, King James might see the Spurs as an apostle Paul of sorts.  For this day and for many to come, the Spurs might become the most noteworthy preacher of the gospel of team basketball because team basketball is what they've always represented.  Yet, even they, the harbingers of Tim "the meek" Duncan, have suffered under the pressure of the era in which they've played.  History has already attached a label to that time slot, and MJ rules the day.

The era of Michael Jordan ushered in the wave of individualism that has overtaken the league as we know it. Last night, with the impressive closeout victory by the San Antonio Spurs over the Miami Heat, there was a major market correction of sorts.  In the era of MJ, the shoe deal and commercial exposure took over the league.  Sadly, MJ himself did not play the game selfishly and asked as much of his players as he was willing to give himself. MJ was the essence of team, but his fire and brimstone approach along with his flair for the dramatics left an indelible stain on the youth of the world.  After MJ ruled the league, ESPN and sports television helped to insure that we only remember him for the results of his team effort, not for his team effort itself.

Tim Duncan played against Michael Jordan a time or two.  As an offspring of MJ's era, Duncan and his cohorts had to establish their own "Big 3" and tag one of them as the leader of them all.  The entire leagues image has become driven by the individuals on each team and not the team behind the individuals.  Duncan has never embraced such a notion, but that never stopped the expectations of his era to be placed upon him and every would be champion.

In some ways, San Antonio was actually the only exception to the "focus on the individual"dynamic that drivescharacterizes modern day players.  San Antonio has always nurtured great players and good players alike in order to achieve their goals.  During their absence from the championship mantle, the court of public opinion had conveniently blamed the big 3 of the Spurs. Now that they are back, there was a war over Boris Diaw or Kawhi Leonard for series MVP. During this series, this team got contributions from every player who stepped on the court, but the biggest assist came from the coach.

Greg Popovich made it clear to the world that last year's defeat haunted him throughout the entire summer.  The very first day of the Spurs season included an immediate review of game 6 from last season's finals, the game in which the Spurs handed over a ring they had already been sized for.  Every day that he could actually do something about his pain from one year ago, Pop' did what he could do.  A year prior, Pop' was conspicuously silent at key moments, trusting that trusting his team was the better way to go.  This year?  He was not so composed.  At every moment and upon each opportunity, Pop' used timeouts and reminded his team of the flavor of  failure.  When Miami mounted comebacks, Pop' made it stop.  The formula for winning had been laid out clearly throughout the season, but formula's fall apart when the King shows up with his court.  After losing game 2 at home, Pop' realized that to beat the King at the height of his powers would take more than a formula.

Pop' had a really strong trump card that he did not waste, but played it several times down the homestretch of the finals.  When situations appeared bleak, coach Pop' continued to remind the TEAM that the era of the big 3, or the individuals, was quickly ending for everyone...even them.  Not knowing if they would ever get the chance to win one for their big 3 after losing one for them a year earlier was inspirational.  The eventual MVP, Leonard, was the heel last year who missed the free throw that started the game 6 meltdown.  If any player had a reason to show up big, Leonard might have been tops on the list, but several players had cause to clear their name.  Even one who did not lose.

Win or lose, the world will always force LeBron to prove himself worthy of his appointment.  He might have only secured two rings, but he's fought for 5 of them across 11 seasons, and it's likely that LeBron returns to fight again soon. Vegas has placed Miami as the automatic favorite to win next season.  The fact that he lost this one makes for 2 teams from Texas that tripped up King James along his royal walk.  The Spurs, and every team that beats LeBron, will automatically ascend to the mantle of 'the one' who got it done against the greatest player in the land. They will be a part of the story line, but they will not be the central character.  This story is, and shall remain about LeBron, no matter who manages to beat him during his career.  Sure, we might find interesting angles to report on after a game 5 closeout, but soon enough this shall evolve or devolve back to the King assigned to change the game.

For today, this story is about team again.  It was the same way when Dallas beat the Heat, but now its even more pronounced because overcoming the King keeps demanding greater team play just to get a whiff at the NBA title.  If When LeBron does rise back to the top, he will be forced to double down on his approach to sharing and moving the ball (an approach that he prefers, but the MJ era neophytes reject) and will emerge better for the whooping the Spurs forced him to endure. He may never be excused for his lack of late game heroics, but the current champs, San Antonio, shows how utterly useless heroics become when confronted with team effort.  Heroics are for close games, not decisive victories created by exceptional team play.

However, heroics are needed for lasting legacies, and LeBron simply comes off as too boring to overtake the legend he threatens to supplant. Had he overcome the Spurs to win this series, most of his doubters would have been forced to find new angles for their assault of him.  With his team playing uninspired basketball, beating the Spurs would have taken a better than great performance, and LeBron was simply really good. Such a heroic story might not have been in the cards, but overtaking the great Michael Jordan without an intense commitment to team play won't be in the cards either.

If LeBron can inspire his team to play like the Spurs played to beat him, he will certainly win more championships one day, maybe even more than Jordan.  More importantly,  he will also functionally return the game to its proper form, which is just the type of job suited for a King.