NBA

2012 NBA Finals Recap

I feel as though I am finally mentally ready to discuss this season’s NBA Finals. To be honest, the result of these NBA Finals made me become, for one of the first times in my life, speechless. I was in a state of shock, disbelief, anger, and confusion all at one time. I didn’t know what to say to people about it, I didn’t know what to think, and I didn’t know how to adequately and respectfully display my emotions surrounding the result of the Finals. I had a hypothetical sports quarter-life crisis, and I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be able to write about what happened. After time to analyze and fully reflect on the situation, I can finally write about my thoughts. The Miami Heat won, and not to sound even more dramatic, but I feel extreme disappointment and, frankly, embarrassment to be a passionate basketball fan. You might ask why I would feel embarrassed. This post will explain my emotions.

Growing up playing soccer and basketball, I learned about the rules, the strategies, and the competition involved with sports. I learned how to do a drop kick, how to do a header, how to shoot a free throw, and how to get into triple threat position. What I didn’t notice at the time though is how much I learned about how to work with others. I learned that playing like a team and playing unselfishly leads to the best results. However, being a team and knowing how to play like a team is a complicated task. It requires self sacrifice, compromises, and immense respect for others; all traits that might not make sense to a seven year-old. Competitive sports taught me some of my most important life lessons though. I was taught to believe in the team and not the individual. I was taught that a team grows together and every player’s performance improves as the team grows. A team is most successful when every player contributes in some way and every player is thought of with equal importance towards achieving a goal.

When I first started playing basketball at the age of 11, I tried to improve my own game by watching some of favorite NBA players like Kobe Bryant, Jason Richardson, and Vince Carter. I remember how fun it was to watch some of their highlight moves and tricky shots. Despite that, some of my favorite sports moments though were watching teams like the San Antonio Spurs or the Detroit Pistons win an NBA championship, because they were the best examples of a true team. They relied on both their superstars and their bench throughout the regular season and the playoffs to accomplish what they did, and I admired that. As a Giants fan as well, I witnessed some of the best team play I’ve ever seen when the 2010 Giants team won the World Series. Obviously baseball is a lot different than basketball in terms of team dynamics, but the fact that the Giants didn’t have one superstar on their team, and that they won because of their relentless pitching and the immense importance of every player on the roster, was beautiful to me. They had unexpected heroes come through in unexpected times, and even though Buster Posey, Aubrey Huff, and Freddy Sanchez were some of their best hitters that year, they weren’t the only reason why the Giants won the World Series. With this Giants team, I saw some of the same sports principles that I learned growing up being executed in professional sports, which made me love sports even more.

The reason why I was embarrassed when the Miami Heat won was not because of my bitterness towards LeBron James, but because it defied everything I believed in about sports. Sports are so great because they display individual talent and teamwork at the same time. It doesn’t matter to me that Shane Battier and Mario Chalmers occasionally stepped up in the playoffs. The Miami Heat are centered and focused on LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. The Miami Heat are a product of collusion and manipulation of the system. David Stern should be ashamed that he allowed this team to “magically form on its own” and then later veto Chris Paul’s trade to the Lakers, because he didn’t want another big market team getting a superstar. LeBron James had to find two other superstars to play with, because he was never able to win a championship by himself. With the Cavaliers, all the focus and attention was always on him, and that’s just the way he liked it. In LeBron’s world, everything is all about him. He didn’t want to play for a real team, because he’d have to sacrifice his own numbers. After he helped orchestrate the formation of the Heat, he wanted to paint the illusion of a team, but he still wanted all the credit for winning a championship. He should be happy, because he finally succeeded in winning a championship and getting all the credit for it. The Miami Heat simply let their superstars shine and let some other bench players come along for the ride. This is not how sports should be played. It was a shameful display of winning, and, honestly, the fact that the Miami Heat won the championship tainted my view of the NBA.

Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra High-5ing a referee during Game 5 of the 2012 NBA Finals

I’d like to dedicate the rest of this post not to the 2012 NBA champions, but to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder deserved to win the title because they showed that teams can still be constructed the normal, right way. This team was built through the draft and even though they have two superstars in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, they still always displayed team basketball, no matter what. They relied on James Harden, Derek Fisher, Thabo Sefolosha, Kendrick Perkins, and Serge Ibaka just as much as their superstars in the regular season and the playoffs. They have developed their own style of play based on the players they have. The Thunder are the perfect example of a team. They didn’t collude or manipulate the system to make their team. Also to be noted, there was never any speculation as to whether or not they paid off the referees in the Finals (see picture above). They had a successful season because they didn’t depend on just their superstars to produce results. The Thunder hit a cold streak at the wrong time and played a “team” in the Finals that had good luck handed to them at all the right moments in the playoffs. Congrats to the Thunder on their great season, and I hope to see them back in the Finals next year.

Warriors’ Draft Picks

On Thursday, June 28th, the Warriors selected Harrison Barnes with the seventh overall pick in the NBA Draft, Festus Ezeli with the 30th pick, Draymond Green with the 35th pick, and Ognjen Kuzmic with the 52nd pick. Barnes is a 6’8″ small forward from the University of North Carolina, Ezeli is a 6’11” center from Vanderbilt, Green is a 6’7″ forward from Michigan State, and Kuzmic is a 7’0″ center from Clinicas Rincon of the Spanish LEB Gold League and a native of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Harrison Barnes

Barnes was expected to be drafted earlier than the seventh pick, potentially as high as the number two pick, so the fact that he was still available was astounding to the Warriors. Barnes played in 71 games during his two years at UNC, and he averaged 16.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals in 31.0 minutes per game, while shooting 43.1% from the field, 73.4% from the free-throw line, and 34.9% from three-point range. Barnes rebounds well for his position, is a consistent shooter, and is improving on defense and ball handling. One of his most admirable qualities though is his excellent character. Barnes is only 20 years old and he’s already proven to be a hard worker and extremely humble and thankful. In the introductory press conference on Monday, Green even said about Barnes, “We’re actually blessed to have a guy like Harrison, who only did two years at school, but probably is one of the most mature guys in the draft. You don’t get that often.” Before the draft, Barnes displayed his maturity when he said in video about his preparation for the draft, “If all I’m remembered by is being a basketball player, then I didn’t do my job. Being a basketball player is more than just being on the court. Here you are given a great situation, and it’s your duty to also give back and be a role model for young kids.”

Festus Ezeli

Ezeli played all four seasons at Vanderbilt, and he broke the university’s all-time record in blocks as he recorded 204 blocks in his career. Ezeli’s junior season was his best season when he averaged 13.0 points and 6.3 rebounds while he set another single-season school record with 2.6 blocks per game. During his senior season, Ezeli sprained his MCL and PCL in his right knee, so he wasn’t able to produce at the level he had hoped for. Despite this setback, Ezeli’s character is quite admirable as well. Warriors general manager, Bob Myers, said about Ezeli, “I will tell you that after five or ten minutes with Festus, you’re going to walk away impressed… Festus, all that he’s gone through and all that he’s accomplished, academically, athletically, it’s bar none, so we’re thrilled.” Ezeli was born in Nigeria and came over to the U.S. to live with his uncle in Sacramento after he graduated from high school at the age of 14. He came in pursuit of a medical degree, but he quickly developed a love for basketball.

Draymond Green

Green was expected to be selected in the late first round of the draft, but miraculously and unexpectedly, the Warriors were able to select him with the 35th overall pick. He had a fantastic senior season averaging 16.2 points per game and 10.6 rebounds per game. Like Ezeli, Green also spent four years at Michigan State and finished as the school’s all-time leading rebounder with 1,096, ranked 17th in career scoring with 1,517 points, second in career blocks with 117, and second in career steals with 180 in 145 games. At the introductory press conference, Green described his years at Michigan State. “I stayed four years, I think that really helped me out a lot mature mentally, but also helped me a lot physically as well.”

Ognjen Kuzmic

Kuzmic averaged 10.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks, shooting 53.7% from the field over 37 games with Clinicas Rincon last season. During the 2010-2011 season, Kuzmic averaged 10.6 points 7.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 14 games with the KK Celik Zenica in Bosnia’s top league, D1. He is thought of as a project, and he is planning on staying in Europe to improve upon his game. The Warriors hope that he can join the team in a few seasons.

Besides Kuzmic, since his future is uncertain, the Warriors’ three draft picks demonstrate a clear “culture change” by the Warriors towards a more high character, hard-working team. Bob Myers said about the Warriors’ three draft picks this year, “We feel like in this draft, like any type of employment, we hired three great people that are very skilled at their profession but also great character people.” Barnes could challenge Dorell Wright for the starting small forward spot, unless Wright is traded in the offseason. Ezeli is expected to challenge, but, ultimately, back up Bogut, and Green is expected to come off the bench as well. Whether these draft picks will truly help the Warriors in their areas of need and whether their play will result in wins is the real question. All three players have immense potential and, as some NBA analysts have said, could become better pros than they were college players. It all remains to be seen.

NBA Finals Predictions

Now that both conference finals series are wrapped up, who will win the NBA finals? Both the Thunder and the Heat faced difficult, intense series in their previous matchups. The Heat went to Game 7 against the Celtics, who simply just ran out of gas at the end of the series. The Heat also faced elimination in Game 6 of this series, but LeBron James had one of the best playoff performances of his career to lead the Heat to this much-needed victory. James had 45 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists on 73% shooting. With all the momentum going their way and playing at home in Game 7, the Heat were able to beat the Celtics with a strong run at the end of fourth quarter. Chris Bosh had 19 points and 8 rebounds off the bench, while shooting 80% from the field and 75% from three-point range. Rajon Rondo had a triple double with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists, but his stellar play wasn’t enough to give the Celtics a victory. The Celtics didn’t play strong defense at any point in the game and really struggled with their help defense. James was able to penetrate and get easy baskets at the basket, because the help defense came too late. Even when the help defense came on time, James was able to dish the ball out to Chris Bosh, who hit almost every shot he took. The Heat will try to continue to play their style of play against the Thunder. They will continue to play their trademark trap defense and try to run their transition offense as much as possible.

The Thunder play a similar style of play, meaning they play their best when they run and push the ball into transition. The Thunder have been classified as a jump-shooting team, but with the insane amount of talent and athleticism this team possesses, that classification might become irrelevant. With this style of play, the Thunder were able to stop the Spurs’ historic 20-game winning streak, and they sent the Spurs to four consecutive losses in seven days, which is as many times as the Spurs had lost in the previous 12 weeks. This is a miraculous feat on its own, but even more importantly, this young team has sky-high confidence right now. If they continue to play their fast-paced, gritty style of basketball, it seems like no team is going to be able to stop them this year. In 15 games this postseason, Kevin Durant has averaged 27.8 points per game, 7.9 rebounds, and 4.2 assists while shooting 50.5% from the field and 36.7% on three-pointers. Westbrook has averaged 21.7 points per game, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.6 assists while shooting 43.6% from the field and 34.9% on three-pointers. James Harden has continued his excellent bench play while averaging 17.6 points per game, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while shooting 45.2% from the field and 44.6% on three-pointers. The Thunder’s “Big Three” have stepped up in numerous ways during the postseason, and they’re going to have to even more in the Finals.

The Thunder might be inexperienced and young, but the biggest asset they have going for them is that they are a well-rounded team. In addition to their “Big Three,” they have a fierce competitor in Serge Ibaka, and they also have veteran presence and leadership in Kendrick Perkins, Derek Fisher, Nazr Mohammed, and Nick Collison. The Miami Heat have three of the best players in the league, but that’s about it. Shane Battier has contributed significantly this postseason and Mario Chalmers and Udonis Haslem have contributed occassionally, but besides that, Miami really has no bench. James and Wade have been asked to play significant minutes in the postseason so far, especially in the Boston series, and that might make it difficult for James and Wade to keep up with the rested, young Thunder. Furthermore, the Heat have also experienced some luck throughout these playoffs. Not to discredit their accomplishments, but the Heat must have been happy that they faced the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals and not the Bulls. If Derrick Rose had not gotten injured and the Heat had faced the Bulls, would the Heat still be going to the Finals? It’s not clear. Even so, if Ray Allen, Avery Bradley, and Paul Pierce weren’t battling injuries, would the Heat still be heading to the Finals? It’s still not clear. The Thunder have paved their own way to success. They make no excuses and don’t let anything get in their way.

This season’s Finals will be a competitive, memorable series with several highlights coming from both teams on a nightly basis. However, the Thunder have the “X factor” in this series. They are a true team with humble, smart players, and they will not be stopped on their run to the NBA championship. Last season after the Thunder lost to the Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals, they knew they had to grow up and mature in order to reach the Finals. This season, they have really grown up and are here to prove that. This is the Thunder’s time to shine.

Thunder win in 7.

NBA Playoffs: Conference Finals Predictions

The Western Conference Finals began on Sunday, May 27th, in San Antonio. The Spurs took on the Thunder, and if Game 1 is any indication, this is definitely a match-up worth watching. The Spurs ultimately pulled off the 101-98 victory behind Manu Ginobili’s 11 points in the fourth quarter, and 26 points overall. In addition, Tony Parker had 18 points and six assists, and Tim Duncan had 16 points and 11 rebounds. The Spurs extended their history-matching winning streak to 19 (tied with the 2001 Lakers) with this Game 1 victory. If the Spurs can pull off a Game 2 victory on Tuesday, they would break the record for longest winning streak that has extended into the playoffs.

The Spurs are now 9-0 in the 2012 playoffs, and they truly have been playing flawless basketball recently. Gregg Popovich told his team recently, “I want some nasty!” The Spurs have followed through on this request by playing aggressive, gritty, and passionate basketball, and this was on perfect display in Game 1. As perfect as the Spurs looked, the Oklahoma City Thunder played a strong game as well. Kevin Durant had 27 points and 10 rebounds, Russell Westbrook had 17 points and five assists, and James Harden had 19 points, however, nine of those points came in the last, meaningless minutes of the game. The Thunder played lock-down defense throughout three quarters, but they weren’t able to stop the surging Spurs in the fourth quarter. This will be a competitive series, but the more experienced Spurs are playing too flawlessly to lose this series.
SERIES PREDICTION: Spurs win in 6.

The Eastern Conference Finals started on Monday, May 28th, in Miami. The Heat took on the Celtics in their first game match-up and like many of the Heat’s games, LeBron James took over. James had 32 points and 13 rebounds and Dwyane Wade had 22 points and seven assists to lead the Heat to a 93-79 victory. The Heat didn’t receive much help from any other players, but their two leading scorers were enough to stop the aging, injured Celtics. With Avery Bradley out the rest of the season because of shoulder surgery and Ray Allen limping along with ankle/foot problems, the Celtics need to find some answers to the fast-paced game of the Heat.

Ever since the Celtics moved Kevin Garnett over to the center position, he has flourished. In Game 1, he had 23 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 56% from the field. Rajon Rondo had a decent game, with 16 points and seven assists, but the other members of the Big Four struggled as Paul Pierce only had 12 points on 28% shooting and Ray Allen only had 6 points on 14% shooting. The Celtics received barely any bench production, and this must change if they want to win this series. The Celtics have disproved many people in the playoffs so far, but it seems as if they will simply run out of steam during this series.
SERIES PREDICTION: Heat win in 6.

Warriors Will Move to SF in 2017

From left: Joe Lacob, David Stern, Edwin Lee, Peter Guber

The Warriors are moving to San Francisco for the 2017-2018 season. The Warriors’ lease with Oracle Arena in Oakland ends after the 2016-2017 season, so the Warriors’ new arena will be on Pier 30/32, south of the Bay Bridge and between the Ferry Building and AT&T Park.

The Warriors held a press conference yesterday morning at Pier 30/32 to show the beauty of the location and the excitement of those involved. Ahmad Rashad, sportscaster for NBC Sports, hosted the press conference and introduced all the speakers, which included: San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee, Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob, Warriors co-owner Peter Guber, Warriors president and COO Rick Welts, NBA commissioner David Stern, Warriors executive board member Jerry West, former Mayor of San Francisco Gavin Newsom, President and CEO of the San Francisco Travel Association Joe D’Allesandro, Warriors head coach Mark Jackson, and Warriors starting power forward David Lee.

Ever since Joe Lacob and Peter Guber bought the Warriors a couple years ago, it’s been clear that the new ownership group would move the Warriors to San Francisco at some point. Oracle Arena is currently the oldest arena in the NBA, opening in 1966. Oracle went through renovations during the 1996-1997 season, but the Warriors needed a new arena and San Francisco was the best possible location.

The City of San Francisco will provide the land to the Warriors, who will then have to pay to repair the piers, which will cost roughly $75 to $100 million. This new arena will create thousands of jobs for residents all over the Bay Area and will generate millions of dollars in tax revenue and economic growth for the City of San Francisco. The new arena will be privately funded, and will be a multi-use arena for not just basketball, but also for other concerts, conventions, cultural events, etc.

Supposedly, only about 1,000 parking spots are currently available on Pier 30/32, so a parking structure might have to be built as well. If not, the arena is in a prime location for fans to take public transportation such as the Golden Gate Ferry, Muni, Bart, etc.

“With convenient options for BART, Muni, CalTrain and ferry service, this will be one of the most transit-friendly facilities in the nation,” said Warriors co-owner Peter Guber. “We know that’s important for our fans and a real positive to this location.”

Some fans are hoping that this move to San Francisco will lure more free agents to the Warriors because San Francisco is a more desirable location than Oakland. However, this is simply not the case. Once the Warriors start consistently winning and making the playoffs, then free agents will be more compelled to play here. Location isn’t as important as some people think, as some top-tier players are in smaller markets, such as Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

About half of Warriors fans seemed to be pleased with the move, and half seem to be frustrated. I believe that this is an excellent move for the Warriors organization, for the City of San Francisco, and for the fans, most importantly. The Warriors will have a state-of-the-art arena, and fans will have a much more enjoyable experience overall.

Although the majority of attention on the Warriors is now on 2017, it is important for Warriors fans to stay in the present. This is definitely exciting news for Warriors fans, but Mark Jackson stressed the importance of supporting the team now and that winning is still their focus, for now and once they move to San Francisco. Hopefully the Giants will respond to this attention by winning consistently this upcoming season.

NBA Playoffs: Conference Semifinals Predictions

Now that the first round of the playoffs is over, the conference semifinals are just underway and this round should prove to be quite an interesting round of the playoffs. The Celtics beat the Sixers 92-91 in the first conference semifinals matchup on May 12th. Rajon Rondo had his eighth career playoff triple double with 13 points, 17 assists, and 12 rebounds. Kevin Garnett also chipped in 29 points and 11 rebounds.

This might be the “last run” for the Celtics with their aging core continuously being riddled with injuries and criticism. However, with Rondo competing at the high level that he’s playing at, the Celtics can be very hard to beat. With Ray Allen back coming back from injury and Avery Bradley finding his role on his team, it seems as if the Celtics can find a way to pull out this series.
Celtics win in 7.

The Heat beat the Pacers on May 13th 95-86 in the first game of their conference semifinal matchup. LeBron James had 32 points and 15 rebounds, and Dwyane Wade had 29 points. Chris Bosh suffered an abdominal strain during the first half of the game, and he’s been ruled out indefinitely. This is a major blow to the Heat, but it will not cost them the series. The Pacers are an underrated team, but they will not be able to stop all the momentum that the Heat have.
Heat win in 6.

The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Lakers play the first game of their series later today, May 14th, and this series is expected to be a dramatic one. The last time these two teams faced each other, Metta World Peace elbowed James Harden so hard that Harden got a concussion. World Peace was suspended seven games, and his first game back was in Game 7 of the Denver series. This is bound to be a physical, emotional series. Even though the Thunder are a young team, they are still the more well-rounded team, and they will ultimately win the series.
Thunder win in 6.

The San Antonio Spurs take on the Clippers tomorrow night, May 15th. The Clippers are coming off a seven-game series against the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Spurs are coming off a sweep of the Utah Jazz. It could be said that the Spurs are also on their “last run,” but the experience and veteran leadership that this team has is invaluable. Chris Paul is the best point guard in the league, but he will not be able to lead this team to a victorious series.
Spurs win in 5.