Dwight Howard

Last night, the Orlando Magic finally traded center wight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers in part of a four-team deal. The 76ers will receive center Andrew Bynum and guard Jason Richardson, the Denver Nuggets will receive guard/forward Andre Iguodala, and the Magic will receive guard Arron Afflalo and forward Al Harrington from Denver, center Nikola Vucevic and first-round draft pick forward Moe Harkless from the 76ers, and forward Josh McRoberts and guard Christian Eyenga from the Lakers. The Lakers also received guard Chris Duhon and forward Earl Clark from the Magic. Although it seems as if the Lakers are the big winners in this trade, the 76ers and the Nuggets also benefited.

Andrew Bynum

The 76ers added some strong players, who fill specific needs, to their team with this trade. Bynum finally gives them the strong presence at the center position that they’ve lacked for a while now. Richardson adds more depth at the shooting guard position, now that Iguodala and Jodie Meeks are gone. The 76ers are now an extremely deep team after the trade with a roster full of other names like Jrue Holiday, Thaddeus Young, Nick Young, Kwame Brown, Spencer Hawes, Evan Turner, and Dorell Wright. The 76ers are a team to watch out for in the Eastern Conference this upcoming season.

Andre Iguodala

The Nuggets received an All-Star guard/forward in Iguodala, which also adds some depth at the shooting guard position, now that Afflalo is gone. Even though the Nuggets only added one player, they gained one of the best defenders in the league, a great athlete, and a player that can contribute in many different ways. The Nuggets now have a well-rounded roster with players like Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Ty Lawson, Javale McGee, Andre Miller, Corey Brewer, and Rudy Fernandez. The Nuggets were already a deep team after the famous Carmelo Anthony trade to the Knicks, so the addition of Iguodala makes this team a serious contender in the Western Conference.

Arron Afflalo

The Magic clearly received the proverbial “short of end of the stick” with this trade. They traded the best player on their team, and didn’t receive much back. They acquired a quality defender and three-point shooter in Afflalo, and other than that, they received some expiring contracts and a bunch of bench players. The Magic took on some contracts that other teams didn’t want to deal with, so perhaps they could potentially use these contracts as trade bait. Magic general manager Rob Hennigan even admitted that they are “taking a step back.” However, the Magic have proven with this trade that they are in re-building mode. They want to take the Oklahoma City Thunder approach by building the team through the draft and potentially trading for some quality free agents. The Magic are probably better off without Howard this upcoming season, since he would’ve been angry to be there, but they didn’t get much out of this trade at all.

It’s pretty obvious why the Lakers are the “winners” of this trade. They were able to keep Pau Gasol, add some depth to their bench, and, obviously, acquire the best center in the league. With a starting lineup of Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Gasol, and Howard, this team will for sure be hard to beat, once Howard is fully healthy, and once they’ve had some significant practice time with each other. Nash is the type of point guard that makes everyone around him better, so it’ll be interesting to see what he’ll do with an extremely talented roster. An important fact to remember is that Howard is still going to be a free agent at the end of this upcoming season. The Lakers are known to be quite persuasive in keeping free agents around, so they have a good chance of re-signing Howard for the future, especially if they win the 2012 NBA Championship. Kobe Bryant seemed pretty confident that Howard would come back when he said, “I’ll probably play two or three more years. Then the team is his. I’m excited for the franchise because now they have a player that can carry the franchise well after I’m gone. This should be his and he should want to accept that challenge.” However, since this team is newly constructed and none of the players have practiced together yet, fans can’t assume that the Lakers are the obvious choice to win the 2013 NBA Championship yet.

Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant

The Oklahoma City Thunder, the Dallas Mavericks, the Denver Nuggets, and the San Antonio Spurs are all teams that can contend for the Western Conference title. In the Eastern Conference, the Heat, the Bulls, and the 76ers, are all contenders as well. The Heat and the Thunder are the Lakers’ biggest competition for the 2013 NBA Championship. However, this Laker team for this upcoming season consists of five former All-Stars with three MVP awards and four defensive player-of-the-year awards. Kobe Bryant said it best when he described that combination as “unreal.” It won’t be an easy task for the Lakers, but they have to be considered as one of the most serious contenders out there, not just because of the addition of Howard and Nash and the accomplishments just mentioned, but because of how the core of their team is constructed. A team with a core of a point guard, shooting guard, and a center (Lakers) will always be stronger and have a greater chance of winning than a team with a core of a shooting guard, small forward, and a power forward (Heat).

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.

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.

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.