Dubs Take It In 7

 

            In the best and only first-round series to go to a full seven games, the Warriors coming in as the #6 seed defeat the #3 seeded Kings. Although the seed differential, I don't think many people would call this an upset for the defending champs. 

            This series once again proved that the Warriors can make the playoffs as any seed, they are still most likely going to win because of their experience and talent. Steph Curry just continues to prove why he is the best point guard ever with the first ever 50 point performance in a game 7 in NBA history.

            Curry put the team on his back in their trip back to the hostile environment in Sacramento en route to the Warriors 20-point victory over the beam team. The Warriors are by far the most experienced team in the playoffs and in the entire league and it could easily take them right back to the finals once again.

            As I said before the series, both of these teams deserved to advance to the second round but it just so happened they got matched up against each other. Although right now it might seem like a rough time for Kings fans, they accomplished a ton this season that they should be looking forward to in the future.

            This was a young, unexperienced team that matched up against an older, much experienced team at the end of the day. Any other team in the Western Conference, besides the Nuggets, I think the Kings would've easily won their series. It just so happens they ran into the best point guard of all time.

            They set a great trend this season with the 'Light The Beam' and snapped a 17 year playoff drought which was the longest in professional North American sports by far. They've established a dynamic duo in De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis surrounded by a team full of young talent that can really shoot the ball well. Its safe to say that with a couple of additions in the offseason, the Kings have a ton to look forward to in the future.

            As for the Warriors, they will go onto face the Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron vs Curry in the second round of the NBA playoffs is a dream matchup for NBA fans. Arguably two top 10 players of all time and the best players of all time at their positions matching up. After meeting in the finals so many times, this time they meet for the right to get one step closer to it.

            To me, this is probably going to be the best series out of the 4 remaining as long as it goes to at least six games. Could it be the final series we see this Warriors team intact for? Is it the last time LeBron will have a chance to make a deep run in the playoffs? Only this series will tell and it's going to be a good one so sit back, grab some popcorn and enjoy it while you can. 

Knicks in 5!

             It turns out that us Knicks fans weren't wrong when we were chanting "Knicks in 5" all the way down 7th avenue as the Knicks defeat the Cavs in the best of seven series, 4 games to 1.

            For the first time in 10 years, the Knicks have made it out of the first round. If you look at that Knicks team from 10 years ago, not a single one of those players are currently an active player in the NBA today. It is certainly a great time for us as Knicks fans as we have been so devastated with so many bad teams over the past decade, but now finally this team is accomplishing something. 

            The difference maker in this series was Madison Square Garden. I am convinced that there is no arena or stadium in sports that can top the home-field advantage that MSG brings. If you think you've been in a loud area, MSG can double the decibel level very quickly. 

            The Cavs weren't prepared in the slightest to deal with the Mecca. Game 3 was a blowout, but game 4 was definitely the biggest game of the series as that in my opinion was the final blow. The Knicks totally deflated the Cavs morality and mentality headed into Game 5 and left them looking very flat throughout the game.

            I couldn't give one MVP this series because there is definitely multiple. Topping the list is Jalen Brunson and then moving down you have Mitchell Robinson, Josh Hart, and RJ Barrett. From Game 3 to 5, RJ Barrett played out of his mind and played like the type of guy the Knicks thought they were getting consistently at the #3 overall pick.

            As for Mitchell Robinson, if the ball was in the air and he was on the court, most likely the ball would end up being in his hands. Mitch got tired of being bounced and pushed around when he first entered the league and decided to bulk up and put on some muscle so he could do the same thing his opponents were doing to him.

            If you compare the Knicks last playoff series against the Hawks and this one now, 3 of the 4 MVPs of this series did not play and two of them weren't even on the Knicks roster. Josh Hart is the definition of a difference maker. When he came over at the deadline, fans thought the Knicks gave up a little too much, but now they are saying that the Blazers were stupid enough to give up Hart alone.

            Hart totally changed the projectile and mentality of this team. Without Hart, this series would still be going on and possibly the Knicks wouldn't even be the #5 seed. Now to talk about his former Villanova teammate Jalen Brunson. In the words of Charles Barkley, Brunson may be the best free agent signing in the history of the NBA.

            He's the point guard that the Knicks have been missing for a very long time and he brings it each and every game. Brunson was the only player all series, on both teams, to have at least 20 points in every game. He didn't win most improved player, but if there was an award for the best addition to a team, I think he would win it unanimously. 

            Looking ahead in the second round, almost everyone thought that if the Knicks would pull off a first round win they would be headed to Milwaukee. Instead, they are going back to the Garden with home-court advantage to take on the Miami Heat. The Heat are the #8 seed but seed numbers don't mean anything when you have playoff Jimmy Butler and Erik Spoelstra on the opposing bench.

            The Heat may be a little banged up and a bit of a more favorable matchup for the Knicks, but just because they are the #8 seed does not mean the Knicks will be wrapping this series up very quickly. I expect a very nitty gritty, classic Knicks Heat playoff matchup that will have the entire NBA watching.

            The Knicks have advanced to the second round for the first time since 2013, but the time to celebrate is minimal as the next task at hand is in just a couple of days on Sunday. Knicks Heat at the Garden at 1 on ABC, it should be a great series. 

The Sixers Are Onto Round 2

 

            The Philadelphia 76ers make a clean sweep of the Brooklyn Nets and are onto the 2nd round to face the winner of the Atlanta Hawks vs Boston Celtics series that is currently in 3-2 in favor of Boston.

            My prediction before the series was that the 76ers would easily move onto the second round, but I did not expect them to sweep this pesky Nets team and dominate them every single game. I thought the Nets would maybe steal a game at home and at best get the series to 5 or 6 games.

            Both game 1 and 2 in Philly were totally dominated by the Sixers as they used home-court to their advantage. The games in Brooklyn were a bit closer, but down the stretch of those games you could see who the more experienced team was and the team that was built to advance was. 

            I will give the Nets credit that they were able to slow down perennial-MVP candidate Joel Embiid. The fact that the Sixers still dominated and without their biggest threat shows how big of a threat they are to the rest of the East. Still, in Game 4 Embiid didn't even play and the Sixers still were able to fend off the Nets.

            It just shows what depth means in the playoffs when you have an MVP in Embiid not doing his best, but his teammates are right behind him picking up the slack. In the three games Embiid actually played, his most points in a game was 26 in a season where he is averaging 33 points a game. 

            The bad news was that Embiid got a little banged up in game 3 and had to rest game 4 and maybe game 1 of this upcoming round. The good news is that Trae Young just pushed back the start date of this 2nd round series for the Sixers to at least next Monday, so that's plenty of time for Embiid to recover. 

            Enough talk about Embiid, the other two members of the big three in Philly, Harden and Maxey, have been contributing a lot and if the Sixers want to make a run they have to keep this up. Maxey hit so many clutch shots during the two games in Brooklyn and on a team loaded with star power, he looks like he could be the closer.

             Over a week to rest in between two series is a big advantage for this Sixers team. They've proven that they don't need Embiid to do it all and can compete with the best of the best. Will the process finally be completed this year or will it be just another eastern semi-final series loss for the Sixers? 

            

Rodgers Is Finally A Jet

 

            It took well over a month of negotiations between the Jets and the Packers, but finally Aaron Rodgers will officially wear a new shade of green this upcoming season as he will now play for the New York Jets. 

            Rodgers went on Pat McAfee's podcast and told him that his intentions are to play for the Jets this upcoming season until whenever he feels like it is time to call it quits on March 15th. Fast forward to April 24th, the Jets and Packers finally ended negotiations and the 4-time MVP is headed to the Big Apple.

            The trade worked out well for both teams, the Packers never imagined giving up their guy for the past 18 years so suddenly, but they got a good amount in return for the 39-year-old. Along with basically a first round pick swap this year, they got the Jets second-rounder, and a conditional second-rounder next year that will most likely turn into a first round pick.

            Aaron Rodgers follows the exact footsteps of his successor, Brett Favre, as both quarterbacks now entering their declining years in the NFL both get traded from the cheeseheads to Gang Green. Favre was not as successful as Jets fans hoped he would be with the team when he threw the same amount of touchdowns as interceptions in his brief stint with New York, hopefully Rodgers puts on a show for the bright lights. 

            The Jets showed some promising signs last season and the missing piece that they were without last year with a solid quarterback and now they've got one in Rodgers. He's a 4-time MVP and he been around the league since a lot of his new teammates could barely even walk.

            The Jets have also surrounded Rodgers with so many weapons as well. The receiver room is very deep with his former Packers teammate, Allen Lazard at WR2, an RB1 in Breece Hall, and two solid tight ends in Tyler Conklin and CJ Uzomah to lay down a block or catch a touchdown for Rodgers as well.

            On the other end of the deal, the Packers now enter a new era and some may consider it a rebuild as they quarterback of the past 18 years is now gone. Jordan Love will take over at the helm and the Packers have high hopes for the young quarterback that they recently chose in the first round just a couple of years ago.

            The time is now, the Jets are in a position to succeed to the highest level. A dominant defense from last year all coming back and a re-vamped offense headed by a 4-time MVP is music to my ears. If all plays out well, then the playoff drought will finally be over and who knows, maybe AR8 can lead Gang Green to the promise land. 

Knicks Take Game 1!

             The Knicks march into Cleveland and take Game 1 away from the Cavs! My goal for the Knicks to be successful in this series was to go into Cleveland and take at least 1 out of 2, that way they will have an advantage when heading back to MSG and they did just that.

             Just hours before the game, we had no idea if Julius Randle would suit up or not in this crucial game 1, but he did and was one of the biggest impacts for the Knicks. In fact, he basically sealed the game with the huge offensive rebound that lead to two made free throws to win the game. 

            The Knicks played a great game and did a great job in taking the crowd out of the game for most of it. They lead most of the game until the final two minutes when the Cavs took the lead by 1 but then the Knicks did not look back.

            A huge Josh Hart three-pointer then a Jalen Brunson fadeaway were two huge baskets that contributed to this victory. Hart, Brunson, and Randle were the three best players on the court the entire game bringing a great impact on every single possession.

            One thing that I saw with the Knicks defense is that they took every Cavs player not named Donovan Mitchell out of the game in the second half. Mitchell filled up the stat sheet in the second half for the Cavs with the Knicks turning the Cavs offense into a one-man wrecking crew. 

            Mitchell had to do it all himself and although he's a great player and one of the best performers in the playoffs, against a team like the Knicks, he cannot do it all himself. The Knicks recognized this as they totally limited Darius Garland and other notable Cavs players throughout the second half. 

            There were notable players on the Knicks who did not have their best games and nowhere near their best games such as Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett. The fact that these two essential pieces did not have good games and the Knicks still won is a very promising sign.

            Quickley has been the best 6th-man in the NBA this season and should definitely bounce back next game. RJ Barrett did a lot of things right in this game, but the things he did wrong had a bigger impact. He turned the ball over a lot and was just so inconsistent on three-pointers like he has been all season.

            When it comes to RJ Barrett, a lot of people are quick to jump that he sucks and he's not built for New York, but in the end he's a 22 year old who came into the NBA when he was 19 and is still average just under 20 points a game. Barrett has not been the best player as of late, but his time will come if he keeps working at it. 

            Without the play and addition of Josh Hart, the Knicks would be nowhere near as successful as they are now without him. Hart brings it every single game on both ends of the floor and some of the most beneficial things he does for the team does not appear in the box score. He is the definition of a player with hustle that never runs out. 

            The Knicks impressed me a lot on Saturday night and have now turned game 2 into a must-win for the Cavs. Although it is not a must-win for the Knicks anymore, it would be nice to head back to NYC up 2-0 in the series. The Knicks are here and they are trying to make a statement. 

Western Conference Playoffs

 

            The play-in starts tonight and the stakes are very high. The Western Conference has been neck and neck all year long and finally we get to see the best of the best battle it out in the bloodbath of the west. 

            Tonight the first play-in game for the west showcases the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lakers got hot at the right time during the regular season as they made it all the way up to the #7 seed after being a much lower seed beforehand.

            The Timberwolves are all discombobulated right now with the whole Rudy Gobert punching Kyle Anderson situation and the Lakers are very hot right now so you can see why I am going to take the Lakers in this one. I will never understand why the Timberwolves would give up that many assets this offseason for Rudy Gobert when he can't even play in the biggest game of their season thus far. 

            The Lakers will go on to face the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round in a matchup that could definitely be an upset with the Lakers taking that series. The Grizzlies are very banged up and to me are an overrated team. The Lakers could shock some people, but if they don't take the series, expect it to go to at least 6 or 7 games.

            The second play-in game takes place between the Thunder and the Pelicans. The Thunder are the youngest team in the league with their average age just under 23 years old. No one on their team really has any playoff experience, so I'm going to take the Pelicans in this one. The Pelicans will face the Wolves in the second play-in matchup.

            The Wolves will have Gobert back so I expect them to capitalize off that and eliminate the Pelicans on their way to a first-round matchup with the Nuggets. The Nuggets and the Wolves both have a lot of star power but at the end of the day, the Nuggets have the potential back to back to back MVP. Jokic against KAT should be a fun matchup to watch but I don't see any 8 seeds taking down 1 seeds this year.

            The next matchup is the #4 seeded Suns taking on the #5 seeded Clippers. The Clippers are an old team that is not healthy right now and not expecting Paul George to take part in this series. Meanwhile on the other side with the Suns, we will see the newest big 3 in the league in KD, Booker, and CP3. I think the Suns take this series easily and in the offseason I think it's time to blow up this Clippers team, move on and try something new out.

            Finally, to my favorite series on the Western Conference side, the Warriors taking on the Kings. To me, I think it is unfair that one of these teams will not be competing in the second round. They are both such fun and great teams to watch with the Kings finally making the playoffs for the first time in over a decade and a half and the Warriors just being the Warriors.

            It is going to be an uphill battle for the Kings to try and stop this Warriors team as no one has an easy time trying to chase the Dubs off their path. As a coach, Steve Kerr has never lost to a western conference team in the playoffs and I don't think this trend changes here. I hope this series get to at least 6 or 7 games but in the end the Warriors will take it.

            The play-in starts tonight and the playoffs are right around the corner. The Western Conference is showing some promising matchups and lots of fun and intensity right around the corner as well. 

Eastern Conference Playoffs

 

            One of the most hectic and crazy NBA seasons has wrapped up and we are finally in playoff time. The stakes will only rise as now there are 20 teams remaining and only 16 can remain after Friday.

            In the eastern conference, the Bucks wrapped up the #1 seed and will play the #8 seed, the Celtics are the #2 and will play the #7, the 76ers take on the Nets, and the best matchup in my opinion, the Cavs taking on the Knicks. 

            Whoever the Bucks play they will easily take that series so nothing much to talk about there. If the Heat win their play-in game and play the Celtics then that would be a very interesting first round matchup. Another playoff rematch between the two teams after the Celtics eliminated the Heat last year to go to the finals.

            The Heat have not been very solid this year, but the playoffs is a whole different beast and they have a ton of experience and star power to take on the Celtics. I still think the Celtics will take this series if it happens, but the Heat will give them a good fight.

            Moving onto the #3 seed Sixers taking on the #6 seed Nets. In my opinion, the 76ers could potentially make it out of the east if Joel Embiid plays like his MVP self. The Sixers aren't a one man wrecking crew with just Embiid, he has a great supporting cast that can certainly take this team to the promise land.

            I have the Sixers winning this series in 5 or 6 games. Many people think that the Nets are heavily overmatched and the Sixers will sweep, but they can easily steal a game or two. Mikal Bridges has a chance to prove his stardom to the rest of the NBA in this series for the Nets as well. 

            Will the process finally be completed this year? If Harden can put together good games and up his shooting percentage, then the Sixers are in a good position. It's a long shot but the Sixers are my sleeper team to make it out of the East. 

            To conclude the East, the Cavs will take on the Knicks. This is the best series by far in this conference because there is so much to talk about heading into the series. Will the Knicks get a healthy Julius Randle? This is a huge question that can totally alter who advances to the next round.

            The biggest headline heading into this series is Donovan Mitchell. Around the NBA, it was very evident the Knicks were heavily pursuing Donovan Mitchell this summer and many thought he would wear the orange and white for this season and many to come. But this wasn't the case as the Cavs came out of nowhere and traded for him.

            Stephen A. Smith said the other day that if the Knicks get knocked out by the Cavs then the whole season was a failure because of their failure to sign Donovan Mitchell. I heavily disagree with this claim because no one predicted the Knicks to be the #5 seed yet a playoff team at best. 

            The Cavs who acquired Donovan Mitchell finished one spot ahead of them in the regular season standings. Obviously Donovan Mitchell is a generational talent but to finish one spot ahead in the standings is not an absurd difference in a team's season. So when you say failure Stephen A, I have to disagree with you.

            That being said, this series will be the closest out of the rest of the playoff matchups in the east and as a Knicks fan it is hard to go against my team and I don't want to either. Right now, I think this series is too close to decide and I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out. Hopefully the first playoff series victory for the Knicks in 10 years will happen though.

            The playoffs are finally here and this is just one conference of matchups to talk about. Stay tuned for my analysis of the Western Conference as the stakes get even higher.