Another Dilemma with Ja Morant

 

            Once again, the Memphis superstar has found himself in trouble off the court for the second time in three months. Morant was seen with a gun in his hand on an instagram live video just a short while ago.

            Even after Morant received an eight-game suspension during the regular season, he proceeds to commit the same action he did which earned him that suspension. The two situations are very similar, only this time the suspension will be for a longer period of time, possibly indefinite. 

            In the eyes of the NBA, Morant is costing them a lot of money with his actions off the court. When the public views Morant as a thug or a gangster because of his association with guns, less people want to buy his jersey or merchandise, and it draws away fans from the Grizzlies as well.

            When you are the best player on your team, you are supposed to be a role model for the other players that are usually younger and less experienced. On the other hand, Morant threw this out of the window and decided to put his team in danger by committing these actions.

            Obviously, the Grizzlies are a great team and can be contenders when Morant is actually playing. There is a possibility that the NBA could suspend him for the entirety of next season or a good chunk of it. If this happens, the Grizzlies are totally taken out of contention to go deep in the playoffs because of his extended absence.

            Kids who look up to Ja Morant everyday for how good of a player he is, the #2 overall pick, one of the best guards in the NBA is now portrayed as a thug because of what he does off the court. Sure what he does on the court is great and phenomenal for Memphis, but this can only happen if you are doing what you are supposed to off the court as well.

            The NBA is definitely not going to take this lightly as when he was suspended only 8 games in March, many say the NBA went soft with the punishment. We may not see Ja Morant on the hardwood for a good amount of time and that time will give him the ability to get his act together so that when he can suit up again, the same mistakes will never be made again. 

The Nuggets are Onto Their First NBA Finals

 

            Since the Nuggets joined the NBA in 1976, they had never made the NBA Finals once. 47 years later, this streak has finally ended as the Nuggets have become one of the few teams that have never made the finals to finally make them.

            The Nuggets did it in absolute dominant fashion by sweeping Lebron James and the Lakers to get one step closer to the promise land. They went through the Timberwolves in five games, the Suns in six games, and the Lakers in four games. They haven't had a series yet that has made it to the maximum seven games which further shows how dominant they have been.

            They made it past Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns easily. Then, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, and finally Lebron James and Anthony Davis. It's clear that nothing right now scares the Nuggets and they can beat any team they match up against. 

            The reason why they can beat any team they match up against is because of their dynamic duo in Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. Jokic, who should've been this year's MVP for the third year in a row, has been the best player on the planet in the past month or so. He puts up unreal numbers every single night, never taking a night off and putting the team on his back. 

            Jamal Murray has also stepped up big time as well. For the past couple of years, the Nuggets could never get over the hump of getting to the NBA Finals and people thought it may be time for a change at point guard in Denver. Jamal Murray put these remarks behind him and has not looked back ever since. He is the definition of a clutch player showing this in game 2 when he put up 23 4th quarter points to give the Nuggets a victory that game. 

            As for the Lakers, where do they go from here? They had an amazing run, coming in as the #7 seed, making it through the play-in, and making it all the way to the conference finals. Plus they started off the season 2-10 and at one point had just a 0.3% chance of making the postseason. It was a great first year for Darvin Ham and his coaching staff as well as having arguably the best trade deadline out of every team.

            What will Lebron James do as he closes out his 20th season in the NBA? He still has sometime left on his contract as a Laker, but there has been speculation that he may hang it up after dominating the league for the past two decades. Rob Pelinka did a great job assembling this team and making sure that there was no panic even after their rough start. A job well done to the Lakers although in the end they came up just short of reaching the finals. 

            The Nuggets might not have to wait long to see who they will matchup against in the NBA Finals if the Miami Heat can close out the Boston Celtics tonight. I'm not sure when the last time both conference finals ended in sweeps, but if the Heat could complete it tonight, then that would be pretty crazy. 

            The headline of Jimmy Butler vs Nikola Jokic would be a great watch for the entire sports world. Arguably the best two performers in this year's playoffs matching up with one another to see who can win their first championship. Butler has been after it a long time, while Jokic has dominated the league the past couple years winning two MVPs. A lot could change if the Heat do lose tonight on the other hand though. 

            The city of Denver has had a lot to cheer about with these two and also the Avalanche just a season ago taking home a Stanley Cup of their own as well. Things are certainly cooking right now in Denver and currently they are definitely up there as one of the best sports cities in the country. 

Onto the Offseason for the Knicks

 

            The Knicks best season in the last 10 years comes to an end after being defeated by the Miami Heat in the second round of the playoffs in six games. The production of this team this year makes me very hopeful for the future but I do believe some changes will need to be made.

            The play of Jalen Brunson has been basically a godsend for this Knicks team. The Knicks haven't had solid point guard play in almost decades and Jalen Brunson has been all that and more. Brunson, who should have been an all-star and on the all-NBA team, is also not even in the top 50 player salaries in the NBA, showing how smart the Knicks were when signing him this past offseason.

            Hopefully the Knicks will be able to make another splash this offseason like Brunson, but they will need to address some internal issues first. Firstly, the biggest thing everyone is talking about is Julius Randle. Randle obviously had a lackluster playoffs showing no hustle whatsoever, but people are quickly to forget that this guy just made an all-NBA team and was an all-star as well.

            I do not sympathize with Randle's awful play in the postseason or lack of hustle as well, but for everyone to just push him out of the door this quickly is unreasonable as well. The only way I would agree from moving on from him was if he was in a blockbuster trade that lands the Knicks a superstar, but aside from this I think he stays.

            Next, is re-signing Josh Hart. Hart proved that chemistry is all that matters in the NBA. Once he was acquired from Portland, he fit right in with this Knicks team because of his past connection from Villanova with Jalen Brunson. To keep him and his grind, grit, and hustle on this team is a main thing that the Knicks should be focusing on this offseason.

            Thirdly, I don't think its time yet to move on from RJ Barrett. He showed he has what it takes to play big minutes in the playoffs and people forget he is only 22 years old. He was the third overall pick drafted at 19 years old into a city with high expectations. RJ should remain in the orange and blue for the foreseeable future. 

            Moving onto other free agents around the NBA, the Knicks have a variety of options during this offseason but the major thing that they need to address is acquiring shooters. We saw in the Heat series that without guys that can be consistently draining shots, your team has no chance and that was the Knicks. 

            Thinking in the shoes of Coach Thibs for a second, if the Knicks were to acquire more shooters, he wants 3 and D players. He wants guys like Quentin Grimes who will give you a couple of threes no problem, but then hustle back on defense as well. You have two unrestricted free agents from the Miami Heat in Max Strus and Gabe Vincent who do that exact thing who I believe are perfect fits for the Knicks. 

            The primary need that the Knicks should be addressing is shooting yes, but there have been rumors that they are also trying to make a big splash this offseason as well. There are many stars that are unhappy with their situation and after seeing what the Knicks could do and New York as a destination, they would be more than happy to wear the orange and blue. 

            One player in particular is Karl-Anthony Towns. Many experts believe that he will be a Knick but I would disagree with trading for him. First of all, he is on a lucrative contract for a guy who hasn't proven anything in his NBA career. Secondly, his playoff success is abysmal even on a very good team. Thirdly, he is injury-prone and misses lots of games every season. Finally, it would take a HAUL to get him to New York. 

            So think to yourself, would the Knicks want to sacrifice this much for a guy who hasn't proven anything during his career in the NBA? I think not. KAT should not be traded for unless at the right price then fine, but anything more is not worth taking the risk on. 

            The primary offseason needs for the Knicks should not be solely on acquiring stars to surround Jalen Brunson, but acquiring more role players and 3 and D guys that will go out there and give it their all for the team. The Knicks have been on the wrong end of many blockbuster deals and hopefully it doesn't happen again.

            There is a lot to look forward on this Knicks team even after a good season ends in a second round exit. Most of the league didn't have the Knicks winning a series in the playoffs and some didn't even have them making the playoffs in the first place. It's an annoying time right now but in just a couple of months the Knicks will be back and better than ever. 

Part V: Curry vs Lebron

 

            In the most highly anticipated second round matchup, we didn't get the exact outcome in the series as the Lakers cruised past the Warriors in six games to take the series and head back to the western conference finals for the first time since 2020. 

            This series was the first time that Lebron James would face off against Steph Curry in the Warriors in a playoff round other than the NBA Finals. It wouldn't a Lebron vs Curry matchup without high expectations and lots of headlines coming in. 

            The Warriors were one of my favorites to go all the way this year and repeat what they did last year, but just like that they are out in the second round. With the Lakers advancing to the conference finals, this just further proves that they absolutely won the trade deadline.

            Their big splash was landing D'Angelo Russell and then an array of other minor moves that heavily benefitted them and have lead them to where they are currently. Many people were focused on the trades that the Suns made to get KD or what the Mavs did to get Kyrie, but in the end the Lakers made some sneaky good acquisitions to confirm that they did indeed win this year's trade deadline.

            The Lakers played an all-around great series and you could see right after game 1 that there was something special with this team after beating the Warriors in San Francisco. Lebron is giving it all he's got because he knows and the rest of the league knows that this could be the best chance he gets at another finals appearance to end his career.

            The big three of DLO, AD, and Lebron has not disappointed but the real highlight has been the presence of the role players on the Lake Show. Role players such as Austin Reaves stepping up, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, or even Lonnie Walker having a game named after him in the "Lonnie Walker game." 

            Obviously you need stars to win in the NBA, but having essential role players at your side to knock down shots, get big shots, and hustle all game is even more important. We've seen past experiments with Lebron and AD trying to lead this team by themselves and it hasn't worked, but now, similar to the bubble season in 2020, the role players are stepping up when it is needed.

            The Lakers will go onto face the Nuggets in the conference finals in a rematch from the bubble's western conference finals. As for the Warriors, is this the last we see from the dynasty or will they continue to push for championships in seasons to come. If it is the last time, it sure has been a long and great ride, but I think this won't be the last we've seen from the Dubs. 

Celtics Back to the Eastern Conference Finals

 

            In probably the most competitive and intense series to watch, the Boston Celtics are back in the Eastern Conference Finals for the second year in a row after defeating the 76ers in seven games and look to head back to the finals once again.

            It wasn't always easy for the Celtics to finish the job in this series, but they found a way, even if it did take 51 points from Jayson Tatum. So far, the playoffs have had a combined two game sevens and in both of those games, someone scored 50 or more points which had never been done before in a game 7. 

            This time it was Jayson Tatum and although the Celtics pummeled the Sixers in game 7, it was very important for them to get Jayson Tatum back on track. Tatum looked like a lost cause earlier in the series after shooting a miserable 6-21 in game 6 and starting that game shooting 1-13 as well.

            With consistent production from Tatum, the Celtics should find themselves back in the NBA Finals in a couple of weeks. As for the 76ers, consistency was a foreign word for them. It seemed like every game, either Embiid or Harden would have an off game and have to rely on the other to carry the team.

            That worked in games 1, 4, and 5, but most definitely not in game seven. The two superstars combined for less than thirty points in a must win game 7 to try to get to the conference finals for the first time in 22 years. It was an embarrassing showing from the Sixers after giving lots of hope that they could make some noise this year, but once again they exit in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

            As for the Celtics next matchup, they will have an eastern conference finals rematch from last year with the Miami Heat. The Heat were just three minutes away from being eliminated in the play-in game and all of a sudden they are in the eastern conference finals for the second year in a row. 

            How did this happen? It is because they stuck together as a team through the ups and downs and didn't let that bother them. Sure some teams had more talent than them, but they persevered, stuck together, and won eight games to get to this spot they are in right now. As I said before, the #8 in front of Miami Heat means absolutely nothing.

            The Celtics definitely have a tall task at hand, but if the two J's can be consistent producers throughout the series, they should find themselves back in the finals. They can't afford to make lots of mistakes because the Heat will easily be able to capitalize on this and run away with the series. It should be a fun Eastern Conference Finals and will see who will go onto play either the Lakers or the Nuggets. 

            

The Best Trophy Award Is...

            It's playoff time in both the NHL and the NBA and it got me thinking, what is the most meaningful championship trophy in all of the professional North American sports leagues?

            This includes the Vince Lombardi trophy for the NFL (pictured to the left), the Larry O'Brien trophy for the NBA (pictured second to left), the Commissioner's Trophy for the MLB (pictured second to right), and finally the Stanley Cup for the NHL (pictured to the right). 

            It takes great talent and effort to be able to obtain one of these trophies through an intense playoffs each and every year. But what trophy is actually the most meaningful trophy to the athletes themselves?

            There is no correct answer here, but my opinion sides with the Stanley Cup trophy. The Stanley Cup trophy was first awarded in the 1890s, dating back almost 135 years ago, outlasting the longevity of the rest of the trophies by a lot.

            This just shows the tradition that is centered around the Stanley Cup trophy and what pride the players take when they finally get to hold it up. Speaking of tradition, when awarded the cup it has lots of traditions that come along with it.

            Still dating back to the 1890s, each team that wins the cup goes and drinks champagne out of the top of the bowl to celebrate the victory. Also, what is very different from the other trophy ceremonies is that every player on the team takes a victory lap with the trophy on the ice, which in my opinion is the best tradition.

            There also come some superstitions as well leading up to the Stanley Cup such as not touching the conference trophy because teams believe if they do, they will lose in the finals. The tradition and history behind the Stanley Cup in the end is what makes it so great. Looking at the other trophies, there is really not as much tradition or history either centered around them. 

            Another reason why the Stanley Cup is the best trophy is because it is the most unique out of the four. When you envision winning awards, you envision taking home a gold statue that signifies your victory. On the other hand, the Stanley Cup is almost 3 feet tall, and made of silver and nickel as well. It makes it so winning the championship in the NHL isn't like receiving just some boring old gold trophy, instead you have this. 

            In the end, the tradition and history behind the Stanley Cup just proves how meaningful the trophy is to the player and why it is so much more meaningful than any other trophy. At the start of every season, the end goal is to be skating around the ice with the large silver cup in your hands, celebrating with joy.