NBA Playoffs

The most magical time of the year for professional basketball fans is from April through mid-June, where the NBA Playoffs take place. Or as the NBA’s slogan states: Where Amazing Happens. Killer dunks, big blocks, smooth 3-pointers, beautiful passes and total teamwork take place on the court.

The 2015 NBA playoffs are under way, with the Eastern and Western Semi-Conference Finals. Each series is determined by the best of seven games. In the East, the Chicago Bulls are battling the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Atlanta Hawks are taking on the Washington Wizards. Even with their star John Wall out due to a hand injury, the Wizards have taken a 2-1 lead over the Atlanta Hawks in the series, most recently beating the Hawks on Saturday night. The Atlanta Hawks have played remarkably well this season due in large part to their stars, Al Horford, Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver. While they managed to move past the first round of the playoffs, defeating the Brooklyn Nets, they have historically struggled to move forward in the post-season.

The Bulls beat the Milwaukee Bucks in six games. In Game 6, they sent a message loud and clear that they were the better team, defeating the Bucks by a solid 54 points. The Cavs swept the Boston Celtics in the first round, but are currently down 2-1 in their series with the Bulls. Derek Rose hit an amazing buzzer beater shot in Game 3, allowing the Bulls to take the victory. Many expect this to be a close series and go the full seven games as Lebron James and Derrick Rose attempt to take their teams all the way.

In the Western semi-conference finals, the Golden State Warriors are facing off against the Memphis Grizzlies and the Los Angeles Clippers are facing the Houston Rockets. The LA Clippers had a hard-earned victory over the reigning champion San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs, going to all seven games. The Houston Rockets beat their cross-state Texas rivals, the Dallas Mavericks in round 1 of the playoffs and are now down 2-1 against Blake Griffin and the Clippers.  The Rockets have Dwight Howard and James Harden, who was considered a top contender for the MVP title.

The Warriors defeated the New Orleans Pelicans in a 4-game sweep. Warriors Stephen Curry was also named the NBA’s MVP of the season. The Grizzlies defeated Portland in round 1 and face off against the Warriors again Saturday night at home. Currently, the series is tied 1-1.

After this round concludes, the conference finals will take place and then the NBA Championship series will occur.

Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers are 51-30 and will wrap up their regular season play this week on the road against the Dallas Mavericks. The Trail Blazers are in 1st place in the Northwest Division and in 4th place in the Western Conference, following the Golden State Warriors, the LA Clippers and the San Antonio Spurs. These teams have all secured spots in the playoffs with their rankings.

Portland has been battling injuries late in the season, including losing Wesley Matthews in March with a torn Achilles. Matthews has been out for the remainder of the season. With the playoffs approaching very quickly, the goal for the final game is to emerge uninjured. Neither team is expected to play their regular rotation for more than one quarter in this final matchup of the season.

In the basketball world, Portland is commonly known as Rip City. This name originated in the team’s first season (1970-71) with announcer Bill Schonely shouting “Rip City!” after a deep shot from Trail Blazer guard, Jim Barnett to tie the game with the Lakers. Portland ended up losing the game. When asked where Rip City came from, Schonely says he just happened to blurt it out. It has stuck with the franchise ever since.

The Trail Blazers have advanced to the NBA Finals three times, most recently in 1992 and have one NBA Championship, from 1977, where the team defeated the Philadelphia 76ers. Portland has had some serious NBA talent with Hall of Fame stars previously on their roster including Lenny Wilkens, who later coached the team. Additional Hall of Fame noteworthy players include: Bill Walton, Clyde Drexler and Scottie Pippen. In 2012-13, Damian Lillard was unanimously named NBA Rookie of the Year and has continued to shine for the Trail Blazers.

This season, the team’s leaders include LaMarcus Aldridge, who is averaging just over 23 points per game and 10 rebounds, as well as Lillard, who’s averaging 6 assists per game. To succeed in the playoffs, the Trail Blazers will need to bring powerhouse plays on offense and continue to stay healthy and injury free.

Chicago Bulls

When you think of the Chicago Bulls, what do you think of?

Perhaps you might think of Derrick Rose and the team’s moderate success in recent years, however, it’s likely you (as with so many others) get nostalgic remembering the NBA’s undoubtable, dominating dynasty Chicago Bulls from the 1990s. You know, the team led by NBA legend, Michael Jordan, whose supporting cast including Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Steve Kerr and more? The team that was coached by iconic, 11 time champion Phil Jackson and the franchise that won six championship titles in the span of eight years. The 1995–1966 Chicago Bulls team is widely regarded as one of the greatest in NBA history.

Regardless of your associations, like for or dislike of the Chicago franchise, they are one of the NBA’s most iconic and historic teams. In 2011, Derrick Rose was named MVP and also signed a 5-year contract extension with Chicago worth more than $94 million. The Bulls have had their ups and downs since 2011 and are attempting to reclaim their image as a powerhouse team after a rough 2013-2014 season, where leader Rose was injured after 10 games. Rose missed the entire 2012-2013 season due to an ACL injury. 

The Bulls are currently in first place in the Central Division of the NBA with a record of 33-20, and will face off against their division rivals, the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday. The Cavs are in second place (32-21) and this is sure to be an intense matchup. While the Detroit Pistons have been a historic rival of Chicago’s since the Jordan days, the Cavs/Bulls rivalry has risen especially with Derrick Rose and Lebron James as the faces of their respective franchises.

Most recently the Bulls defeated the Kings, 104-86. This was the team’s third straight win.
The Bulls’ roster is stacked with veterans including Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah, as well as Aaron Brooks, Jimmy Butler and Mike Dunleavy among others.

In order to continue being successful this season, the Bulls will need to stay healthy and continue to improve their shooting. Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau is a firm believer in drills, fundamentals and set rotations. These factors will also be critical to the Bulls maintaining a top position in their division.

Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies are currently 39-13, making them first in the Southwest division of the Western Conference of the NBA. The team most recently defeated the Brooklyn Nets by nine points, winning 95-86.

The Grizzlies franchise originated in 1995 in Vancouver. The team relocated to Memphis for the 2001-2002 season and added several new players including rookie forwards Shane Battier and Pau Gasol, who have since gone on to have successful and impressive basketball careers. The Grizzlies made three straight playoff appearances from 2003-2006. In 2006, Gasol also became the Grizzlies’ first All-Star player.

In the 2010-2011 season, the team’s 10th year in Memphis, the Grizzlies made it back into the playoffs for the first time in five years. They defeated the San Antonio Spurs in six games in the first round but fell in seven games to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Conference Semifinals. Since then, the Grizzlies have made it to at least the first round of playoffs and in 2012, made it as far as the Conference Finals where they were then swept by the Spurs in four games.

This season, Memphis has been successful due to their “Grit ’N’ Grind” style of play and continuing to remain a physical team. The team’s roster includes experienced veterans Tony Allen, Vince Carter, Courtney Lee and Zach Randolph. Earlier this week, Jarnell Stokes (forward) and Russ Smith (guard) were recalled from the Iowa Energy, Memphis’s NBA Development League affiliate.

Last week, the Grizzlies defeated the Atlanta Hawks who had been on a long hot winning streak. The Grizzlies were victorious, winning 94-88. Memphis outscored Atlanta in the paint, outrebounded them and went on an 8-2 run to finish the game strong, which had been tied at 86 with 2:48 left to play.

The Grizzlies will next take on the OKC Thunder on the road Wednesday night. This will be the team’s last game before pausing for All-Star break, which takes place this weekend in New York City. The Grizzlies will then head out West for three games on the road, facing off against the Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings before returning home.

Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards have started the 2014-2015 NBA season with a strong 5-2 record. In their most recent game, the Wizards defeated the Indiana Pacers 97-90. The Wizards have only lost to the Miami Heat and the Toronto Raptors so far, however they have claimed victory against the Orlando Magic, the Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Knicks and the Pacers, twice. In their first game against the Pacers, the Wizards pulled off a 96-94 OT victory. They will face Indiana again two more times late in the regular season.

The Capital City’s NBA franchise announced in late October that they have hired Wale, a D.C. native rapper and loyal Wizards fan as their creative liaison for this season. Some of Wale’s songs will be used for team introductions and videos throughout the season and he will collaborate with the organization in regard to team merchandise and social media efforts.

The Wizards have also adopted a new alternate jersey for this season, which they will wear for Wednesday road games in addition to some specifically selected matchups. This alternate style features navy as the primary color with “Washington” on the front, as well as red colorblocking at the top. 

In late October, the Wizards waived guards John Lucas and Xavier Silias as well as forward Damion James to remain with a 15-man roster. With veteran forward Paul Pierce and guard John Wall leading the way, the Wizards have gotten off to a solid start and will look to maintain this momentum throughout the season. Head coach Randy Wittman said after the Wizards’ practice on Monday, the team must focus on what needs to be done and take it one game at a time.

The Wizards head into a 4 home game stint: first facing the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, November 12. They will wrap up this week with a second home game against the Magic Saturday night, followed by two games next week against the Dallas Mavericks and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

LeBron James back to the Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron James officially announced his decision last Friday to return to his home state and play basketball for the Cleveland Cavaliers again. In 2010 when James was a free agent the first time, he announced his decision to take his talents to South Beach via a live TV announcement at The Boys & Girls Club. He received harsh criticism for how he announced the news, which became known as The Decision and there were no harsher critics than Cleveland itself. His jerseys were burned, Cavs fans threw fits and the Cavs owner, Dan Gilbert, blasted James through many media outlets, calling him a narcissistic coward. As the owner of the company Fathead, Gilbert reduced James’ wall sticker price to a mere $17.41 (Fatheads normally retail for approximately $50-100 each).

After 7 seasons as the face of the Cavs and continuously rising as a basketball star, Cleveland was distraught in disbelief that their son could do this to them. How? Why? It’s not right! James moved on to the Miami Heat where the Big 3 meshed, reigning as Eastern Conference Champions from 2011-2014 and heading to the NBA Finals in each of their 4 years together, winning 2 back-to-back NBA championships in 2012 and 2013.

Contrary to the publicity surrounding his 2010 decision, James quietly announced his decision this time through an exclusive essay published by Sports Illustrated with the headline “I’m Coming Home.” In the essay, James explains his decision to return to his hometown, stating the decision is greater than just basketball. He is a dad and has a family to think about, and feels a sense of responsibility to inspire kids growing up in the Northeast Ohio area. He is accepting the challenge to bring talent and success back into Cleveland.

All was instantly forgiven by the city of Cleveland and Cavs fans when James’ return was announced. Criticism of the actual decision was minimal this time around, partially because of James’ chosen delivery of the news. There was only class displayed by the Miami Heat too, as the organization announced respect for James’ decision and posted a picture of the superstar in his Heat jersey via social media outlets with the caption “Thanks for the memories.”

Perhaps 2015 will be the year the Cavs finally win an NBA Championship. They certainly have their work cut out for them, but an overall young and talented roster is a great start. The King himself along with #1 draft pick, Andrew Wiggins and point guard, Kyrie Irving are valuable assets to begin making this goal a reality.

NBA Finals

Mid-June: the heart of the NBA Finals. This year’s matchup is a repeat of last year: the San Antonio Spurs vs. the Miami Heat. This season’s Finals format is 2-2-1-1-1 (the original format), starting with two home games for the Spurs, whereas the previously used format for the past 29 seasons (since 1985) has been 2-3-2. The Spurs currently lead the series 2-1.

In Game 1 in San Antonio, AT&T Center’s air conditioning malfunctioned, causing “heat” to take on a whole new meaning. Despite scorching temperatures above 90° in the arena at one point, the Spurs managed to pull off a win, beating the Heat 110-95. Lebron James scored 25 points but battled cramps and limped out of the game in the 4th quarter. The Spurs then went on a 15-4 run. Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 21 points. Manu Ginobili and Danny Green also helped the Spurs by scoring 16 and 13 points respectively.

In Game 2, Lebron was back to the superstar “Lebron” silencing critics with 35 points and 10 rebounds, leading the Heat to a 98-96 victory over the Spurs. The Spurs played a drastically different 4th quarter in Game 2 compared to their Game 1 performance. Dwyane Wade scored 18 points and both Chris Bosh and Rashard Lewis scored 14 points, helping to lead Miami to its victory.

In Game 3 in Miami, the Spurs defeated the Heat 112-92. The Spurs scored 71 points in the first half alone, shooting just under 76% and setting an NBA Finals record for shooting in a half. Miami shot just under 56% in the first half which is good offense, but this note is overlooked due to the Spurs’ spectacular performance. The Heat were able to bring the game as close as 81-74 in the third quarter, playing aggressively in an attempt to close the gap. Lebron James and Dwyane Wade each scored 22 points and Chris Bosh scored 9. Kawhi Leonard, small forward on the Spurs, was the star of the night, scoring a career-high 29 points.

Game 4 takes place in Miami at 9:00pm on June 12. The Heat usually come out aggressive following a loss and tonight’s game cannot be an exception if they want to remain competitive and have a shot at going all the way for the coveted Three-peat.