Category Archives: NBA
Nuggets Win Game 2
The Nuggets came back from a 14 point deficit to beat the Lakers in Game 2 to even the series. This was a huge win for the Nuggets who lost a heartbreaker in Game 1.
Now the Nuggets are going home where they haven’t lost all post season and have won 19 of their past 20 at home including a easy win over the Lakers at the end of the regular season. The Nuggets have proven they can win in L.A. so now the pressure is on the Lakers to prove they can win in Denver.
Chauncey Billups has been absolutely dominating Derrick Fisher so far in the series. Fisher has struggled badly shooting the ball and Billups has had no problem getting in the lane to dish to his teammates. Also Carmelo has really stepped up. He has five strait 30 point games and is proving himself to be one of the games elite. Linas Kleiza was the x-factor last night hitting some big threes for the Nuggets. Denver has all the momentum in the series and the Lakers will need to really show up in Game 3.
My Top 5 NBA Playoff Moments
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NBA Mock Draft Part 2
You can see Part 1 here.
6. Minnesota Timberwolves- James Harden, SG, Arizona State
The Timberwolves already have their frontcourt set with Al Jefferson and Kevin Love so they look to Harden as a backcourt mate for point guard Randy Foye. Harden struggled at the end of last season especially in the NCAA Tournament but can create for himself and can finish at the rim. Harden is also a good defender and has great range.
7. Golden State Warriors- Tyreke Evans, G, Memphis
The Warrior will be looking for someone to pair with Monta Ellis. Whether the Warriors want to keep Ellis at the point or move him to the 2 where he will be a bit undersized. If the Warriors select Evans that would give them great flexibility. Evans can play both on and off the ball. He can drive and get to the basket and would be a good fit in the Warriors up temp style of basketball.
8. New York Knicks- Stephen Curry, PG, Davidson
The Kicks are looking to upgrade everywhere on their roster but especially point guard where they would rather have Chris Duhon coming off the bench. There have been rumors that the Knicks have promised Curry they will take him here. If they do Curry would be a great fit in Mike D’Antoni’s offense. Curry is a terrific scorer who can shoot the lights out and has a great basketball IQ, and has a big name making him a great fit in New York.
9. Toronto Raptors- DeMar DeRozan, SG, USC
The Raptors have a need at the two guard and DeRozan would be a good fit. The Raptors big men like to hang out on the perimeter and the ability of DeRozan to drive to the basket would compliment them. DeRozan struggled early on in the season but really turned it on once conference play started. DeRozan has great athleticism and has enormous potential but was inconsistent at times in college.
Cavaliers vs. Magic Preview
The Cavaliers and the Magic will face off tonight as the Eastern Conference Finals begin. The Magic have been pushed by the 76ers and Celtics but they prevailed against in both in dominant road performances in the clinching game in both series. The Cavs have been on cruise control so far having not lost a game and have beaten their opponents by double digits every game. They have been unbeatable at home this season but lost two out of three games to the Magic this season and almost lost to them at home.
Cleveland will try to run up and down against Orlando. LeBron will get is but it will be interesting to see if the Magic double team LeBron. If they choose to double him that will create looks for other guys and get them going. A better decision is probably to just let LeBron get his and not let his teammates get going. When LeBron get to the rim he will see Dwight Howard this series and that match up will be key. If Howard gets in any foul trouble the Magic will be done. Hedo Turkoglu will guard LeBron and it remains to be seen if he can be the offensive force that he needs to be if he is using his energy guarding LeBron.
NBA Mock Draft Part 1
With the draft order finally set here is my first mock draft of the season. The NBA Draft takes place on June 25.
1. Los Angeles Clippers- Blake Griffin, PF, Oklahoma
This is a no-brainer pick for the Clippers. The Clippers already have Zach Randolph at power forward and he has a big contract but that’s no reason to pass on Griffin. Griffin dominated in college averaging 22.7 points and 14.4 rebounds and winning every accolade you could. Griffin has drawn comparisons to Carlos Boozer and some have even compared him to Karl Malone.
2. Memphis Grizzlies- Ricky Rubio, PG, Spain
Rubio is considered one of the most talented prospects ever to come out of Europe and he is only 18 years old but doesn’t play like it. Rubio isn’t a great shooter but has improved that area of his game and is a phenomenal passes and a great defender. If the Grizzlies select Rubio they will more than likely look to move Mike Conely Jr. The will also give a long look at Hasheem Thabeet here.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder- Hasheem Thabeet, C, UCONN
The Thunder will likely take whoever Memphis passes on being either Thabeet or Rubio. Thabeet will give the Thunder an imposing interior presence. His offensive game will take time to develop but the Thunder have plenty of that already. With a nucleus of Thabeet, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, and Russell Westbrook the Thunder have the making of a team that have a bright future.
Clippers Win NBA Draft Lottery
The Los Angeles Clippers won the NBA Draft Lottery Tuesday night giving them the right to select Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin. The Clippers had the third best chance of getting the first pick making this a mild surprise. The Kings who had the best chance to get the number one pick dropped to four with the Grizzlies moving up to two and the Thunder moving up to three. The Wizards dropped to the fifth pick and the Timberwolves fell to the sixth pick. Picks seven to fourteen held as projected. Not since 2004, when the Magic selected Dwight Howard, has the team with the worst record ended up with the number one pick.
This will be the third time in franchise history that the Clippers have had the number one pick. In 1988 they took Danny Manning, who never lived up to the hype but a knee hampered his career. In 1998 they took Michael Olowokandi who was a huge bust and is out of the NBA now. Luckily for the Clippers Blake Griffin is considered a safe prospect who dominated this past season in college.
Lakers vs. Nuggets Preview
The West’s top two seeds, the Lakers and Nuggets, will square off for a trip to the NBA Finals. Their paths to reach this point have been quite different though. The Lakers had a tough series against the Rockets that they managed to win in seven games despite playing very inconsistent. Meanwhile, the Nuggets have cruised so far in the playoffs losing only two games through the first two rounds.
The Nuggets are a different team than the past. Chauncey Billups has brought a sense of leadership that this team has been lacking in the past. All Billups has done is won wherever he has brought that to Denver. The Nuggets are playing with a lot of confidence and will play an up tempo style of basketball. The Nuggets have plenty of fire power to combat the Lakers led by Carmelo Anthony. Carmelo is one of the best scorers in the game and has averaged 27 points per game so far in the playoffs but there is much more to this Denver team other than Carmelo. Billups, Nene, J.R. Smith, and Kenyon Martin make up the supporting cast for the Nuggets that can match the Lakers.
The Lakers won eleven more games that the Nuggets in the regular season, won three out of the four meetings, and more than doubled Denver’s average scoring margin. None of that matters now in the playoffs. The Lakers have looked like two different teams this postseason. One game they will play great and show everyone why they won 65 games in the regular season and the next game they will come out flat and get blown out. If they want to beat the Nuggets they can’t play like they did against the Rockets who were without their two best players (Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming) for most of the series. A key for the Lakers in this series will be Andrew Bynum. Bynum has averaged only 5.6. Points per game in the playoffs after averaging 14.3 during the regular season. The Nuggets are lacking muscle and are pretty thin in the frontcourt so Bynum has the opportunity to succeed. In the Rockets series he scored 14 points in Games 5 and 7, which were both Lakers wins but also zero points in their losses in Games 4 and 6.
Prediction: I expect this series this series to be a very high scoring series and an entertaining one. The Nuggets are a popular upset pick and while I think they will keep the series close I see the Lakers behind Kobe pulling this series out. Lakers in 7
