Cleveland Clears The Way For LeBron

LeBron James made the month of July about himself again like he did in 2010. James went from being a guy whose going to opt-out to make more money and stay in Miami to he might end up either playing for Miami again or a return to Cleveland. The latter became much more of a possibility on Wednesday morning when Cleveland cleared cap space by trading away Jarrett Jack and Marcus Thornton to Brooklyn and Boston in a three-team deal to pave the way for max money for James. Cleveland is either welcoming their King back or getting hurt again although this time the pain for them shouldn't be the same. 

There is a real chance LeBron comes back to the city where it all began. The city is alive right now with sports due to Johnny Manziel and the up and coming Browns plus Cavaliers have a young nucleus ready to make the playoffs. LeBron joining the fray would put Cleveland in the epicenter of all sports, and all fans of James rejoicing they can wear their 23 Cleveland jerseys again. It is hard to get into the mindset of Cavs fans right now, but you have to think people are writing on walls or computers 'I will not get excited about LeBron James' 'I will not get excited about LeBron James.' I mean there is no way this fan base is going to burned again, right? 

If it were me, I would lie in the weeds, read as little as possible and try to believe that this isn't a reality until we see James holding up a jersey next to Dan Gilbert and Kyrie Irving. There is a chance right now, but in no way should Cleveland fans get excited. What's cool about this whole free agent saga is the Cavs pushed their chips in. They didn't pussyfoot around this thing, and instead cleared out money to attempt to sign LeBron to a big deal. Why the hell not? Let's go for it, that has to fire you up as a fan whether LeBron comes back to Cleveland or not. At least, they aren't resting on their laurels here because they know they cannot. 

The great thing about this whole thing is Cleveland has a ton of money to spend if LeBron decides to stay put in South Beach. Rumors are Trevor Ariza will be the play whom could be a good option for them to add a wing to this team plus a little veteran leadership and a guy whose excelled with a strong point guard. They could also make a slight run at Pau Gasol. They have some young big men inside, but why not at least see what Pau's interest would be in playing with a bunch of young players? It wouldn't hurt. They have money to blow if LeBron becomes unavailable.  The fact of the matter, Cleveland's risk is a good one because having all of that money is not a bad thing. Losing Jack is not the worst thing in the world, he didn't fit in with the Cavs system. This was a solid move by them, and if people are calling it dangerous play or anything like that is completely wrong. 

The other thing about not getting LeBron is this team is still on pace to be a good one with Irving, Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett, Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters. The last one might be a stretch, but that's a solid young core for the future especially in the Eastern Conference. It is not like LeBron is the savior in this situation. I do not think this is too much of a reach to say Cleveland could be a deep playoff contender in the next couple of years as Irving heads into his prime including the other two coming near it as well. Cleveland will be a fun time with or without LeBron. 

The biggest question if LeBron comes back, do we have a video of 'Coming Home' or 'Cleveland is My City?' I am available to make either one, just ask.

Charlie. 

Jason Kidd Doesn't Owe You Answers

Milwaukee Bucks introduced Jason Kidd to Milwaukee yesterday morning. They brought in their new coach after Larry Drew was ousted rather quickly, and the press conference did not make them go 1-0 to start the Kidd era. People tagged it as 'awkward' and Kidd avoided all sorts of questions about the situation itself. The criticism of Kidd's press conference happened at a rampant rate with everyone trying to make their own dodging joke. Bucks are in such a weird spot due to everyone on the Internet hating their coach, but everyone embracing their players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker. They aren't the bad boys, but not many people want this team to succeed next season.

It is sort of surprising to see how many media members rushed to criticize Kidd for dodging all sorts of questions. This is PR 101. Kidd didn't want to spend the press conference talking about what just happened. He knows at some point, Kidd will have to face the music and talk about the situation in Brooklyn, that will eventually happen, but this isn't the time for it. But right now, this is not the topic Kidd wants to talk about, he just wants to move forward. This is a problem right now with media and other outlets where they expect answers at the drop of a hat and then get pissed when it doesn't happen.

It makes sense that's how the new generation thinks about things because so many things happen immediately.  In the days before the Internet, you had to read about the press conference the next day and now, there is an immediate reaction with need of opinion. In reality, we need to let it simmer. Sure, Kidd didn't come up guns ablazin' where you want to go 'HELL YEAH COACH, LET'S RUN THROUGH SOME BRICK WALLS!!!'  We would love to have those sort of things from all of the coaches we bring in, but every coach is different. Kidd didn't need to win the press conference. He owes the media nothing and knows they are killing him right now yet the main part of the whole thing is building this young team to make a push to the playoffs. 

If Kidd's first season doesn't work out the way we want and the Bucks struggle again which would delight a ton of media members, that's fine if a couple things happen. For one, Giannis takes another step as a basketball player. Parker gets off to a good start in Milwaukee. Brandon Knight becomes a different point guard under the tutelage of Kidd. And maybe most importantly if he's not traded, Larry Sanders returns to form with a new coach. All of those things are more important winning next year. If the Bucks only win 24 to 26 games, but all of those things happen, the foundation is set for Milwaukee to be a real solid team for the future. That's more important than anything else right now. Winning is secondary despite everyone in the media wanting him to fall directly on his face.   

My stance on Kidd was always I thought it had some backstabbing elements to it, but in the end, he is the coach and if he wins, that's all that matters. What also is weirdly strange about the whole thing is Milwaukee stole the headlines from some of the biggest free agents. This story fascinated everyone in the NBA community. It also means a great deal of things for the Bucks in the national scope. People will look at this team closer. Bucks are going to get at least one or two games on national television whether it is an ESPN, TNT, ABC or FOX Sports 1 game because their matchups with Brooklyn are appointment television.  This paragraph is something we haven't been able to say about Milwaukee years so yes, good press is bad press. 

All is hopefully quiet on the Bucks front for now. It will be about filling the coaching staff and deciding what players they want to keep or bring in. It should be a fun offseason leading up to the October tip-off.  

Charlie. 

Jason Kidd, a Do or Die Decision for Milwaukee's New Owners

Milwaukee Bucks seems to have some momentum building in the last couple of months. They had new ownership. They added a top draft pick with Jabari Parker whom received standing ovations all over the city of Milwaukee over the weekend. Everyone really liked what Milwaukee was doing, but then they went for the remix by trading for Jason Kidd as their head coach. Larry Drew is now out as the head coach something he just found out today which is not the way to do things in coaching circles. Kidd made a power move and it worked, but at the same time, there are a great deal of consequences if this doesn't play out in Milwaukee's favor although there is always a chance this will work out for everyone.

Many people are wondering why people are coming to the defense of Drew, a head coach whom won only 15 games, the answer is simple. Drew got taken out back and drilled in the back of the head instead of being done the right way. It was a ruthless decision. Sure, it happens all the time in the business world, but Milwaukee flexed its muscles like the 5'6 bro tank-wearing guy at an O.A.R. concert wanting to start a fight with a 6'6 mountain of a man. Bucks have zero muscles to flex with their owners, General Manager and everyone else involved. That's why the furor is there from people. It's not what the Bucks did, rather how they handled the situation given the position they are currently in.

Bucks are not one of the best five organizations in the NBA. They are an organization with an arena and attendance problems. Some could argue they belong in the bottom five. If this thing blows up in their faces, Milwaukee could be left in the dust. What coach wants to come to Milwaukee if this is how they treat people? Not many will see the job alluring if you combine the lack of winning, the arena issues and the mob mentality of the organization. Sure, two out of those three could be fixed, but at the same time having people live in a perpetual state of fear isn't always the best business practice. Many people can make the argument Drew deserved to be fired given only winning 15 games out of 82, but at the same time, he is at least owed some respect instead of looking like a complete clown.

 If Milwaukee's owners knew this was going to happen, they should have told Drew to skip everything involved with Parker. The fact the Bucks trotted him out with their owners talking to Kidd without his knowledge makes him look like a puppet in a scheme. Some can say Drew looked like it was coming but there is not a chance in hell he realized his new boss was the Frank Underwood of the NBA. Anything to get what he wanted and attempt to take this team to the top. Marc Lasry was Kidd's financial advisor and now he's Kidd's boss, the head coach will have more protection than the President of the United States. Even though this thing went down in the dirtiest way imaginable, there is a chance it works out for Milwaukee and their ownership.

Kidd is not a bad coach based off one year. That's unfair. People cannot immediately claim he is terrible. Further, a first-year coach dealing with a team full of guys like Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jason Terry, Deron Williams were all his peers at some point in his career. Kidd is coming to a Bucks organization where most of the guys watched him play throughout his career and may have looked up to him. He could do wonders for a guy like Brandon Knight. And most of these players are going to listen to Kidd and instill his beliefs as a coach even if many people from outside Milwaukee will want to see this Bucks team fail given what happened this weekend. Kidd gets a team full of young guys which I have always argued is easier on new coaches.

If Kidd brings the Bucks a Central Division title in the next three years, all will be forgotten. Even if Kidd leads the Bucks to consistent playoff appearances where they are higher than the seventh seed, I think people will be happy. No one will remember this little incident if the Bucks are winning basketball games. I don't know if Drew would have been better with this crop of talent or would have gotten fired mid-season if Milwaukee struggled again. If the latter would have happen, maybe it's better this way even if it did not happen in the greatest of circumstances.

The last concern for all Milwaukee basketball fans is Jason Kidd does whatever Jason Kidd wants. He has one of the biggest egos in the NBA and really does not give one damn about whom he hurts on the way. Kidd could easily find a better job in two months and tell the Bucks, he is moving forward. The man has consistently burned bridges throughout this entire career, both playing and now coaching. Hopefully, Milwaukee doesn't give him a need for gasoline and matches.

Charlie.

Lakers & Knicks' Desire for Derek Fisher

Every professional sports organization can be copycats at some point. There are teams always wanting to replicate what the successful teams are doing in order to make themselves successful. Sometimes it works out for them, and other times, it turns into a dumpster fire because there are bigger problems with the team. The latest trend in the NBA is hiring players fresh off their playing stint to be NBA head coaches without any experience. NBA believes coaches can be fine coming right off the roster. The latest candidate has been Oklahoma City Thunder's point guard Derek Fisher as he is wanted by New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers. 

It seems like Fisher would be an ideal fit to be an NBA head coach. Fisher is a guy who has the respect of almost any locker room. He always seems to have the ear of the players. He is trusted, but Fisher needs to pick the place where he can mold minds versus trying to get his virtual peers behind him. My point when Jason Kidd got hired by Brooklyn was it concerned me with all the veterans, and how Kidd would be seen as just a former player, not a coach. Fisher will get the chance to influence some of the younger players although he could have some trouble with the old stalwarts of the team. 

Kidd ended up being okay, but it was a rocky start to the season with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and other veterans. Would the same thing happen to Fisher?  The odds of it happening in New York is way higher. The Knicks only have three players under the age of 25.  They also have J.R. Smith. I know people are worried about Carmelo Anthony, but if I am Fisher, do I really want to coach J.R.?  He is a hell of a player at times, but he can be one of the most frustrating players in the league. Fisher would also have to deal with Amar'e Stoudmire's playing time. Finally, the whole Anthony leaving the Knicks should be a concern as well with taking the New York job. 

It is hard to tell whether having Kobe Bryant as your top player in Los Angeles would pay off as it would be like having an extra assistant coach, or if Kobe would dictate all that happened on the court essentially becoming too involved with Fisher. The two have a good relationship, but it could become a scenario where Kobe sticks his hands into way too many things. Lakers might be going through a transition, but Fisher will get a youthful team compared to New York which is nice. Look at how many players rallied behind Mark Jackson due to being younger players. The one drawback with the Los Angeles is the pressure to win in the Western Conference plus the additional pressure to be the kings of L.A. with the success of the Clippers of the past couple years.

Is there a chance Fisher says 'Guys, I am going to keep playing for another year or two?'  I think there is a microscopic chance of that happening given the positions open. If say, Milwaukee and Orlando were the jobs open versus New York and Los Angeles, Fisher would definitely think more about staying on another year with Oklahoma City. But these are two premier jobs with a great way to start building your coaching legacy, there is no way Fisher says no to both of these teams if offered the job to play another year. Even Brett Favre thinks that's a bad idea. 

There are good and bad things about taking the New York or Los Angeles job. Fisher will probably burn a bridge at some point, but it wouldn't surprise me if he is a head coach next season. 

Charlie.  

NBA Playoff Recaps: Heat & Spurs Advance

Second Round of NBA Playoffs will feature two games of night.  I dropped the ball on writing on Saturdays meaning Friday games were left in the dust.  I am going to write about the games like we did for the first round because it is picking up steam in terms of the hits. I will probably add a full blog post sometimes when we have a must talked playoff win. 

Brooklyn Busts Again Late Leading to a Miami Victory 
This series did not really feel like it shouldn't have ended in five games. The one we are talking about below was a definite five-game series. Brooklyn should have won one of the last two games, but they choked it away down the stretch leading to the Miami Heat winning both games advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals for their fourth straight year. Brooklyn had Miami for the entire basketball game. More so than Game 4, there wasn't LeBron James dominating out there and Joe Johnson having a massive game. Brooklyn had an eight point lead with under five minutes only to have Miami go on a rampant 12-0 run which included the Nets missing nine straight baskets. Ray Allen whose the grim reaper and the President of Fountain of Youth society hit the go-ahead three.  Brooklyn had puzzling late-game efforts leading to Miami's victory.

Other than the comeback, this was a throwback game for Miami.  Dwyane Wade and LeBron James had a combined 57 points with 29 points from James and 28 points from Wade.  The 28 point total is the highest of the postseason for Wade and the first time Wade scored 25 or more points since a Feburary 3rd game against Detroit. I don't know if this is one of those blue moon things, or something to keep an eye on in the pending matchup between Washington or Indiana. Weirdly enough, I think Miami would prefer Indiana over the Wizards.

Young Spurs Help Put Away Portland 
San Antonio is thanking their lucky stars this series is over on Wednesday and their next opponent might play until Saturday. The reason isn't the typical 'old age' stuff we hear with the Spurs rather Tony Parker hurt his hamstring in the first half of the game. This is Parker's second injury of the postseason as he battled an ankle injury during the Dallas series. Given the point guards in the following series whether it be Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook or Los Angeles's Chris Paul, Parker needs to be close to full strength therefore this is something to monitor for San Antonio moving forward in these playoffs.  But it was the young guns of the Spurs that put away Portland in five with 22 point efforts from each Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard. Both dazzled in the game for San Antonio as the Spurs head back to the Western Conference Finals for the third straight year.

Charlie.

NBA Playoffs Recaps: LeBron Takeover & Blazers Bounce Back

Second Round of NBA Playoffs will feature two games of night.  I dropped the ball on writing on Saturdays meaning Friday games were left in the dust.  I am going to write about the games like we did for the first round because it is picking up steam in terms of the hits. I will probably add a full blog post sometimes when we have a must talked playoff win. 

This is why he is LeBron James, and you are not 
2014 NBA Playoffs have some memorable moments already only being three weeks into the postseason, and LeBron James added his own as the Heat won their seventh playoff game in eight tries. James had 49 points on 16/24 shooting with six rebounds and two assists. This game was all about LeBron. Who knows the motivation whether it was Paul Pierce saying publicly he wanted to guard James in this one, or LeBron realized no one was going to save this one. LeBron did in all facets of the game and looked like the best player in the world.  A couple things forgotten in the gaudy stat line for LeBron is Joe Johnson was put on complete lockdown by James in the final couple minutes of the game playing a large part in holding Brooklyn scoreless for nearly two and half minutes of game time. James can put the dagger in Brooklyn on Wednesday night, and I wouldn't doubt it if he does it.

One does wonder what if Brooklyn pulled this game out. If the Nets win despite LeBron having 45 points or more, it becomes a huge confidence boost for this team. Instead, they play with James and the Heat for 38.5 minutes to catch the #lemonbooty late in the game.

Blazers Breathe New Air... For Now
In the first three games, Portland looked like a 15th seed playing a two seed for three straight games as San Antonio boat raced them in all of them. But the Trail Blazers hit some big threes in the second half pulling away from the Spurs. After Portland getting 21 points off their bench in the first three games, Will Barton nearly got it by himself. Barton had 17 points with six rebounds. He played 30 minutes in the game, the last two times Barton played that much was starting in the final game and a 28 minute effort against Brooklyn in late February. He might be the secret weapon to attempt and take this series back to Rip City. Additionally, Nicolas Batum had a great evening that shouldn't be forgotten as he had 14 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists.

There is nothing really to be concerned about if you are the Spurs. Portland got hot in the third quarter where the Blazers dropped 35 points. Honestly, I think San Antonio pulled back the horses and rested up for Game 5 which is perfectly okay.

Charlie.

NBA Playoffs Weekend: Collapses, Threes & Spurs Dominance.

Second Round of NBA Playoffs will feature two games of night.  I dropped the ball on writing on Saturdays meaning Friday games were left in the dust.  I am going to write about the games like we did for the first round because it is picking up steam in terms of the hits. I will probably add a full blog post sometimes when we have a must talked playoff win. 

Clippers stun Thunder, tie up the series.
It really seemed like Oklahoma City was heading home being up three games to one. ABC showed a
graphic about the Thunder never losing with a 3-1 lead. Los Angeles kept battling back though in the fourth quarter taking their first lead of the game with about three minutes left in the game. Darren Collison came out of the shadows with eight points in the final three minutes of the game leading the furious comeback. Clippers had 38 points in the final quarter with Collison playing a large part in the effort with 18 total points. Jamal Crawford also added 18 off the bench hitting his usual big buckets. Chris Paul started the comeback early on as he finished with 23 points, 10 assists and five rebounds with Collison and Crawford finishing sending this series to a pivotal Game 5 on Tuesday night.

Kevin Durant's stat line looks pretty good when you see he had 40 points with eight rebounds including going 50 percent from the field. But there is a dark underbelly with KD's performance yesterday afternoon. He had eight turnovers and a big free throw miss with 100 seconds left. That cannot happen. I used to rag on LeBron James for the same thing. As an MVP players, free throws are something that cannot be missed in the late game situations.

Paul George's big second half pulls Indiana past Washington
There are sometimes when a star player takes over and becomes the story of the game. Paul George is a fringe superstar. He is starting to get the media attention and doing more commercials. Games like this one is why he gets commercials. George had 28 points in the second half leading a furious comeback as the Pacers trailed by 19 points in the second half. George added 12 rebounds as well only missing eight of his 20 shots on the night. He looked great out there becoming the key cog to the game. Indiana needs more from their bench though. Only two points from their second unit is not going to win many basketball games. Pacers are lucky to pull this one from their teeth. It does seem like the Wiz received a knockout punch. I don't know how they recover from this one.

Brooklyn's outside arsenal sinks Miami
After two games where the Heat found a way to get full control in the second half, Brooklyn delivered a taste of their own medicine by pulling away with a huge 3-point effort with the Nets making 15 threes going 60 percent from the outside. Mirza Teletovic had a big second half making him one of the difference makers in this game with 12 points including four big threes. Keep an eye for Teletovic for the rest of the series. He had 20 points in Tuesday's loss as well. Miami needs to find a way to keep him contained because he seems like the type of player if he gets hot, Teletovic could make 20 threes. Joe Johnson also had a nice day at the arena with 19 points sinking in five threes. Joe Cool continues to have a good playoff performance.

I am a little puzzled why James Jones didn't get more time last night. He had nine points in nine minutes making three 3-pointers. It seems like a guy you would want out there more than nine minutes. Jones has went from playing around 16 minutes a game in the Charlotte series to only playing five minutes. I don't know what Erik Spoelstra has in mind right now.

Spurs found their mojo again... ruh roh
Poor Portland. They are getting completely steamrolled by San Antonio. The Spurs have won the first three games by a combined 18.6 points. That's not even close. Like is this Portland team that bad or are the Spurs that good again? Should we be even more impressed with what Rick Carlisle did taking the series to seven games? I really cannot explain it. We talked about at the beginning of the series, Tony Parker could expose their bad perimeter defenses and that's what's happening. Parker scored at least 29 points in three of the last four games. It is pretty clear how good San Antonio is when Parker is healthy. Portland's bench has been downright terrible. Minus Will Barton's 13 points in garbage time in Game 2, the Trail Blazers' bench has 21 points through three games... Not good.

Charlie.

NBA Playoffs Recap: Tuesdays are for Blowouts

Second Round of NBA Playoffs will feature two games of night.  I dropped the ball on writing on Saturdays meaning Friday games were left in the dust.  I am going to write about the games like we did for the first round because it is picking up steam in terms of the hits. I will probably add a full blog post sometimes when we have a must talked playoff win. 

Ray Allen turns back the clock
As the game between Brooklyn and Miami tipped off, people wondered what the expectations should be as the Nets swept Miami through the regular season. The Heat made it look like an aberration by the third quarter as they scored eleven more points than Brooklyn pulling away from the Nets leading to Miami winning by 21 points. Biggest reason was a Throwback Tuesday performance by Ray Allen.  He had 19 points making four threes. In the four games against Charlotte, Allen scored a total of 13 points. For Miami to be successful, they need one of their bench players to be a true scoring threat. It doesn't have to be the same player, but Allen filled the role last night. LeBron James also had an extremely efficient night with 22 points on 10/15 shooting all coming without shooting a single three.

Even though they are older and the expectations are different, Brooklyn needs more from Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. They combined for eight points all coming from Pierce. Garnett only had two shot attempts. Pierce only shot the ball eight times which isn't going to get the job done either. We will see what happens with Brooklyn moving forward in the series.

Tony Parker rises to the occasion... Again 
In Game 7, we saw Tony Parker taking over the basketball game leading to a blowout win against Dallas. He did the same thing against Portland in Game 1 turning in another 30-plus performance with 33 points and nine assists in a rout of the Trail Blazers. Parker exposed a dirty secret about Damian Lillard... He cannot really play much defense. Lillard and the Blazers had no answer for Parker for the entire game. He had six turnovers, but still had a PER of +27 which shows how efficient Parker was on Tuesday night. Another huge thing about this blowout is it gave the older players for San Antonio a much-needed rest after a full series against Dallas. Parker and Kawhi Leonard were the only two players whom played over 30 minutes last night.

It is clear if Portland is going to be a threat in this series, they will need someone else to step up other than LaMarcus Aldridge. LMA had quite possibly the quietest 32 points and 14 rebounds performance of recent memory. That's a hell of a stat line but no one remembers it when you get beatdown by 24 points. Lillard and Nicolas Batum need to be more of a factor than shooting 9/27 from the field.

Charlie.

SnoTap's NBA Second Round Preview

2014 NBA Playoffs delivered the best first round in NBA history. The second round is filled with a great deal of intrigue and drama. We break down both conferences in the same way we did the first round looking at a reason each team will win plus an X-Factor with a prediction. 

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1.) San Antonio Spurs vs. 5.) Portland Trail Blazers 
Game 1: Tuesday May 6th 8:30 pm TNT
Game 2: Thursday May 8th 8:30 pm ESPN2
Game 3: Saturday May 10th 9:30 pm ESPN
Game 4: Monday May 12th 9:30 pm TNT
Game 5 (Wednesday) Game 6 (Friday) Game 7 (Sunday) -  If Necessary

Reason Spurs win: Tony Parker plays like he did in Game 7 against Dallas for the whole series. A dirty little secret about Damian Lillard is he does not really play much defense. Wes Matthews is their stopper, and he did fine against James Harden yet I don't know if he can keep up with Parker for a whole game so I will expect to see

Reason Blazers win: I am trying to figure out who guards LaMarcus Aldridge in this game. Tiago Splitter? Tim Duncan? Probably a combination of those two guys, but LMA can take these guys outside of the post which is huge for the team allowing Lillard and Matthews to get into the lane. He can also get both of them in foul trouble which is equally important. I could see another big series for Aldridge. He averaged 21 points a game with eight rebounds a game in three meetings with the Spurs this year.  

X Factors:  Spurs - Tim Duncan,  Blazers - Thomas Robinson - We haven't really seen a vintage Duncan performance yet in the playoffs. 17 points is one of his lowest average of his playoff career and only pulling down around eight rebounds is his lowest rebound total since the 2009 season. I am throwing T-Rob in there because he showed some flashes against Houston, and Portland will need a better post effort from a guy not named LaMarcus. I am throwing T-Rob out there. 

Prediction: Spurs in six - Do I want to pick Portland?  Yes, yes I do. But I am trying not buy into the hype because they beat a poor defensive team in Houston where in multiple games, they came back late in the game. I doubt Portland will be able to do that against San Antonio. One name we haven't mentioned is Danny Green and he could be someone lying in the weeds for the Spurs.

2.) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 3.) Los Angeles Clippers 
Game 1: Monday May 5th 8:30 pm TNT
Game 2: Wednesday May 7th 8:30 pm TNT
Game 3: Friday May 9th 9:30 pm ESPN
Game 4: Sunday May 11th 2:30 pm ABC
Game 5: (Tuesday) Game 6 (Thursday) Game 7 (Saturday) - If Necessary

Reason Thunder win: Durant continues to light the world on fire. Reggie Miller said on the Dan Patrick Show today that 'The newspaper thing could be the best thing for him (Durant).'  I agree with him, and it would make me very nervous if I were a Clippers fan. Durant averaged 32 points a game in four matchups with the Clippers which is one of the highest outputs against teams KD played four times this season. I think we could see an inspired Durant's performance where he takes over multiple times, and Russell Westbrook takes a little bit of a backseat.  

Reason Clippers win: Blake Griffin takes over in multiple ways. Oklahoma City does not have much post depth past Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins and Steven Adams. Blake found ways to exploit Golden State's weak interior play, and he could do the same with Oklahoma City even if Ibaka is a better player than anything the Dubs had in Round 1. How the games are called will be a huge factor in Griffin's success because if they let Oklahoma City beat him up, he will need to adjust his game. 

X Factors:  Thunder - Reggie Jackson, Clippers - DeAndre Jordan - Couple obvious ones but they are equally important to the team's success. Jackson needs to equalize Darren Collison. He also bailed out Westbrook and Durant before, and can do it again. Jordan makes Los Angeles a different team when he is scoring and rebounding in double digits especially with his scoring. Jordan seems like he has some confidence and could handle the Thunder's inside group. 

Prediction: Clippers in seven -  Easily, the best series out of the four in the second round. Los Angeles can win on the road. I think they will do it in seven given their inside game with Griffin and Jordan. The only thing that worries me is Chris Paul's health against Russell Westbrook. Odds are he will not pick us Russ very often, but Paul could become very worn down. If that happens, Oklahoma City might just win the war of attrition.   

1.) Indiana Pacers vs. 5.) Washington Wizards
Game 1: Monday May 5th 6:00 pm TNT
Game 2: Wednesday May 7th 6:00 pm TNT
Game 3: Friday May 9th 7:00 pm ESPN
Game 4: Sunday May 11th 7:00 pm TNT
Game 5: (Tuesday) Game 6 (Thursday) Game 7 (Saturday) - If Necessary

Reason Pacers win: They play like a team. It is that simple. This team won their first 33 of 40 games for a reason. They played like a cohesive unit. I realize they won back-to-back games to finish off Atlanta, but I am still not convinced this team is truly united right now. Indiana plays like one and not individuals, they will blow through this series.  

Reason Wizards win: Bradley Beal and John Wall come up massive. Paul George will likely pick up one of the them, but can he keep up with either of them in terms of quickness? Same goes for Lance Stephenson. If they play up-tempo and make Indiana play Washington's game, they could really do some big things. I really do think the guards of Washington could have some real big series. 

X Factors:  Pacers - Roy Hibbert, Wizards - Trevor Ariza - Yes we need to see Roy Hibbert come to play finally. He played well in Game 7 and against the bigger Wizards team could give Hibbert more an opportunity to work yet Marcin Gortat and Nene are badass dudes meaning Hibbert needs to keep his composure out there. Ariza could be huge for this team. We talked about his postseason performance last time around too, but what makes him important this round is the fact, he will be on Mr. George and containing him will be a tall task. If he does it well, Wizards have a good shot at winning the series. 

Prediction: Wizards in six -  Given the personalities in this series, I think we are going to see some chippy stuff from each side of the aisle in these games. I like the guards of Washington better than I do, Indiana's and I don't think Hibbert is all there. Until Indiana proves me otherwise, I am not ready to buy in to this team. If they light the world on fire, we can have a new discussion. 

2.) Miami Heat vs. 6.) Brooklyn Nets 
Game 1: Tuesday May 6th 6:00 pm TNT
Game 2: Thursday May 8th 6:00 pm ESPN2
Game 3: Saturday May 10th 7:00 pm ABC
Game 4: Monday May 12th 7:00 pm TNT
Game 5 (Wednesday) Game 6 (Friday) Game 7 (Sunday) - If Necessary

Reason Heat win: They need to have a good Chris Bosh come alive. What went under the radar is Bosh only averaged 14.5 points a game in their sweep against Charlotte. He can bring the big bruisers of Brooklyn outside of the paint creating more opportunities for LeBron James and Dwyane Wade to slash into the paint. He has seen Kevin Garnett in May before, and this time, Bosh is the much better player.  

Reason Nets win: Deron Williams becomes Deron Williams of old. Honestly, this Nets team can win the series. Paul Pierce and KG need to be big yet Williams actually having a say in the offense is the biggest key. Mario Chalmers is a decent enough defender, but Williams can still do some things to cut out what Chalmers wants to do on the defensive end. In three games against Miami, he only averaged seven points a game. That cannot happen if the Nets want to advance. 

X Factors:  Heat- Mario Chalmers, Nets - Marcus Thornton -  Heat need to find more scoring. They always seem to go through this at one point of the playoffs where only the Big Three are scoring and no one else. Chalmers did nothing in the four games against Charlotte and that cannot happen again if this team wants to win. Thornton is a microwave. If he gets hot, look out. And they might need a 'Marcus Thornton game' where he has 30 points making seven threes to win the series, he has found his way into some moments in the playoffs thus far.

Prediction: Heat in seven -  This will also be a nasty series with a ton of chippiness given the rivalry between Pierce and Garnett versus LeBron and Ray Allen. Also the fact Brooklyn won all four times they met this year doesn't sit well with the Heat either. Game 1 is huge. If Miami comes out tired from the layoff, Brooklyn will think they belong in the series. I think it goes the distance with LeBron James shutting the door in Game 7 with an iconic performance. 

Charlie.

NBA Game Seven Weekend: Big Stars Shine the Brightest

Every night there is some sort of drama about the NBA Playoffs. Every game is worth talking about even if it is just to make fun of somebody. The recaps look at the game itself and what could be upcoming for the teams.  


Brooklyn hangs on after a near-collapse in Toronto
The poor Raps. They battled like hell back in the fourth quarter after being down 10, and it seemed like there was no chance they could win this basketball game yet Toronto came back to make it a game in the final minute. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry did not have a defining Game 7 performances for the right reasons. DeRozan took it to the tin with three minutes left drawing an offensive foul and then a technical. Thankfully, Brooklyn came up empty on both attempts, but still, you need to keep their composure. Lowry had the final shot for a win and Brooklyn collapsed on him with three defenders yet he didn't pass the ball. That needed to happen, but instead Lowry tried to be the hero which did not work out for him.

Amid the comeback, Joe Johnson came to play on Sunday. We talked at the beginning of the series about how Brooklyn had closers on their team with Johnson, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Joe Cool stepped out to close out this basketball game. He had eleven straight points for Brooklyn at one point in the fourth. Solid performance from Johnson.

Clippers close out Warriors with a big second half
What a great game this was to close us out on Saturday night. Golden State had an early lead, but slowly, but surely, Los Angeles started to put themselves back in the game with some tremendous performances by the primetime players for the Clippers. Once again, DeAndre Jordan played terrific making all six of his shots, having 15 points and grabbing 18 rebounds. I have said this once, will say it again, if Jordan provides this kind of production, Los Angeles is the best in the West. Chris Paul had a great game after some concern about him with his injuries to his hand and hamstring. Paul had 22 points with 14 assists. J.J. Redick came up big late in the game which helped send Golden State home.

I am trying to figure out what Golden State's management's issue with Mark Jackson. Stephen Curry wants him to keep his job which would probably be my indicator he should stay put, but if Golden State forces him out, it will be interesting to see what it does for team chemistry.

The best shine through in Oklahoma City. 
We tend to see big players step up to the plate when it comes to Game 7's. Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are two of the best in the league, and they showed it on Saturday with major performances. Durant had 33 points with 12/18 shooting with eight rebounds. In the last two games since the whole newspaper snafu, he has been excellent. But the bigger story was Russell Westbrook. He had another triple-double with a bananas stat line. Westbrook finished the game with 27 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds including a couple steals and blocks to go with it. He really looked strong out there, and if Russ is playing at this level with the good 90 percent, not the bad 10 percent, Oklahoma City is a scary, scary team. I like everything they are doing right now.

Pacers handle their business, dispose of Atlanta 
ROY HIBBERT FINALLY SHOWED UP. Well kinda. He had 13 points with seven rebounds making six shots which is more than what Hibbert has done in this whole series. Have to respect Frank Vogel for still trotting him out there and trusting him when literally no one had his back. Paul George was the bigger story. A primetime player stepped up in the big moment with 30 points taking over in the second half. George finished off the Hawks with great ease and looked great out there. Even though Indiana's story has been about their struggles, George is excelling in the playoffs. The numbers are up in both points and rebounds with George averaging a double-double with him being the top player on this team. Also worth noting how well Lance Stephenson played with an efficient scoring night with 19 points 14 rebounds and five assists.

Spurs wake up and finish off Dallas with ease 
Many people wondered how the Mavericks got to seven games with San Antonio? It seemed like Dallas could maybe get one or two games, but no one thought this team could bring it to seven games. San Antonio shot over 70 percent in the first two quarters meaning it was complete curtains for Dallas' chances to pull the upset. Tony Parker was excellent with 32 points with making eleven shots on 19 attempts with none being from outside the arc. Parker dressed down this Dallas team, and it is fair to say, he is healthy from his ankle injury which could be big trouble for Portland. Another thing to keep an eye on is Danny Green's performance, he had been struggling, but last two games, he is averaging 16.5 points with 6/8 from three. If Green comes to play, this is a different San Antonio team.

Charlie.

Tapping The Keg Podcast Episode 86

Tapping The Keg podcast rolls on with a late afternoon edition features the two stalwarts of the SnoTap Podcast game with Charlie and Mitch yapping at you about all things sports. We talk about James Young sitting next to Rihanna last Friday, and who would be some of the people we would be nervous to sit next to, this also leads into another couple fun tangents. Despite their loss today, we talk about the Milwaukee Brewers success in the first month of the season and why they are for real with no collapse involved. We also talk about Wei-Chung Wang's spot on the team. We move on to discuss Donald Sterling scandal more so from Doc Rivers angle plus some other things. We talk about the upcoming NBA playoff games and Jameis Winston's crab leg mistake.

Charlie.

DeRozan Propels the Raptors in Game 2

Toronto Raptors haven't won a playoff game in six years. They have a sneaky great basketball fanbase there, and their pop culture profile has grown with the addition of Drake as an ambassador plus Toronto Mayor Rob Ford in attendance. Raptors dropped Game 1 with a tough fourth quarter and needed to bounce back to avoid going down 2-0 before heading to Brooklyn. Toronto took control of Game 2 and held on in the fourth quarter notching their first playoff win since George W. Bush's final days in office winning 100-95 with a great effort from DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valanciunas plus should make a big deal about Paul Pierce's postgame comments?

In Game 1, it appeared DeRozan played tight. He did not play like the player we have seen this season only having 14 points. He was not a real factor to the game. Sometimes all it takes is one game to get the nerves out because DeRozan returned to form on Tuesday night and then some. He had 30 points, shooting 45 percent and getting to the free throw line 14 times. DeRozan used his slashing aggressive nature to become a problem for the Nets. Both Kyle Lowry and him appear to be a real problem for an older Brooklyn team as they have to deal with the continuous push of the basketball. Brooklyn looked pretty tired when DeRozan kept attacking him.

One of the great things about the playoffs is we can see some young players shine and then it propelled them to have a great season the following year. Jonas Valanciunas made his presence felt on Tuesday with 15 points and 14 rebounds with an efficient game. He played great inside adding a different element to Toronto's game versus just the reliance on the guards. This is a key thing for Toronto as they need a third scorer from somewhere. It doesn't matter if he comes off the bench or if it is Valanciunas dominating in the paint. Mason Plumlee and others have to be better about protecting the paint or we could see a breakout April for Jonas.

With Valanciunas strong post performance, it paved the way for Toronto's domination on the glass against Brooklyn. They outrebounded the Nets, 53-30, with 19 offensive rebounds, eight more than Brooklyn. While turnovers were an issue for T Dot, they made up for it with a strong rebounding night.  Add what the guards do on the outside and if the big men plus others can clean up the messes, we are looking at a pretty strong team. Maybe a stronger one than we were giving them credit for to begin the playoffs. Brooklyn will need to adjust what they are doing in the paint to avoid the rebound discrepancy in the following games.

Paul Pierce seems to agree with me as he lamented after the game about the offensive rebounds and the fact, Toronto got 50 points in the paint. Pierce threw around the 'soft' label which is a bigger s word than shit in NBA circles. I think it is a clear tactic to fire Pierce up who did not have a great game going 2/11 and also the few young Nets players on the roster. If you add Kevin Garnett's comments about an angry Brooklyn crowd, Pierce obviously wants to add an edge to the team he believes is missing right now. The Truth knows exactly what he's doing.

I thought this series had a chance to be the best in the Eastern Conference. Add in the 'F Brooklyn' stuff plus two close games, we are seeing a budding rivalry build before our eyes. Game three comes to us Friday, and I for one, cannot wait.

Charlie.