In a preview of what many believe will end up being the Western Conference Finals, the stars shown.
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They can count on their upgraded offense until they figure out the rest. We did not have any timing whatsoever. He picked up right where he left off previous year in the ferocity department. San Antonio simply couldn’t find consistent offense from anyone else; LaMarcus Aldridge and Manu Ginobili had 11 points to tie for second-highest in scoring for the Spurs on Wednesday. Only 81 more of these to go. A 3-pointer by Westbrook with 54.2 seconds to play put Oklahoma City up by five. He’s a confident player now and has worked on his game diligently and really it’s the first year he’s been whole from the very beginning. After a season in which the Thunder failed to make the playoffs, largely due to Durant’s nagging injury that kept him out for the majority of the year, a few have concluded that the Thunder’s title window is over.
And now they’re even winning in the offseason.
It was Thomas who provided the spark for Boston after missing his first five shots from the floor.
Zimmerman: Agreed on the Thunder.
After Parker put the Spurs up two, back-to-back baskets by Dion Waiters put the Thunder ahead by two. Former team-mate Kobe Bryant, 37, is still the biggest draw at the Lakers but his considerable skills are declining and the five-time champion has suffered a season-ending injury in each of the last three seasons. What do you think about this grouping of three?
Gibberman: I have the Rockets, Clippers, Spurs in the next tier and in that order too. If someone wanted to put any of the three with the Warriors or Thunder I wouldn’t hold it against them.
The starting lineup is still mostly intact, however.
Is it Tim Duncan or Tony Parker?
They’re just waiting on Durant to fall back into place and will keep fingers crossed in the process.
Myles: Before you grab your pitchforks, I must note that Christian (an avid Warriors fan) was also in agreement with this projection.
“I think the biggest thing for all the guys is helping all those guys be efficient, ” Donovan said.
Portland losing LaMarcus, to me, isn’t being taken seriously enough.
While the Hornets haven’t necessarily done enough to start including them in the conversation with East contenders like the Cavaliers or Bulls, they are a team that has been completely forgotten about entering this season. Is it stupid to bet against Rick Carlisle and Terry Stotts? Wolves general manager Milt Newton says the “WE” slogan was something he and Saunders planned to use as a mantra heading into the season.
The Lakers should be better than they have been for the last two years. But with the Eastern Conference being the continual berth of perilous mediocrity that it is, they serve as the most logical choice. Being slightly better than people are expecting? In addition it doesn’t seem to be a fit stylistically either. Now, entering his fourth season, under the reigns of a coach in Gentry who has a proficiency for maximizing a player’s offensive talents. “I respect their team a lot”. If both can stay healthy, Klay Thompson and reigning MVP Stephen Curry will shoot this team back to the playoffs. I have had my doubts with such gaudy amounts of star power in the past, but the level-headedness that exists within this organization is unparalleled throughout the league.
I’m anxious about the Pelicans. But if there was a contest going on for the best celebrity Halloween costume, it’s clear that Kevin Durant would be climbing the ranks. It’s still asking a lot.
If you don’t know the name Anthony Davis, it’s time to get acquainted with the player analysts see as the league’s MVP-in-waiting. It’s going to take a few magic from George Karl to make everything work.
On a night where the Knicks got a surprisingly easy win over the Bucks, the team’s star was surprisingly bad. I think 10 wins of improvement isn’t necessarily going out on a limb. OKC has the talent to get to the National Basketball Association Finals, but there is a certain team a little farther south that may stand in their way. For the Thunder, that was injuries, which robbed them of Westbrook in the playoffs three years ago, then Ibaka two years ago, then Durant almost all of last season. Just don’t look at how they did against the Love-less Cavs.
We never got a chance to see how good this team could be with all our top pieces together.
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Oh, glorious day: The National Basketball Association is back! Is that a resurgence? It’s called “Most Valuable Player” for a reason.
